U.S. patent application number 10/214442 was filed with the patent office on 2003-04-24 for structured document browser.
Invention is credited to Matthews, James E., Schumacher, Robert M..
Application Number | 20030079181 10/214442 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24604113 |
Filed Date | 2003-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030079181 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schumacher, Robert M. ; et
al. |
April 24, 2003 |
Structured document browser
Abstract
A structured document browser includes a constant user interface
for displaying and viewing sections of a document that is organized
according to a pre-defined structure. The structured document
browser displays documents that have been marked with embedded
codes that specify the structure of the document. The tags are
mapped to correspond to a set of icons. When the icon is selected
while browsing a document, the browser will display the section of
the structure corresponding to the icon selected, while preserving
the constant user interface.
Inventors: |
Schumacher, Robert M.;
(Wheaton, IL) ; Matthews, James E.; (Chicago,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BRINKS HOFER GILSON & LIONE
P.O. BOX 10395
CHICAGO
IL
60611
US
|
Family ID: |
24604113 |
Appl. No.: |
10/214442 |
Filed: |
August 7, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10214442 |
Aug 7, 2002 |
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09304425 |
Apr 29, 1999 |
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6442574 |
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09304425 |
Apr 29, 1999 |
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08649271 |
May 17, 1996 |
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5933841 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/273 ;
707/E17.118 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0623 20130101;
G06F 3/0489 20130101; G06F 40/143 20200101; G06Q 30/0277 20130101;
G06F 16/986 20190101; G06F 16/9577 20190101; G06F 40/106 20200101;
G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 30/0641 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/513 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for displaying a section of a document, the method
comprising: (a) displaying a user interface of a document viewer;
(b) displaying a document with the document viewer, wherein the
user interface of the document viewer displays a plurality of
selectors automatically configured to correspond to a respective
plurality of sections of the document regardless of what section of
the document is being displayed; (c) receiving a selection of one
of the plurality of selectors; (d) continuing to display the
plurality of selectors after receiving the selection in (c); and
(e) displaying a section of the document that corresponds to the
selector selected in (c).
2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the document viewer comprises
a browser.
3. The invention of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectors are
automatically displayed.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein at least one of the respective
plurality of sections of the document comprises a plurality of
subsections, and wherein the user interface further displays a
second plurality of selectors configured to correspond to the
respective plurality of subsections.
5. The invention of claim 4, wherein at least one of the respective
plurality of subsections of the document comprises a second
plurality of subsections, and wherein the user interface further
displays a third plurality of selectors configured to correspond to
the respective second plurality of subsections.
6. The invention of claim 1, wherein the user interface further
displays a next section selector, and wherein the method further
comprises displaying a next section in the document in response to
the selection of the next section selector.
7. The invention of claim 1, wherein the user interface further
displays a previous section selector, and wherein the method
further comprises displaying a previous section in the document in
response to the selection of the next section selector.
8. A method for displaying a section of a document, the method
comprising: (a) displaying a user interface of a document viewer;
(b) displaying a document with the document viewer, wherein the
user interface of the document viewer automatically displays a
plurality of selectors automatically configured to correspond to a
respective plurality of sections of the document regardless of what
section of the document is being displayed; (c) receiving a
selection of one of the plurality of selectors; and (d) displaying
a section of the document that corresponds to the selected
selector.
9. The invention of claim 8, wherein the document viewer comprises
a browser.
10. The invention of claim 8 further comprising continuing to
display the plurality of selectors after receiving the selection in
(c).
11. The invention of claim 8, wherein at least one of the
respective plurality of sections of the document comprises a
plurality of subsections, and wherein the user interface further
displays a second plurality of selectors configured to correspond
to the respective plurality of subsections.
12. The invention of claim 11, wherein at least one of the
respective plurality of subsections of the document comprises a
second plurality of subsections, and wherein the user interface
further displays a third plurality of selectors configured to
correspond to the respective second plurality of subsections.
13. The invention of claim 8, wherein the user interface further
displays a next section selector, and wherein the method further
comprises displaying a next section in the document in response to
the selection of the next section selector.
14. The invention of claim 8, wherein the user interface further
displays a previous section selector, and wherein the method
further comprises displaying a previous section in the document in
response to the selection of the next section selector.
15. A document viewer comprising: a display region; and a user
interface displaying a plurality of selectors automatically
configured to correspond to a respective plurality of sections of a
document displayed in the display region regardless of what section
of the document is being displayed in the display region; wherein
the plurality of selectors are not part of the document displayed
in the display region of the document viewer and continue to be
displayed after one of the plurality of selectors is selected.
