System for selecting, distributing, and selling fonts

Claim 1

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such font, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; providing a font-selection user interface that enables a user to select a font from said font space; responding to a user selection of a font through the font selection interface by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; and then performing the following sequence one or more times: providing a spatial-specification user interface that enables the user to select a spatial specification relative to said currently selected point from among a plurality of such spatial specifications, each of which user-selectable spatial specifications defines a sub-portion of said font space defined by position relative to the currently selected point, with different spatial specifications defining sub-portions of said font space with different displacements in different dimensions of said space relative to the currently selected point; responding to a user selection of a spatial specification through said spatial-specification interface by making the selected spatial specification the current spatial specification; searching to find which one or more fonts, if any, are in the sub-portion of the font space defined by the currently selected spatial specification; displaying one or more character-font shapes of the one or more fonts found by the search to be in the current spatial specification's sub-portion of the font space; and—making one of the said displayed fonts in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space the new currently selected font relative to which a new spatial specification can be selected by said spatial-specification interface, including using the stored attribute values of the new currently selected font to define a new currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space.

Claim 2

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such font, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; providing a font-selection user interface that enables a user to select a font from said font space; responding to a user selection of a font through the font selection interface by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; and then performing the following sequence one or more times: providing a spatial-specification user interface that enables the user to select a spatial specification relative to said currently selected point from among a plurality of such spatial specifications, each of which user-selectable spatial specifications defines a sub-portion of said font space defined by position relative to the currently selected point, with different spatial specifications defining sub-portions of said font space with different displacements in different dimensions of said space relative to the currently selected point; responding to a user selection of a spatial specification through said spatial-specification interface by making the selected spatial specification the current spatial specification; searching to find which one or more fonts, if any, are in the sub-portion of the font space defined by the currently selected spatial specification; displaying one or more character-font shapes of the one or more fonts found by the search to be in the current spatial specification's sub-portion of the font space; and—making one of the said displayed fonts in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space the new currently selected font relative to which a new spatial specification can be selected by said spatial-specification interface, including using the stored attribute values of the new currently selected font to define a new currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space.

Claim 6

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such font, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; providing a user interface that enables a user to select a font from said font space; responding to such a user selection of a font by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; performing a search to find a sub-set of the fonts in said multi-dimensional font space which are within a sub-portion of the font space defined by a given distance metric relative to the position of said currently selected point; and making the sub-set of fonts found by said search the currently selectable fonts; displaying one or more character-font shapes of each such currently selectable font; wherein: said providing of a user interface includes providing a user interface that enables the user to select one of the displayed currently selectable fonts found by said search; and said responding to a selection of a font includes responding to the selection of one of said displayed fonts found by the search by making the selected font said currently selected font.

Claim 7

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such font, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; providing a user interface that enables a user to select a font from said font space; responding to such a user selection of a font by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; performing a search to find a sub-set of the fonts in said multi-dimensional font space which are within a sub-portion of the font space defined by a given distance metric relative to the position of said currently selected point; and making the sub-set of fonts found by said search the currently selectable fonts; displaying one or more character-font shapes of each such currently selectable font; wherein: said providing of a user interface includes providing a user interface that enables the user to select one of the displayed currently selectable fonts found by said search; and said responding to a selection of a font includes responding to the selection of one of said displayed fonts found by the search by making the selected font said currently selected font.

Claim 8

A method performed on a server computer for making fonts available to client computers over a computer network comprising: uploading from a given client computer an image of one or more sample character-font shapes belonging to a given font; performing pattern matching between the character-font shapes in the uploaded image and character-font shapes from each of a plurality of fonts stored on the server to select one or more of said stored fonts having character-font shapes which best match the uploaded character-font shapes; downloading to the client a representation of each of one or more of said best matching fonts, including one or more displayable character-font shapes for each such font; uploading information from the client identifying one or more fonts as having been selected for downloading, which selected fonts can include the best matching fonts downloaded to the client; and downloading the one or more fonts identified as selected for downloading to the client in a form which enables such fonts to be used by the client's operating system for rendering text in said downloaded fonts; wherein said method includes downloading to said given client computer a user interface which: provides controls which help a user of the given computer upload said image; displays said downloaded representations of the best matching fonts as currently selectable fonts; enables a user to select one or more of said currently selectable fonts as a font selected for downloading; and responds to a selection of one or more fonts as fonts selected for downloading by uploading said information identifying said fonts as fonts selected for downloading; and wherein the server downloads to the client not only said representation of each of the one or more best matching fonts but also an indication of the relative closeness of the match between each of those best matching fonts and the character-font shapes in the uploaded image.

