Transcoding system for delivering electronic documents to a device having a braille display

• US 6,738,951 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Schwerdtfeger, Richard S., Weiss, Lawrence F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUELER, ADAM M
• Application Number:
  US09/458,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/501.1, 715/523, 704/271
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays

Abstract

An electronic document delivery system is described including a client machine coupled to (i.e., in wired or wireless communication with) a transcoder proxy. The client machine may be, for example, a palmtop or handheld computer or a wireless communication device with limited memory and/or processing capability. The client machine includes a Braille display and provides Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format to the transcoder proxy. The transcoder proxy is coupled to receive the Braille format information and electronic documents. Each electronic document includes presentation information (e.g., text and/or user controls such as buttons). The transcoder proxy includes a rule set including rules for translating electronic documents from any one of a set of first digital formats (e.g., a text-based markup language such as HTML, extensible markup language/XML, POSTSCRIPT, or portable document format/PDF) to any one of various Braille formats (e.g., English Braille, European Braille, Japanese Braille, and/or grades such as grade 1, grade 2, etc.). Locating the rule set within the transcoder proxy reduces the resource requirements of the client machine. The transcoder proxy translates the electronic document from the first digital format to a second digital format (e.g., a scripting language) such that the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format, and provides the electronic document to the client machine in the second digital format.

Claims

1. A system for delivering an electronic document, comprising:

a client machine comprising a Braille display and configured to provide Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format; and

a transcoder proxy coupled to receive the electronic document and the Braille format information, wherein the electronic document is expressed in a first digital format and includes presentation information, and wherein the transcoder proxy comprises a rule set including rules for translating the electronic document from the first digital format to any one of a plurality of Braille formats, and wherein the transcoder proxy is configured to;

translate the electronic document from the first digital format to a second digital format such that the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format; and

provide the electronic document to the client machine in the second digital format.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected Braille format is selected from the group consisting of English Braille, European Braille, and Japanese Braille.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first digital format is a text-based markup language.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the text-based markup language is selected from the group consisting of hypertext markup language (HTML), extensible markup language (XML), POSTSCRIPT, and portable document format (PDF).

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second digital format is a scripting language.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the presentation information comprises text and user controls.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transcoder proxy resides within a server.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client machine is a palmtop computer, a handheld computer, or a wireless communication device.

9. A transcoder proxy, comprising:

a rule set including rules for translating the electronic document from any one of a plurality of digital formats to any one of a plurality of Braille formats; and

wherein the transcoder proxy is configured to;

receive Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format;

receive an electronic document in a first digital format, wherein the electronic document includes presentation information;

select rules within the rule set dependent upon the Braille format information and the first digital format;

use the selected rules to translate the electronic document from the first digital format to a second digital format such that the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format; and

provide the electronic document in the second digital format.

10. The transcoder proxy as recited in claim 9, wherein the transcoder proxy resides within a server.

11. A client machine, comprising:

a Braille display; and

a user agent coupled to the Braille display and adapted for coupling to a transcoder proxy, wherein the user agent is configured to;

provide Braille format information to the transcoder proxy identifying a selected Braille format;

receive an electronic document in a digital format, wherein the electronic document includes presentation information, and wherein the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format;

form a model representing a logical structure of the electronic document;

use the model to produce output commands; and

provide the output commands to the Braille display.

12. The client machine as recited in claim 11, wherein the model also defines methods for accessing and manipulating the document.

13. The client machine as recited in claim 12, wherein the model is a document object model (DOM).

14. The client machine as recited in claim 11, further comprising an assistive technology coupled between the Braille display and the user agent, wherein the assistive technology is configured to:

provide the Braille format information to the user agent identifying the selected Braille format;

receive the output commands from the user agent;

use the output commands to produce Braille display commands; and

provide the Braille display commands to the Braille display.

15. The client machine as recited in claim 11, wherein the client machine is a palmtop computer, a handheld computer, or a wireless communication device.

16. A method for presenting an electronic document to a user, comprising:

receiving Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format;

receiving the electronic document in a first digital format, wherein the electronic document includes presentation information;

selecting rules within a rule set dependent upon the Braille format information and the first digital format, wherein the rule set includes rules for translating the electronic document from any one of a plurality of digital formats to any one of a plurality of Braille formats;

using the selected rules to translate the electronic document from the first digital format to a second digital format such that the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format; and

providing the electronic document in the second digital format.

17. A method for presenting an electronic document to a user, comprising:

providing Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format;

receiving an electronic document in a digital format, wherein the electronic document includes presentation information, and wherein the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format;

forming a model representing a logical structure of the electronic document;

using the model to produce output commands; and

providing the output commands to a Braille display.

18. A method for presenting an electronic document to a user, comprising:

receiving the electronic document in a first digital format, wherein the electronic document includes presentation information;

selecting rules within a rule set dependent upon a selected Braille format and the first digital format, wherein the rule set includes rules for translating the electronic document from any one of a plurality of digital formats to any one of a plurality of Braille formats;

using the selected rules to translate the electronic document from the first digital format to a second digital format thereby producing a script, wherein the translating is performed such that the presentation information is converted to the selected Braille format;

using the script to form a model representing a logical structure of the electronic document;

using the model to produce output commands; and

providing the output commands to a Braille display.