16. The invention of claim 15, wherein at least one of the
respective plurality of sections of the document comprises a
plurality of subsections, and wherein the user interface further
displays a second plurality of selectors configured to correspond
to the respective plurality of subsections.
17. The invention of claim 15, wherein the user interface further
displays a next section selector that has been predefined to
display a next section in the document when the next section
selector is selected.
18. The invention of claim 15, wherein the user interface further
displays a previous section selector that has been predefined to
display a previous section in the document when the previous
section selector is selected.
19. The invention of claim 15, wherein the document viewer
comprises a browser.
Description
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of
the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark
Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights
to copyright protection whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to computer applications for viewing
documents, and in particular, to a computer program for viewing
documents having a predefined structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Current computing environments typically include a graphical
user interface (GUI). IBM personal computers and IBM compatibles
run either OS/2 or Windows. The Macintosh has always had GUI
capabilities as part of its operating system. Even higher end
computers, including those that run Unix or VAX/VMS operating
systems, are available with components that provide a GUI
environment.
[0004] GUI's are generated using a set of software tools that put
graphical objects on the computer display. One of these graphical
objects is a screen pointer that the user controls with a mouse or
a trackball. The user moves the mouse to position the pointer on
the screen over selected objects on the screen. The user can select
an object by using a selecting device which is typically a mouse
switch. By selecting an object, the user instructs the operating
system or an application to execute the function associated with
the object. The GUI objects can include the graphical
representation of buttons, menus or any other graphic object.
[0005] GUI's are the foundation of hypertext and hypermedia
applications. Such applications allow computer users to create
interfaces in which graphical objects are configured to correspond,
or to link to objects of information. For example, a user may
create an interface having the graphical representation of a button
to display a motion video by selecting the button with a screen
pointer. Similarly, the button can be configured to make a sound,
display an image or display a separate text file.
[0006] Today's increasing interest in the Internet is due in part
to the improvements in hypermedia applications. The World Wide Web
is growing dramatically due to the evolution of standard markup
languages that allow users to mark documents with links to other
documents, and of presenters or viewers that interpret the markup
language in the documents allowing the users to view the links.
[0007] One of the first markup tools was the Standard Generalized
Markup Language (SGML). SGML was developed by the International
Standards Organization and has been adopted by the Department of
Defense and other government agencies as a way of standardizing
documentation. SGML is machine-based in a manner similar to a
computer language. An SGML Document Type Definition (DTD) may be
defined according to the specifications of SGML for a given
document structure. The DTD defines elements to be embedded in a
document. The documents are then viewed using a viewer or browser
that interprets the elements in the document according to the data
structure defined in the DTD.
[0008] The HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is an instance of a DTD
defined by SGML. HTML elements or codes are embedded into documents
for use with HTML browsers. Browsers display the documents
according to stylesheets associated with the embedded codes. The
stylesheets contain rules or instructions that dictate the
appearance of a document as presented by a browser. Stylesheets may
also contain references to other documents in different computers.
These references may be used in conjunction with context-sensitive
regions of the documents such that a user retrieves the document
reference by selecting the region. In this manner, an author links
one document to others in a meaningful way such that a viewer may
provide a user with access to information in documents that are
linked together in a web-like fashion.
[0009] One common characteristic of many browsers is that the links
to information are presented solely within documents. The links may
take the user to other documents or to locations within the same
document, but typically, the elements that provide the link control
are within the documents.
[0010] Having the control to the information links within the
documents themselves is adequate where the documents are short and
where the purpose is to obtain information in brief, concise
statements. But where a document is long, it becomes difficult to
browse the document since the only potential access to other
destinations are in whatever part of the document is currently
being displayed.
[0011] Moreover, organizations often work with standardized
documents. These documents typically have a carefully defined
purpose and are usually characterized by a standard structure.
These documents may be long and the main purpose for viewing the
documents is often to access information found in a specific
section of the well-known structure of the document.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In view of the above, a structured document browser is
provided with a user interface that remains uniform and familiar as
the user browses documents according to their structure instead of
their contents. The browser uses codes embedded in the document to
identify sections of the structure of the document. The user
interface includes graphical user interface objects, such as
buttons, that are configured to display a standard section of the
document structure when selected by the user.
[0013] The structured document browser may also include menus that
allow a user to select a document from among different documents,
or a document structure type from among different structure
types.
[0014] It is another object of the invention to provide a method
for browsing a document by using a screen pointer to select a
graphical user interface object and displaying a section of the
document that corresponds to the graphical user interface
object.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the
structured document browser showing how it communicates with other
components of the computer.
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a sample structure for a document.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a document having the
structure shown in FIG. 2 after it has been marked with SGML
tags.
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates an SGML document type definition (DTD)
created for use by a structured document browser for a document
having the structure shown in FIG. 2.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a representation of an example of a user interface
of the structured document browser for FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the process of retrieving a
structured document and illustrates playing the section of a
document in response to the selection of a button.
[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a bks data structure.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a diagram that shows the interaction between a
button, a map file and bit map file.
[0023] FIGS. 9A & 9B illustrate the operation of the browser of
FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates one example of an alternative
implementation of the user interface.
[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates a second alternative implementation of
the user interface.
[0026] FIG. 12 illustrates a third alternative implementation of
the user interface.
[0027] FIG. 13 illustrates a fourth alternative implementation of
the user interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] In the description that follows, reference is made to the
drawings where like elements are identified by like numerals
throughout.
[0029] A presently preferred embodiment of this invention includes
an application program called browser.exe that has been developed
using the `c` programming language in the Windows environment. The
browser.exe executable file is programmed to make function calls to
three dynamic link libraries named sit.dll, cgrmzv.dll and
ct13d.dll. These libraries are components of Dynatext Version 2.0,
a user interface development system from Electronic Book
Technologies, Inc. These Dynatext libraries provide functions that
implement the SGML related functions and the graphic input/output
functions. Further information regarding the Dynatext program may
be obtained by contacting Electronic Book Technologies, Inc. at One
Richmond Square, Providence, R.I. 02906.
[0030] The browser.exe program uses data structures in-several
support files that are in the same directory tree as browser.exe.
These support files will be described in more detail in the
description that follows.
[0031] A listing of the present version of browser.exe is attached
as Appendix I of this specification. The listing is an octal
representation of browser.exe. The presently preferred embodiment
may be carried out by converting the octal to a binary executable
file using methods that are well known in the art. After
conversion, the browser.exe file may be executed from a directory
that includes the dynamic link libraries and the support files
described in this disclosure.
[0032] It is to be understood however, that an embodiment of the
present invention may be developed for any computing environment
using any suitable development system.
[0033] The browser application in a presently preferred embodiment
is referred to in the following detailed description as the browser
80 as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram describing at a
high level the browser 80 in the computing environment. The
components of the browser 80 in its operating environment include
the browser 80 itself, an operating system 104 with GUI
capabilities, storage media 108, a keyboard 110, a pointing device
100, a selecting device 102 and a monitor 112. The operating system
104 further includes an I/O system 114 and a GUI system 116.
[0034] The double headed arrows 118 denote the communication
between the respective components. The communication at 118 may
entail communication over a network where appropriate.
[0035] The hardware devices 108, 110, 100, 102, 112 may be
implemented by choosing from among many alternatives for each
device. A pointing device 100 may be implemented using a mouse, a
trackball or any other device that controls the position of a
screen pointer. A selecting device 102 is typically implemented
with mouse buttons or buttons that operate in conjunction with a
trackball. In general, any device that may be used to effect the
selection of an object at the location of the screen pointer may be
used as a selecting device 102. A selecting device 102 may even
include a key on the keyboard 110. The storage media 108 is
understood to include random access memory (RAM), the temporary
storage out of which programs are executed as well as the mass
storage devices in which programs are stored. The hardware devices
108, 110, 100, 102, 112 are understood to include the software
drivers necessary for their operation in the computing
environment.
[0036] The browser 80 includes at least a controller 82 and a
system interface 84. The system interface 84 is responsible for
processing the communication between the browser 80 and the
operating system 104, the I/O system 114 and the GUI system 116.
The controller 82 receives and interprets requests from the system
interface 84 to perform a browser function. For example, the system
interface 84 receives signals from the I/O system 114 that the
pointing device 100 and the selecting device 102 were used to press
a button or icon, to request a display of a section of a document.
The controller 82 receives the information from the system
interface 84 to determine which document section to display.
[0037] In a presently preferred embodiment, the system interface 84
includes the functions provided by the Dynatext development system
and any operating system or I/O system functions. The controller 82
in a preferred embodiment is the executable program browser.exe. It
is to be understood that the diagram in FIG. 1 is by way of
illustration and is not intended to limit the software structure
chosen to carry out the invention.
[0038] The browser 80 operates with documents that have been
prepared as described below. Because the browser 80 is designed to
navigate documents according to their structure, the utility of the
browser 80 is maximized when an organization establishes a standard
structure for its key documents. A software engineering group, for
example, may find it desirable to maintain a uniform structure for
the software requirement specifications that the group develops. A
different structure is desirable for the group's design
specifications, and yet a different structure works for the group's
test documentation. The group's goal for such documentation is to
maintain uniformity.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, a marketing group might maintain
product descriptions for its company's product line in documents
having the predefined document structure 10. This structure is
predefined to have headings 12 that provide overview information,
sales information, product availability information, ordering
information, billing information, troubleshooting information and
product support information. The structure also has sub-headings 14
within each heading where relevant. The overview section 16 has
sub-headings 14 for sections devoted to a product description,
aliases, product features and instructions on how to use the
product.
