PDF Document Constituent Part Identification for Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing PDF editing technologies cannot accurately identify and mark specific locations within a page, making it difficult for users with visual impairments to navigate and edit documents efficiently, as they can only bookmark entire pages rather than specific content.
Innovation Solution
A method that analyzes path objects to identify tables, text objects outside form regions to recognize paragraphs and lists, and writes these results into a temporary file or the PDF document, allowing for precise bookmarking and editing based on document constituents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If readers use bookmarks to mark reading pages, then they can skip to marked pages quickly, but they can only read from the first line of the marked page and cannot mark specific locations within the same page
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the PDF document into multiple constituent parts (tables, paragraphs, titles, lists) and enables bookmarks to point to specific segments rather than entire pages. This allows users to navigate directly to precise locations within a page, resolving the contradiction between fast navigation and precise location marking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension of granularity to bookmarking by introducing constituent part level targeting. Instead of only page-level bookmarks, the system enables bookmarks at the constituent part level (tables, paragraphs, etc.), creating a multi-level navigation structure that achieves both speed and precision.
2Device complexity
If PDF documents are edited based on entire pages, then the structure is simple, but it is difficult to identify and edit specific content elements like tables, paragraphs, and lists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments PDF documents into identifiable constituent parts (tables, paragraphs, titles, lists) with distinct structural characteristics. This segmentation enables precise identification and editing of specific content elements while maintaining an organized editing framework, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different identification criteria and editing approaches for different constituent parts based on their local characteristics. Tables are identified by grid structures, paragraphs by text flow, titles by formatting attributes, and lists by bullet points or numbering. This localized approach enables accurate identification and editing of specific content elements.
3Productivity
If readers with visual impairment use traditional bookmarks, then they can navigate between pages, but they cannot efficiently locate specific content within a page
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments documents into semantically meaningful constituent parts that can be independently bookmarked and navigated. Users with visual impairment can jump directly to specific tables, paragraphs, or lists rather than reading through entire pages, significantly improving navigation efficiency and reducing time to locate specific content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (constituent part identification system) between the user and the document content. This intermediary enables screen readers and assistive technologies to navigate directly to specific content elements, acting as a bridge that enhances accessibility and reduces search time for users with visual impairments.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a method for identifying PDF document. wherein, it comprises the following steps: S1: analyzing the path objects in the PDF document, and identifying the forms in PDF document; S2: analyzing the text objects outside the form regions in the PDF document, and recognizing the text contents in the PDF document; S3: writing the identified results into a temporary file, or writing them into the PDF document as an attachment. The method for identifying PDF document provided by the present invention could identify the tables, the paragraphs, titles, the tabulations and so on in the PDF document, thereby, the PDF document can be edited with the paragraph as a unit, and be tagged conveniently to confirm the reading order, so as to facilitate the reading of people with visual impairment; in the same time, it also can derive document in other forms according to the identified results, which thereby greatly facilitates users to read and edit the PDF document.