Document layout system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400769-B2
Application number	US-53713109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2009
Priority date	Aug 6, 2009
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A method for generating a document, comprising providing a set of content items in a first configuration for the document, using a processor, generating alignment data representing a measure for the alignment of the content items in the first configuration, using the alignment data to determine if the content items are aligned with one another within a predefined threshold measure for alignment for the document, and a document layout system comprising a processing module configured to generate a document layout.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a document, comprising:
receiving a first configuration of the document that includes a set of content items;
generating, using a processor, alignment data representing a measure for an alignment of the content items in the first configuration, the alignment data including a plurality of alignment lines; and
determining, using the alignment data, whether the content items are aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment, wherein the content items are determined to be aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment when a distance between any two adjacent alignment lines of the plurality of alignment lines is less than a first defined value or greater than a second defined value;
wherein generating the alignment data comprises:
using the processor to determine a set of collinear points for the first configuration defined by the edges of the content items; and
using the determined set of points to generate the plurality of alignment lines for the first configuration;

wherein the first defined value is 2 mm and the second defined value is 5 mm.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
on the basis of the determination that the content items are not aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment, generating, using a layout engine, a second configuration for the document, wherein the second configuration is different from the first configuration.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
using the processor to generate regularity data representing a measure for the disposition of content items in the first configuration; and
using the regularity data to determine if the content items are positioned relative to one another in a way which is commensurate with a predefined style definition for the document.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first defined value comprises a visibility threshold and the second defined value comprises a minimal acceptable distance between adjacent alignment lines for a particular document type.

5. A document layout system for generating a document, comprising:
a hardware processor to:
provide a set of content items in a first configuration for the document;
generate alignment data representing a measure for an alignment of the content items in the first configuration, the alignment data including a plurality of alignment lines; and
using the alignment data, determine whether the content items are aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment, wherein the content items are determined to be aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment when a distance between any two adjacent alignment lines of the plurality of alignment lines is less than a first defined value or greater than a second defined value;
wherein to generate the plurality of alignment data, the hardware processor is to:
determine a set of collinear points for the first configuration defined by the edges of the content items; and
generate the plurality of alignment lines for the first configuration using the determined set of points;

wherein the first defined value is 2 mm and the second defined value is 5 mm.

6. The document layout system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the hardware processor is to generate, on the basis of the determination that the content items are aligned with one another with an acceptable alignment, a second configuration for the document, the second configuration different than the first configuration.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first defined value comprises a visibility threshold and the second defined value comprises a minimal acceptable distance between adjacent alignment lines for a particular document type.

Assignees

• Balinsky Helen
• Wiley Anthony
• Roberts Matthew
• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Balinsky Helen
• Wiley Anthony
• Roberts Matthew

Classifications

• G06F40/10 Primary

  Text processing (natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40) · CPC title

• G06F40/117 Primary

  Tagging; Marking up (details of markup languages G06F40/143); Designating a block; Setting of attributes (style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154) · CPC title

• G06F17/218

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/21 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic