JP2001109745A - Document layout device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document layout device which allows even a person who is not an expert to perform a layout design being excellent in quality in a short time. SOLUTION: This document layout device is provided with a layout controlling part 1 controlling a layout, an article data storing part 2 storing news being a layout object, a layout dictionary 3 storing various information on reference layouts used in the past, a header information storing part 4 storing information on a header to be a reference, a laid out data storing part 5 storing the laid out data on pages of a newspaper, a display device 6 and an inputting part 7. Even the person who is not an expert can prepare a layout being excellent in quality in a short time because layouts prepared by experts, etc., in the past are stored in the dictionary 3, a desired layout is selected among the layouts to perform a layout design.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dictionary of a document layout and a patterning of a layout rule, and more particularly to a typesetting process in a newspaper production process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a newspaper or magazine is typeset, materials such as articles are arranged according to a layout designed by an operator in advance or by trial and error.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an outline of a conventional document layout method. First, news information such as the number of lines of an article, the importance of the article, and the presence or absence of an image is obtained (step S51).

[0004] Next, articles are read in units of news, and while considering headings, photo descriptions, and descriptions of the preamble, the positional relationship between them is determined on the paper. At this time, the balance of the entire page, the priority of news, and the like are also taken into consideration (step S52).

Next, a special operator is instructed to create a headline and to explain a photograph (step S53). You may create your own headings and the like for simple ones. next,
Perform the actual layout work and make adjustments (step S
54).

When the news to be used in the next edition comes in, the processing after step S52 is repeated (step S5).
Five). For example, when producing a newspaper, the processing in steps S52 to S54 is performed in 4 to 5 hours, depending on the newspaper company.
Since the process is repeated up to four times, three to four types of paper are laid out as a result. When the layout of one page of the newspaper is finally determined, printing is performed (step S56).

[0007]

In order to lay out a news page in real time, such as a newspaper page, it is necessary to lay out the page page in as short a time as possible.

[0008] However, the size and importance of articles vary, and when a new article comes in, the layout must be redone in consideration of the balance of the entire space. For this reason, considerable experience and time were required to master the layout work. In addition, variations in operator skills tend to cause variations in layout quality and layout design time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a document layout apparatus capable of performing a high-quality layout design in a short time without requiring a skilled person. It is in.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document layout apparatus for laying out a page including a news article, wherein a plurality of reference layouts having different layouts are stored. Reference layout storage means, first selection means for selecting unplaced news articles, layout information specification means for specifying key information required for the layout of the news articles selected by the first selection means, And a second selection unit that selects a reference layout that matches the key information specified by the layout information specification unit from the reference layout storage unit, wherein the reference layout selected by the second selection unit is Based on this, the layout of the news article selected by the first selecting means is performed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a skilled person or the like selects the most appropriate reference layout from reference layouts created in the past and designs a new layout.
Even non-experts can create high quality layouts in a short time.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since various information relating to the reference layout is stored, a reference layout most suitable for news to be newly laid out this time can be selected.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an allowable range for loosening the standard for selecting a reference layout is set. A close reference layout can be selected.

According to the present invention, when a plurality of reference layout candidates are searched, the reference layouts are displayed one by one in descending order of priority.
The most suitable reference layout can be selected.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of candidates for the reference layout are searched, all the candidates are displayed at once, so that an optimum reference layout can be selected while comparing them.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the layout can be modified even after the layout is once performed, so that the layout can be designed by trial and error.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a document layout apparatus for laying out a page including at least a news article, heading information storage means for storing layout information of a plurality of headings having different layouts, and the heading information storage A heading selecting means for selecting an arbitrary heading layout from the means; a character inputting means for inputting characters using the heading layout selected by the heading selecting means; Heading changing means for changing the layout.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a new headline layout can be designed with reference to a headline to be referred to, so that a good-looking headline can be created in a short time.

According to the invention described in claim 8, when the layout of the heading is changed, the layout of the entire heading after the change can be immediately displayed, so that the layout can be changed any number of times.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily set a new character input portion in the heading and change the outer dimensions of the heading.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a document layout apparatus according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. The following mainly describes an example of laying out a newspaper page.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a document layout apparatus according to the present invention. The document layout device of FIG. 1 has a layout control unit 1 that controls a layout.
And an article data storage unit 2 for storing news to be laid out, a layout dictionary (reference layout storage unit) 3 for storing various types of information on reference layouts used in the past, and a heading for storing information on a headline to be referred to. An information storage unit (heading information storage means) 4, a laid-out data storage unit 5 for storing laid-out data on paper, a display device 6 for displaying an intermediate result of the layout, and an input unit for giving a layout setting instruction and the like (Switch instruction means, selection instruction means) and a server 8 connected to the layout control section 1 via a network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data structure of the layout dictionary 3. The layout dictionary 3 is divided into a reference layout information storage unit 3a in FIG. 2A and an allowable range storage unit (allowable range setting unit) 3b in FIG. 2B.

