Electronic device and data search method

Abstract

In the present invention, a control unit (100) causes a display unit (23) to display, on the basis of a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and a filter is applied to at least one column of the plurality of columns, a partial data table, of the data table, that comprises columns corresponding to the number of columns in one screen of the display unit (23). A determination unit (101) determines whether or not a prescribed display condition for causing the display unit (23) to display an image showing a filtering condition that is applied to a column to be filtered is satisfied, the column to be filtered existing in at least one of the columns to which the filter is applied and not being included in the partial data table and not being displayed on the display unit (23). When the determination unit (101) determines that the display condition is satisfied, the control unit (100) causes the display unit (23) to display the filtering condition that is applied to the column to be filtered.

Description

Electronic device and data search method

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device and a data search method, and more particularly to a search refinement technique for narrowing down data from a plurality of data.

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a search system that performs a refined search to narrow down data specified by a user from among a plurality of data.

[0003] Generally, in a refined search, data is set in each of multiple columns for each of multiple rows, and a spreadsheet is displayed on the display unit as a data table in which refinement is set in one or more of the multiple columns.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-161685

[0005] However, if the number of columns for which data is set in the spreadsheet is large, only some of the columns of the spreadsheet will be displayed on the display unit, and if the column for which filtering is set is outside the screen of the display unit and is not displayed on the screen, it will be difficult for the user to understand the filtering conditions for the column for which filtering is set on that screen.

[0006] In addition, spreadsheets have a function to hide columns, and if a column for which filtering has been set is set to hidden and is not displayed on the display screen, it is difficult for the user to understand the filtering conditions for the column for which filtering has been set on that screen.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to make it easier for users to understand the filtering conditions for columns for which filtering has been set that are not displayed on the screen of the display unit.

[0008] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a display unit, a control unit that causes the display unit to display a partial data table consisting of the same number of columns as one screen of the display unit of a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and in which narrowing is set in one or more of the plurality of columns, and a judgment unit that judges whether or not a predetermined display condition is met, causing the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing condition set in a narrowing target column that is not included in the partial data table and is not displayed on the display unit, among the one or more columns in which narrowing is set; and when the judgment unit determines that the display condition is met, the control unit causes the display unit to display the narrowing condition set in the narrowing target column.

[0009] A data search method according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a control step of causing a display unit to display a partial data table consisting of as many columns as there are columns on one screen of a display unit for a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and in which narrowing down is set in one or more of the plurality of columns; and a condition satisfaction determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined display condition is satisfied, causing the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for a narrowing down target column that is present among the one or more columns in which narrowing down is set and that is not included in the partial data table and is not displayed on the display unit.In the control step, if it is determined in the condition satisfaction determination step that the display condition is satisfied, the narrowing down condition set for the narrowing down target column is displayed on the display unit.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible for a user to easily grasp the filtering conditions of a column for which filtering is set, which is not displayed on the screen of the display unit.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of an information processing device that is an embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a spreadsheet. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a spreadsheet for display. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a display unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pop-up window. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a spreadsheet for display. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a display unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a spreadsheet. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a spreadsheet for display. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a display unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a list of refinement setting columns. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a pop-up window. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of data search processing by an information processing device.

[0012] An electronic device and a data search method according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of an information processing device 1 which is an embodiment of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0013] The information processing device 1 is, for example, a personal computer. The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 10, an operation unit 22, a display unit 23, a communication unit 24, and a storage unit 25. These components are capable of transmitting and receiving data or signals to and from each other via a communication bus.

[0014] The operation unit 22 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and receives instructions input from the user based on the user's operation. The display unit 23 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and its operation is controlled by the control unit 100.

[0015] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface that transmits and receives various data to and from external devices such as image forming devices and servers within a local area or on the Internet.

[0016] The storage unit 25 is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various control programs, etc. A data search program 250 is installed in the storage unit 25. The storage unit 25 also stores a spreadsheet 50, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2 , etc.

[0017] The control unit 10 includes a processor, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a micro processing unit (MPU). The control unit 10 includes a control unit 100 and a determination unit 101.

[0018] The control unit 10 functions as a control unit 100 and a determination unit 101 through operation of the processor in accordance with a data search program stored in the storage unit 25. However, the control unit 100 and the like can also be configured by hardware circuits, without relying on operation in accordance with the control program and data search program by the control unit 10. Unless otherwise stated below, the same applies to each embodiment.

