Method and apparatus for interleaving parts of a document

• US 7,418,652 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pollock, Josh, Foehr, Oliver, Dunietz, Jerry, Hillberg, Mike, Paoli, Jean, Ornstein, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Thu
• Application Number:
  US10/837,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/515, 715/516, 715/530, 715/513, 715/517, 715/501.1, 715/200, 715/234, 715/277, 715/273, 715/526, 709/201, 709/203, 709/246, 709/236
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces

Abstract

Modular content framework and document format methods and systems are describe. The described framework and format define a set of building blocks for composing, packaging, distributing, and rendering document-centered content. These building blocks define a platform-independent framework for document formats that enable software and hardware systems to generate, exchange, and display documents reliably and consistently. The framework and format have been designed in a flexible and extensible fashion. In addition to this general framework and format, a particular format, known as the reach package format, is defined using the general framework. The reach package format is a format for storing paginated documents. The contents of a reach package can be displayed or printed with full fidelity among devices and applications in a wide range of environments and across a wide range scenarios.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a package holding a document, the package comprising a plurality of parts associated with the document, wherein at least some of the plurality of parts are interleaved with other of the plurality of parts and at least one of the plurality of parts is associated with a types stream in the package, the types stream including default mapping elements and override mapping elements, the default mapping elements mapping between one or more parts of the plurality of parts and content types, respectively, and the override mapping elements being used to specify content types for parts of the plurality of parts that are not mapped by one or more of the default mapping elements;

beginning processing a first part of the plurality of parts prior to receiving all data associated with the first part;

identifying a second part of the plurality of parts, the second part being associated with the document, wherein the second part is identified prior to receiving all data associated with the first part;

suspending processing of the first part;

processing the second part;

resuming processing of the first part after processing the second part; and

making at least one part of the document available to be displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a third part associated with the document, wherein the third part of the plurality of parts is identified prior to receiving all data associated with the first part;

suspending processing of the first part;

processing the third part; and

resuming processing of the first part after processing the third part.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a third part associated with the document, wherein the third part of the plurality of parts is identified while processing the second part;

suspending processing of the second part;

processing the third part; and

resuming processing of the second part after processing the third part.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first part contains textual characters and the second part contains graphical data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second part is referenced from within the first part.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is processed by a reader application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the reader application is unaware of the number of parts contained in the document when the first part is received.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the reader application is unaware of a length of the first part.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising discarding the first part and the second part.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising discarding the first part after processing the first part.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the first part after processing the first part; and

discarding the second part after processing the second part.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering the fist part after processing the first part; and

rendering the second part after processing the second part.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first part is received via a communication link that does not support data interleaving.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first part has an associated file format that does not support data interleaving.

15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed, implement the method of claim 1.

16. A computing system embodying the computer-readable media of claim 15.

17. A method comprising:

identifying, in a package, a first part of a plurality of parts contained in a document having the plurality of parts, wherein at least some of the plurality of parts are interleaved with other of the plurality of parts and at least one of the plurality of parts is associated with a types stream that includes default mapping elements and override mapping elements, the default mapping elements mapping between one or more parts of the plurality of parts and content types, respectively, and the override mapping elements being used to specify content types for parts of the plurality of parts that are not mapped by one or more of the default mapping elements;

beginning processing of the first part of the plurality of parts;

selecting a second part of the plurality of parts contained in the document, wherein the second part is selected prior to completing processing of the first part;

suspending processing of the first part;

beginning processing of the second part;

resuming processing of the first part after processing the second part; and

making at least one part of the document available to be displayed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the first part includes transmitting the first part.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the second part includes transmitting the second part.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the first part includes saving the first part.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

selecting a third part contained in the document, wherein the third part of the plurality parts is selected prior to completing processing of the first part;

suspending processing of the first part;

beginning processing of the third part; and

resuming processing of the first part after processing the third part.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

selecting a third part contained in the document, wherein the third part of the plurality parts is identified while processing the second part;

suspending processing of the second part;

beginning processing of the third part; and

resuming processing of the second part after processing the third part.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the document is being dynamically created while processing the first part.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein a physical package format associated with the document does not provide a method for interleaving of data streams.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is performed by a writer application.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein a number of parts in the plurality of parts contained in the document is not known while processing the first part and the second part.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein each parts of the plurality of parts includes a plurality of pieces, and wherein the method further comprising assigning each piece a unique name.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein names assigned to each piece are assigned such that the names unambiguously define an order in which the pieces should be assembled.

29. The method of claim 17, further comprising separating each parts of the plurality of parts into a plurality of pieces to allow for interleaving of data.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the second part is referenced by the first part.

31. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed, implement the method of claim 17.

32. A computing system embodying the computer-readable media of claim 31.

33. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media;

software instructions resident on the computer-readable storage media which, when executed, are capable of transmitting a document, wherein transmitting the document comprises;

identifying, in a package, a first part of a plurality of parts in a document having the plurality of parts, at least one of the plurality of parts being associated with a types stream that includes default mapping elements and override mapping elements, the default mapping elements mapping between one or more parts of the plurality of parts and content types, respectively, and the override mapping elements being used to specify content types for parts of the plurality of parts that are not mapped by one or more of the default mapping elements;

assigning a unique name to a first piece of the first part;

transmitting, via a network, the first piece of the first part;

identifying a second part of the plurality of parts in the document;

assigning a unique name to a first piece of the second part;

transmitting, via the network, the first piece of the second part; and

assigning a unique name to a second piece of the first part;

transmitting, via the network, the second piece of the first part after completing transmission of the first piece of the second part, wherein the plural acts of identifying, assigning, and transmitting provide a document whose first and second parts are interleaved.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the document is being dynamically created while transmitting parts of the document.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein a communication protocol used to transmit the first part and the second part does not support interleaving of data streams.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein transmission of the first part and the second part is performed by a writer application.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the second part is referenced by the first part.

38. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

begin to receive a package including a document, the package including a plurality of parts associated with the document, wherein the total number of parts in the plurality of parts associated with the document is not yet known, and wherein at least some of the plurality of parts are interleaved, at least one of the plurality of parts associated with the document also being associated with a types stream that includes default mapping elements and override mapping elements, the default mapping elements mapping between one or more parts of the plurality of parts and content types, respectively, the override mapping elements being used to specify content types for parts of the plurality of parts that are not mapped by one or more of the default mapping elements;

begin to process a first part of the plurality of parts associated with the document while continuing to receive additional parts;

halt processing of the first part upon identification of a second part of the plurality of parts contained in the first part;

process the second part while continuing to receive additional parts of the plurality of parts;

resume processing of the first part upon completion of processing the second part;

discard the second part upon completion of processing the second part; and

making at least one part of the document available to be displayed.