Embedded reuse meta information

Systems and techniques to facilitate reuse of page components. In general, the techniques includes: generating multiple components of a markup language document to be rendered, the multiple components being derived from one or more information sources, designating the multiple components in the markup language document using a recognized identifier of document sections, and adding reuse information to the designated components of the markup language document so that the reuse information is readable with the components but not revealed when the markup language document is rendered, the reuse information specifying how the components may be repurposed via access to the one or more information sources. The techniques further include: rendering multiple components of a presentation, and in response to a selection of one or more components in the presentation, using reuse information contained in the one or more components to facilitate repurposing of the one or more components.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present application describes systems and techniques relating to reuse meta information in electronic documents, for example, meta information embedded in a Web page to indicate reusable components of the page.

Various advances in networking technology have created a revolution in communications and information exchange generally. This has been especially evident with the advent of the World Wide Web, where a client-server environment, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) have expanded the possibilities for information systems and public dissemination of content. Web-based technologies are increasingly being adopted by organizations to communicate with their members and customers, and also to restructure and integrate their own information technology (IT) systems.

In general, a Web-based information system uses a client-server environment to disseminate information. A client-server environment is a network architecture in which clients generally rely on servers for resources. The resources provided by a server can be files, devices, database access, processing power, etc. Thus, a server resource is frequently referred to as a service (e.g., a Web service). Resources are typically provided in the form of an electronic document (e.g., a page) delivered to a requesting client. A received document is rendered by the client, such as by a Web browser rendering an HTML page, to present audio/visual content.

In addition, the document used to communicate information can be dynamic in one or both of two senses. First, an HTML document can be dynamically generated at a server using one or more information sources. A requested URL (Universal Resource Locator) can result in a different page being delivered to a client depending on information associated with the client, such as client location, time of day, pages previously viewed, and/or a client profile. Second, an HTML document can exhibit dynamic behavior after it is delivered to the requesting client. Extensions to HTML allow Web pages to react to user input without additional requests being sent back to the server.

Various tools have been developed that facilitate the use of Web-based technologies. For example, GoLive® software, provided by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif., is a Web publishing tool that facilitates Web page authoring, website generation, and website management. Adobe® GoLive® software provides a graphical user interface used to create HTML documents, including dynamic HTML, that form a complete website. GoLive® software includes features to facilitate website design and management, including the ability to create HTML components of commonly used objects on a website: such HTML objects are designated in generated HTML files using the GoLive® <csobject> tag.

Moreover, various markup language specifications are being developed based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) to facilitate the expansion of Web-based technologies. An HTML page is an example of a document designed to be rendered at a client. HTML generally describes how data should be displayed and mixes data semantics with data presentation information. XML describes information, generally addressing data semantics while ignoring issues of presentation and formatting, which are left to XHTML (eXtensible HTML) documents. XML documents are extensible: the underlying grammar is defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), but the tags may be defined by users of XML.

The various markup language specifications under development include RDF (Resource Description Framework), RSS (RDF Site Summary), PRISM (Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata), and ICE (Information Content Exchange). RDF is a language, including an XML-based version, for representing metadata about a resource (e.g., a website) to facilitate automated processing of metadata on the Web. RDF attempts to be domain neutral in order to support platform-independent exchange of machine-understandable information on the Web in multiple areas of endeavor, such as in resource discovery (e.g., to enhance search engine capabilities) and cataloging (e.g., describing content available at a Web site). For example, RDF can be used to provide metadata describing a website's sitemap, dates of updates, search-engine keywords, and intellectual property rights.

RSS is an RDF-based metadata format used to syndicate Web content. A website can enable others to republish some of the website's content by creating an RSS document. This RSS document can be a comprehensive catalog of syndication information for an entire website, and can be registered with an RSS publisher. If a client can read RSS-distributed content, the client can readily republish the syndicated content, such as news feeds, events listings, news stories, headlines, project updates, excerpts from discussion forums, or corporate information.

PRISM is an RDF-based metadata format used to describe content, interchange, and reuse. PRISM uses namespaces and controlled vocabularies to support syndicating, aggregating, and post-processing of content, including multi-purposing magazine, news, catalog, book, and mainstream journal content. PRISM provides a framework for the interchange and preservation of content and metadata, a collection of elements to describe that content, and a set of controlled vocabularies listing the values for those elements.

ICE is a protocol that manages and automates syndication relationships, data transfer, and results analysis. The ICE protocol can be used by content syndicators and their subscribers to manage syndication processes using an agreed upon content syndication vocabulary, such as that described in PRISM. The ICE protocol defines the roles and responsibilities of syndicators and subscribers, defines the format and method of content exchange, and provides support for management and control of syndication relationships.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to facilitating reuse of page components. According to an aspect, multiple components of a markup language document to be rendered can be generated, where the multiple components are derived from one or more information sources. The multiple components can be designated in the markup language document using a recognized identifier of document sections, and reuse information can be added to the designated components of the markup language document so that the reuse information is readable with the components but not revealed when the markup language document is rendered. The reuse information specifies how the components may be repurposed via access to the one or more information sources.

The reuse information can include terms of use information. The reuse information can be an identifier indicating a source of reuse information describing how the components are reusable via access to the one or more information sources. The reuse information can be syndication information.

The markup language document, including the reuse information, can be sent to a client in response to a request from the client. Generating the multiple components can involve generating the multiple components in response to the request from the client. The recognized identifier can be a div tag. The markup language document can be a hypertext markup language (HTML) page. The multiple components can be multiple visual components of the markup language document.

According to another aspect, multiple components of a presentation can be rendered, and reuse information contained in the one or more components can be used to facilitate repurposing of the one or more components, in response to a selection of one or more components in the presentation. A document that defines the presentation and includes the multiple components to be rendered can be obtained, and the multiple components can be derived from one or more information sources. The reuse information can be read when the multiple components are read for the rendering, and the reuse information can specify how the components may be repurposed via access to the one or more information sources.

The presentation can be an audio/video presentation. The selection can be a request to view reusable components in the presentation, and using the reuse information can involve displaying a list identifying a set of the components in the presentation that are reusable. The selection can be a direct selection of the one or more components in the presentation, such as a right click on a component in the presentation to open an options list that includes a component-specific option derived from the reuse information.

Using the reuse information can involve incorporating the selected one or more components into another resource based on the reuse information. Incorporating the selected one or more components can involve allowing modification of the selected one or more components during the incorporation, and allowing modification of the components can involve allowing modification in accordance with terms of use information included in the reuse information.

A system implementing the systems and techniques here can include a processor, a machine-readable medium coupled with the processor, and a Web publishing software product tangibly stored on the machine-readable medium. The Web publishing software product can include instructions operable to cause the processor to perform the operations: obtaining a reusable component of a Web presentation, and in response to a selection of the reusable component, using reuse information contained in the reusable component to facilitate repurposing of the reusable component. The operations can also include enforcing restrictions on modification to the reusable component indicated by the reuse information, supporting syndicated content purchase negotiations using the reuse information, and/or searching for component resources using the reuse information.

The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Components of pages from a website can be readily designated, and reuse meta information can be embedded in those designated components to facilitate reuse of those components. A standardized control vocabulary for reuse can be embedded in the Web pages delivered to clients, and no separate catalog and protocol are required to specify reuse information. Content consumers can be made more aware of what parts of a Web page can be reused; reusable components and appropriate sources of syndicated content can be quickly identified from a delivered Web page itself. Content creators can more easily promote reuse of Web pages at a component level, and website syndication and website generation using syndicated components can be facilitated. Moreover, content creators can readily include reuse information with a component when that component is created and avoid creation of a separate reuse meta information document, as is typical with traditional reuse meta information that is separated from the source content, which can create significant difficulty in trying to identify and discover reuse information.

Reusable components of Web pages can be more easily identified. Reuse information for a reusable component can be accessed at the point of use for the component. Thus, a content consumer can see a reusable component in its original context when the reuse information is accessed. Access to this reuse information can be provided by software tools that read the Web pages (e.g., a Web publishing tool), and a standardized control vocabulary, such as that described in PRISM, and a syndication protocol, such as ICE, can be included, allowing reusable components to be found and mixed, and allowing a content consumer to negotiate different terms when incorporating a reusable component in their own work. The systems and techniques described can simplify Web content syndication processes, both in content generation and consumption, and can result in a much broader customer base for syndicated Web content, potentially increasing generation and availability of useful content on the Web.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the terms “electronic document” and “document” mean a set of electronic data, including both electronic data stored in a file and electronic data received over a network. An electronic document does not necessarily correspond to a file. A document may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other documents, in a single file dedicated to the document in question, or in a set of coordinated files. Moreover, although this disclosure discusses the invention in the context of markup language documents, such as HTML documents, the invention is applicable to any final form content stream, which can be any document to be sent with the intention of being rendered at a client, or any content stream sent to be presented at a client, either visually, audibly, or otherwise. A final form content stream can be a document in a format where representation and semantics are intertwined.

FIG. 1is a flowchart illustrating document generation and use. Multiple components of a markup language document to be rendered are generated at100. The multiple components are derived from one or more information sources, which can be local or remote sources. The document can be an HTML document. Generating the components can be part of a dynamic document generation process in response to a request for the document (e.g., generation of a Web page by a Web server), or part of website authoring process (e.g., generation of a Web page by a Web publishing tool, such as the Adobe® GoLive® software).

The multiple components in the markup language document are designated using a recognized identifier of document sections at110. For example, in an HTML document, the <div> tag can be used to denote logical divisions in the HTML document. Thus, standard markup tags can be used to identify and separate distinct components of the markup language document. The recognized identifier becomes part of the designated component (e.g., the begin and end <div> tags and their content form a div element, which is the designated component, and the div element content holds the component information to be rendered).

Reuse information is added to the designated components of the markup language document at120. This reuse information is embedded in the components themselves such that the reuse information is read with the components but not rendered when the markup language document is rendered. For example, the reuse information can be added to attributes of the div element and/or empty elements included within the div element. Thus, the component and its associated reuse information can be fused together to form a reusable component, which can be accessed, manipulated and stored as a unit.

The reuse information can specify how the components may be repurposed via access to the one or more information sources. The reuse information can include terms of use information. For example, the reuse information can include copyright information and payment information, including potentially different pricing schemes and payment terms. The reuse information can be an identifier indicating a source of reuse information describing how the components are dynamically created via access to the one or more information sources. For example, the reuse information can be a URI (Universal Resource Identifier) pointing to a catalog of reuse information. The reuse information can be syndication information. Such syndication information can include access metadata (e.g., a URL, push/pull information, available times, etc.), legal and business metadata (e.g., legal notices such as author and copyright information, and usage terms such as prices), and technical metadata about the component itself (e.g., application-specific component information and general component information such as creation date/time).

The components can be visual and/or audio components of the markup language document. The generated document, including the reuse information, can be sent to a requesting client at130. The document can be received at the requesting client at140. The received document is read at the client. The reuse information is read with the multiple components at150. The multiple components are rendered without revealing the reuse information at160. Rendering the components can involve generating an image on a display and/or generating sound output on a speaker.

During reading of the document, the reuse information is read along with the components, but the reuse information is not presented during the rendering of the components. For example, when the reuse information is included in attributes of a div element and empty elements included within the div element holding a component of an HTML page, this reuse information is automatically loaded into the DOM (Document Object Model) when the HTML page is read at the client but is not presented. The reuse information is thus readily accessibly in the DOM using standard DOM access functions, but does not affect rendering by traditional Web browsers that have no understanding of the reuse information included in the HTML page. Most traditional Web browsers effectively ignore the div element in visual rendering of a page.

Access to the reuse information is provided at170. This access enables repurposing of the multiple components according to the reuse information, as described further below. This access can be provided by a number of different tools and in various processing environments. For example, a specific client-server communication is not required; a Web publishing tool can obtain the document initially by loading it from a storage medium and then provide the access to the multiple components to enable repurposing of those components.

FIG. 2is a block diagram illustrating an example client-server environment. A network200provides communication links between a server210and a client220, and potentially a third party230. The network200can be any communication network linking machines capable of communicating using one or more networking protocols, including a local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), enterprise network, virtual private network (VPN), the Internet, etc. The server210can be any machine or process, capable of communicating over the network200, that has resources available to other machines coupled with the network200. Likewise, the third party230can be any machine or process, capable of communicating over the network200, that has a resource available to other machines coupled with the network200. The client220can be any machine or process capable of communicating over the network200with the server210and the third party230. For example, the server210can be a Web server, the client220can be a Web browser, and the third party230can be a process provided by an affiliate of the provider of the server210. Alternatively, the client220and the server210can be machines in a peer-to-peer network that operate in a client-server manner for at least one transaction. The client220requests resources from the server210, and the server210provides requested resources to the client220, possibly using the third party230to obtain information during communication with the client220and/or as an intermediary between the server210and the client220.

The server210and a third party230can be content providers that embed reuse information in the components of documents sent to the client220. This embedding of reuse information in documents intended to be rendered elsewhere (e.g., HTML pages delivered in response to website requests) makes it easy for content creators to share parts of their electronic documents as desired, and makes it easy for individuals to reuse components of received documents. Such documents can be rendered at the client220, or partially at the client220and partially at a third party230(e.g., an online render engine, such as the Adobe® Graphics Server 2.0 software provided by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif.).

In the context of the Web, embedding fine-grained reuse information in a final form content stream as described here may provide additional advantages and efficiencies as the Web changes and is increasingly used by business enterprises. As there becomes a clear distinction between servers that generate content and the services that render the output (e.g., an online render engines or the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) plug-in to client software) embedding reuse information in final form content being routed to a client can result in additional advantages and efficiencies. Moreover, Web trends such as electronic syndication, portal aggregation and personalization can also benefit from the embedding of reuse information described.

FIG. 3is a block diagram illustrating exemplary Web page generation. A Web page360is generated by a Web server310using multiple information sources330,340,350, which can be accessed through a backend system320. The information sources330,340,350can be local sources or remote sources. In this example, the Web page360includes three components that come from three different information sources. The components are a clock, a stock quote for ADBE, and a weather forecast indicating today will be partly cloudy.

When the Web page360is generated, the Web server310uses standard markup tags to identify the components, and the Web server310embeds appropriate reuse metadata in the components of the page360. Thereafter, a reusable component of the page360includes its own reuse metadata that enables reuse with the original source. The reusable component can be a standalone entity, which can be viewed in the source HTML, that simplifies access to and repurposing of the reusable component. The Web page360can act as an exemplar for how components are used. Moreover, the reuse information embedded in the components of the page360can introduce control vocabularies as a common way to identify and use metadata properties.

FIG. 4is a block diagram illustrating the example Web page360fromFIG. 3in a browser window and corresponding HTML. As shown, the reusable components of the page360can be designated by the div element. The class attribute of the div element can be used to identify that the content of the div element is a reusable component, and the id attribute can be used to identify the type of the reusable component. The clock component can be designated with HTML410:<div class=‘xmp:component’ id=‘xmp:clock’>...</div>
The weather forecast component can be designated with HTML430:<div class=‘xmp:component’ id=‘xmp:weather cast’>...</div>
Additional reuse information can be included in an attribute of the div element, such as in a single character string holding all the reuse information.

Alternatively, additional reuse information can be included in one or more child elements of the div element; provided the reuse information is not included as element content to be rendered. For example, the additional reuse information can be included in multiple empty elements as shown in this example of the stock quote component designated with HTML420:<div class=‘xmp:component’ id=‘xmp:quote’><xmp:copyright=‘Company Incorporated’/><xmp:update frequency=‘1h’ start=‘00:00:00’/><xmp:source URL=‘http://www.corp.com’/>...</div>
Thus, the reuse information can be loaded into the DOM, in conjunction with the reading of a page component, without being rendered. Traditional Web browsers ignore the additional information when presenting the Web page, but the information is included in the DOM and can be programmatically accessed. If an individual sources the Web page, the reuse information can be easily seen. Moreover, a standardized control vocabulary can be used, such as that described in PRISM, and thus search engines can easily index such Web pages and their reusable components.

The reusable component and the meta information describing reuse are merged at the point of use, thus providing the component reuse information within a context indicating how that component can be used. This makes access to and reuse of a reusable component more intuitive, thus encouraging reuse. Web pages are frequently dynamic and use multiple information sources, and viewers of such Web pages may be interested in accessing one or more of those information sources to generate their own versions of interesting components found on Web pages. By presenting Web pages with defined reusable components that include their own reuse information, the abstract information of interest can be readily accessed from the context of an actual representation, and the component can be readily employed elsewhere with a different representation.

FIG. 5is a block diagram illustrating the example Web page360fromFIG. 3in a browser window and an example user interface. The Web browser can provide access to the reuse information in the page360to enable repurposing of the multiple components of the page. For example, in response to a received request, the browser can display a list identifying a set of the components that are reusable. The browser can include a menu bar510with a view menu option520that allows a user to view the reusable components on the page. Selection of the view menu option520can result in the Web browser accessing the reuse information in the DOM and generating a reusable components window530. From this window530, a user can quickly identify the reusable components on the page, can be provided with the ability to view source HTML for a reusable component, and can be provided with the ability to incorporate a reusable component into another document.

