Enabling selection of an inferred schema part

• US 7,613,996 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tysbert, Aleksandr, Lai, Shuk-Yan, Dallett, Nicholas K, Snow, David M, David, Willson Kulandai-Raj, Roberts, Scott M., Jin, Jun, Teutsch, Brian C., Bell, Joshua S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Queler; Adam M
• Application Number:
  US11/203,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 715221-223, 715/235, 715/237
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets

Abstract

Systems and/or methods (“tools”) are described that convert or present conversion problems for electronic documents. The tools may convert a generally unstructured electronic document to a generally structured electronic document using non-visual textual and layout information of the unstructured document. The tools can also present possible problems with this or other types of conversion. And the tools can enable a user to alter an electronic document'"'"'s schema without altering its visual layout.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving non-visual textual and layout information for an electronic document having data not linked to a structured schema;

recognizing, based on the information, a visual construct of the electronic document;

inferring that the visual construct is capable of being governed by a first schema part or a second schema part, the first schema part and the second schema part enabling different functionality for the visual construct;

building the electronic document;

presenting the visual construct of the electronic document;

enabling selection of the first schema part or the second schema part to provide a selected schema part; and

adding the selected schema part to the electronic document, the selected schema part governing the visual construct.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of adding the selected schema part is effective to replace a non-structural schema part with a structural schema part.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting renders the first schema part, the act of enabling enables selection of the second schema part, and the act of adding replaces the first schema part with the second schema part effective to alter the electronic document'"'"'s schema but not a layout of the visual construct.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second schemas enables a fixed-cell table and the other enables a repeating table.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second schemas enables check-box fields and the other enables radio-button fields.

6. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising

receiving non-visual textual and layout information for an electronic document having data not linked to a structured schema;

recognizing, based on the information, a visual construct of the electronic document;

inferring that the visual construct is capable of being governed by a first schema part or a second schema part, the first schema part and the second schema part enabling different functionality for the visual construct;

building the electronic document;

presenting the visual construct of the electronic document;

enabling selection of the first schema part or the second schema part to provide a selected schema part; and

adding the selected schema part to the electronic document, the selected schema part governing the visual construct.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein the act of adding the selected schema part is effective to replace a non-structural schema part with a structural schema part.

8. The media of claim 6, wherein the act of presenting renders the first schema part, the act of enabling enables selection of the second schema part, and the act of adding replaces the first schema part with the second schema part effective to alter the electronic document'"'"'s schema but not a layout of the visual construct.

9. The media of claim 6, wherein one of the first and second schemas enables a fixed-cell table and the other enables a repeating table.

10. The media of claim 6, wherein one of the first and second schemas enables check-box fields and the other enables radio-button fields.