Smart fill

• US 10,229,101 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Otero, Carlos Augusto, Campbell, John, Albert, Uhl, Parish, Daniel, Wilson, Aaron Lamar, Tullis, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Cortes, Howard
• Application Number:
  US13/918,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20140372857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,097 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A smart fill feature is provided, which may be utilized to provide suggestions to a user and to prepopulate fill results in a spreadsheet. Characteristics associated with a set of data may be recognized and used to help determine fill results Suggestions may be determined from internal and or/external data sources, and may use contextual information in a data set to determine what a user may be trying to accomplish. External data sources may include one or more Internet data sources or internal corporate databases, providing a large amount of data from which to search for potential fill results. A split column command may be used to split a column into two or more columns. Data may be split between columns or combined by various methods, which may include, by example, by direct manipulation via tokens, or via a slider UI.

Claims

1. A method for providing a suggestion of autofill results for a set of data, the method comprising:

opening a spreadsheet;

receiving a selection of a set of data in the spreadsheet;

recognizing characteristics associated with the set of data, including searching an external data source based on contextual information within the spreadsheet that identify an intended use for the set of data, the contextual information including data in adjacent cells that is related to the set of data;

determining whether the set of data comprises data in a series pattern; and

in response to determining that the set of data comprises data in the series pattern;

searching for potential autofill results based on the series pattern and the contextual information; and

providing the potential autofill results for display as suggested autofill results in the spreadsheet.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of a commit to the suggested autofill results; and

adding the suggested autofill results as data in the spreadsheet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing characteristics associated with the set of data comprises recognizing one or more of:

outer limits associated with the set of data;

a shape associated with the set of data; and

size of the set of data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for potential autofill results comprises searching an external data source for a series pattern including the set of data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein searching an external data source for a series including the set of data comprises searching one or more Internet data sources.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein searching an external data source for a series pattern including the set of data comprises searching one or more internal data stores associated with a corporation or organization.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein searching the one or more internal data stores associated with the corporation or organization includes providing permissions to access only data for which consent to publish has been given are searched for use as the potential autofill results.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein searching an external data source for a series pattern including the set of data connecting to an internal data service operable to comb internal data stores and determine relationships of data within them.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising using contextual information in the set of data to search for a series pattern including the set of data.

10. A system for providing a suggestion of autofill results for a set of data, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more processors operable to;

open a spreadsheet;

receive a selection of a set of data in the spreadsheet;

recognize characteristics associated with the set of data, including searching an external data source based on contextual information within the spreadsheet that identify an intended used for the set of data, the contextual information including data in adjacent cells that is related to the set of data, wherein the characteristics comprise at least one of;

outer limits associated with the set of data;

a shape associated with the set of data; and

size of the set of data;

determine whether the received data comprises data in a series pattern; and

in response to determining that the set of data comprises data in a series pattern;

search for potential autofill results based on the series pattern and the contextual information in a data source; and

provide the potential autofill results for display in the spreadsheet as suggested autofill results.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to:

receive an indication of a selection of a commit to the suggested autofill results; and

add the suggested autofill results as data in the spreadsheet.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor, in searching for potential autofill results in a data source, is operable to search one or more Internet data sources.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor, in searching for potential autofill results in a data source, is operable to search one or more internal data stores associated with a corporation or organization.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor, in searching for potential autofill results in a data source, is operable to search an internal data service operable to comb internal data stores and determine relationships of data within them.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to use contextual information in the set of data to search for a series pattern including the received set of data.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine a set of data input by a user is a new series pattern; and

store the set of data as a series that can be used as future potential autofill results.

17. A computer readable storage media, implemented in hardware, for providing a suggestion of autofill results for a group of cells, the computer readable storage media including instructions, which when executed by a processing unit, perform the steps of:

receiving a selection of the group of cells in a spreadsheet;

recognizing characteristics associated with the group of cells, including searching an external data source based on contextual information within the spreadsheet to identify an intended use for the group of cells, the contextual information including data in adjacent cells that is related to the set of data;

determining whether the group of cells comprises data in a series pattern; and

in response to determining that the group of cells comprises data in the series pattern;

searching for potential autofill results; and

providing the potential autofill results for display in the spreadsheet as suggested autofill results.

18. The computer readable storage media of claim 17, wherein searching for potential autofill results comprises searching an external data source for a series pattern including the received group of cells.

19. The computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein searching an external data source for a series including the received group of cells comprises searching one or more Internet data sources.

20. The computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein searching an external data source for a series pattern including the received group of cells comprises searching one or more internal data stores associated with a corporation or organization.