[0019] The control unit 100 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 1. The control unit 100 is connected to the operation unit 22, the display unit 23, the communication unit 24, and the storage unit 25, and controls the driving of these units.

[0020] The control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial data table consisting of as many columns as there are columns on one screen of the display unit for the data table, based on a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and in which narrowing is set in one or more of the plurality of columns. The determination unit 101 determines whether a predetermined display condition is met for causing the display unit 23 to display an image indicating the narrowing condition for narrowing set in a narrowing target column that is not included in the partial data table and is not displayed on the display unit, and that exists among the one or more columns in which narrowing is set. If the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display the narrowing condition set in the narrowing target column.

[0021] The control unit 100 moves the cursor based on a user's operation on the operation unit 22 and displays it on the screen of the display unit 23, and when the column to be narrowed down is a column in the data table that is after the last column of the partial data table, the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met when the position indicated by the cursor is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit 23. When the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column after the last column of the partial data table.

[0022] The control unit 100 moves the cursor based on the user's operation on the operation unit 22 and displays it on the screen of the display unit 23, and if the column to be narrowed down is a column in the data table that precedes the first column of the partial data table, the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met when the cursor's indicated position is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit 23, and if the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met, the control unit 100 displays on the display unit 23 an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column that precedes the first column of the partial data table.

[0023] The control unit 100 moves the cursor based on a user's operation on the operation unit 22, causing the cursor to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 23. The control unit 100 switches the setting for each of a plurality of columns between a setting for hiding the column on the screen of the display unit 23 and a setting for displaying the column. When the partial data table includes a column before the column set to be hidden and a column after the column set to be hidden, and the column to be narrowed down is a column set to be hidden between columns of the partial data table, the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met when the cursor's designated position is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit 23. When the determination unit 101 determines that the display condition is met, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column set to be hidden between columns of the partial data table.

[0024] The control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a list of one or more columns for which filtering has been set, and the determination unit 101 determines that the display conditions are met when an instruction to specify a column to be filtered from the list is received by the operation unit 22. When the determination unit 101 determines that the display conditions are met, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display an image indicating the filtering conditions set for the column to be filtered specified from the list. Note that the control unit 100 may also cause the display unit 23 to display an image indicating the filtering conditions set for the column to be filtered specified from the list and the column number (the column number of the column to be filtered).

[0025] The data search program has the functions of spreadsheet software. The processor of the control unit 10 operates in accordance with the data search program, causing the control unit 100 to execute various processes as spreadsheet software. For example, the control unit 100 creates a data table, compiles and analyzes data based on the data table, and performs automatic calculations.

[0026] Next, a specific example of the data search process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0027] The storage unit 25 stores a spreadsheet 50, an example of which is shown in Fig. 2. In the spreadsheet shown in Fig. 2, data indicating item names is set in each column of row "1", and data indicating the contents of the items is set in each column of row "2" and subsequent rows.

[0028] 2, data is set in each column from column "A" to column "H" of each row from row "1" to row "10." In the spreadsheet shown in FIG. 2, in column "D," the item name "Company Size" is set in row "1," and the content of the item ("3000," "5000," or "10000") is set in each row from row "2" to row "10." In column "E," the item name "Company" is set in row "1," and the content of the item (any of "Company A" to "Company I") is set in each row from row "2" to row "10." In column "F," the item name "Convenience" is set in row "1," and the content of the item ("◯," "△," or "X") is set in each row from row "2" to row "10." Furthermore, in the spreadsheet 50, in column "G," the item name "Sales" is set in row "1," and the item content ("1000," "2000," "3000," or "4000") is set in each of rows "2" to "10." In column "H," the item name "Rating" is set in row "1," and the item content ("◯," "△," or "X") is set in each of rows "2" to "10." A filter function (narrowing down) is set in each of column "E" (the column with the item name "Company") and column "F" (the column with the item name "Convenience"), and thus a filter mark FM5 is set in row "1" of column "E," and a filter mark FM6 is set in row "1" of column "F."

[0029] Based on the spreadsheet 50 shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet consisting of four columns, which is the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23 of the spreadsheet 50 shown in Fig. 2. The number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23, "4", is the number of columns displayed on one screen of the display unit 23.

