Controlling the structure of animated documents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9773336-B2
Application number	US-201113153114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2011
Priority date	Jun 3, 2011
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling the structure of animated documents are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method includes displaying, via a graphical user interface, a representation of a document, where the document includes a programmatic component configured to create an animation by manipulating a structure of the document, a static structure of the document corresponds to the structure of the document when the animation is not performed, and the animation, upon execution, is rendered starting from an original base state that at least partially defines the static structure. The method also includes, in response to receiving a selection corresponding to a state of the animation, designating the selected state as a new base state, wherein the new base state is different from the original base state. The method further includes altering the static structure of the document to correspond to the new base state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing program instructions-executable by the at least one processor to perform operations including:
displaying, via a graphical user interface, a representation of a document including an animation that is renderable by executing programmatic elements of the document to manipulate a structure of the document;
displaying the document in a natural state that corresponds to an initial point of the animation and represents a version of the document that a search engine configured to analyze only static structural elements of a document encounters during a search;
rendering the animation starting from the initial point of the animation by executing programmatic elements of the document;
responsive to receiving a selection of a point of the animation that occurs in between the initial point of the animation and an end point of the animation, designating the selected point of the animation as a new base state of the document;
altering the version of the document that the search engine encounters during a search to correspond to the new base state without changing the natural state of the document such that any subsequent rendering of the animation still starts from the initial point of the animation that corresponds to the natural state; and
maintaining the natural state of the document and the new base state so that any subsequent rendering of the animation starts from the initial point of the animation while the version of the document that the search engine encounters during a search corresponds to the selected point of the animation that occurs in between the initial point of the animation and the end point of the animation.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the document includes a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document, and wherein the operations further include, responsive to said altering, recalculating a scripting language command for the document such that upon loading of the document by a web browser, the document is rendered based on the natural state.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the structure of the document includes at least one of a text, a font size, a font type, a position, or a color.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the point of the animation that occurs in between the initial point of the animation and the end point of the animation is received via at least one of a timeline, a storyboard, a flowchart, or an event list.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the new base state corresponds to a point in time during presentation of an animation effect within the animation.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to perform operations including:
responsive to detecting editing of a portion of the animation corresponding to the new base state, providing a visual cue via the graphical user interface that the editing affects a static structure of the document; and
responsive to detecting editing of another portion of the animation not corresponding to the new base state, providing a visual cue via the graphical user interface that the editing affects the animation.

7. A method, comprising:
performing, by one or more computing devices:
receiving a request to create a document including an animation that is renderable from an initial point of the animation to an end point of the animation by executing programmatic elements of the document to manipulate a structure of the document;
enabling selection of one of a plurality of base states of the document each of the plurality of base states of the document occurring after the initial point of the animation and before the end point of the animation;
receiving a selection of one of the plurality of base states;
defining, based on the selected base state, a searchable version of the document such that a search engine configured to analyze only static structural elements of a document encounters the searchable version of the document during a search, without changing a natural state of the document such that any subsequent rendering of the animation still starts from the initial point of the animation that corresponds to the natural state; and
maintaining the natural state of the document and the selected base state so that any subsequent rendering of the animation starts from the natural state while the searchable version of the document that the search engine encounters during a search corresponds to the selected base state.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the document includes a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document, and wherein the operations further include, responsive to receiving the selection, recalculating a scripting language command for the document so that upon loading of the document by a web browser, the document is rendered based on the natural state.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the structure of the document includes at least one of a text, a font size, a font type, a position, or a color.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein enabling selection of the one of the plurality of possible base states to define the searchable version of the document comprises enabling selection via at least one of a timeline, a storyboard, a flowchart, or an event list.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
detecting, by the one or more computing devices, one or more edits to the document; and
responsive to detecting that the one or more edits affect one or more of the plurality of possible base states of the document, providing a visual cue via a graphical user interface that the one or more edits affects a static structure of the document.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
detecting, by the one or more computing devices, one or more edits to the document; and
responsive to detecting that the one or more edits do not affect one or more of the plurality of possible base states, providing a visual cue via the graphical user interface that the one or more edits affects the animation.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computer system to cause the computer system to perform operations including:
displaying a document including an animation that is renderable from an initial point of the animation to an end point of the animation by executing programmatic elements of the document to manipulate a structure of the document;
identifying a natural state of the document that corresponds to the initial point of the animation and represents a version of the document that a search engine configured to analyze only static structural elements of a document encounters during a search;
rendering the animation starting from the initial point by executing programmatic elements of the document;
receiving a selection of a point of the animation that occurs in between the initial point of the animation and the end point of the animation;
responsive to receiving the selection, designating the selected point of the animation as a new base state and modifying the version of the document that the search engine encounters during a search to correspond to the new base state; and
maintaining the natural state of the document and the new base state so that any subsequent rendering of the animation starts from the natural state and the version of the document that the search engine encounters during a search corresponds to the selected point of the animation that occurs in between the initial point of the animation and the end point of the animation.

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Assignees

• Anders Mark
• Hatwich Joshua
• Doubek James W
• Blas Jr Joaquin Cruz
• Adobe Systems Inc

Inventors

• Anders Mark
• Hatwich Joshua
• Doubek James W
• Blas Jr Joaquin Cruz

Classifications

• G06T13/00 Primary

  Animation · CPC title

• G06F40/109

  Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography · CPC title

• G06F17/214

  Physics · mapped topic