Record-Based Styles for Document Formatting Contradictions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document processing technologies face difficulties in efficiently formatting and managing large volumes of similar text entries, such as classified ads or directory listings, due to the lack of effective tools for applying consistent formatting across similar but distinct content.
Innovation Solution
The development of record-based styles, which allow users to define formatting attributes based on regular expressions involving basic text units like letters, words, or sentences, enabling the automatic identification and formatting of similar text entries across a document.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional word processing styles are used to format text, then formatting can be applied to selected text ranges, but it is difficult to apply different attributes to different parts of the text within the same style and difficult to reformat text once imported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments text into structured records with multiple fields (e.g., name, address, phone number), where each field can have independent formatting attributes. This allows different parts of the text to have different styles while maintaining overall structure through record-based organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of organization by moving from simple text ranges to multi-dimensional record structures with fields and attributes. This enables formatting to be applied not just to contiguous text but to specific fields within records, adding structural depth to style application.
2Extent of automation
If markup language technologies with style sheets are used, then styles can be associated with markup tags, but the association of tags with content is essentially manual and selection is based on pre-defined markup constructs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables automatic style application by allowing users to select text and automatically generate record-based style definitions from the selected content. The system self-adjusts by analyzing the selected text structure and creating appropriate field definitions and formatting rules without requiring manual tag association.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of selected text to automatically generate style definitions before actual formatting is applied. This preliminary action includes identifying record boundaries, field structures, and appropriate formatting attributes, which then guides subsequent automatic style application.
3Productivity
If data merge features are used to create documents from comma-separated files, then it is easy to create documents with similar entries, but once text is in the document it is difficult to reformat except through individual style markings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes document formatting dynamic by allowing style definitions to be created, modified, and reapplied to records after document creation. Users can select records, modify style definitions, and automatically reapply formatting throughout the document, making the system adaptable to changing formatting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal record-based style system that can handle multiple document types and formatting scenarios through a single unified approach. The same record-based style mechanism works for importing data, formatting text, searching records, and reformatting, replacing multiple separate functions.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, that use record-based styles. In one aspect, a system receives an input selecting a portion of some formatted content, and generates from the selected content one or more style definitions defining a corresponding style in terms of contiguous fields, each defined in terms of units of formatted content. In another aspect, a system applies a record-based style to formatted text content, identifies one or more logical records within the formatted text content matching the style, and displays one of the logical records with a demarcation of boundaries between occurrences of fields in the record. In another aspect, a system also receives a second record-based style, and applies the second style to a result set of logical records that match the first style. In another aspect, a system also uses a record-based style as a search term to search a set of documents.