The reference layout information storage section 3a stores key information necessary for selecting a desired reference layout. As shown in FIG. 2A, the key information includes the type and number of news constituent materials, the area of the entire news,
The size and relative positional relationship of each material constituting the news, the importance of the news, the layout position, and the frequency of use in the past.

The permissible range storage 3b stores permissible range information for loosening the matching with the key information of the reference layout. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, an allowable range for matching the types of news constituent materials, an allowable range for matching the number of news constituent materials,
The allowable range for the area of the entire news is stored.

The information stored in the reference layout information storage unit 3a and the allowable range storage unit 3b does not need to include all the information shown in FIG. 2, and may include only a part. It may also include information other than that shown in FIG.

The document layout apparatus shown in FIG. 1 registers a layout created by a skilled person in the past as a reference layout in the layout dictionary 3, and selects a most desirable reference layout from the layouts to perform the layout.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a layout process performed by the document layout apparatus of FIG. First, a news to be laid out is selected from the article data storage 2 (step S1). Next, key information necessary for selecting a desired reference layout from the layout dictionary 3 is specified (step S2). Here, the key information shown in FIG. 2A is specified.

Next, the layout dictionary 3 is searched based on the key information specified in step S2, and a corresponding reference layout is read (step S3). At this time,
Not only the key information that completely matches, but also the key information shown in FIG.
The reference layout included in the allowable range stored in the allowable range storage unit 3b is also searched.

Next, it is determined whether or not a plurality of reference layouts have been searched as a result of the processing in step S3 (step S4). If a plurality of reference layouts are found, the operator is allowed to select one of them (step S5).

More specifically, the reference layouts are displayed one by one on the display device 6 one by one in descending order of use frequency, and when the operator presses the next selection key of the input unit 7, the reference layouts of the next priority are displayed. When the operator presses the enter key, the reference layout is selected.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of retrieved reference layouts are collectively displayed on one screen, and one of the layouts (for example, the layout shown in FIG. 4) is selected by an operator using an enter key. You may choose.

If only one type of reference layout is read out in step S3, or if the processing in step S5 is completed, the news layout selected in step S1 based on the finally selected reference layout Is performed, and the layout result is displayed on the display device 6 (step S6).

Next, it is determined whether the layout can be determined (step S7). If the operator wants to modify the layout, the processing from step S2 is repeated. On the other hand, when the layout is determined, the step S
The layout result of No. 6 is registered in the layout dictionary 3 (step S8).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a layout decision result for one page. FIG. 6 is a layout confirmation diagram when the layout is modified and the layout shown in FIG. 4 is newly selected.

Next, it is determined whether there is any news that has not been laid out yet on the paper (step S).
9). If there is any news that has not been laid out yet, the processing from step S1 is performed. On the other hand, if the layout of the entire page is completed, the layout result of the entire page is stored in the laid-out data storage 5 (step S10). ).

In the above, the news layout processing has been described.
3 may be performed, but a different process from FIG. 3 may be performed as described below.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining each unit constituting a heading. As shown, the heading is the main unit U
1, a top unit U2, a middle unit U3, a ground unit U4, and a side unit U5. Each heading does not have all the units of FIG. 7, and in some cases, the headings are created by combining the units of FIG.

In the heading information storage unit 4 of FIG. 1, setting information of a plurality of reference headings having different layouts is stored in advance. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data configuration of the index information storage unit 4 of FIG. The heading information storage unit 4 stores, for each reference heading, the character size, number of characters, presence / absence of compression, the positional relationship of each unit, and the default number of units.

The information stored in the index information storage unit 4 does not need to include all the information shown in FIG. 8, but may include only a part of the information. Information other than those shown may be included.

In the flowchart of FIG. 3, step S1 is assigned to the first selecting means, step S2 is assigned to the layout information designating means, and step S5 is assigned to the second selecting means, the reference layout display control means and the list display control means. Corresponding.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a heading process performed by the document layout apparatus of FIG. First, the external dimensions and the set direction of a newly created heading are specified by the input unit 7, and the outline of the heading is determined (step S21).

Next, a heading corresponding to the information specified in step S21 is searched from the heading information storage unit 4, and the search result is displayed on the display device 6 (step S22).

Next, a guide screen for inputting characters into each heading unit is displayed (step S2).
3).

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of the operator operation screen. A character input unit 711 for inputting characters on the left side of the screen
Is displayed, a unit designating unit 12 for designating a unit is displayed in the center of the screen, and an immediate shaping selecting unit 13 for selecting whether or not to perform immediate shaping when a unit is added is displayed on the right side of the screen.

The character input unit 711, unit designation unit 12, and immediate shaping selection unit 13 shown in FIG. 10 may be displayed on separate screens.

Next, characters are input to the character input section 7 in the guide screen shown in FIG. 10, and characters are assigned to each unit of the heading (step S24).

