Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2004-12-07
Hong, Stephen S. (Department: 2179)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
C715S252000, C704S271000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829746
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for providing electronic documents, and more particularly to document delivery systems wherein servers transcode documents delivered to client machines.
2. Description of Related Art
The World Wide Web, known simply as the “Web”, is a network of Internet servers that provide specially formatted electronic documents to various “client” machines. Web servers currently support documents formatted in a text-based markup language called hypertext markup language (HTML).
In order to provide Web access to client machines with limited capabilities (e.g., palmtop or handheld computers), a “transcoder proxy” is typically positioned between the client machine and an Internet server. The transcoder proxy may, for example, provide selected portions of a requested Web document to the client machine based upon the capabilities of the client machine. In doing so, the transcoder proxy may translate one or more selected portions of the Web document from one digital format to another.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a representative system
10
currently used to provide an electronic document
12
(e.g., a Web page) to a client machine
14
with limited capabilities. Client machine
14
may be, for example, a palmtop or handheld computer with limited memory, processing capability, and/or display capability. System
10
includes an internet server
16
, and a transcoder proxy
18
interposed between client machine
14
and internet server
16
. Transcoder proxy
18
forwards a request for document
12
from client machine
14
to internet server
16
. Such a request typically includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of document
12
specifying the internet protocol (IP) address of document
12
and the name of the file containing document
12
.
Internet server
16
fetches document
12
and provides document
12
to transcoder proxy
18
. Based upon the capabilities of client machine
14
, transcoder proxy
18
may translate or “transcode” one or more selected portions of document
12
from one digital format to another. For example, transcoder proxy
18
may transcode a portion of document
12
from HTML to a script written in a scripting language understood by a Web browser application program running within client machine
14
. The Web browser program may use information conveyed by the script to present the one or more selected portions of document
12
upon a display device of client machine
14
.
Alternately, client machine
14
may include a text-to-speech converter, and the information conveyed by the script may be used to output the one or more selected portions of document
12
as speech through a speaker of client machine
14
. The term “assistive technology” is used herein to describe technology that helps physically challenged individuals access to a computer system (e.g., client machine
14
). Well known types of assistive technologies include “screen readers” which convert display information to speech, “screen magnifiers” which enlarge features of portions of display screen contents, and voice recognition software which converts speech to a digital representation of text or commands.
Computer language code or “script” which modifies visual presentations of electronic documents in response to user input is increasingly being included within electronic documents. Such interactive aspects of electronic documents are used to provide, for example, Web site navigation information in response to user input. JAVASCRIPT (™ Netscape Comm. Corp., Mountain View, Calif.) is a well known cross-platform, object-based scripting language for client and server applications. JAVASCRIPT is commonly used to add interactive aspects to electronic documents such as Webpages.
The Document Object Model (DOM) is an application programming interface (API) for “documents”. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has authored a DOM specification available on the Web at URL http://www.w3.org/. The DOM defines the logical structure of documents and the way a document is accessed and manipulated. In the DOM specification, the term “document” is used in the broad sense. Increasingly, XML is being used as a way of representing many different kinds of information that may be stored in diverse systems. Much of this information would traditionally be seen as data rather than as documents.
In the DOM, documents have a logical structure which is very much like a tree. To be more precise, the logical structure is like a “forest” or “grove”, which can contain more than one tree. However, the DOM specification does not require that documents be implemented as a tree or a grove, nor does it specify how the relationships among objects be implemented. The DOM is a logical model that may be implemented in any convenient manner. In the DOM specification, the term “structure model” is used to describe the tree-like representation of a document. Terms like “tree” or “grove” are not used to avoid implying a particular implementation. One important property of DOM structure models is structural isomorphism. If any two DOM implementations are used to create a representation of the same document, they will create the same structure model, with precisely the same objects and relationships.
In current document delivery systems, a problem arises in that many client machines do not support interactive aspects of electronic documents such as Web pages due to resource limitations. As a result, transcoding proxy
18
may be configured to remove any computer language code or script within the one or more selected portions of an electronic document provided to client machine
14
. Web site navigation capability may be lost, and with it the ability to access Web site information. Additionally, a client machine may not have sufficient resources to provide an assistive technology solution for a physically challenged user.
It would thus be desirable to have an electronic document delivery system which allows a client machine with limited resources to provide interactive aspects of electronic documents such as Web pages and/or an assistive technology solution for a physically challenged user. The desired document delivery system may use the document object model (DOM) to define a logical structure of an electronic document, and to access and manipulate the electronic document.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Several different embodiments of an electronic document delivery system are described including a client machine coupled to (i.e., in wired or wireless communication with) a transcoder proxy. The client machine may be, for example, a palmtop or handheld computer or a wireless communication device with limited display, memory, and/or processing capability. The transcoder proxy is coupled to receive electronic documents. Each electronic document includes one or more elements, and is expressed in a first digital format (e.g., a text-based markup language such as HTML or XML). The transcoder proxy assigns a unique identifier to each element of the electronic document. The transcoder proxy produces an “original” script including at least a portion of the electronic document expressed in a second digital format (e.g., a scripting language). The original script includes the elements within the portion of the electronic document, as well as the identifiers assigned to the elements. The transcoder proxy provides the original script to the client machine.
The transcoder proxy may form a model of a logical structure of the electronic document. The model may also define methods for accessing and manipulating the document. The model may be, for example, a document object model (DOM). The transcoder proxy may use the model to produce the original script. The transcoder proxy may save the model, including the elements of the electronic document, and the identifiers assigned to the elements for future use.
The client machine receives the original script from the transcoder proxy, and uses the original script to display or otherwise present the portion of the electronic document. The
Dutta Rabindranath
Schwerdtfeger Richard S.
Weiss Lawrence F.
Conley & Rose, P.C.
Daffer Kevin L.
Dawkins, IBM Marilyn S.
Hong Stephen S.
International Business Machines Corp.
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