Time Zone Intelligent Spreadsheets for Cross-Regional Collaboration

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Cloud-based spreadsheet systems face ambiguity in interpreting time information due to the lack of clear time zone settings, especially when users from different locations and time zones collaborate, leading to confusion about when events like payments occur.

Innovation Solution

A time zone intelligent spreadsheet system that recognizes dates and times as independent values, using an internal date/time data type that references a specific time zone, allowing workbooks to have an associated time zone context for accurate interpretation and conversion of time values, and providing functions like SCHEDULE() and NOW() that operate based on the workbook's time zone.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If cloud-based spreadsheet systems allow users in different time zones to share data, then collaboration capability is improved, but time information becomes ambiguous

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration capabilityVSAvoidtime information clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by associating each workbook with a specific time zone context, making time interpretation locally adapted to the workbook's designated time zone rather than using a universal time representation. This allows users from different time zones to collaborate effectively while maintaining unambiguous time information within each workbook's context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a time zone context as an intermediary layer between the raw time data and user interpretation. This intermediary workbook-level time zone setting mediates how time values are stored, interpreted, and displayed, resolving the ambiguity that would otherwise arise from direct cross-time-zone collaboration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If times are stored independently of time zone, then data storage simplicity is improved, but time interpretation accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata storage simplicityVSAvoidtime interpretation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges time zone context with time data by associating each workbook with a specific time zone setting. This combination ensures that time values are stored in a simple format while their interpretation is automatically contextualized to the correct time zone, maintaining both storage simplicity and interpretation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of time representation by introducing a workbook-level time zone context parameter. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain simple numeric time storage while dynamically adjusting interpretation based on the associated time zone, thereby preserving both simplicity and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10599763B1Time zone intelligent spreadsheets

Publication Date: 2020.03.24 WORKDAY INC

AI summary

A system for time zone intelligent spreadsheets includes a server with a processor. The server is to host a spreadsheet document. The processor of the server is to interpret a time/date data of the spreadsheet document based at least in part on a time zone setting.