Next, it is determined whether a new unit is to be added to the heading (step S25). For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11A, when two units are originally specified in the heading, if a “heaven” unit is added, a total of three units are displayed as shown in FIG. 11C. FIG. 11B shows a state where characters are input to each unit in FIG. 11A.

To add a new unit, a desired unit is selected in the unit designating section in the guide screen shown in FIG. 10, and a new unit is added to the character input section 7 as shown in FIG. 11B. Is displayed, and character input is performed in this frame (step S26).

Next, it is determined whether or not immediate shaping is selected (step S27). The selection of the immediate shaping is performed by the immediate shaping selection unit 13 in the guide screen of FIG. If immediate shaping is selected, a new layout of the entire headline can be confirmed on the spot (step S28).

As described above, in the present embodiment, a layout created by a skilled person or the like in the past is stored in the layout dictionary 3, and a desired layout is selected from the layout dictionary 3 to perform a layout design. A high-quality layout can be created in a short time even if the user is not an expert. In addition, since a once created layout can be modified as many times as possible, a highly complete layout design can be achieved.

Also, as for the heading, a plurality of headings to be referred to are prepared in advance, and an arbitrary heading can be selected from the heading, and the selected heading can be changed as necessary. , A new headline can be created, and a good-looking headline can be created in a short time.

In the flowchart of FIG. 9, step S24 corresponds to character input means, step S25 corresponds to heading change means, and step S27 corresponds to immediate shaping selection means.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a newspaper page is laid out. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case in which a newspaper page such as a magazine is laid out.

[0055]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a layout created by a skilled person or the like in the past is stored as a reference layout, and a new layout is created with reference to these reference layouts. Therefore, a high-quality layout can be created in a short time, even for a non-expert.

Also, as for the headings, reference headings are prepared in advance, and these can be referred to, and the reference headings can be arbitrarily changed, so that a desired heading can be easily created. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a document layout device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a data structure of a layout dictionary 3. FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a layout process performed by the document layout apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of searched reference layouts are collectively displayed on one screen.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a layout decision result for one page.

FIG. 6 is a layout confirmation diagram after layout modification.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining each unit constituting a heading.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a heading information storage unit 4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a heading process performed by the document layout device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operator operation screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a “heaven” unit is added.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an outline of a conventional document layout method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 layout control unit 2 article data control unit 3 layout dictionary 4 index information setting unit 5 laid-out data storage unit 6 display device 7 input unit 8 server

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A document layout apparatus for laying out a page including a news article, a reference layout storage means for storing a plurality of reference layouts each having a different layout, and a first selection means for selecting an unplaced news article. A layout information specifying unit that specifies key information necessary for a layout of a news article selected by the first selecting unit; and a key information specified by the layout information specifying unit from the reference layout storage unit. Second selecting means for selecting a matching reference layout, and laying out the news article selected by the first selecting means based on the reference layout selected by the second selecting means. A document layout device characterized by the following. 2. The reference layout storage means includes, for each of the plurality of reference layouts, a type and a number of materials constituting the news article, an amount of the entire news article, and a size and a size of each material constituting the news article. 2. The document layout apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a relative positional relationship, the importance of the news article, an arrangement position in the paper, and a frequency of use in the past is stored. 3. An allowable range setting means for setting an allowable range for loosening a criterion for a match judgment by said second selecting means for each information stored in said reference layout storing means, The selection means of (2), after adding the permissible range to each information stored in the reference layout storage means,
3. The document layout apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reference layout that matches the key information specified by the layout information specifying unit is selected. 4. When there are a plurality of reference layouts that match the key information designated by the layout information designation means, the second selection means stores the plurality of reference layouts stored in the reference layout storage means. Reference layout display control means for assigning priorities in accordance with the frequency of use of the reference layouts and displaying the reference layouts on a display device in descending order of priority, and switching instructing means for instructing display switching of the reference layouts. 4. The document layout apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a selection instructing unit that selects the reference layout. 5. A list display control for displaying, when there are a plurality of reference layouts matching the key information specified by the layout information specifying means, all of these reference layouts on a display device. 4. The document layout apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for selecting one of a plurality of reference layouts displayed on the display device. 6. A news article is laid out using the reference layout selected by the second selecting means, and then the layout is corrected again for each news article selected by the first selecting means. 6. The document layout apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a layout correction unit that performs the following. 7. A document layout apparatus for laying out a page including at least a news article, comprising: a heading information storage unit for storing layout information of a plurality of headings having different layouts; Heading selecting means for selecting the layout of the heading; character input means for inputting characters using the layout of the heading selected by the heading selecting means; and heading changing means for changing the layout of the heading selected by the heading selecting means. And a document layout device. 8. When the heading layout is changed by the heading changing means, there is provided an immediate shaping selecting means for selecting whether or not the entire heading after the layout change is immediately displayed on the display device. The document layout device according to claim 7, wherein 9. The headline changing means changes at least one of a position or number of a character input section set in the headline, a character content input to the character input section, and an outer dimension of the headline. The document layout device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein