System and methods for improved spreadsheet interface with user-familiar objects
DC CAFC
First Claim
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1. In an electronic spreadsheet for processing alphanumeric information, said said electronic spreadsheet comprising a three-dimensional spreadsheet operative in a digital computer and including a plurality of cells for entering data and formulas, a method for organizing the three-dimensional spreadsheet comprising:
- partitioning said plurality of cells into a plurality of two-dimensional cell matrices so that each of the two-dimensional cell matrices can be presented to a user as a spreadsheet page;
associating each of the cell matrices with a user-settable page identifier which serves as a unique identifier for said each cell matrix;
creating in a first cell of a first page at least one formula referencing a second cell of a second page said formula including the user-settable page identifier for the second page; and
storing said first and second pages of the plurality of cell matrices such that they appear to the user as being stored within a single file.
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Abstract
An electronic spreadsheet system of the present invention includes a notebook interface having a plurality of notebook pages, each of which may contain a spread of information cells, or other desired page type (e.g., Graphs page). Methods are provided for rapidly accessing and processing information on the different pages, including displaying a plurality of page identifiers for selecting individual pages, and further including a preferred syntax for referencing information. Additional methods are provided for editing cells and blocks of cells.
196 Citations
22 Claims
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1. In an electronic spreadsheet for processing alphanumeric information, said said electronic spreadsheet comprising a three-dimensional spreadsheet operative in a digital computer and including a plurality of cells for entering data and formulas, a method for organizing the three-dimensional spreadsheet comprising:
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partitioning said plurality of cells into a plurality of two-dimensional cell matrices so that each of the two-dimensional cell matrices can be presented to a user as a spreadsheet page;
associating each of the cell matrices with a user-settable page identifier which serves as a unique identifier for said each cell matrix;
creating in a first cell of a first page at least one formula referencing a second cell of a second page said formula including the user-settable page identifier for the second page; and
storing said first and second pages of the plurality of cell matrices such that they appear to the user as being stored within a single file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
displaying a plurality ofpe identifiers, such that the user may access a desired one of the cell matrices by selecting its associated page identifier.
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3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
associating the plurality of cell matrices with a notebook identifier, whereby information stored in a first plurality of cell matrices may be referenced from a second plurality of cell matrices.
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4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
grouping together desired ones of the cell matrices, whereby an operation in any one of the group propagates to others of the group.
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5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
simultaneously accessing information from a plurality of cell matrices by referencing the unique identifiers.
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6. In an electronic spreadsheet system for storing and manipulating information, a computer-implemented method of representing a three-dimensional spreadsheet on a screen display, the method comprising:
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displaying on said screen display a first spreadsheet page from a plurality of spreadsheet pages, each of said spreadsheet pages comprising an array of information cells arranged in row and column format, at least some of said information cells storing user-supplied information and formulas operative on said user-supplied information, each of said information cells being uniquely identified by a spreadsheet page identifier, a column identifier, and a row identifier;
while displaying said first spreadsheet page, displaying a row of spreadsheet page identifiers along one side of said first spreadsheet page, each said spreadsheet page identifier being displayed as an image of a notebook tab on said screen display and indicating a single respective spreadsheet page, wherein at least one spreadsheet page identifier of said displayed row of spreadsheet page identifiers comprises at least one user-settable identifying character; and
receiving user input for entering a formula in a cell on said second spreadsheet page, said formula including a cell reference to a particular cell on another of said spreadsheet pages having a particular spreadsheet page identifier comprising at least one user-supplied identifying character, said cell reference comprising said at least one usersupplied identifying character for said particular spreadsheet page identifier together with said column identifier and said row identifier for said particular cell. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
displaying said row of spreadsheet page identifiers along a horizontal side of said first spreadsheet page.
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8. The method of claim 6, wherein said displaying a row of spreadsheet page identifiers along one side of said first spreadsheet page step includes:
displaying said row of spreadsheet page identifiers along a bottom side of said first spreadsheet page.
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9. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one user-settable identifying character for said first spreadsheet page is initially set by said system to a default name.
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10. The method of claim 6, fuirther comprising the step, performed by said computer system in response to receiving user input, of changing said at least one usersettable identifying character for the spreadsheet page identifier of said first spreadsheet page to a user-supplied page name label describing contents of said first spreadsheet page.
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11. The method of claim 10, wherein a particular formula stored on said second spreadsheet page includes a cell reference to a cell on said first spreadsheet page, and wherein said method further comprises the step, performed by said system in response to changing said at least one user-settable identifying character for the spreadsheet page identifier of said first spreadsheet page to a user-supplied page name label, of changing the page identifier for the cell reference of said particular formula to said user-supplied page name label.
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12. The method of claim 11, wherein said particular formula stores said cell reference to the cell on said first spreadsheet page with a general format of:
<
page name label of first spreadsheet page>
;
<
cell column>
<
cell row>
.
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13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
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receiving user input for selecting one of said plurality of spreadsheet pages; and
indicating to the user a currently-selected spreadsheet page by displaying the notebook tab for said selected spreadsheet page with a difference appearance than notebook tabs for others of said plurality of spreadsheet pages.
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14. The method of claim 13, wherein said indicating step includes displaying said notebook tab of said selected spreadsheet page as an extension of said selected spreadsheet page and displaying notebook tabs for others of said plurality of spreadsheet pages as if extending out from under said selected spreadsheet page.
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15. The method of claim 13, wherein said indicating step includes displaying said notebook tab of said selected spreadsheet page with a first screen background color and displaying said notebook tabs of others of said plurality of spreadsheet pages with a second screen background color.
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16. The method of claim 15, wherein said first screen background color is white, and wherein said second screen background color is gray.
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17. The method of claim 6, wherein said displaying a row of spreadsheet page identifiers step includes displaying, at any given time, only spreadsheet page identifiers for some of said plurality of spreadsheet pages.
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18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
receiving user input for displaying a particular spreadsheet page identifier which is not currently displayed and, thereupon, displaying said particular spreadsheet page identifier.
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19. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step, performed by said system in response to user input, of modifying values displayed in cells in said second spreadsheet page when displaying said second spreadsheet page.
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20. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step, performed by said system in response to user input, of grouping together desired ones of said spreadsheet pages, so that a spreadsheet operation in any one spreadsheet page of the group propagates to other spreadsheet pages of the group.
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21. The method of claim 20, wherein said group step comprises:
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receiving user input for selecting a first spreadsheet page;
receiving user input for selecting a second spreadsheet page, the user input defining a selection of spreadsheet pages spanning from said first selected spreadsheet page to said second selected spreadsheet page;
receiving user input for instructing the system to group together spreadsheet pages; and
grouping together all spreadsheet pages spanning from said first selected spreadsheet page to said second selected spreadsheet page.
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22. The method of claim 21, wherein said receiving user input for selecting a first spreadsheet page comprises receiving user input for selecting the notebook tab for said first selected spreadsheet page.
Specification
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Litigation Data
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Current AssigneeBorland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
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Original AssigneeBorland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
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InventorsLiaw, Weikuo, Bush, Alan M., Anderson, Charles R., Warfield, Robert W., Cseri, Istvan, Low, Murray K.
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Primary Examiner(s)Feild, Joseph H.
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Application NumberUS09/120,015Time in Patent Office1,135 DaysField of Search707/503, 707/504, 707/100, 707/102, 345/350US Class Current715/209CPC Class CodesG06F 3/0481 based on specific propertie...G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-struc...G06F 40/10 Text processing natural lan...G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing o...G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details...G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling t...G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-fillin...G06F 8/38 for implementing user inter...G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for ...Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window sc...
