Method of displaying digital content

Abstract

A method for displaying digitized documents in a non-proportional manner that retains the overall context while emphasizing high value information is provided. The method includes determining useful increment for scaling objects of digital content as a function of their value and their prominence and proximity to other objects. The font size of high-value text elements for containers may be increased and the container themselves may be vertically scaled and shifted in a non-proportional manner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method of processing a visual display containing a nesting of process levels, wherein respective process levels contain a plurality of visual elements, wherein each visual element comprises a plurality of graphic elements and a text element for each graphic element, the method comprising:
 calculating a first text element adjustment on a first process level of the nesting of process levels;   calculating a second text element adjustment on a second process level of the nesting of process levels;   summing the first and second text adjustments; and   linearly resizing one or more graphic elements on said second process level as a function of the summation of the first and second of text element adjustments.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each text element adjustment is adjusted as a function of the respective process level relative to a hierarchy of the nesting of process levels. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each visual element has a zoomable data set comprising: a container height, a container width, and a container center. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein linearity is associated with the container height or the container width of the respective visual element, but not both. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein each summation of text element adjustments is a function of one or more stacks of linear graphic elements on a respective process level. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the linear resizing of each graphic element, at each respective process level, is a function of a largest stack of the one or more stacks of an immediately outer process level. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further proportionally resizing each graphic element within each stack as a function of a difference between the largest stack and the stack reserve associated with said stack. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further maintaining a native relationship of the visual display through the linear resizing and the proportional resizing of the graphic elements in view of adjacent graphic elements. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the native relationship is defined, in part, at each process level, by a linear adjacency of each graphic element associated with the largest stack reserve and a graphic element associated with each remaining stack, respectively. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, a most linearly advanced graphic element associated with the largest stack as a function of an immediately outer processing level. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, the remaining graphic elements associated with the largest stack as a function of an immediately linearly advanced graphic element. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, the graphic elements associated with a stack less than the largest stack as a function of the linear adjacency. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein each linear shift of each graphic element is defined by the container center of said graphic element. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein each linear shift is a center-y or center-x shift. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further accessing a set of one or more data files specifying the zoomable data set; and storing one of a different non-proportional zoomable data sets for different visual elements of the plurality of visual elements, wherein the non-proportional zoomable data set redefines the zoomable data set, respectively. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each stored non-proportional zoomable data set is stored with each respective visual element. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising rendering the visual display on a display screen by modifying each visual element according to the stored non-proportional zoomable data sets. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein each text element comprises a font size, and wherein, for each text element, the text element adjustment comprises an adjustment to said font size. 
     
     
         19 . A computer implemented method of processing a visual display containing a nesting of process levels, wherein respective process levels contain a plurality of visual elements, wherein each visual element comprises a plurality of graphic elements and a text element for each graphic element, the method comprising:
 calculating a first text element adjustment on a first process level of the nesting of process levels;   calculating a second text element adjustment on a second process level of the nesting of process levels;   summing the first and second text adjustments; and   incrementally resizing a font size of each text element as a function of the summation of the first and second of text element adjustments.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein each font size resizing is resized as a function of the respective process level relative to a hierarchy of the nesting of process levels. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein each visual element has a zoomable data set comprising a font size. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein each sum of text element adjustments is a function of one or more stack reserves, wherein each stack is defined by a stack of linear graphic elements on a respective process level. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the zoomable data set further comprising a text element location. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, the text element location associated with a most linearly advanced graphic element associated with the largest stack as a function of an immediately outer processing level. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, the text element location associated with the remaining graphic elements associated with the largest stack as a function of an immediately linearly advanced graphic element. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further linearly shifting, at each process level, the graphic elements associated with a stack less than the largest stack as a function of the linear adjacency. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further accessing a set of one or more data files specifying the zoomable data set; and storing one of a different non-proportional zoomable data sets for different visual elements of the plurality of visual elements, wherein the non-proportional zoomable data set redefines the zoomable data set, respectively. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein each stored non-proportional zoomable data set is stored with each respective visual element. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising rendering the visual display on a display screen by modifying each visual element according to the stored non-proportional zoomable data sets. 
     
     
         30 . A method of resizing a source document comprising a visual display containing a nesting of process levels, using the method of  claim 16 , wherein respective process levels contain one or more visual elements, wherein each visual element comprises a graphic element and a text element, the method comprising:
 receiving a request to display, on a display screen, the source document in a zoom representation of the source document;   generating the zoom representation through accessing the non-proportional zoomable data sets stored in each visual element; and   displaying the generated zoom representation within the display screen.   
     
     
         31 . A method of resizing a source document comprising a visual display containing a nesting of process levels, using the method of  claim 18 , wherein respective process levels contain one or more visual elements, wherein each visual element comprises a graphic element and a text element, the method comprising:
 receiving a request to display, on a display screen, the source document in a zoom representation of the source document;   generating the zoom representation through accessing the non-proportional zoomable data sets stored in each visual element; and   displaying the generated zoom representation within the display screen.