[0030] 2, when the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the filter mark FM5 in column "E" (the column with the item name "Company"), the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a screen on which the user can select narrowed-down data from among "Company A" to "Company I" as a narrowing-down condition. When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the narrowed-down data "Company A," "Company D," or "Company G" from among "Company A" to "Company I," the control unit 100 determines whether the setting data in column "E" in each of rows "2" to "10" of the spreadsheet 50 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as any of the narrowed-down data "Company A," "Company D," or "Company G," and extracts rows "2," "5," and "8" whose setting data is "Company A," "Company D," or "Company G." The control unit 100 creates a display spreadsheet 50A shown in FIG. 3, which lists the setting data for each column of row "1" and the setting data for each column of rows "2", "5", and "8".

[0031] In accordance with user instructions on the keyboard or mouse of the operation unit 22 in the display spreadsheet 50A shown in Figure 3, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet 50A1 consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen from column A to column D of the spreadsheet 50A shown in Figure 4.

[0032] The control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a cursor at a position indicated by the mouse of the operation unit 22 on the screen of the display unit 23. When the user operates the mouse to specify the amount of movement of the cursor in each of the x-axis and y-axis directions and input the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor into the operation unit 22, the control unit 100 causes the cursor to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 while moving in accordance with the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor. When the user left-clicks the mouse and inputs a left-click instruction into the operation unit 22, the determination unit 101 determines whether the position indicated by the cursor is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit 23, that is, an upper right area R1R of the screen (hereinafter referred to as the "right off-screen narrowing column display area")

[0033] If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor's indicated position is within the right-hand off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1R, the control unit 100 extracts columns "E" and "F" for which a filter function is set (narrowing is set) from columns "E" to "H" of the spreadsheet 50A that are after the last column "H" of the partial spreadsheet 50A1, as off-screen narrowed-down columns, and causes the display unit 23 to display a pop-up window P1 shown in Figure 5 for column "E", which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for column "E" extracted as the off-screen narrowed-down column, and a pop-up window for column "F", which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for column "F" extracted as the off-screen narrowed-down column.

[0034] In the pop-up window P1 shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 100 displays the narrowing conditions for the narrowing down of column "E" on the display unit 23 by coloring "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" set in rows "2," "5," and "8," respectively, of the spreadsheet 50 in Fig. 3 in black as narrowed-down data, and by graying out "Company B," "Company C," "Company E," "Company F," "Company H," and "Company I" set in the other rows as data not included in the narrowing down, and further displays check boxes for specifying "Company A" through "Company I," an "OK" button, and a "Cancel" button. In the pop-up window P1 shown in Fig. 6, the user can use the mouse of the operation unit 22 to add "Company B," "Company C," "Company E," "Company F," "Company H," and "Company I" to the narrowed-down data or remove "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" from the narrowed-down data. In the pop-up window P1 shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 described below, the background color of the narrowed-down data "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" is white, and the background color of the data that was not narrowed down "Company B," "Company C," "Company E," "Company F," "Company H," and "Company I" is gray, so that the distinction between the two can be easily seen.

[0035] The determination unit 101 determines whether the cursor position is within the upper left area (hereinafter referred to as the "left off-screen narrowed-down column display area") R1L, which is a predetermined area of ​​the screen of the display unit 23. If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is within the left off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1L, the control unit 100 extracts, as off-screen narrowed-down columns, columns for which a filter function is set (narrowed-down columns are set) from among the columns of the spreadsheet 50A before the first column of the partial spreadsheet 50A1, and causes the display unit 23 to display, for each of the columns extracted as off-screen narrowed-down columns, a pop-up window for that column, which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for that column.

[0036] In addition, if the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor's indicated position is within the off-screen narrowed-down column display area, the control unit 100 may extract columns in the spreadsheet 50A that have a filter function set (narrowing set) from among the columns before the first column of the partial spreadsheet 50A1 and the columns after the last column of the partial spreadsheet 50A1, as off-screen narrowed-down columns, and may cause the display unit 23 to display, for each column extracted as an off-screen narrowed-down column, a pop-up window for that column, which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for that column.

[0037] In addition, when the user operates the mouse on the operation unit 22 so that the cursor position enters the off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1, the determination unit 101 may determine that the cursor position is within the off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1, and the control unit 100 may display the pop-up window P1 shown in Figure 5 on the display unit 23.

[0038] In the pop-up window P1 shown in Fig. 5, the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to check the checkboxes corresponding to "Company E" and "Company F," thereby adding "Company E" and "Company F" as the refined data, and the pop-up window P1 becomes the state shown in Fig. 6. When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to press the "OK" button, the control unit 100 determines whether the setting data for column "E" in each of rows "3," "4," "6," "7," "9," and "10" shown in Fig. 3 is the same as either of the added refined data "Company E" or "Company F," and extracts rows "6" and "7" whose setting data is "Company E" or "Company F." The control unit 100 then adds the setting data for each column of rows "6" and "7" extracted to the spreadsheet 50A shown in Fig. 3 and arranges them to create a display spreadsheet 50B shown in Fig. 7. Then, control unit 100 causes display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet consisting of columns "A" through "D" of spreadsheet 50B, which is the number of columns on one screen, "4." When control unit 100 causes display unit 23 to display the setting data for each column of rows "6" and "7" on the screen of display unit 23, control unit 100 causes display unit 23 to display the setting data for each column of rows "6" and "7" against a gray background, making the display format different from the setting data for each column of rows "2," "5," and "8."

[0039] Next, another specific example of the data search process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, 8 and 9. FIG.

[0040] Based on the spreadsheet 50 shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23 of the spreadsheet 50 shown in FIG.

[0041] In the spreadsheet 50 shown in FIG. 2 , when the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the filter mark FM6 in column “F” (the column with the item name “Convenience”), the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a screen on which the user can select narrowing data as a narrowing condition from among “◯,” “△,” and “X.” When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the narrowing data “◯” from among “◯,” “△,” and “X,” the control unit 100 determines whether the setting data in column “F” is the same as the narrowing data “◯” in each of rows “2” to “10” of the spreadsheet 50 shown in FIG. 2 , and extracts rows “2,” “5,” and “8” whose setting data is “◯.” The control unit 100 creates a spreadsheet for display in which the setting data for each column of row “1” and the setting data for each column of rows “2,” “5,” and “8” are arranged.

[0042] Next, when the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to set column "E" (the column with the item name "Company") to be hidden, the control unit 100 creates a display spreadsheet 50C shown in FIG. 8 in which setting data for each column in rows "1," "2," "5," and "8" of the spreadsheet, excluding column "E." Note that when a command is issued to redisplay the hidden column "E," the control unit 100 causes the hidden column "E" to be redisplayed on the display unit 23. The control unit 100 switches the setting for each of the multiple columns of the spreadsheet between a setting to hide the column on the screen of the display unit 23 and a setting to display the column.

[0043] In accordance with user instructions on the keyboard or mouse of the operation unit 22 in the spreadsheet 50C shown in Figure 8, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet 50C1 shown in Figure 9, which consists of columns "D" and columns "F" to "H" of the spreadsheet 50C, which is the number of columns on one screen, "4".

[0044] When partial spreadsheet 50C1 is displayed on the screen of display unit 23, one line is shown between displayed columns that do not have a hidden column between them (see region R3 in Figure 9), and two lines are shown between displayed columns that have a hidden column between them, such as between columns "D" and "F" in Figure 9 (see region R2 in Figure 9), and these two lines indicate the presence of a column that is set to hidden.

[0045] The control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a cursor at a position indicated by the mouse of the operation unit 22 on the screen of the display unit 23. When the user operates the mouse to specify the amount of movement of the cursor in each of the x-axis and y-axis directions and input the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor into the operation unit 22, the control unit 100 causes the cursor to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 while moving in accordance with the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor. When the user left-clicks the mouse and inputs a left-click instruction into the operation unit 22, the determination unit 101 determines whether the position indicated by the cursor is within an area R2, which is a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit 23 and includes a mark indicating the presence of a column set to be hidden (hereinafter referred to as the "hidden narrowed-down column display area")

[0046] If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor's indicated position is within the hidden narrowed-down column display area R2, the control unit 100 extracts column "E" that has a filter function set (narrowing set) from among the columns "E" that are set to be hidden in the partial spreadsheet 50C1 as a hidden narrowed-down column, and displays on the display unit 23 a pop-up window P1 shown in Figure 5 for column "E", which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for column "E" extracted as a hidden narrowed-down column. In the pop-up window P1 shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 100 displays the narrowing conditions for the narrowing down of column "E" on the display unit 23 by coloring "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" set in rows "2," "5," and "8," respectively, of the spreadsheet 50 in Fig. 3 in black as narrowed-down data, and by graying out "Company B," "Company C," "Company E," "Company F," "Company H," and "Company I" set in the other rows as data not included in the narrowing down, and further displays check boxes for specifying "Company A" through "Company I," an "OK" button, and a "Cancel" button. In the pop-up window P1 shown in Fig. 6, the user can use the mouse of the operation unit 22 to add "Company B," "Company C," "Company E," "Company F," "Company H," and "Company I" to the narrowed-down data or remove "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" from the narrowed-down data. In this specific example, a case is described in which the filter mark FM6 for column "F" that is not set to hidden is specified, and the data "O" is specified as the narrowing-down data to narrow down the rows, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the filter mark FM5 for column "E" before it is set to hidden is specified, and "Company A," "Company D," and "Company G" are specified as the narrowing-down data to narrow down the rows, and then column "E" is set to hidden, when the user positions the cursor in the hidden narrowing-down column display area R2 and then left-clicks the mouse, a pop-up window P1 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed.

