Deterministic visual indication of user data context
US8922579B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 5, 2012 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 7, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG09G2340/14
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.