[0040] A specific document of the predefined structure in FIG. 2 is
marked with codes for viewing with the browser 80. In a preferred
embodiment, codes are used to mark the document as shown in FIG. 3.
The codes shown in FIG. 3 have angle brackets around them. In a
preferred embodiment, the codes are SGML elements. These codes may
be replaced by elements of other markup tools in alternative
embodiments. In the marked document 20, the application
identification code 22 indicates that the document has been marked
for use by the browser 80. The overall document structure is
identified with a product name code 24. Each standard structure
component is then marked with an appropriate code or element.
[0041] The sections in a document are preferably marked according
to a convention. First, the beginning of a section is marked by a
code or element. For example, the <OVER> element 26
identifies the beginning of the section of the document that
provides an overview of the product. The <OVER> element 26 is
followed by the heading and text that constitute the Overview
section of the document. A begin section name element 28 indicates
that the information that follows the element 28 specifies the name
that will appear in all documents of the same structure for that
section. In the marked document 20 in FIG. 3, the name of the
overview section is "Overview" 30. Immediately after the name, an
end section name element 32 indicates the end of that section name
such that the text between the begin section name element 28 and
the end section name element 32 is the text 30 that will appear in
the heading. similarly, an end section element 34 indicates the end
of the section. In this case, the element </OVER> 34 marks
the end of the overview section. The convention of marking the
beginning and the end of parts of the document is used to mark
other sections (as shown at 36, 38, 39 and 42) that form the
standard document structure.
[0042] Begin sub-section elements 38 and end sub-section elements
42 mark the sub-sections of the document, using the same
convention, with the stipulation that the end elements 39 are in an
order that keeps the sub-sections nested within the sections.
Documents may have sub-sections within sub-sections.
[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the structure of documents is
defined by a document type definition (DTD). The DTD 40 in FIG. 4
illustrates how a document structure is represented in SGML. Codes
such as those referenced at 24, 25, 26 and 38, that are used to
indicate a section or structure part of the document as shown in
FIG. 3, are defined by setting an element name, as shown at 42 and
44 in FIG. 4; setting a heading name, as shown at 47 and 49; and
listing sub-parts as shown at 46. For example, the code for the
product name 24 in FIG. 3 is defined in the DTD 40 as the element
name 42 for the high level document structure composed of the list
of sections 46. The list of sections 46 comprises the codes
defining the sections of the document. The codes used in FIG. 3 for
the begin section codes 25 are defined in the DTD 40 of FIG. 4 as
element names 44 for the respective section level data structures.
The respective name codes, such as the begin section name element
27 in FIG. 3, is shown as part of a section, as shown at 45 in FIG.
4. The name element 45 is also defined at 51. If a section has
sub-parts, or sub-sections, the codes for the sub-sections within
the section are listed in the definition of the section code as
shown at 48. Each sub-section code is then defined individually as
shown at 43. More details on the syntax and constructs of SGML may
be obtained by referring to the ISO Standard for SGML ISO 8879:
1986/A1: 1988(E).
[0044] In a preferred embodiment, a document having a basic word
processing format may be converted to a marked document 20, also
known as an SGML instance, using an SGML utility. For example, a
utility called DYNATAG from Electronic Book Technologies, Inc.,
uses documents having the structure described in FIG. 2 to create a
DTD 40, illustrated in FIG. 4, as well as an SGML instance 20,
illustrated in FIG. 3. Other SGML utilities may be used to create
DTD's and SGML instances. The discussion of the DTD 40 is presented
to illustrate how alternative embodiments might implement a program
that interprets SGML DTD's to operate with the browser.
[0045] An infinite number of DTD's may be used, including common
DTD's such as the HTML DTD. In addition, other embodiments of this
invention may not use SGML as a markup language. Any other suitable
markup language, including a proprietary markup language, may be
used as well, provided that the appropriate software components are
available to translate the code. Other embodiments of this
invention may be designed to support the use of more than one
markup language.
