Integrated document viewer

Abstract

In various embodiments of the present invention, documents (eg, PDFs) are converted into HTML 5 (and CSS 3) formats and integrated into existing HTML 5 web pages to preserve the original embedded fonts. The fonts can also be integrated or embedded (e.g., via the standard HTML “iframe” tag) into other web pages. The original appearance of the source document is maintained, the text is preserved as searchable text, and the document is integrated into a web page that can be searched, zoomed, scrolled, and printed utilizing standard web browser controls. A significantly increased “ad inventory” is thereby enabled, wherein advertisements can be integrated between pages, or even within a page. Moreover, the resulting document can be passively shared with members of a user's external social networks (including those within the host website), along with other activities and behaviors performed by the user on the hosting website.

1 . A method for converting and integrating non-HTML documents into HTML web pages on a host server while preserving the original appearance and text searchability of the documents, the method including the following steps:
 (a) parsing a document to extract text characters and associated fonts, as well as page layout attributes of the document, each glyph in a font representing the appearance of its associated text character with respect to that font;   (b) integrating the text characters into an HTML web page and generating HTML tags to preserve the document's page layout attributes;   (c) generating one or more font files, accessible from the HTML web page, that map the text characters to their associated glyphs; and   (d) storing the HTML web page and font files on the host server for delivery to and rendering within the window of a client web browser, whereby the original appearance and text searchability of the document is preserved.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the CSS 3 @font-face tag is employed to link the font files to the HTML web page. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the HTML web page contains a plurality of web page elements external to the document, and wherein the document and the plurality of web page elements can be displayed within the client's web browser window. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a user of the client's web browser can select and search for text within the document using the client web browser's standard controls. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a user of the client's web browser can zoom text within the document and scroll among the pages of the document using the client web browser's standard controls. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the plurality of web page elements include an advertisement external to the document. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the advertisement is located to the side of a page of the document, whereby the ad inventory of the web page is proportional to the number of pages of the document. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the font files include, for each text character, a mismatched character code that does not correspond to the character's associated glyph, and wherein the HTML web page contains the mismatched character codes and instructions directing the web browser to use the font files for displaying the glyphs, whereby the web browser utilizes the font files to display the text characters correctly, but cannot search for or copy the text characters due to the mismatched character codes in the HTML web page. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the page layout attributes of at least some portion of the document are specified in the HTML web page by the organization of the text characters into words, lines and paragraphs, and wherein the page layout attributes are preserved by:
 (a) extracting from the document absolute position information relating to the text characters; 
 (b) analyzing the absolute position information to identify relative position information, including the beginning and end of individual words, lines of text and paragraphs of text; and 
 (c) generating HTML tags, from the relative position information, to delineate the beginning and end of individual lines of text and paragraphs of text. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the page layout attributes of the document include diagonal text, and wherein the page layout attributes are preserved by:
 (a) detecting the presence of diagonal text while parsing the document; 
 (b) generating, via a geometric transformation, a rotated glyph corresponding to each text character of the diagonal text; and 
 (c) mapping, to each rotated glyph, vertical position information that enables the client's web browser to render the diagonal text. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the presence of diagonal text is detected by extracting from the document absolute position information relating to the text characters, and identifying periodically increasing or decreasing vertical offsets of adjacent text characters. 
     
     
         12 . A method for displaying text in a web page using the built-in functionality of a web browser, while inhibiting the use of that functionality to search for and copy the text, the method including the following steps:
 (a) generating a font file containing, for each text character, a corresponding glyph representing the appearance of that character, and a mismatched character code that does not correspond to the glyph; and   (b) generating an HTML document that contains the mismatched character codes and instructions directing the web browser to use the font file for displaying the glyphs,   (c) whereby the web browser utilizes the font file to display the text correctly, but cannot search for or copy the text due to the mismatched character codes in the HTML document.   
     
     
         13 . A system that converts and integrates non-HTML documents into HTML web pages on a host server while preserving the original appearance and text searchability of the documents, the system comprising:
 (a) a document parser that extracts text characters and associated fonts, as well as page layout attributes of the document, each glyph in a font representing the appearance of its associated text character with respect to that font;   (b) an HTML converter that integrates the text characters into an HTML web page and generates HTML tags to preserve the document's page layout attributes;   (c) a font file generator that generates one or more font files, accessible from the HTML web page, that map the text characters to their associated glyphs; and   (d) a website host on the host server that stores the HTML web page and font files for delivery to and rendering within the window of a client web browser, whereby the original appearance and text searchability of the document is preserved.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the CSS 3 @font-face tag is employed to link the font files to the HTML web page. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the HTML web page contains a plurality of web page elements external to the document, and wherein the document and the plurality of web page elements can be displayed within the client's web browser window. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13  wherein a user of the client's web browser can select and search for text within the document using the client web browser's standard controls. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13  wherein a user of the client's web browser can zoom text within the document and scroll among the pages of the document using the client web browser's standard controls. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the plurality of web page elements include an advertisement external to the document. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the advertisement is located to the side of a page of the document, whereby the ad inventory of the web page is proportional to the number of pages of the document.