Abstract: A schema for a document generation system and a method of generating a document. In one embodiment the schema includes a template root element; a template information element; a data table element; and an instances element. In another embodiment, the method includes generating one or more composition elements. Each composition element is configurable to include a level, and is capable of manifesting itself as a document page, a page-level overlay, or an instance-level, conditional overlay. The method also includes laying composition elements on a rendering surface such that elements with a high level replace elements with a low level; wherein each composition element includes pre-authored formal content.

Abstract: A system that may be used to generate documents and for broader uses such as assembling computer-processable components into computer-processable end products. In one form, the system is a document generation system having an assembly facility configured to be coupled to an origination platform; a knowledge base configured to be coupled to the assembly facility and to store objects in an object-relational hierarchy; and a content management system configured to be coupled to the knowledge base, where the content management system is configured to include an object and a rule. The system may be configured to interact with a knowledge base to create a first set of end products, each end product containing an object; apply precedence to the first set of end products; extract rules from the knowledge base; and assemble a second set of documents based upon applying precedence and rules.

Abstract: A data structure generation system. The system includes a knowledge base configured to store data structure components as objects in an object-relational hierarchy. Each object is configured to have a precedence, to include one or more rules, and to include content. The knowledge base may be coupled to a data structure assembly facility configured to retrieve one or more cross-referenced data structure components from a database. The one or more data structure components are configured to have a precedence level, and may be processed in a processor to generate a tree having a root node. The tree may be processed beginning at the root node, and objects of low precedence may be overidden with objects of high precedence.

Abstract: An output engine operable to convert a file from a first format to a second format. The output engine includes a decomposer that is called by a calling application. The decomposer receives an input file and a desired file format from the calling application. The decomposer decomposes the input file into a component architecture, making the properties of objects within the input file available to other components in the output engine. The output engine also includes a writer that calls the decomposer multiple times to retrieve the component architecture of the file and generate a new version of the file in the second format. The invention also provides a method of delivering a desired file format and an input file to a decomposer. The input file is decomposed into a component architecture in the decomposer and a new version of the input file in the second format is generated by calling the decomposer multiple times from a writer.

Abstract: An output engine operable to convert a file from a first format to a second format. The output engine includes a decomposer that is called by a calling application. The decomposer receives an input file and a desired file format from the calling application. The decomposer decomposes the input file into a component architecture, making the properties of objects within the input file available to other components in the output engine. The output engine also includes a writer that calls the decomposer multiple times to retrieve the component architecture of the file and generate a new version of the file in the second format. The invention also provides a method of delivering a desired file format and an input file to a decomposer. The input file is decomposed into a component architecture in the decomposer and a new version of the input file in the second format is generated by calling the decomposer multiple times from a writer.