[0047] In addition, when the user operates the mouse on the operation unit 22 so that the cursor position enters the hidden narrowed-down column display area R2, the determination unit 101 may determine that the cursor position is within the hidden narrowed-down column display area R2, and the control unit 100 may display the pop-up window P1 shown in Figure 5 on the display unit 23.

[0048] Next, still another specific example of the data search process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0049] The storage unit 25 stores a spreadsheet 50D of Fig. 10. Unlike the spreadsheet 50 of Fig. 2, the spreadsheet 50D of Fig. 10 has a filter function set (narrowing is set) for each of column "F" (the column with the item name "convenience") and column "G" (the column with the item name "sales"), and as a result, a filter mark FM6 is set for row "1" in column "F", and a filter mark FM7 is set for row "1" in column "G".

[0050] Based on the spreadsheet 50D shown in Figure 10, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23 of the spreadsheet 50D shown in Figure 10.

[0051] In the spreadsheet 50D shown in FIG. 10 , when the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the filter mark FM6 in column “F” (the column with the item name “Convenience”), the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a screen on which the user can select narrowing data as a narrowing condition from among “◯,” “△,” and “X.” When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the narrowing data “◯” from among “◯,” “△,” and “X,” the control unit 100 determines whether the setting data in column “D” is the same as the narrowing data “◯” in each of rows “2” to “10” of the spreadsheet 50D shown in FIG. 10 , and extracts rows “2,” “5,” and “8” whose setting data is “◯.” The control unit 100 creates a spreadsheet for display in which the setting data for each column of row “1” and the setting data for each column of rows “2,” “5,” and “8” are arranged.

[0052] When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the filter mark FM7 for column "G" (the column with the item name "Sales") in the created spreadsheet for display, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a screen on which the user can select narrowed-down data from "1000" and "4000" as a narrowing condition. When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 22 to specify the narrowed-down data "1000" from "1000" and "4000," the control unit 100 determines whether the setting data for column "G" in rows "2," "5," and "8" of the spreadsheet 50D shown in FIG. 10 is the same as the narrowed-down data "1000," and extracts rows "2" and "5" whose setting data is "1000." The control unit 100 creates a spreadsheet for display in which the setting data for each column of row "1" and the setting data for each column of rows "2" and "5" are arranged.

[0053] Next, when the user operates the mouse on the operation unit 22 to set column "F" (the column with the item name "Convenience") and column "G" (the column with the item name "Sales") to be hidden, the control unit 100 creates a display spreadsheet 50E shown in Figure 11, which lists the setting data for each column except for columns "D" and "E" in rows "1", "2", and "5" of the spreadsheet.

[0054] In accordance with user instructions on the keyboard or mouse of the operation unit 22 in the spreadsheet 50E shown in Figure 11, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet 50E1 consisting of four columns on one screen, from column "C" to column "E" and column "H" of the spreadsheet 50E shown in Figure 12.

[0055] When the control unit 100 displays the partial spreadsheet 50E1 on the screen of the display unit 23, it displays a "List of columns with filter settings" button 51 on the screen of the display unit 23, which displays a list of columns for which the filter function has been set (for which filtering has been set).

[0056] The control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a cursor at a position indicated by the mouse of the operation unit 22 on the screen of the display unit 23. When the user operates the mouse to specify the amount of movement of the cursor in each of the x-axis and y-axis directions and input the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor into the operation unit 22, the control unit 100 causes the cursor to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 while moving in accordance with the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor. When the user left-clicks the mouse and inputs the left-click instruction into the operation unit 22, the determination unit 101 determines whether the position indicated by the cursor is within the "narrow setting column list" button 51. If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is within the "Narrowing Setting Column List" button 51, it extracts columns "F" and "G" from columns "A" to "H" that are not displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 and for which a filter function is set (narrowing is set), creates a list 60 of the extracted columns "F" and "G" for which a filter function is set (narrowing is set) (hereinafter referred to as a "Narrowing Setting Column List"), and displays the created narrowing setting column list 60 shown in FIG. 13 on the display unit 23. Each column displayed in the narrowing setting column list is a selectable button. Note that the determination unit 101 may also extract columns for which a filter function is set (narrowing is set) from multiple columns of the spreadsheet and create a narrowing setting column list including each of the extracted columns for which a filter function is set (narrowing is set).

