Images on charts

• US 10,366,157 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Campbell, John, Sun, Jim, Radakovitz, Samuel C., Fichtner, Matthew Hart, Canton, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapp, Amelia L
• Application Number:
  US15/339,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 : Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 : Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 : Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

Systems and methods for charting images and/or attributes of images associated with a spreadsheet are provided. For instance, when an image is associated with a spreadsheet, the image may be treated as a new type of data within the spreadsheet. In some aspects, a plurality of images may be associated with a spreadsheet, e.g., within a single cell or within a range of cells. In some aspects, the images themselves, as well as image data (e.g., pixelated data, etc.), image attributes (e.g., opacity, color palette, resolution, aspect ratio, image dimensions, author, creation date and/or time, file name, tags, file size, GPS location information, etc.), and/or spreadsheet data (e.g., values in cells, user comments, etc.) may be incorporated into a report (e.g., a chart) using a spreadsheet charting function, either automatically or by user selection.

Claims

1. A method for creating a chart, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of one or more cells within a spreadsheet;

identifying at least one image associated with the selected one or more cells, wherein the at least one image is associated with one or more parameters;

receiving a selection of a charting function;

creating a chart;

incorporating the at least one image into the chart by displaying an icon representing the at least one image within the chart; and

in response to activation of the icon, displaying the at least one image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one image is associated with at least one cell within the selected one or more cells.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more attributes selected from the group consisting of:

a resolution;

an opacity;

an aspect ratio;

a dimension;

an author;

a creation date;

a creation time;

a file size; and

GPS location information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more attributes are retrieved from metadata associated with the at least one image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise image data comprising one or more of:

raw pixel data;

or

an array of pixel values.

6. A system comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the system to;

receive a selection of one or more cells within a spreadsheet;

identify at least one image associated with the selected one or more cells, wherein the at least one image is associated with one or more parameters;

receive a selection of a charting function;

create a chart;

incorporate the at least one image into the chart;

receive a change to at least one parameter of the at least one image within the spreadsheet; and

automatically apply the change to the at least one image incorporated into the chart.

7. The system of claim 6, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to:

receive a customization to the chart; and

apply the customization to the at least one image incorporated into the chart.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the customization is not applied to the at least one image associated with the selected one or more cells within the spreadsheet.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein incorporating the at least one image into the chart comprises at least one of:

displaying the at least one image as a data point within the chart;

displaying the at least one image within at least a portion of a bar within the chart;

displaying the at least one image as background for the chart;

displaying an icon representing the at least one image within the chart;

displaying at least a portion of the at least one image as fill for a bar within the chart;

or

displaying at least a portion of the at least one image as fill across multiple bars within the chart.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein when the icon representing the at least one image is displayed within the chart, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to:

receive an activation of the icon; and

display the at least one image.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the activation is one of:

a cursor hover;

a mouse click;

a keyboard input;

or

a touch.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein displaying the at least one image in response to activation of the icon comprises at least one of:

displaying the at least one image within a temporary overlay on the chart;

displaying the at least one image and at least one parameter associated with the at least one image within a temporary overlay on the chart;

launching a separate window for displaying the at least one image;

or

launching a separate window for displaying the at least one image and at least one parameter associated with the at least one image.

13. The system of claim 6, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to:

resize the chart such that the at least one image is viewable.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein resizing the chart occurs automatically based at least in part on a size of the at least one image.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein resizing the chart is based at least in part on an aspect ratio of the at least one image, and wherein the aspect ratio is one of:

fixed or adjustable.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one image is associated with a plurality of images, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to:

display the plurality of images in response to a selection of the at least one image.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein when the at least one image is associated with a plurality of images, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to perform one of:

display at least a portion of each of the plurality of images within a bar of the chart;

display an icon for each of the plurality of images within the chart;

display at least a portion of each of the plurality of images within a plurality of bars of the chart;

display each of the plurality of images as a data point within the chart;

or

display a representative image for the plurality of images within the chart.

18. The system of claim 6, the computer executable instructions further causing the system to:

resize the chart such that the at least one image is represented by one of a data point and an icon.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one image is displayed in response to a selection of one of the data point and the icon.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processing unit, cause a computing device to:

receive a selection of one or more cells within a spreadsheet;

identify at least one image associated with the selected one or more cells;

receive a selection of a charting function;

retrieve one or more parameters associated with the at least one image;

create a chart based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

receive a change to at least one parameter of the one or more parameters; and

automatically apply the change to the at least one image incorporated into the chart.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more image attributes selected from the group consisting of:

a resolution;

an opacity;

an aspect ratio;

a dimension;

an author;

a creation date;

a creation time;

a file size; and

GPS location information.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein at least two images are associated with the selected one or more cells, the computer executable instructions further causing the computing device to:

chart at least one parameter of a first image versus at least one parameter of a second image.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters are retrieved from metadata associated with the at least one image.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters are retrieved from a compound data type associated with the at least one image.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the compound data type comprises the at least one image and the one or more parameters in a structured format.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters are not displayed within the spreadsheet.

27. A method for creating a chart, comprising:

receiving a selection of one or more cells within a spreadsheet;

identifying data associated with the selected one or more cells;

receiving a selection of a charting function;

creating a chart based at least in part on the data;

determining that the data satisfies a condition;

in response to determining that the data satisfies the condition, incorporating at least one image into the chart; and

resizing the chart such that the at least one image is represented by one of a data point and an icon, wherein the at least one image is displayed in response to a selection of one of the data point and the icon.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one image is not associated with the selected one or more cells.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein incorporating the at least one image into the chart comprises one or more of:

displaying the at least one image as a data point within the chart;

displaying the at least one image within at least a portion of a bar within the chart;

displaying the at least one image as background for the chart;

displaying at least a portion of the at least one image as fill for a bar within the chart;

or

displaying at least a portion of the at least one image as fill across multiple bars within the chart.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

incorporating a first image into the chart when the condition is satisfied; and

incorporating a second image into the chart when the condition is not satisfied.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a customization to the chart; and

automatically applying the customization to the at least one image incorporated into the chart.