Table Selection Windows for Off-Screen Cell Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in selecting and processing data from large tables due to limited screen size, requiring extensive scrolling and making it challenging to select and extract data from off-screen columns and rows.
Innovation Solution
A special-purpose machine generates a temporary window adjacent to displayed cells, allowing users to select data from off-screen columns and rows by detecting selection inputs within the window, indicating the selected data visually.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the table displays all rows and columns, then the user can see all data at once, but the screen size becomes insufficient to display the entire table
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the table display into multiple segments: the main visible table area and separate pop-up windows for off-screen rows and columns. This segmentation allows the system to preserve access to all data while adapting to limited screen space by distributing information across different display regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional scrollable table to a multi-dimensional display structure where off-screen data is accessed through pop-up windows that appear in additional display dimensions. This allows users to access rows and columns beyond the main viewport without losing data visibility.
2Loss of information
If the user scrolls to see off-screen data, then additional rows and columns become visible, but the user loses track of currently visible data and selection becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces pop-up windows as intermediary elements between the user and off-screen table data. These windows serve as mediators that provide access to hidden rows and columns without requiring the user to scroll through the entire table, thereby maintaining context and simplifying selection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies of off-screen table data in pop-up windows. Instead of moving or hiding the original data, the system generates duplicate representations that can be accessed independently, allowing users to select and interact with data without affecting the main table view.
3Ease of operation
If the table fits on the screen, then scrolling is minimized, but the user cannot access or select off-screen columns and rows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares off-screen data for access by pre-rendering it in pop-up windows before the user needs to interact with it. This preliminary action ensures that when users need to access off-screen rows or columns, the data is already available in an interactive format, eliminating the need for scrolling to retrieve information.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine is configured to access a table that includes cells arranged in columns and rows. The machine then displays a first cell of the table. The displayed first cell is in a row that includes a second cell in a column that is not displayed. The machine generates and displays a window adjacent to the displayed first cell and showing data from the second cell not displayed. The machine then detects a selection input that has a selection endpoint and defines a selection of information. The machine, based on the selection endpoint of the selection input being within the window displayed adjacent to the first cell, then indicates that the data from the second cell and shown in the generated window is included in the selection of information defined by the detected selection input.