[0046] Once a document has been marked and converted into a format
that is appropriate for the browser 80, the browser 80 may be
started on a computer. Referring back to FIG. 1, the user invokes
the browser 80 by using the pointing device 100 and the selecting
device 102 to select the browser 80 in a manner dictated by the GUI
of the operating system 104. In the preferred embodiment, the
operating system 104 is the Windows Operating System (Version 3.1
and later for purposes of this example), the pointing device 100 is
a mouse, and the selecting device 102 includes a pair of mouse
buttons (left and right buttons). The Windows user interface 106,
as it appears on the monitor 112, includes a menu bar 68, icons 66
representing application programs ready for initialization and a
screen pointer 62 controlled by the user with the mouse pointing
device 100.
[0047] To initialize the browser 80 in the Windows environment, the
mouse 100 may be used to place the screen pointer 62 over the
browser icon 64 in the operating system interface 106 and the left
mouse button may be double-clicked.
[0048] Once the browser 80 has been initialized, the graphical user
interface changes from the Windows user interface 106 in FIG. 1 to
that of the browser user interface as shown at 50 in FIG. 5.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 5, the user interface so of the browser 80
gives the user the capability of selecting a particular document
and then selecting different sections of the document for display.
The objects used to browse through the documents remain on the user
interface 50 regardless of where in a document a user is browsing.
The user interface remains familiar to the user and responsive to
the document structure.
[0050] The user interface 50 of the browser 80 includes a document
menu 52, a document type menu 54, a first row of selectors 56, a
second row of selectors 58 and a display window 60.
[0051] The user selects a document for browsing by using the
document menu 52. The document menu 52 is implemented with standard
graphical user interface menu objects such that the user selects a
document menu arrow 70 to display the full menu of the documents
available. The user then selects the document desired from the menu
using the selecting device 102 in combination with the screen
pointer 62.
[0052] The user interface 50 of the browser 80 is configured in a
manner that allows the document types, or standard structures of
different types, to be listed in a document type menu 54. The
document type is selected by the user in the same manner that the
user selects a document. The name of the document type is the name
or alias of directories designated by the browser to have documents
of a consistent structure. When a different document type is
selected, the names listed in the document menu are changed
according to the names of the available documents having the new
document type.
[0053] The selectors 56, 58 are examples of document navigation
tools that may be used for browsing documents in a presently
preferred embodiment. More specifically, selectors 56, 58 are
display regions in the user interface that are configured to
perform pre-defined operations when the user places the screen
pointer 62 over one of the selectors 56, 58 and then selects it
with the selecting device 102. In the presently preferred
embodiment, the display regions are depicted as icons that make
them look like buttons with graphic images on them. The image may
be designed to convey a sense of the operation to be performed if
the icon is selected.
[0054] The first row of selectors 56 is configured to correspond to
the first level of sections in a document. For example, the first
selector 68 in the first row 56 is configured to correspond to the
Overview section 16 in the document shown in FIG. 2.
[0055] Each selector is configured so that when the user places the
screen pointer 62 over the selector and then selects it with the
selecting device 102, the system interface 84 (described above with
reference to FIG. 1) receives data indicating which selector was
selected. The system interface 84 may then determine the document
section associated with the selector and send the request to
display that section to the controller 82 (described above with
reference to FIG. 1). Alternatively, the system interface 84 may
send to the controller 82 the identification of the chosen selector
and let the controller 82 determine what section to display. The
controller 82 will cause the document to be searched for the
document section that matches the selector chosen. When the chosen
section is found, the browser 80 displays in the display window 60
the section of the document structure that corresponds to the
selector.
[0056] Once the desired section is in the display window 60, the
user may navigate within the section by selecting one of the second
row of selectors 58. Each time a selector from the first row of
selectors 56 is selected, the second row of selectors 58 is
configured to correspond to the sub-sections 14 within the section
12 being displayed (as shown in FIG. 2). A document structure
having sub-sections within its sub-sections may also be
accommodated so that three rows of selectors might be present in
the user interface. The number of sub-sections within sections of a
document may be further accommodated with rows of selectors as
desired, or as limited by system constraints, such as the size of
the display window 60.
[0057] The user may also navigate within the section by controlling
the display window scroll bar 96 with the screen pointer 62 and the
selecting device 102.
[0058] To describe the manner in which the selectors 56, 58 in the
browser user interface 50 are configured, the initialization of the
browser will be described in conjunction with exemplary files or
data structures that are utilized during browsing operations. It is
to be understood that this is only one implementation of the
preferred embodiment, and that the files may be replaced, or
integrated, or revised to form different data structures without
departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the
Dynatext development tools may be replaced by other functionally
equivalent tools.
[0059] In the presently preferred embodiment, documents are
converted into "books" which are actually directory trees that
reside in a directory called the ".backslash.xyz.backslash.books"
directory. The terms "book," "collection" and "library" are defined
and used according to the specifications of the Dynatext
development system.
