Patent ID: 7978935

Claim:
A method for changing the dimensions of an electronically stored image, the electronically stored image being composed of individual objects that are arranged below or next to one another or that fully or partially overlap one another, in which the electronically stored image is changed in at least one horizontal or vertical image dimension and at least some of the individual objects are changed in at least one horizontal or vertical object dimension, the method comprising: assigning object properties to each individual object using a data processing program that operates on a data processing system, the object properties being assigned for arranging and changing the size of the individual objects in the event of a change in the horizontal and/or vertical image dimension; and storing the object properties in a memory module, the object properties define a changeability of the individual objects; wherein (1) at least some individual objects are drawing objects and text objects, wherein the object properties additionally comprise a boundary data which defines a tolerance range, wherein the change in size of the drawing object also takes place by cutting off or adding an edge area to at least one side of the drawing object; (2) the object properties of at least one partially superposable individual object comprise a superposition data which defines an area of the individual object that may be superposed by other objects; (3) the text objects individual passages are provided with a dispensable attribute, wherein passages provided with the dispensable attribute are deleted if a maximum reduction in size is reached; (4) at least some individual objects are filler objects, wherein the object properties comprise the data that the filler object may be omitted if a critical reduction in the size of the image is reached; (5) at least one background object is superposed by other individual objects and is provided with background properties which define the change in the background object in the event of a change in its size; (6) the image is divided into horizontal and/or vertical areas, each area is assigned an area parameter which defines an ability of the area to change its size, in the event of a change in the size of the image the sizes of the areas are defined on the basis of the ability to change size and then within the areas the individual objects arranged therein are adapted in terms of their size to the size of the area; or (7) combinations thereof.