US Patent 5,655,130: Method and apparatus for document production using a common document database (Unisys Corporation)

Title: Method and apparatus for document production using a common document database
Patent Number: US Patent 5,655,130
Issued: August 5, 1997
Filed: October 14, 1994
Parent case: n/a
Inventor(s): Dodge, Daniel R. et al.
Assignee: Unisys Corporation
Referenced at issuance: US Patent 4,962,475 (IBM Corporation) Φ and US Patent 5,181,162 (Eastman Kodak Company).
Referenced after issuance: n/a
Blogger comment:

There were 12 references to prior patents at issuance, including US Patent 4,962,475 and US Patent 5,181,162, referenced above. The remaining 10 references are unremarkable for the scope and purposes of this blog.

An advanced search at USPTO online on May 9, 2008 for distinguishing references to this patent after its issuance using ref/5655130 reveals 42 references. A more refined search reveals no patents deemed relevant for the scope and purposes of this blog.

Abstract:

The present invention relates to computer-implemented methods of document production, and in particular to a system and method for producing a variety of documents from a common document database.

Independent claims (as numbered):

1. A computer-implemented method for creating a plurality of versions of custom documents from a document source file, comprising the steps of:

defining a source file having a plurality of encapsulated data elements, wherein each encapsulated data element includes document information including text or graphics, wherein the plurality of encapsulated data elements includes a plurality of first encapsulated data elements and a plurality of second encapsulated data elements;

defining a first class, wherein the first class includes a plurality of first class variation names and wherein the plurality of first class variation names includes a first and a second variation name;

tagging the plurality of first encapsulated data elements with the first variation name in the first class;

tagging the plurality of second encapsulated data elements with the second variation name in the first class;

selecting encapsulated data elements from the plurality of encapsulated data elements wherein the step of selecting includes the step of choosing a set of variation names including the first variation name; and

filtering the source file with the set of variation names, wherein the step of filtering comprises forming a filtered source file comprising the selected encapsulated data elements.

11. A computer-implemented method of generating a version of a document from a document database, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of data objects, wherein each data object includes document information including text or graphics, wherein the plurality of data objects comprises a plurality of first data objects, a plurality of second data objects and a plurality of common data objects;

defining a first class having a first variation name and a second variation name;

associating the first variation name with the plurality of first data objects;

associating the second variation name with the plurality of second data objects;

selecting the data objects associated with a set of variation names, wherein the step of selecting includes the step of adding the first variation name to the set of variation names; and

forming an output document wherein the step of forming includes the step of removing the unselected second data objects.

18. A document generation system for generating a variety of documents from a common document database, comprising:

authoring means for entering a document having a plurality of data objects, wherein the plurality of data objects includes a plurality of first data objects, a plurality of second data objects and a plurality of common data objects, wherein each data object includes document information including text or graphics, wherein the authoring means includes first class assigning means for assigning a first class having a first and a second variation name to each of the first and second data objects, wherein the first class assigning means comprises means for associating the plurality of first data objects with the first variation name and means for associating the plurality of second data objects with the second variation name;

document validation means for determining that the document is in a predetermined format; and

document filtering means for removing data objects associated with the second variation name.

22. A computer implemented method of creating multiple variations of documentation, comprising the steps of:

defining a source file having a plurality of document elements, wherein the document elements include document information including text or graphics;

tagging predetermined ones of said plurality of document elements as first variation document elements;

tagging predetermined ones of said plurality of document elements as second variation document elements;

tagging predetermined ones of said plurality of document elements as common document elements;

selecting a first variation;

scanning said source file for selected document elements, wherein the step of scanning includes the step of scanning said source file for first variation document elements and for common document elements; and

generating an output document from the document information contained in the selected document elements.

24. A computer-implemented method of generating a version of a document from a document database, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of document section objects, wherein the plurality of document section objects includes document section objects having one or more paragraphs and document section objects having one or more illustrations;

dividing the plurality of document section objects into a plurality of first document section objects, a plurality of second document section objects and a plurality of common document section objects;

defining a first class having a first variation name and a second variation name;

associating the first variation name with the plurality of first document section objects;

associating the second variation name with the plurality of second document section objects;

selecting the document section objects associated with a set of variation names, wherein the step of selecting includes the step of adding the first variation name to the set of variation names; and

filtering the document database to form an output document comprising the common document section objects and the selected document section objects.

29. A document generation system for generating a variety of documents from a common document database, comprising:

an input/output device, wherein the input/output device includes authoring means for entering a document having a plurality of encapsulated paragraphs and means for grouping each of the plurality of encapsulated paragraphs into first, second and common encapsulated paragraphs, wherein the authoring means includes first class assigning means for assigning a first class having a first and a second variation name to each of the first and second encapsulated paragraphs, wherein the first class assigning means comprises means for associating the first encapsulated paragraphs with the first variation name and means for associating the second encapsulated paragraphs with the second variation name;

document validation means, connected to the input/output device, for determining that the document is in a predetermined format;

storage means, connected to the document validation means, for storing the document; and

document filtering means, connected to the storage means, for removing encapsulated paragraphs associated with the second variation name.