[0057] 13 is displayed on the display unit 23, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a cursor at a position indicated by the mouse of the operation unit 22 on the screen of the display unit 23. When the user operates the mouse to specify the amount of movement of the cursor in each of the x-axis and y-axis directions and input the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor into the operation unit 22, the control unit 100 causes the cursor to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 while moving in accordance with the instruction for the amount of movement of the cursor. When the user left-clicks the mouse and inputs the left-click instruction into the operation unit 22, the determination unit 101 determines whether the position indicated by the cursor is within either the "Convenience" button 61 or the "Sales" button 62, which are "Narrowing Condition Display Column" buttons on the screen of the display unit 23.

[0058] If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor is positioned within the “Convenience” button 61, the control unit 100 displays a pop-up window P2 shown in FIG. 14 for column “F,” which is an image showing the filtering conditions set for column “F” (the column with the item name “Convenience”), on the display unit 23. In the pop-up window P2 shown in FIG. 14 , the control unit 100 displays the filtering conditions for column “F” on the display unit 23 by coloring the “o”s set in rows “2” and “5” of the spreadsheet 50D shown in FIG. 10 black as filtered data and the “△”s and “×”s set in the other rows gray as data that are not filtered. The control unit 100 also displays check boxes for specifying “o,” “△,” and “×,” as well as an “OK” button and a “Cancel” button. In the pop-up window P2 shown in FIG. 14 , the user can use the mouse of the operation unit 22 to add “△”s and “×”s to the filtered data or remove “o”s from the filtered data. In the pop-up window P2 shown in FIG. 14, the background color of the narrowed-down data "◯" is white, and the background color of the data that did not qualify for narrowing down "△" and "×" is gray, so that the distinction between the two can be easily seen.

[0059] When the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor is positioned within the “Sales” button 62, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 23 to display a pop-up window P3 shown in FIG. 15 for the column “G,” which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for the column “G” (the column with the item name “Sales”). In the pop-up window P3 shown in FIG. 15 , the control unit 100 displays the narrowing-down conditions for the column “G” on the display unit 23 by coloring the “1000” set in each of rows “2” and “5” of the spreadsheet 50D shown in FIG. 10 in black as narrowed-down data and the “2000,” “3000,” and “4000” set in the other rows in gray as data that are not subject to narrowing down, and further displays check boxes for specifying “1000,” “2000,” “3000,” and “4000,” as well as an “OK” button and a “Cancel” button. In the pop-up window P3 shown in Fig. 15, the user can add "2000," "3000," and "4000" to the narrowed-down data or remove "1000" from the narrowed-down data using the mouse of the operation unit 22. In the pop-up window P3 shown in Fig. 15, the background color of the narrowed-down data "1000" is white, and the background color of the data "2000," "3000," and "4000" that have been removed from the narrowed-down data is gray, so that the distinction between the two can be easily seen.

[0060] Next, a description will be given of the data search process and data search method performed by the information processing device 1. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of the data search process performed by the information processing device 1.

[0061] It is assumed that the control unit 100 starts up the spreadsheet software and causes the display unit 23 to display a partial spreadsheet consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of a spreadsheet (for example, partial spreadsheet 50A1 consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23, as shown in FIG. 4, partial spreadsheet 50C1 consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23, as shown in FIG. 9, or partial spreadsheet 50E1 consisting of four columns, the number of columns on one screen of the display unit 23, as shown in FIG. 12) (step S1).

[0062] When the control unit 100 is displaying a partial spreadsheet consisting of four columns on one screen on the display unit 23, the user operates the mouse to specify the amount of movement of the cursor in the x-axis and y-axis directions, and the instruction for the amount of cursor movement is input to the operation unit 22.The control unit 100 then displays the cursor on the screen of the display unit 23 while moving it in accordance with the instruction for the amount of cursor movement (step S2).

[0063] If the user does not perform a left-click operation by operating the mouse of the operation unit 22 and a left-click instruction is not input to the operation unit 22 (S3: NO), the control unit 100 performs the process of step S2.

[0064] When the user performs a left-click operation by operating the mouse on the operation unit 22 and inputs a left-click instruction to the operation unit 22 (S3: YES), the determination unit 101 determines whether the cursor is positioned within an off-screen narrowed-down column display area (e.g., the right-side off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1R or the left-side off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1L on the screen of the display unit 23 shown in FIG. 4) (step S4). If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor is positioned within the off-screen narrowed-down column display area (S4: YES), the control unit 100 extracts, in the left-side off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1L, columns of the spreadsheet before the first column of the partial spreadsheet displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 that have a filter function set (narrowing set) as off-screen narrowed-down columns, and displays, for each of the extracted off-screen narrowed-down columns, a pop-up window for that column, which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for that column, on the display unit 23. In addition, in the case of the right-hand off-screen narrowed-down column display area R1R, the control unit 100 extracts columns in which narrowed-down data is set from among the columns of the spreadsheet after the last column of the partial spreadsheet displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 as off-screen narrowed-down columns, and for each column extracted as an off-screen narrowed-down column, displays a pop-up window for that column on the display unit 23, which is an image showing the narrowed-down conditions set for that column (step S5).

[0065] If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is not within the off-screen narrowed-down column display area (S4: NO), the determination unit 101 determines whether the cursor position is within the hidden narrowed-down column display area (e.g., the hidden narrowed-down column display area R2 on the screen of the display unit 23 shown in FIG. 9) (step S6). If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is within the hidden narrowed-down column display area (S6: YES), the control unit 100 extracts, as hidden narrowed-down columns, columns for which a filter function is set (narrowed-down columns are set) from among the columns set to hidden, for example, between columns of the partial spreadsheet displayed on the screen of the display unit 23, and causes the display unit 23 to display, for each of the extracted hidden narrowed-down columns, a pop-up window for that column, which is an image showing the narrowing-down conditions set for that column (step S7).

[0066] If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is not within the hidden filter column display area (S6: NO), the determination unit 101 determines whether the cursor position is within a "Filter Setting Column List" button (e.g., "Filter Setting Column List" button 51 on the screen of the display unit 23 shown in FIG. 12) (step S8). If the determination unit 101 determines that the cursor position is within the "Filter Setting Column List" button 51 (S8: YES), the determination unit 101 extracts from the columns of the spreadsheet those columns that are not displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 and for which a filter function is set (filtering is set), and causes the display unit 23 to display a filter setting column list (e.g., filter setting column list 60 shown in FIG. 13) including the extracted columns (step S9).

[0067] While the determination unit 101 is displaying the refinement setting column list on the display unit 23, the user moves the cursor by operating the mouse, and the user performs a left-click operation by operating the mouse on the operation unit 22. The determination unit 101 determines whether the cursor is positioned within a "Refinement Condition Display Column" button (e.g., the "Convenience" button 61 or the "Sales" button 62 in FIG. 13) in the refinement setting column list 60, that is, whether a column for displaying refinement conditions (refinement condition display column) has been specified from the refinement setting column list 60 (step S10). If the determination unit 101 determines that a refinement condition display column has not been specified (S10: NO), the determination unit 101 returns to the processing of step S10.

[0068] If the determination unit 101 determines that a filter condition display column has been specified (S10: YES), the control unit 100 displays a popup window for the specified filter condition display column on the display unit 23 (step S11), which is an image showing the filter conditions set for the specified filter condition display column. However, if the filter setting column list includes multiple columns, the processes of steps S10 and S11 may be performed a number of times less than the number of columns. If, after steps S5, S7, and S11, it is determined that the cursor position is not within the "Filter Setting Column List" button 51 (step S8: NO), the process of FIG. 16 ends.

[0069] According to the above-described embodiment, the user can easily check the filtering conditions for a column for which filtering has been set that is located outside the screen of the display unit 23 by positioning the cursor on the off-screen filtered column display area and left-clicking the mouse. The user can also easily check the filtering conditions for a column for which filtering has been set that is located among the hidden columns by positioning the cursor on the hidden filtered column display area and left-clicking the mouse. Furthermore, the user can easily check the filtering conditions for a column for which filtering has been set that is located outside the screen of the display unit 23 or a column for which filtering has been set that is located among the hidden columns by displaying a list of columns for which filtering has been set and specifying a column from the list.

