System for supporting flexible color assignment in complex documents

1. A system implementable on a computing device for handling color assignment within a complex document, the system comprising:

a user interface to facilitate user modification of at least one first color to at least one second color within a previously chosen color scheme for a component of said document, said color scheme having a predetermined number X of principal colors and a predetermined number Y of associated subordinate colors per principal color;

a color handler to modify said color scheme to produce an updated color scheme to match a perceived brightness of said at least one second color throughout at least a portion of said updated color scheme;

a color processor to process and apply said updated color scheme at least to said component;

wherein said color handler comprises a subordinate color overrider to assign said at least one second color value as at least one subordinate color override to at least one subordinate color cell for a particular portion of said document; and

wherein said subordinate color overrider comprises a color blender to create color blend sequences between said subordinate colors.

2. The system according to claim 1 and also comprising an inheritance processor to implement said modifications according to at least one pre-defined inheritance relationship between said component and at least one other component.

3. The system according to claim 1 and wherein said color blender comprises a curve fitter to use said at least one subordinate color override as at least one anchor for a curve in a 3-dimensional color space from one color to a next color.

4. The system according to claim 1 and wherein said color blender comprises a bucket handler to divide an available perceived brightness range into buckets to create target perceived brightness values for said color blender and wherein said bucket sizes are not uniform.

5. The system according to claim 1 and wherein said color handler comprises a column adapter handler to create unity among said subordinate colors of one said principal color.

6. The system according to claim 1 and wherein said color handler comprises an invertor to reverse said color scheme while retaining the association of elements of said document to the specific positions in said chosen color scheme.

7. A system implementable on a computing device for handling color assignment within a complex document, the system comprising:

a user interface to facilitate user modification of at least one first color to at least one second color within a previously chosen color scheme for a component of said document, said color scheme having a predetermined number X of principal colors and a predetermined number Y of associated subordinate colors per principal color;

a color handler to modify said color scheme to produce an updated color scheme to match a perceived brightness of said at least one second color throughout at least a portion of said updated color scheme;

a color processor to process and apply said updated color scheme at least to said component; and

wherein said color handler comprises a principal color overrider to assign said second color to a principal color cell for a particular portion of said document and to handle changes to said associated subordinate colors within said portion; and

wherein said principal color overrider comprises a subordinate color column generation unit to implement one of a 0-anchor algorithm, a 1-anchor algorithm and a 2-anchor algorithm to modify said subordinate colors in the same column.

8. The system according to claim 7 and also comprising an inheritance processor to implement said modifications according to at least one of pre-determined containment and inheritance rules.

9. A method for handling color assignment within a complex document, the method implemented on a processor and comprising:

on said processor, facilitating user modification of at least one first color to at least one second color within a previously chosen color scheme for a component of said document, said color scheme having a predetermined number X of principal colors and a predetermined number Y of associated subordinate colors per principal color;

on said processor, modifying said color scheme to produce an updated color scheme to match a perceived brightness of said at least one second color throughout at least a portion of said updated color scheme; and

on said processor, processing and applying said updated color scheme at least to said component;

wherein said modifying comprises calculating said perceived brightness of said second color;

wherein said modifying further comprises assigning said second color to a principal color cell for a particular portion of said document and handling changes to said associated subordinate colors within said portion and wherein said overriding comprises implementing one of a 0-anchor algorithm, a 1-anchor algorithm and a 2-anchor algorithm to modify said subordinate colors in the same column; and

wherein said calculating comprises searching through a perceived brightness graph to find the color parameters required to generate said perceived brightness.

10. The method according to claim 9 and also comprising implementing modifications according to at least one pre-defined inheritance relationship between said component and at least one other component.

11. The method according to claim 9 and wherein said modifying comprises creating unity among said subordinate colors of one said principal color.

12. The method according to claim 9 and wherein said modifying comprises changing said color scheme to maintain a uniform brightness within said color scheme according to said perceived brightness.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein said modifying comprises reversing said color scheme while retaining the association of elements of said document to the specific positions in said chosen color scheme.

14. A method for handling color assignment within a complex document, the method implemented on a processor and comprising:

on said processor, facilitating user modification of at least one first color to at least one second color within a previously chosen color scheme for a component of said document, said color scheme having a predetermined number X of principal colors and a predetermined number Y of associated subordinate colors per principal color;

on said processor, modifying said color scheme to produce an updated color scheme to match a perceived brightness of said at least one second color throughout at least a portion of said updated color scheme;

on said processor, processing and applying said updated color scheme at least to said component; and

wherein said modifying comprises assigning said at least one second color value as at least one subordinate color override to at least one subordinate color cell for a particular portion of said document; and

wherein said overriding comprises creating color blend sequences between said subordinate colors.

15. The method according to claim 14 and also comprising implementing modifications according to at least one pre-defined inheritance relationship between said component and at least one other component.

16. The method according to claim 14 and wherein said creating comprises using said at least one subordinate color override as at least one anchor for a curve in a 3-dimensional color space from one color to a next color.

17. The method according to claim 14 and wherein said creating comprises dividing an available perceived brightness range into buckets to create target perceived brightness values for said overriding and wherein said bucket sizes are not uniform.

18. The method according to claim 14 and wherein said modifying comprises assigning said second color to a principal color cell for a particular portion of said document and handling changes to said associated subordinate colors within said portion.

19. The method according to claim 14 and wherein said modifying comprises creating unity among said subordinate colors of one said principal color.

20. The method according to claim 14 wherein said modifying comprises reversing said color scheme while retaining the association of elements of said document to the specific positions in said chosen color scheme.