Methods and apparatuses to assemble, extract and deploy content from electronic documents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention permit the specification and servicing of aggregations of content constituent parts that derive from electronic documents. An incorporated content constituent part may correspond to any constituent part of any accessible document. In various embodiments, information derived from the intended layouts of source documents is employed to construct specifications of the constituent parts. The specifications may include search conditions. Graphic methods may be employed to construct the specification. Embodiments of the present invention enable content aggregations to appear in display presentations whose layouts may be adaptive to varying degrees. In various embodiments, flexible content-shifting methods are employed for display presentations of content aggregations. Resultantly, the display of content aggregations on mobile and other devices may be effectuated without wasting download bandwidth and display screen real estate.

1 . A computing device implemented method comprising:
 soliciting from a user, with a computing device, a plurality of characterization related inputs for a plurality of candidate content constituent parts for forming a content aggregation aggregating contents from a plurality of content sources;   processing or causing to be processed, by the computing device, the received inputs, to generate a candidate content aggregation specification for specifying the content aggregation, the candidate content aggregation specification including a plurality of candidate directives characterizing candidate constituent parts in terms of a plurality of candidate qualified descriptions correspondingly incorporating a plurality of relationship qualifications of the candidate constituent parts;   soliciting by computing device feedback from the user with respect to the generated candidate aggregate specification; and   modifying the candidate aggregation specification or repeating the soliciting and generating, by the computing device, one or more times, if necessary, in response to the solicited feedback, to arrive at a content aggregation specification specifying the content aggregation.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said soliciting comprises soliciting the plurality of candidate constituent parts characterization related inputs from the user, by the computing device, through a rendered document, induction or learning. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said soliciting comprises soliciting characterization of a candidate constituent part, by the computing device, by having the user identifies a constituent part of a rendered electronic document; and said generating comprises generating one or more relationship qualifications for a qualified description to describe the identified constituent part. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said processing to generate comprises measuring or causing to be measured, by the computing device, one or more layout qualifications of the identified constituent part to be factored in the generating of the content aggregation specification. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said soliciting comprises soliciting characterization of a candidate constituent part, by the computing device, by having the user graphically define a constituent part of an electronic document; and said generating comprises generating one or more relationship or layout qualifications for a qualified description to describe the graphically defined constituent part. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said processing to generate comprises retrieving a prior content aggregation specification for another content aggregation from a content aggregation specification repository, and generating the candidate content aggregation specification for the content aggregation, based at least in part on the retrieved prior content aggregation specification for the another content aggregation. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the computing device facilitating a user in creating a presentation specification for the content aggregation, including a plurality of display slots, and one or more selectable arrangements of all or a subset of the display slots. 
     
     
         8 . A computing device implemented method comprising:
 receiving a content aggregation specification for a content aggregation, the content aggregation specification including a plurality of directives, directly or indirectly, characterizing a plurality of constituent parts of the content aggregation in terms of a plurality of qualified descriptions correspondingly incorporating a plurality of relationship qualifications of the constituent parts; and   processing at least one of the indirect directives to simplify the indirect directive to more directly characterize a constituent part.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising pre-processing or causing to be pre-processed, by the computing device, the content aggregation specification, prior to requesting the content aggregation using the content aggregation specification, to pre-identify the relationship qualifications, to reduce request time processing of the content aggregation specification. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pre-processing or causing to be pre-processed comprises accessing or causing to be accessed, by the computing device, one or more electronic document sources, to determine whether the one or more electronic document sources have electronic documents with constituent parts meeting the pre-identified relationship qualifications. 
     
     
         11 . A computing device implemented method comprising:
 receiving by a computing device, a request for a content aggregation that includes a plurality constituent parts, wherein the request includes or references a content aggregation specification specifying the content aggregation, wherein the content aggregation specification includes a plurality of directives, characterizing the constituent parts in terms of a plurality of derived descriptions, each derived description incorporating a derived qualification that involves analysis of an electronic document with constituent parts beyond parsing of a parse tree of the electronic document;   obtaining or causing to be obtained, by the computing device, the constituent parts, from a plurality of electronic documents having constituent parts meeting selective ones of the derived qualifications of the derived descriptions; and   responding or causing to be responded, by the computing device, to the request with the obtained derived qualification meeting constituent parts.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said receiving comprises receiving the request from a client device coupled to the computing device, the client device being one of a server, a desktop computing device or a mobile computing device, and the responding or causing to be responded comprises providing the obtained derived qualification meeting constituent parts to the client device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the obtained derived qualification meeting constituent parts comprises text, graphics, an image, one or more video frames, or an audio clip. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the content aggregation specification comprises a distinguished category name indirectly specifying at least a subset of the directives. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the directives characterizes a constituent part in terms of one or more derived layout qualifications expressing one or more layout attributes of the constituent part. 
     
     
         16 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A computing device implemented method comprising:
 receiving by a computing device, a plurality of constituent parts from a plurality of content sources for responding to a request for a content aggregation aggregating contents from plurality of content sources, the request for content including or referencing a content aggregation specification specifying the content aggregation, wherein the content aggregation specification having a plurality of directives characterizing the constituent parts in terms of a plurality of qualified descriptions incorporated with relationship qualifications, and the received constituent parts are constituent parts of electronic documents from the plurality of content sources meeting the relationship qualifications;   organizing or causing to be organized, by the computing device, the received relationship qualification meeting constituent parts for presentation, including generating a plurality of aggregation calls to present the plurality of received relationship qualification meeting constituent parts, wherein at least one of the aggregation calls include a specification of a complex pattern tree or a path expression for rendering a constituent part, wherein a complex tree pattern includes a plurality of nodes and at least one branch coupling the nodes, with at least a terminal one of the nodes comprising a wild card corresponding to a plurality of sibling subtrees, and wherein a path expression corresponds to one or more subtrees; and   responding or causing to be responded, by the computing device, to the request with the organized relationship qualification meeting constituent parts, including the generated aggregation calls.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein at least one of the aggregation calls comprises a triple of CS, TP and PR, where CS identifies a source of a qualification meeting constituent part, TP identifies a complex tree pattern associated with the constituent part, and PR identifies a procedure for rendering the constituent part using the complex tree pattern. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein at least one of the aggregation calls comprises a triple of CS, PE and PR, where CS identifies a source of a qualification meeting constituent part, PE identifies a path expression associated with the constituent part, and PR identifies a procedure for rendering the constituent part using the path expression. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said responding or causing to be responded comprises responding or causing to be responded, by the computing device, with the organized qualification meeting constituent parts only when the organized qualification meeting constituent parts are actually needed for presentation. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprises transmitting the request by the computing device to a content request engine located on another computing device. 
     
     
         26 .- 46 . (canceled)