[0070] One of the images indicating the filtering conditions for the narrowing down may be a partial data table (corresponding to a partial spreadsheet in the embodiment) in which at least one of the following is changed: the color of the columns on either side of a column set to be hidden between the columns of the partial data table, the thickness of the characters of the columns (on either side), and the size of the characters of the columns (on either side). One of the images indicating the filtering conditions for the narrowing down may be a partial data table (corresponding to a partial spreadsheet in the embodiment) in which at least one of the following is changed: the color, thickness, and size of the lines of the columns on either side of a column set to be hidden between the columns of the partial data table. One of the images indicating the filtering conditions for the narrowing down may be a mark on the lines of the columns on either side of a column set to be hidden between the columns of the partial data table (partial spreadsheet in the embodiment). These images may be combined with the pop-up window P1 of the above embodiment.

[0071] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. Furthermore, the configurations and processes shown in the above-described embodiments using Figures 1 to 16 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to these configurations and processes.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: a display unit; a control unit that causes the display unit to display a partial data table consisting of the same number of columns as one screen of the display unit of a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and in which filtering is set in one or more of the plurality of columns; and a determination unit that determines whether or not predetermined display conditions are met, causing the display unit to display an image indicating the filtering conditions set in a filtering target column that is not included in the partial data table and is not displayed on the display unit, and that is present in the one or more columns in which filtering is set; wherein the control unit, when the determination unit determines that the display conditions are met, causes the display unit to display the filtering conditions set in the filtering target column.

2. An electronic device as described in claim 1, comprising an operation unit, wherein the control unit moves a cursor based on a user's operation on the operation unit and displays it on the screen of the display unit, and the determination unit determines that the display condition is met when the cursor's position is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit if the column to be narrowed down is a column in the data table that is after the last column of the partial data table, and when the determination unit determines that the display condition is met, the control unit causes the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column after the last column of the partial data table.

3. An electronic device as described in claim 1, comprising an operation unit, wherein the control unit moves a cursor based on a user's operation on the operation unit and displays it on the screen of the display unit, and the determination unit determines that the display condition is met when the cursor's position is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit if the column to be narrowed down is a column in the data table that precedes the first column of the partial data table, and when the determination unit determines that the display condition is met, the control unit causes the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column that precedes the first column of the partial data table.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an operation unit, wherein the control unit moves a cursor based on a user's operation on the operation unit to display the cursor on the screen of the display unit, the control unit switches the setting for each of the plurality of columns between a setting to hide the columns on the screen of the display unit and a setting to display the columns, the determination unit determines that the display condition is met when the cursor's indication position is within a predetermined area on the screen of the display unit if the partial data table includes a column before the column set to hide and a column after the column set to hide and the column to be narrowed down is a column set to hide between columns of the partial data table, and the control unit, when the determination unit determines that the display condition is met, causes the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing down condition set for the column to be narrowed down, which is a column set to hide between columns of the partial data table.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined area is an area including a mark indicating the presence of the column set to be hidden.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the image indicating the filtering conditions for the filtering differs in at least one of the color of the columns on either side of the hidden column between the columns of the partial data table, the thickness of the characters in that column, and the size of the characters in that column.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the image indicating the filtering conditions for the filtering differs in at least one of the color, thickness, and size of the lines of the columns on either side of the column set to hidden between columns of the partial data table.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the image indicating the filtering conditions is a mark on the line between columns of the partial data table on both sides of the column set to be hidden.

9. An electronic device as described in claim 1, comprising an operation unit, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display a list of the columns to be narrowed down, and the determination unit determines that the display condition is met when the operation unit receives an instruction to specify the column to be narrowed down from the list, and when the determination unit determines that the display condition is met, the control unit causes the display unit to display an image indicating the narrowing condition set for the column to be narrowed down specified from the list.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display an image and column number indicating the filtering condition set for the filtering target column specified from the list.

11. A data search method comprising: a control step of causing a display unit to display a partial data table consisting of the same number of columns as one screen of a display unit for a data table in which data is set in each of a plurality of columns for each of a plurality of rows and in which filtering is set in one or more of the plurality of columns; and a determination step of determining whether or not predetermined display conditions are met, causing the display unit to display an image indicating the filtering conditions set in a filtering target column that is present in the one or more columns in which filtering is set and that is not included in the partial data table and not displayed on the display unit, wherein in the control step, if it is determined in the determination step that the display conditions are met, the display unit displays the filtering conditions set in the filtering target column.

Images