Providing such access can be performed by other software tools as well, either alone or in conjunction with each other. For example, a Web publishing tool can be used to load the page360, and in response to a received request, the Web publishing tool can allow incorporation of the reusable components into a new document that uses the one or more information sources, which are indicated by the reuse information in the page360, to dynamically define content for the components in the new document. The new document can be a new markup language document or other type of document. The Web publishing tool can also allow modification of the reusable components during incorporation into the new document. Using a standardized control vocabulary, interchangeable skins can be found for a reusable component and used to modify the component found. For example, a user can search a library of clock skins for the clock component and then combine a found clock skin with the original clock component (e.g., a discovered SVG clock skin component can be combined with a clock web service identified in the page360).

FIG. 6is a block diagram illustrating the example Web page fromFIG. 3in an example Web publishing tool window600. A current sources window610shows the reusable components found on the loaded page: a clock component630, a stock quote component640, and a weather cast component650. These reusable components can have associated reuse information as described above, including source information (e.g., a component can be identified as a Web service accessed via a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script). The associated reuse information can be accessed using the Web publishing tool, such as using a content inspector window620, which presents component information for selected stock quote component640(e.g., source information and fields information: symbol, indicator, price change).

The Web publishing tool can allow a user to modify the reusable components of the page, such as by incorporating the components in a new page. The Web publishing tool can enforce restrictions on modification indicated by the reuse information. Modification of a reusable component can be allowed only in accordance with terms of use information included in the reuse information. The Web publishing tool can include functionality to streamline the Web page generation process using reusable components. For example, the Web publishing tool can have built-in search capabilities (e.g., links to known search engines) and a user interface to simplify common changes to components (e.g., putting a new skin on a clock component); the Web publishing tool can have built-in syndication capabilities and a user interface to allow a user to negotiate a purchase of a reusable component directly from the Web publishing tool.

In addition to a standardized control vocabulary, such as that described in PRISM, a syndication protocol such as ICE can be used, and a user can negotiate different terms using the Web publishing tool when incorporating a reusable component in their own work. For example, the stock quote component640can have reuse information regarding source and update frequency, but also subscription information that specifies that the reusable component is free at one update frequency (e.g., once per day) and requires a subscription at another update frequency (e.g., a yearly subscription of $19.95 for updates every five minutes). Moreover, various digital rights management schemes can also be included to assist in enforcement of restrictions included in the reuse information.

FIG. 7is a block diagram illustrating a new Web page generated using reusable components in the example Web publishing tool illustrated inFIG. 6. The new page includes a headline component660from a news service and the stock component640for which a subscription has been negotiated and paid for through the Web publishing tool. The new page also includes a quote of day component670and a clock component632, which is the clock component630with a new presentation format.

Many types of reusable components are possible, and these reusable components can have various dynamic sources. Using reuse information included with a component delivered in a final form content stream, such as a received HTML page, a software tool (or plug-in to an existing software tool) can allow a user to quickly and easily create new documents that mix and match various reusable components, including components that require payment for use, and modify the presentation of such components to serve their own interests and tastes. Moreover, when the Web publishing tool is used to create entirely original content, embedding reuse information as described above can facilitate syndication of the generated content. Thus, the systems and techniques described can simplify Web content syndication processes, both in content generation and consumption, and can result in a much broader customer base for syndicated Web content, potentially increasing generation and availability of useful content on the Web.

The invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Apparatus of the invention can be implemented in a software product (e.g., a computer program product) tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor; and processing operations of the invention can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. The invention can be implemented advantageously in one or more software programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. Each software program can be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; and in any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language. Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory, a random access memory and/or a machine-readable signal (e.g., a digital signal received through a network connection). Generally, a computer will include one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying software program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM (electrically programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the invention can be implemented on a computer system having a display device such as a monitor or LCD (liquid crystal display) screen for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the computer system. The computer system can be programmed to provide a graphical user interface through which computer programs interact with users.

The invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the invention can be implemented in a peer-to-peer or other network environment and is not limited to a client-server environment. The operations of the invention can be performed in a different order or in parallel and still achieve desirable results.