Autodetection of types and patterns

• US 10,565,404 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• 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, Rampson, Benjamin Edward, Canton, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US15/340,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 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

The present disclosure describes pattern detections for storing multiple values in a compound object. A compound object is a value that stores multiple values in a single cell, wherein those multiple values are organized according to a defined structure. The compound object may store multiple values according to a known defined data structure. In embodiments, the compound object may store multiple values as any nested combination of any one of the known or user-defined data structures (e.g., nesting an array within a vector, or nesting a record within a record, or nesting matrices within a table, etc.). Each of the values stored in the compound object are individually referenceable and can fully participate with spreadsheet functionality including calculations, referencing, and formatting.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for pattern identification associated with an input to a cell of a spreadsheet, comprising:

receive a first value in a first cell;

receive a second value in a second cell;

identify a pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the pattern is related to a schema;

based on identification of the pattern, create an object defined by the schema to store the first value and the second value;

associate the object with a third cell; and

enable at least one spreadsheet operation to operate on the first value and the second value of the object associated with the third cell.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identify a second pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the second pattern is related to a second schema; and

provide a prompt to select one of the schema and the second schema.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first value and the second value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first header value corresponds to the first value and a second header value corresponds to the second value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first header value and the second header value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing one or more other values stored in the spreadsheet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more other values stored in the spreadsheet are stored in at least one of:

an adjacent row and an adjacent column.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the schema is one of a plurality of schemas stored in a database.

9. A computer-implemented method for pattern identification associated with an input to a cell of a spreadsheet, comprising:

receive a first value in a cell;

receive a second value in the cell;

identify a pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the pattern is related to a schema;

based on identification of the pattern, create an object defined by the schema to store the first value and the second value;

associate the object with a third cell; and

enable at least one spreadsheet operation to operate on the first value and the second value of the object associated with the third cell.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identify a second pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the second pattern is related to a second schema; and

provide a prompt to select one of the schema and the second schema.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to receiving a selection of at least one of the schema and the second schema, create a new object storing the first value and the second value organized according to the selected at least one of the schema and the second schema.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first value and the second value.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein a first attribute corresponds to the first value and a second attribute corresponds to the second value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first attribute and the second attribute.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing one or more other values stored in the spreadsheet.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first value and the second value comprises:

a string;

a number;

a graph;

a chart; and

an error.

17. 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 perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving a first value in a first cell;

receiving a second value in a second cell;

identifying a pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the pattern is related to a schema;

based on identification of the pattern, creating an object defined by the schema to store the first value and the second value, the object including a first attribute associated with the first value and a second attribute associated with the second value;

associating the object with a third cell; and

enabling at least one spreadsheet operation to operate on the first value and the second value of the object associated with the third cell utilizing the first attribute and the second attribute.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

identifying a second pattern corresponding to the first value and the second value, wherein the second pattern is related to a second schema; and

providing a prompt to select one of the schema and the second schema.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first value and the second value.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a first header value corresponds to the first value and a second header value corresponds to the second value, the method further comprising:

identifying the pattern is based on analyzing the first header value and the second header value.