[0060] In order to create the Dynatext books, the documents that
have been coded as illustrated in FIG. 3 are supplied as input to a
utility called DYNATAG which is a component of the Dynatext system.
DYNATAG creates a DTD (as shown in FIG. 4) and an SGML instance (as
shown in FIG. 3) of the document. The SGML instance and the DTD are
used as input files to MKBOOK, another Dynatext utility. The MKBOOK
utility creates a binary instance of the document, a directory
tree, or a "book," and some of the support files used by the
browser 80. For example, the document for Widget having the
structure for products descriptions defined in FIG. 2 is processed
with MKBOOK to create the book ".backslash.xyz.backslash.boo-
ks.backslash.widget," a sub-directory of
".backslash.xyz.backslash.books."
[0061] The browser 80 uses a number of data files to define how a
document is found and displayed in the browser. These files and
their names in the preferred embodiment are 1) the browser
executable (browser.exe); 2) an initialization file (browser.ini);
3) a set of dynamic link libraries (sit.dll, cgmzv.dll, &
ct13d.d11); 4) a bks file which is an ASCII file that contains
information about a book, a library or collection of documents, and
names in the browser menus (named *.bks where the * represents the
name of a document); 5) a bitmap containing up to 100 regions for
icons (named *.bmp or default.bmp) and 6) an ASCII file that
provides the linking of the document element names to the icons in
the bmp file and for pop-up text in the executable (named *.map or
default.map).
[0062] The execution of the browser 80 will be described with
reference to FIG. 6 which is a flowchart describing the steps taken
to browse a document. When the user starts the structured document
browser in the manner described above in reference to FIG. 1, the
operating system launches the browser.exe executable file as shown
at block 120. This file is located in a directory called the
".backslash.xyz" directory. When browser.exe is launched it first
looks for the three required dynamic link libraries (DLL's) in the
same directory as shown at block 122. The DLL's, supplied by
Electronic Book Technologies, contain functions related to the user
interface, SGML processing and access to the books.
[0063] If the DLL's are available, the browser then checks for the
browser.ini file as shown in 124. If the browser.ini file is
present, the browser 80 reads its contents, as shown at block
126.
[0064] As the sample file in Table 1 shows, the browser.ini file
contains objects, or data structures that include the [Files]
object, the [DTEXT] object, and the [MAP] object. The [FILES]
object defines an annotation file. The annotation file is a
repository for feedback from users of the browser regarding the
documents being reviewed. The [DTEXT] object contains file names
that the executable will use to find the location of the data
directory, security key, and public and private directories. The
[MAP] object provides the file name of the initial map file that is
to be loaded (typically, the name is "default.map"). The map file,
as discussed in detail below, contains the associations between the
document elements and the icons.
1TABLE 1 Sample browser.ini File [Files]
AnnotationFile=.backslash.xyz .backslash.annot.txt [DTEXT]
DATA_DIR=.backslash.xyz.backslash.data
DTEXT_AUTH=@.backslash.xyz.backslash.data.backslash.security
PUBLIC_DIR=.backslash.xyz.backslash.tmp.backslash.public
PRIVATE_DIR=.backslash.xyz.backslash.tmp.backslash.private [MAP]
Icons=default.bmp
[0065] Referring back to FIG. 6, once the browser.ini file is
processed at 126, the browser checks for a file called default.bks
at block 128. The default.bks file is an ASCII file which provides
the browser with the information required to display a standard
initial document, such as a document that displays a message of the
day.
[0066] If a default.bks file is not found, the browser initializes
without a book as shown at 130. Otherwise, the contents of
default.bks are loaded as shown at 132 and the user interface is
presented on the display to the user as shown at 134.
[0067] The bks files will be described by reference to FIG. 7. The
bks files are ASCII files that contain information about how the
book should be loaded into the menus in the browser and which map
file to use. The bks file always begins with the [Book] object 140
in FIG. 7. The next line identifies the "collection." In a
preferred embodiment, a collection, also called a library, refers
to the directory containing the books to which the browser 80 has
access. In FIG. 7, the collection is located in the
".backslash.xyz" directory.
[0068] The next line in a bks file as shown in FIG. 7 identifies
the collection title 144 which defines a document type for the
document type menu 54. The collection title 144 is an alias for the
group of books that will be listed under a heading in the document
type menu 54 called "Products."
[0069] The name of the book 146 is on the next line of the bks
file. The book name is actually the name of the directory tree that
must be present under the collection path specified in line two 142
of the bks file. The book title at 148 specifies an alias for the
book. The book title contains the name the user will see on the
document menu 52 (at FIG. 5). The map file name 150 is optional. It
designates the map file that associates the tag names with the
icons in the .bmp file. If specified, the browser will use the file
name 152 to access the map file. Otherwise, the browser will assume
a file name based on a pre-defined naming convention.
