Document composition from parts inventory

Claim 2

A document creation process in a system including stored sets of text handling program modules and a display means comprising : generating sets of selections that describe a document by parts; assigning a short identifier for each part; displaying a desired set of part selections with associated short identifiers for each part; selecting desired parts by said short identifiers; repeating the selecting step for each element for said displayed set of part selections; and assembling said document from the selected parts.

Claim 3

A document creation process for use in a word processing system including an operator display and operator input means, said process including: displaying an inventory screen which includes a plurality of generic parts indicia corresponding to predetermined standard parts of a document, each of said standard parts having associated therewith a plurality of screen areas for including short identifiers for a plurality of specific files which may be associated with said standard parts; receiving selectively generated operator input for assigning specified short identifiers to said specific file screen areas; selectively displaying file screens for receiving operator input defining the content of said specific files; receiving operator input for designating selected specific files to be included in a document; and assembling a document from said designated specific files.

Claim 4

A document creation process for use in a word processing system including an operator display and operator input means, said process including: displaying an inventory screen which includes a plurality of generic parts indicia corresponding to predetermined standard parts of a document, each of said standard parts having associated therewith a plurality of screen areas for including short identifiers for a plurality of specific files which may be associated with said standard parts; receiving selectively generated operator input for assigning specified short identifiers to said specific file screen areas; selectively displaying file screens for receiving operator input defining the content of said specific files; receiving operator input for designating selected specific files to be included in a document; and assembling a document from said designated specific files.

Claim 5

The invention as set forth in claim 2 and further including the step of saving said specific files and displaying the corresponding short identifiers for said files in said inventory screen, whereby an operator may thereafter designate specific files to be included in a document by input reference to said short identifiers on said inventory screen without displaying said file screens.

Claim 6

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein said inventory screen includes visually perceptive means for identifying which of said specific files have been selected for a current document being composed.

Claim 7

The invention as set forth in claim 4 wherein said visually perceptive means comprises a selection column on said inventory screen in which appears the short identifier for the selected specific files for each of said standard parts.

Claim 8

The invention as set forth in claim 3 and further including the step of displaying the document created by the selection of said specific files.

Claim 9

The invention as set forth in claim 3 and further including the step of selectively effecting the printing of the document.

Claim 10

The invention as set forth in claim 6 and further including the step of selectively effecting the printing of the document.

Claim 11

The invention as set forth in claim 7 and further including the step of receiving operator input designating at least one particular printer at which the document is to be printed.

Claim 12

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is the current date.

Claim 13

The invention as set forth in claim 10 wherein the current date is automatically retrieved from a system clock and displayed in a document date field.

Claim 14

The invention as set forth in claim 11 and further including the step of receiving selectively generated operator input, effective to change the displayed date.

Claim 15

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is a document classification category.

Claim 16

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is an addressee identification.

Claim 17

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is an addressor identification.

Claim 18

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is a subject matter identification.

Claim 19

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is a reference identification.

Claim 20

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein one of said standard parts is an identification of persons receiving copies of the document.

Claim 21

The invention as set forth in claim 7 further including means for selectively receiving operator input identifying an electronically available file to be formatted and printed with the document.

Claim 22

The invention as set forth in claim 7 further including means for receiving and effecting operator input designations of a selected font style in which the document is to be printed.

Claim 23

The invention as set forth in claim 7 and further including means effective upon the actuation of the printing function to automatically create an entry in a document log file, said entry including a summary of the specified files contained in the document to be printed.

Claim 24

The invention as set forth in claim 21 and further including means effective to display said document log file.