# US 2008/0189599 A1 · Representation of Mark-up of Master Documents > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0189599 A1 - Document ID: US20080189599A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/668,686 - Filed: 2007-01-30 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-01-30 - Assignees: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH - Inventors: Philip E. Vasey - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080189599A1 ## CPC - G06F 40/117: Tagging; Marking up (details of markup languages G06F40/143); Designating a block; Setting of attributes (style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154) - G06F 40/186: Templates - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present invention relates to the generation of customised documents using document templates or master documents in which a mark-up notation is used in a master document, for example to specify the content of a customised document generated from the master document. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for displaying a master document of the type used in a document generation system to generate customised documents, the master document comprising portions of document content marked-up according to a predetermined syntax, the method comprising the steps of: analysing the mark-up associated with at least a portion of the master document; and generating a graphical representation of the mark-up. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which the graphical representation of the mark-up comprises a tabular representation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which the master document comprises a conditional document element and the mark-up comprises a rule associated with the conditional document element, the rule specifying the conditions under which the conditional document element is selected for inclusion in the customised document. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 in which the rule comprises a logical statement involving at least one variable. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 in which the graphical representation comprises a table having one or more elements, each element representing a logical statement in which a variable is equated to a value, and in which one or more of the elements are checked. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 in which, if an element is checked in a first manner, the table represents a usage statement consisting of the logical statement corresponding to the checked element. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 in which, if an element is checked in a second manner, the table represents the usage statement consisting of the complement of the logical statement corresponding to the checked element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 in which, if two elements corresponding to the same variable are checked, the table represents a usage statement formed, at least partially, by operating on two logical statements corresponding to the two checked elements with the OR operator. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 in which, if two elements corresponding to different variables are checked, the table represents a usage statement formed, at least partially, by operating on two logical statements corresponding to the two checked elements with the AND operator. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 in which the graphical representation comprises two or more tables and in which the tables represent a usage statement formed by operating on the usage statements represented by each individual table with one or more logical operators. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 in which the graphical representation of the conditional document element is visually associated with the graphical representation of the rule. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which the graphical representation comprises a table having a first set of elements specifying one or more commands and a second set of elements specifying one or more command operands. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A computer program product having software recorded thereon which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to undertake the method of claim 1. ### Claim 14 A method for modifying a master document of the type used in a document generation system to generate customised documents, the master document comprising portions of document content marked-up according to a predetermined syntax, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a portion of the master document; analysing the mark-up associated with the selected portion of the master document; generating a graphical representation of the mark-up; modifying the graphical representation of the mark-up; and modifying the mark-up of the master document according to the modification of the graphical representation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 in which the step of modifying the graphical representation of the mark-up includes the step of modifying the graphical representation of the mark-up in response to a user input. ### Claim 16 A document generation system arranged to display a master document of the type used to generate customised documents, the master document comprising portions of document content marked-up according to a predetermined syntax, the system comprising: means for analysing the mark-up associated with at least a portion of the master document; and means for generating a graphical representation of the mark-up. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The document generation system of claim 16 further comprising means to modify the graphical representation of the mark-up. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The document generation system of claim 17 in which the means to modify the graphical representation of the mark-up comprises means to allow a user to modify the graphical representation of the mark-up.