Spreadsheet image showing data items as indirect graphical representations
US5880742A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 14, 1996 |
| Grant date | Mar 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 14, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T11/206
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An improvement to a spreadsheet application program executed in a processor-controlled machine displays a first spreadsheet image showing a plurality of cell regions each of which shows a direct, symbolic representation of a source data value of a source data item in an n-dimensional (nD) information data array with which the cell is respectively paired. In response to an image display request signal, a second spreadsheet image is displayed which shows, in each cell, a graphical display object representation of the respectively paired source data value in place of its direct representation. The source data values in the nD data array are thus graphically, or indirectly, represented in the cell regions in the second spreadsheet image, facilitating the visual observation, identification and inspection of patterns and trends in the data. A sophisticated user interface permits a system user to perform spreadsheet manipulation functions, such as reordering rows and column, sorting rows or columns, and deriving new rows or column, in order to further reveal data trends and patterns in the graphical representations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.