System and method for formatting, proofreading and annotating information to be printed in directories

#This invention relates generally to the field of information display and editing, and more particularly, to a method and system for formatting, proofreading, and annotating information that is intended to be printed in a directory, e.g., telephone, travel and industrial directories and the like, or displayed in an on-line or electronic directory.

#The layout and printing of directory information, including telephone directories such as Yellow Pages directories, is a complex process. Among other things, the layout of pages within a directory includes complex decisions regarding the placement of information and advertisements. Directory publishers and their customers seek to avoid printing inaccurate information, particularly for those persons and entities that have paid to advertise within a given directory. Thus, in addition to laying out the directory, the publisher must verify the content of information within the directory. It is obvious that these steps must be taken prior to printing all or a significant number of the final version of the directory.

#In many publication systems, the process of verifying page layout and content is accomplished by printing one or several proof copies and then reviewing, editing, and changing these page “proofs” as necessary to correct errors. This is an iterative process that usually results in several page proofs of the directory being printed. Such procedures are typically time-consuming and expensive.

#While the appended claims set forth the features of the present invention with particularity, the invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a exemplary display of a page proof from a Yellow-Pages type directory;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system on which the present invention resides or executes;

#Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable computing environment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, multi-processor systems, microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, hand-held devices (PDAs) and the like. The invention also may be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. Appropriate thin-client software and/or multi-user operating systems, such as that offered by Citrix Systems, Inc., may be required to implement certain features of the invention in a distributed computing environment.

#With reference to FIG. 2, and by way of example only, a representative system for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device 30 in the form of a conventional personal computer that include a processing unit 31, system memory 32, and a system bus 38 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 31. The system bus 38 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory 32 includes read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The personal computer 30 further includes storage mechanisms, generally illustrated as 33, which may include, for example, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive (such as a CD ROM), magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, and the like. The storage mechanisms are connected to the system bus 38.

#A number of program modules may be stored in the system memory 32 or the storage mechanisms 33, including an operating system, one or more applications programs, other program modules, and program data. A user may enter commands and information into the personal computer 30 through input devices such as a keyboard 35 and a pointing device 36. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 31 through the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 34 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 38 via an interface, such as a video adapter. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices, not shown, such as speakers and printers.