[0070] Referring back to FIG. 6, a user requests a document 160 by
using the document menu 52 or the document type menu 54 in the user
interface 50 (shown in FIG. 5). When the menu is selected (before a
document is selected), the bks file is read in and the menu lists
document and document type names according to the contents of the
bks file. When a user requests to receive a document as shown at
160, the browser retrieves the document itself as shown at 162 and
the map file associated with that document as shown at 164.
[0071] The browser then verifies that the elements in the map file
match the SGML DTD and the structure codes in the document as shown
at 166. If there are no discrepancies, the browser 80 reads the bmp
file as shown at 168 which is specified in the map file. Also, in
block 168, the browser 80 locates fly-by text for description of
icons. The bmp file allows the browser to display the icons as
shown at 170 for the selectors 56, 58 (in FIG. 5). The browser also
displays the text in the chosen document as shown at 170.
[0072] Once the selectors on the user interface match the structure
requirements of the document, the user may select a section of the
document to view by pressing a selector button that corresponds to
that section as shown at 172. The correspondence between the
selectors 56, 58 and the document structure is established in the
map file and in the bmp file. This correspondence will be described
with reference to FIG. 8.
[0073] FIG. 8 shows a portion of the map file 200 for the document
having the structure in FIG. 2, a bmp file 210 and the location on
the user interface in which the selectors are placed 220. The first
object in the map file is the [MAP] object 180 which identifies the
data structure. The next line in the map file is the icon line 182
which is a filename that is used by the browser 80 to obtain the
bmp file for the structure corresponding to the map file.
[0074] The next line in the map file shown in FIG. 8 contains the
[SECTIONS] object 184. The [SECTIONS] object 184 marks the
beginning of a set of definitions of data structures 186 that help
tie the selector icons to the sections in the document. The order
of these data structures indicates the order in which the sections
appear in the document.
[0075] The first item under [sections] is "RBW-DOC, PROD.NAME,
OVER=1:Overview" 188. The RBW-DOC, PROD.NAME 190 label indicates
that the section identified in this line is in the first or highest
level section. The OVER label 192 in the line matches the
<OVER> tag 26 used to identify the overview section in the
marked structure document shown in FIG. 3. The expression OVER=1
192 specifies which icon in the bmp file corresponds to the section
identified. The text following the colon at 194 is used in fly-by
help or bubble help messages. For example, when the screen pointer
62 is positioned over an icon 222 as shown in FIG. 8, a Help
message 196 is displayed to indicate the function of the button.
The expression OVER=1 192 and the fly-by-help text 194 are read by
the browser 80 during block 168 in FIG. 6.
[0076] An example of the bmp file is shown in FIG. 8 at 210. The
icons are stored in the bmp file as a single rectangular bitmap.
Each icon is 16 pixels wide by 15 pixels high. In the presently
preferred embodiment, the icons make the selectors appear to be
buttons. The icon index starts at 1 and proceeds from left to
right. So the icon index might appear as follows:
2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
<etc>
[0077] An example of how the map file relates to the bmp file is
given in FIG. 8. Assume the user moves the screen pointer 62 to the
troubleshooting icon, which is the sixth selector or 222 in the top
row of selectors 56 and then selects it. The sixth button 222
corresponds to the sixth icon 224 in the bmp file. The browser 80
refers to the map file at the line RBW-DOC, PROD.NAME,
TROUBL=6:Troubleshooting 226 to determine which element name must
be searched. The line at 226 defines the TROUBL element as the
element that must be searched when the sixth button in the first
row 222 is selected.
[0078] While every book could have a separate map file and bmp
file, these files relate to all books in a library. In other words,
all books in the product library should have the same document
structure (i.e., document type definition). Thus, a prd.map
provides the mappings for all books in the products (i.e., prd)
library and, a prd.bmp provides the icons for all books in the
products (i.e., prd) library. The icons should relate to the
hierarchical structure of the document structure as specified in
the document type definition.
[0079] FIGS. 9A & 9B demonstrate the operation of the browser
80 by illustrating the way in which the user interface 50 changes
in response to the pressing of a button. FIG. 9A shows the user
interface 50 in an initial state with the Overview section 16 of
the widget products document from FIG. 2 in the display window 60.
The selectors 58 of the second row are represented by icons that
correspond to the sub-sections 246 of the description section.
[0080] The user of the browser 80 may wish to view information that
is known to exist in the troubleshooting section 18 of the widget
product description. As shown in FIG. 2, the troubleshooting
section 18 is towards the end of the document. Standard documents
may be as short as one printed page or long enough to fill several
binders. The browser 80 simplifies the retrieval of information by
allowing access to a pre-defined section of a document by pushing a
button. The screen pointer 62 may be moved from an initial position
240 to the position over the icon for the troubleshooting button
222. The user then selects the troubleshooting button 222 by
enabling the selecting device 102. The browser 80, using the
process illustrated in FIG. 8, then searches through the binary
instance of the document for the troubleshooting section. The
browser 80 displays the found section 242 in the display window 60
as shown in FIG. 9B. In addition to displaying the found section
242, the browser 80 updates the second row of selectors 58 to
correspond to the sub-sections 248 in the found section 242.
[0081] The user interface 50 of the browser 80 may be enhanced by
adding objects to give the user more tools with which to view the
documents. The user interface 50, shown in FIG. 9A, includes a next
section button 92, a previous section button 94, a go forward
button 72, a go backward button 74 and string search tools 78, 86,
88, 89. These objects may be programmed into the browser 80 along
with the software components that provide the indicated
functions.
[0082] When the next section button 92 is selected with the
combined action of the screen pointer 62 and the selecting device
102, a user views the next section in the document. For example,
the next section after the Overview section 16 in FIG. 9A is the
Sales section (See FIG. 2). Selecting the next section button 92 in
FIG. 9A causes the browser 80 to display the Sales section. The
previous section button 94 operates in the same manner as the next
section button 92 except that the previous section is shown.
[0083] The go forward button 72 and go backward button 74 may be
used to scroll text in the display window 60.
[0084] The user interface 50 as shown in FIG. 9A may also include
string search tools 78, 86, 88. The string search entry box 78 may
be used to input a text string that the user wishes to locate in
the document. The next found and previous found buttons 86, 88 may
be used to display the locations in the document in which the
string was found. The clear search button 89 clears the text in the
search entry box 78.
[0085] The feedback entry function gives the user the ability to
provide feedback on a document for those who may browse the
document at a later time. As shown in FIG. 9B, by selecting a
feedback file in a menu, or by selecting a tools button 90, a text
box 260 opens up to allow the user to enter a note. The text box
260 may be a compilation of messages to which users append notes,
or the contents of the text box 260 may be saved into a separate
repository of data periodically. In a preferred embodiment, the
compilation of messages may be saved to a SGML-based file for
support as a document that may be viewed by implementation of the
browser 80. In addition, the textbox 260 may be replaced by a view
of the messages in the display window 60.
[0086] It is to be understood that the appearance of the user
interface 50 shown in FIGS. 9A & 9B is one example of the user
interface in the present invention. The appearance and the choice
of graphic objects may be varied to suit the needs of the intended
users.
[0087] Referring to FIG. 10, one example of how the user interface
50 may be altered replaces the buttons 56, 58 with other objects.
The buttons are merely display regions of the user interface
configured to perform a function when selected with the screen
pointer 62 and the selecting device 102. In the presently preferred
embodiment of FIG. 9A, the selectors are represented by button
icons. As shown in FIG. 10, these icons may be replaced with words
or phrases 268 that are descriptive of the section that they are
configured to display.
[0088] Another variation, shown in FIG. 11, uses a distributed user
interface in which the buttons 288 are located in their own window
that is detached from the display window 60. FIG. 11 illustrates
the separate windows 50, 288 as they might appear on a monitor
screen 274.
[0089] In another variation shown in FIG. 12, keys on the keyboard
110 may be configured as functional equivalents of the screen
pointer 62 to select document section selectors 56, 58. FIG. 12
illustrates a monitor screen 274 connected to a keyboard 110 via
connection 275. In one approach to using the keyboard, the
selectors 56, 58 may be mapped to function keys 270 on the keyboard
110. In another approach which may be combined with the first
approach, the browser 80 may first, highlight a selector in
response to certain keys such as a TAB key 266, or an arrow key
264, and then select the highlighted selector 280 in response to
another key such as the ENTER key 272.
[0090] The user interface 50 may also be implemented in an
environment that lacks a GUI, such as a character-based system
interface. In an example of such an implementation shown in FIG.
13, the selectors 56, 58 are words or phrases that have features
such as a character-based border identifying them as selectors. The
user then selects a selector using the keys on the keyboard as
described above.
[0091] In another example of a character-based user interface 50,
the selectors 56, 58 are not used at all and the entire screen is
the display window. Function keys 270 on the keyboard 110 are
implemented in place of the selectors. The function keys 270 may be
mapped according to the labels indicated at 290.
[0092] It is to be understood that this specification is provided
by way of illustration and that it is only the claims and their
equivalents that define the invention.
* * * * *