Document data processing apparatus

Claim 1

A document data processing apparatus comprising: an input device (10,18) for entering original document data; an editing device (40) connected to said input device, for editing said original document data from said input device into edited document data; and a display device (42,56,94) connected to said editing device, for displaying an edited document corresponding to said edited document data, said editing device comprising original data memory means (40,72) for storing said original document data, edited data formatting means (84,40,S6,S11-­S13,S103,S104) for producing said edited document data representing a plurality of character lines arranged within a document zone which is defined by, and between, a pair of right- and left-hand margins (LM, RM) located at respective predetermined positions, by automatically moving each word (96) which would be positioned in a character line to intersect one of said margins or would be positioned in said character line to follow a word terminating within a hot zone (Hz) adjacent to said one of the margins inside said document zone, to the next character line following said character line; line selecting means (22,40,S14,S15) for selecting one of said character lines represented by said edited document data; word part moving means (40,S1,S2,S100,S101) for splitting the automatically moved word in said next character line following the selected character line, into front and rear parts, such that the number of the characters of said front word part (102) is not more than the maximum number of the characters which may be located in said selected character line in the vicinity of said one of the margins without overrunning said margin in a supposed situation in which said automatically moved word (96) were not moved from said selected character line to said next character line, said word part moving means moving said front part of the word from said next character line to said vicinity of said margin in said selected character line; and split position changing means (23,40,S4,S7-S9) for changing the split position (104) at which said automatically moved word is split into said front and rear parts.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said edited data formatting means (84,40) justifies each of said character lines whereby the right- and left-­hand ends of each of said character lines are aligned with said right- and left-hand margins (LM, RM), respectively, said word part moving means (40, S1, S2) determining said maximum number in a supposed situation in which said selected character line were not justified.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said word part moving means (40,S100,S101) moves said front part of the word (96) from said next character line to said selected character line such that a blank (104) is kept at a position following the last character of the moved front part of the word, adjacent to said margin and inside said document zone, said blank corresponding to said split position.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising: split word display control means (40, S102) for displaying on said display device (42) the split word consisting of said front part of the word (102) in said selected character line and said rear part of the word in said next character line, in a manner different from the manner in which the words other than said split word are displayed.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said split position changing means (23,40,S9) includes manually operable means (23) for changing said split position to a new split position; and alarm means (S9) for informing that the operation of said manually operable means to change said split position is inappropriate, if said new split position is to be located outside said hot zone.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising word part returning means (20, 40, S5, S10) for returning said front part of the word (102) from said selected character line to said next character line without altering said front part of the word so as to restore said automatically moved word (96) in said next character line.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said input device (10,18) comprises a hyphen key (18) for entering data representing a hyphen (106), said edited data formatting means (84, 40, S6, S11) comprises hyphen insert means (S6, S11) for inserting, if said hyphen key is operated immediately after a new split position is established in said front part of the word by said split position changing means (23,40,S4,S7,S8), said hyphen at the new split position, and returning the following characters of said front part of the word (102) after said new split position to said next character line so as to joint said following characters to the characters of said rear part of the word.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said line selecting means (40,S14) selected said next character line if data representing a hyphen (106) is entered to locate said hyphen at said split position (104) in said selected character line.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said line selecting means (40,S14) selects said next character line if said maximum number with respect to said selected character number is less than a number of columns constituting said hot zone (Hz), a width of each of said characters corresponding to a width of each of said columns.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising mode switching means (30,40,S16) for selectively placing said editing device (40), in a hyphenation assisting mode in which said line selecting means, said word part moving means and said split position changing means are activated and a non-hyphenation assisting mode in which none of said line selecting mode, said word part moving means and said split position changing means is activated.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein a hyphenation assisting mode in which said line selecting means, said word part moving means and said split position changing means are automatically switched to a non-hyphenation assisting mode in which none of said line selecting means, said word part moving means and said split position changing means, if said line selecting means (22,40,S15) selects the last line of said plurality of character lines represented by said edited document data.