Patent ID: 7418653

Claim:
A method for automatically publishing data in a final publication format, wherein the data is in the form of a newspaper having an original, existing format including a plurality of pages, each page having a predetermined layout comprising a plurality of independently standing data blocks, each block having an internal structure, the method comprising: obtaining a scanned representation of said newspaper, said representation preserving said layout, from said representation automatically analyzing the newspaper to decompose the predetermined layout of each page of the newspaper in the original, existing format into said plurality of blocks, each block representing an object; said analyzing furthermore applying knowledge of newspaper structure and identifying at least one logical relationship between said blocks; converting each object to an internal publication format, said internal publication format identifying and preserving said internal structure of said blocks within said objects, said internal publication format furthermore preserving said layout as a relationship between said objects; said internal publication format furthermore preserving said logical relationship; and said internal publication format comprising a mark-up language to indicate said objects and features of said internal structure wherein said mark-up language is XML; and rendering said internal publication format to incorporate said objects, said layout and respective internal structures and said logical relationship in the final publication format; thereby forming said newspaper into said final publication format from objects in said internal publication format by rendering.