Representing spreadsheet document content

• US 20050273695A1
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Schnurr, Jeffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A representation of a spreadsheet is displayed on a mobile communication device after receiving a description of a spreadsheet. The description relates to a plurality of map cells, where each map cell corresponds to a cell block, and the description includes location information and primary data type information for each map cell. Based on the location and content-type information in the description, a pictorial representation of the spreadsheet may be generated and displayed to a user of the mobile communication device. A mobile device server may not only generate the description, but also may interpret the user'"'"'s selection of a region of interest and transmit enough information about the region of interest for the mobile communication device to present the region of interest to the user in a conventional viewer.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a representation of a spreadsheet on a mobile communication device, said method comprising:

receiving a description of a spreadsheet, where said description relates to a plurality of map cells, where each map cell in said plurality of map cells corresponds to a cell block including at least two adjacent cells of said spreadsheet and said description includes location information and primary data type information for said each map cell;

generating a pictorial representation of said spreadsheet, based on said location information and said primary data type information; and

displaying said pictorial representation of said spreadsheet.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving notice of a selection of a region of interest by a user of said mobile communication device;

transmitting an indication of said region of interest to a server;

receiving information describing said region of interest from said server; and

invoking a viewer application to;

interpret said information describing said region of interest; and

display said region of interest.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said receiving notice of said selection of said region of interest by said user comprises receiving an identity of a given map cell.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said region of interest is defined to include a given cell block as the top-leftmost cell block, where said given cell block corresponds to said given map cell.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said region of interest is defined to include a given cell block as the center cell block, where said given cell block corresponds to said given map cell.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said description includes a data label for said each map cell in said plurality of map cells.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said data label is derived from data contained by a given cell of said at least two adjacent cells in said cell block corresponding to said each map cell, which given cell is the topmost and leftmost cell having data content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said pictorial representation of said spreadsheet further comprises providing a navigation interface that may be used to select said region of interest.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before said receiving said description of said spreadsheet:

receiving an indication of an association of said spreadsheet with an e-mail message; and

displaying a menu including an option to display said pictorial representation.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting selection of said option to display said pictorial representation; and

transmitting a request for said description of said spreadsheet.

11. A mobile communication device adapted to:

receive a description of a spreadsheet, where said description relates to a plurality of map cells, where each map cell in said plurality of map cells corresponds to a cell block including at least two adjacent cells of said spreadsheet and said description includes location information and primary data type information for said each map cell;

generate a pictorial representation of said spreadsheet, based on said location information and said primary data type information; and

display said pictorial representation of said spreadsheet.

12. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by processor in a mobile communication device, cause said processor to:

receive a description of a spreadsheet, where said description relates to a plurality of map cells, where each map cell in said plurality of map cells corresponds to a cell block including at least two adjacent cells of said spreadsheet and said description includes location information and primary data type information for said each map cell;

generate a pictorial representation of said spreadsheet, based on said location information and said primary data type information; and

display said pictorial representation of said spreadsheet.

13. A method of preparing a description of a spreadsheet, said method comprising:

analyzing each cell of a plurality of cells of a sheet of a spreadsheet;

to determine whether said each cell contains data; and

if said each cell contains data, to determine a type for said data;

determining, from cell references of cells determined to contain data, sheet dimensions, where said sheet dimensions include a sheet length, expressed as a number of cells, and a sheet width, expressed as a number of cells;

determining, from, at least in part, said sheet dimensions, cell block dimensions, where said cell block dimensions include a cell block length, expressed as a number of cells, and a cell block width, expressed as a number of cells;

considering said sheet divided into a plurality of cell blocks, each cell block of said plurality of cell blocks having said cell block dimensions;

assigning a corresponding map cell to said each cell block, thereby creating a plurality of corresponding map cells;

determining primary data type information and location information for each corresponding map cell of said plurality of corresponding map cells, where said primary data type information for said each corresponding map cell is representative of a prevalent type of cell contents among cells in said each cell block; and

transmitting, to a mobile communication device, a description of said sheet including said primary data type information and said location information for said each map cell.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving, from said mobile communication device, an indication of a region interest; and

transmitting information describing said region of interest to said mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said indication is an identity of a map cell.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said description of said sheet further includes a data label for said each map cell.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said data label for a given map cell is derived from data contained by a given cell among said at least two adjacent cells in a given cell block corresponding to said given map cell, which given cell is the topmost and leftmost cell having data content.

18. The method of claim 13 where said determining said sheet dimensions comprises determining said sheet length from a numeric component of a given cell reference, where said given cell reference has a maximum numeric component among said cell references of said cells determined to contain data.

19. The method of claim 13 where said determining said sheet dimensions comprises determining said sheet width from an alphabetic component of a given cell reference, where said given cell reference has a maximum alphabetic component among said cell references of said cells determined to contain data.

20. A mobile device server adapted to:

analyze each cell of a plurality of cells of a sheet of a spreadsheet;

to determine whether said each cell contains data; and

if said each cell contains data, to determine a type for said data;

determine, from cell references of cells determined to contain data, sheet dimensions, where said sheet dimensions include a length, expressed as a number of cells, and a width, expressed as a number of cells;

determine, from, at least in part, said sheet dimensions, cell block dimensions, where said cell block dimensions include a length, expressed as a number of cells, and a width, expressed as a number of cells;

consider said sheet divided into a plurality of cell blocks, each cell block of said plurality of cell blocks having said cell block dimensions;

assign a corresponding map cell to said each cell block, thereby creating a plurality of corresponding map cells;

determine primary data type information and location information for each corresponding map cell of said plurality of corresponding map cells, where said primary data type information for said each corresponding map cell is representative of a prevalent type of cell contents among cells in said each cell block; and

transmit, to a mobile communication device, a description of said sheet including said primary data type information and said location information for said each map cell.

21. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by processor in a mobile communication device, cause said processor to:

analyze each cell of a plurality of cells of a sheet of a spreadsheet;

to determine whether said each cell contains data; and

if said each cell contains data, to determine a type for said data;

determine, from cell references of cells determined to contain data, sheet dimensions, where said sheet dimensions include a length, expressed as a number of cells, and a width, expressed as a number of cells;

determine, from, at least in part, said sheet dimensions, cell block dimensions, where said cell block dimensions include a length, expressed as a number of cells, and a width, expressed as a number of cells;

where said sheet is divided into a plurality of cell blocks, each cell block of said plurality of cell blocks having said cell block dimensions and a corresponding map cell among a plurality of corresponding map cells, determine primary data type information and location information for each corresponding map cell of said plurality of corresponding map cells, where said primary data type information for said each corresponding map cell is representative of a prevalent type of cell contents among cells in said each cell block; and

transmit, to a mobile communication device, a description of said sheet including said primary data type information and said location information for said each map cell.