Method and system for manipulating page-breaks in an electronic document

• US 6,487,567 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2000
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Michelman, Eric H., Connolly, Michael Christopher, Mowery, Jo Anne M., Hagger, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Cong Lac
• Application Number:
  US09/631,515
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 707/525, 707/527, 707/530, 345/788, 345/798, 345/800
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/114 Pagination

Abstract

A system for manipulating page-breaks in an electronic document. A User Interface Process provides a graphical user interface allowing a user to select a page-break within an electronic document and then identify a new location for the page-break. A System Process performs the steps of moving the selected page-break to the new location and adjusting the scaling and the automatic page-breaks for the remainder of the document to accommodate the page-break at the new location.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating a page-break within an electronic document having multiple pages, wherein the page-break can be one of a plurality of types including a manual type page-break and an automatic type page-break, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of the page-break at an initial location from a person editing the electronic document;

receiving a selection of a new location from the person;

moving the page-break from the initial location to the new location without cutting and pasting by the person; and

repaginating the electronic document to accommodate the page-break at the new location; and

converting the page-break to a manual type page-break if the page-break is an automatic type page-break.

2. A method of manipulating a page-break within an electronic document having multiple pages, wherein each page of the electronic document has a scaling factor, the scaling factor identifying an amount to scale the contents of the page in order for the contents of the page to fit within a set of predefined dimensions, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of the page-break at an initial location from a person editing the electronic document;

receiving a selection of a new location from the person;

moving the page-break from the initial location to the new location without cutting and pasting by the person, wherein moving the page-break from the initial location to the new location comprises;

if the selected page-break is vertically oriented, the new location is to the right of the initial location, and a first adjacent page-break to the immediate left of the selected page-break is an automatic type page-break, converting the first adjacent page-break to a manual type page-break; and

adjusting the scaling factor for the page to the left of the selected page-break;

if the selected page-break is horizontally oriented, the new location is below the initial location, and a second adjacent page-break immediately above the selected page-break is an automatic type page-break;

converting the second adjacent page-break to a manual type page-break;

adjusting the scaling factor for the page above the selected page-break; and

determining the minimum scaling factor for the electronic document; and

repaginating the electronic document to accommodate the page-break at the new location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein repaginating the electronic document comprises:

removing all automatic type page-breaks from the electronic document; and

without modifying the location of any manual page-breaks, inserting automatic page-breaks in accordance with the minimum scaling factor for the electronic document ensuring that the contents of each page will fit within the set of predefined dimensions.

4. A method for manipulating a delimiter within an electronic document having multiple pages, the delimiter marking an end of useable text space on a first page and a beginning of useable text space on a next page, the method comprising:

receiving a first command to select the delimiter to be moved from an initial location to a new location;

in response to receiving the first command, displaying a phantom delimiter positioned over the selected delimiter, and activating a drag mode;

receiving a second command to drag the selected delimiter to the new location;

in response to receiving the second command, moving the phantom delimiter to the new location;

receiving a third command to deselect the delimiter at the new location;

in response to receiving the third command, deactivating the drag mode, automatically moving the delimiter to the new location, and removing the phantom delimiter; and

repaginating the electronic document to accommodate the selected delimiter at the new location.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the delimiter is a page-break.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the delimiter is a margin.