Claim 9

A method performed on a server computer for making fonts available to client computers over a computer network comprising: uploading from a given client computer an image of one or more sample character-font shapes belonging to a given font; performing pattern matching between the character-font shapes in the uploaded image and character-font shapes from each of a plurality of fonts stored on the server to select one or more of said stored fonts having character-font shapes which best match the uploaded character-font shapes; downloading to the client a representation of each of one or more of said best matching fonts, including one or more displayable character-font shapes for each such font; uploading information from the client identifying one or more fonts as having been selected for downloading, which selected fonts can include the best matching fonts downloaded to the client; and downloading the one or more fonts identified as selected for downloading to the client in a form which enables such fonts to be used by the client's operating system for rendering text in said downloaded fonts; wherein said method includes downloading to said given client computer a user interface which: provides controls which help a user of the given computer upload said image; displays said downloaded representations of the best matching fonts as currently selectable fonts; enables a user to select one or more of said currently selectable fonts as a font selected for downloading; and responds to a selection of one or more fonts as fonts selected for downloading by uploading said information identifying said fonts as fonts selected for downloading; and wherein the server downloads to the client not only said representation of each of the one or more best matching fonts but also an indication of the relative closeness of the match between each of those best matching fonts and the character-font shapes in the uploaded image.

Claim 10

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of known fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such fonts, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; receiving from a user an image of sample character-font shapes belonging to a given font; performing pattern matching between the sample character-font shapes and stored representations of character-font shapes from each of a plurality of said known fonts to select one or more of the known fonts having character-font shapes which best match the character-font shapes received from the user; displaying the one or more best matching fonts, including one or more character-fonts shapes of each such font, as currently selectable fonts; providing a font selection user interface that enables the user to select one of said currently selectable fonts; responding to a user selection of a font through the font selection interface by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; and performing the following sequence one or more times: providing a spatial specification user interface that enables the user to select a spatial specification relative to said currently selected point from among a plurality of such spatial specifications, each of which specifications defines a sub-portion of said font space defined by position relative to the currently selected point, with different spatial specifications defining sub-portions of said font space with different extents in different dimensions of said space; responding to a user selection of a spatial specification through said spatial specification interface by making the selected spatial specification the current spatial specification; searching to find which one or more fonts, if any, are in the sub-portion of the font space defined by the currently selected spatial specification; and displaying one or more character-font shapes of the one or more fonts found by the search to be in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space; and making one of the said fonts in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space the currently selected font relative to which a new spatial specification can be selected by said spatial specification interface, including using the stored attribute values of the new currently selected font to define a new currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space.

Claim 11

A method performed by computing machinery for enabling a user to select a font comprising: storing information about each of a set of known fonts, including a value of each of a plurality of attributes for each such fonts, which attributes, and the values of such attributes, define a multi-dimensional font space in which each of said fonts has a position; receiving from a user an image of sample character-font shapes belonging to a given font; performing pattern matching between the sample character-font shapes and stored representations of character-font shapes from each of a plurality of said known fonts to select one or more of the known fonts having character-font shapes which best match the character-font shapes received from the user; displaying the one or more best matching fonts, including one or more character-fonts shapes of each such font, as currently selectable fonts; providing a font selection user interface that enables the user to select one of said currently selectable fonts; responding to a user selection of a font through the font selection interface by making the selected font the currently selected font, including using the stored attribute values of the currently selected font to define a currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space; and performing the following sequence one or more times: providing a spatial specification user interface that enables the user to select a spatial specification relative to said currently selected point from among a plurality of such spatial specifications, each of which specifications defines a sub-portion of said font space defined by position relative to the currently selected point, with different spatial specifications defining sub-portions of said font space with different extents in different dimensions of said space; responding to a user selection of a spatial specification through said spatial specification interface by making the selected spatial specification the current spatial specification; searching to find which one or more fonts, if any, are in the sub-portion of the font space defined by the currently selected spatial specification; and displaying one or more character-font shapes of the one or more fonts found by the search to be in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space; and making one of the said fonts in the current specification's sub-portion of the font space the currently selected font relative to which a new spatial specification can be selected by said spatial specification interface, including using the stored attribute values of the new currently selected font to define a new currently selected point in said multi-dimensional font space.