US6233591B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dropping hyperlink onto document object
Assignee: Adobe Inc
•
Filing: 1997-05-06
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Granted: 2001-05-15
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Expires: 2017-05-06
Abstract
Abstract A method of creating document hyperlinks that allow a user to jump to another object or page within the same document or in another document all together—either on a local storage device, or on a remote storage device over a local area network, private wide area network, or the Internet. Hyperlinks that access a document from the Internet are called URL hyperlinks. A URL hyperlink in accordance with the present invention can be created as a new object (e.g., a graphics figure or text) or assigned to an existing object. With a figure-based hyperlink, a user can click anywhere within the figure's bounding box area to invoke a jump to the designated destination. In the preferred embodiment, with a text-based URL hyperlink, a jump will be invoked only when the user clicks on the specific characters that are associated with the URL hyperlink.
Inventors
- 👤 Phil Sherman
- 👤 Derek Shaw
- 👤 Robert Scheld
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 11:06
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F40/00; G06F40/10; G06F40/103; G06F40/117; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0481; G06F16/00; G06F16/70; G06F16/74; G06F16/748; G06F16/90; G06F16/93; G06F16/94; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06F16/9558; G06F16/958; G06F3/0484; G06F3/0486; G06F40/12; G06F40/134; G06F40/137; G06F40/166
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A computer-implemented method of creating a document hyperlink, comprising the steps of: receiving from a user an input gesture selecting a first object having an associated hyperlink; receiving from the user an input gesture dragging the hyperlink to a selected location on a document page; receiving from the user an input gesture dropping the hyperlink onto the selected location; determining, without further user input, whether the selected location includes a pre-existing document object or not, and: if so, setting a property associated with the pre-existing document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the pre-existing document object to the first object; if not, copying at least part of the first object into the document page as a new document object and setting a property associated with the new document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the new document object to the first object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A computer-implemented method of creating a document hyperlink, comprising the steps of: receiving from a user an input gesture selecting a first object having an associated hyperlink; receiving from the user an input gesture dragging the hyperlink to a selected location on a document page; receiving from the user an input gesture dropping the hyperlink onto the selected location; determining, without further user input, whether the selected location includes a pre-existing document object or not, and: if so, setting a property associated with the pre-existing document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the pre-existing document object to the first object; if not, copying at least part of the first object into the document page as a new document object and setting a property associated with the new document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the new document object to the first object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 , further including the step of adding the dropped hyperlink to a list of bookmarks associated with the document page after dropping the hyperlink.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first object is a browser page object.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the hyperlink is a universal resource locator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 , further including the step of visually marking the pre-existing or new document object to indicate that such document object is linked to the first object by means of the hyperlink.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
152 words
A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, for creating a document hyperlink, comprising instructions for causing a computer to: receive a user input that selects a first object having an associated hyperlink; receive a user input that drags the hyperlink to a selected location on a document page; receive a user input that drops the hyperlink onto the selected location; determine, without further user input, whether the selected location includes a pre-existing document object or not, and: if so, set a property associated with the pre-existing document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the pre-existing document object to the first object; if not, copy at least part of the first object into the document page as a new document object and set a property associated with the new document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the new document object to the first object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
152 words
A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, for creating a document hyperlink, comprising instructions for causing a computer to: receive a user input that selects a first object having an associated hyperlink; receive a user input that drags the hyperlink to a selected location on a document page; receive a user input that drops the hyperlink onto the selected location; determine, without further user input, whether the selected location includes a pre-existing document object or not, and: if so, set a property associated with the pre-existing document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the pre-existing document object to the first object; if not, copy at least part of the first object into the document page as a new document object and set a property associated with the new document object to the value of the dropped hyperlink, thereby linking the new document object to the first object.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The program of claim 6 , further comprising instructions for causing a computer to add the dropped hyperlink to a list of bookmarks associated with the document page after dropping the hyperlink.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The program of claim 6 , wherein the first object is a browser page object.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The program of claim 6 , wherein the hyperlink is a universal resource locator.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
The program of claim 6 , further comprising instructions for causing a computer to visually mark the pre-existing or new document object to indicate that such document object is linked to the first object by means of the hyperlink.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-05-14 | 2004-11-13 | 2005-05-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-05-14 | 2008-11-13 | 2009-05-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-05-14 | 2012-11-13 | 2013-05-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |