Spatial morphing of text to accommodate annotations

• US 6,230,170 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chang, Bay-Wei, Fishkin, Kenneth P., Igarashi, Takeo, Mackinlay, Jock D., Zellweger, Polle T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, RYAN R
• Application Number:
  US09/098,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 707/512, 382/306, 345/141, 345/116, 345/117
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A primary body of data is displayable on a screen and a supporting body of data is relatable to an annotation tag present in the primary body of textual data. An annotation tag having a predetermined size in the primary body of data is selected, and negotiations ensue between the primary body of data and the supporting body to determine a space into which the supporting body of data can be fitted while substantially maintaining an unobstructed view of the primary body of data. To help accommodate the supporting body of data, at least a portion of the primary body of data is spatially morphed by repositioning, resizing, or distortion. An animation sequence is used to position the supporting body of data in the negotiated space.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a primary body of data displayable on a screen and a supporting body of data relatable to an annotation tag present in the primary body of textual data, the method comprising the steps of

selecting an annotation tag having a predetermined size in the primary body of data,

negotiating between the primary body of data and the supporting body of data to determine a space into which the supporting body of data can be fitted while substantially maintaining an unobstructed view of the primary body of data, with the negotiated space being sized larger than the predetermined size of the annotation tag, and with at least a portion of the primary body of data being spatially morphed, and

positioning the supporting body of data in the negotiated space, wherein the supporting body of data is displayed so that it is more salient than the primary body of data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of animating an expansion of the annotation tag into the negotiated space.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of animating a contraction of the supporting body of data positioned in the negotiated space back into the annotation tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the supporting body of data is intercalated between lines of text.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein lines of text are moved apart to accommodate the supporting body of data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary body of data is decreased in size as the supporting body of data is increased in size in response to selecting the annotation tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the primary body of data and the supporting body of data is substantially text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the primary body of data and the supporting body of data is substantially graphics.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the primary body of data and the supporting body of data contains both text and graphics.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation tag is at least a fragment of the supporting body of data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation tag is text of the supporting body of data, initially sized to have a smaller typesize than typesize of the primary body of data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation tag is a hyperlink to the supporting body of data.

13. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for presenting a primary body of data displayable on a screen and a supporting body of data relatable to an annotation tag present in the primary body of textual data, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting an annotation tag having a predetermined size in the primary body of data,

negotiating between the primary body of data and the supporting body of data to determine a space into which the supporting body of data can be fitted while substantially maintaining an unobstructed view of the primary body of data, with the negotiated space being sized larger than the predetermined size of the annotation tag, and with at least a portion of the primary body of data being spatially morphed, and

positioning the supporting body of data in the negotiated space, wherein the supporting body of data is displayed so that it is more salient than the primary body of data.

14. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 13 wherein in said method further comprising the step of animating an expansion of the annotation tag into the negotiated space.

15. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 13 wherein said method further comprising the step of animating a contraction of the supporting body of data positioned in the negotiated space back into the annotation tag.

16. A computer based data display system method for presenting a primary body of data displayable on a screen and a supporting body of data relatable to an annotation tag present in the primary body of textual data comprising:

selection circuitry for detecting of the selection of an annotation tag having a predetermined size in the primary body of data,

negotiating circuitry for negotiating between the primary body of data and the supporting body of data to determine a space into which the supporting body of data can be fitted while substantially maintaining an unobstructed view of the primary body of data, with the negotiated space being sized larger than the predetermined size of the annotation tag, and with at least a portion of the primary body of data being spatially morphed, and

circuitry for positioning the supporting body of data in the negotiated space, wherein the supporting body of data is displayed so that it is more salient than the primary body of data.