Navigable View of Spreadsheet Objects by Data Source
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Solution Overview
Problem
Locating specific data and objects within large and disorganized spreadsheets can be laborious and time-consuming, as they are often represented as unordered tables and charts scattered throughout multiple sheets.
Innovation Solution
A navigable view is displayed as graphical objects (thumbnails) that can be organized by type, sheet, relationship, or data source, allowing users to navigate through them using touch or non-touch input, zoom in for full-screen views, pan to see adjacent objects, and perform operations like sorting, filtering, and drilling down/up to explore related elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If data are represented as objects (tables, charts) arranged throughout multiple sheets, then data can be visually presented, but locating desired information becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a navigation pane as an intermediary interface between the user and the spreadsheet data. This navigation pane displays thumbnails of all sheets and objects, allowing users to quickly locate and navigate to desired information without manually searching through multiple sheets. The navigation pane acts as a mediator that organizes and presents data locations in a visual, easily navigable format.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies (thumbnails) of spreadsheet sheets and objects within the navigation pane. These thumbnails are simplified representations that allow users to identify and navigate to full-size objects without viewing the entire spreadsheet. This copying approach enables quick visual scanning and selection of target objects.
2Adaptability or versatility
If objects are placed throughout sheets in no particular order, then flexible data presentation is achieved, but navigation and locating data becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation pane creates visual copies (thumbnails) of all sheets and objects, providing a consolidated overview regardless of their scattered arrangement in the original spreadsheet. Users can navigate this organized thumbnail view to locate objects efficiently, while the underlying flexible arrangement of objects in sheets is preserved.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimensional layer of navigation by introducing the navigation pane as a separate visual layer. Instead of navigating objects within the two-dimensional sheet space, users navigate through a third dimension (the navigation pane) that provides an overview and access points to all objects across multiple sheets.
3Reliability
If users search through all different spreadsheets to locate desired information, then complete data coverage is ensured, but the process becomes laborious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation pane serves as an intermediary that provides comprehensive coverage of all sheets and objects in a single unified interface. Users can see and access all data locations without manually opening or switching between multiple spreadsheets, ensuring complete data coverage while dramatically improving retrieval efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the navigation capability across multiple spreadsheets into a single unified navigation pane. Instead of requiring separate navigation actions for each spreadsheet, the navigation pane consolidates access to all objects from different spreadsheets into one interface, maintaining completeness while boosting productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A navigable view of objects (e.g. charts, tables, graphs, data sources, individual sheets of a workbook, . . .) that are obtained from one or more electronic object sources are displayed as graphical objects. The objects may be automatically/manually organized within the navigable display (e.g. by type, by sheet, by relationship, by data source, . . .). A user may navigate through the displayed objects. For example, a user may zoom in on an object to see a full screen version of the object. When zoomed in on an object, the navigable display may be panned (e.g. left, right, up or down) to see adjacent objects. From one object, the user may explore related elements using the same shared data (e.g. exploring a table object also shows a data source element). A user may also perform supported operations on the objects (e.g. sort/filter/drill down/drill up) that affect a display of the related objects.