Selection context filtering

• US 20060101013A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gardner, Scott T., Covington, Clinton D., Kenney, Adam R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A method and system for the graphical formulation of filter queries is disclosed which enables data queries to be easily chosen via selection from a menu. A signal is received to filter, or query, a data table. Next, the context of a selection of data is analyzed, and a menu of filters based on that context is formulated and displayed. A filter selection is received, and the corresponding filter is executed. The results of the filter are displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for graphical construction of filter queries, the method comprising:

receiving a signal to filter a table;

analyzing a context of a selection of data;

displaying a menu of filters based on the context;

receiving a filter selection from said menu of filters; and

generating a filter query.

2. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising issuing the filter query.

3. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying results associated with the filter query.

4. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising removing a filter if another filter already exists for a field.

5. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing a context of a selection of data further comprises determining a data type of a field.

6. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing a context of a selection of data further comprises determining a data type of the selection of data.

7. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing a context of a selection of data further comprises determining a location of the selection of data within a field.

8. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing a context of a selection of data further comprises removing an inappropriate filter from the filter menu.

9. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein one or more contents of the menu of filters is configurable by a user.

10. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving specific filter values from a user in a binary fashion.

11. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising creating a new filter based on the context and an associated filter query based on the context.

12. A computing system for data filtering, comprising:

a receiving module receiving filter signals and a selection of data;

a context analysis module analyzing a context of the selection of data;

a filter module creating one or more filter queries based on the context of the selection of data;

a menu module for generating a menu of filter options, the filter options based on the context of the selection of data, and each of the filter options representing one of the filter queries; and

a display module for displaying the menu of filter options created by the menu module.

13. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising:

the receiving module receiving a selection from the menu of filter options;

the filter module performing filtering, according to the filter query represented by the selected filter option, the filter query generating filter results; and

the display module displaying the filter results

14. A computing system as defined in claim 12, wherein the context is a data type of the selection of data.

15. A computing system as defined in claim 12, wherein the context is a location, of the selection of data, within a field.

16. A computer readable medium stored on at least one physical media and encoding a computer-implemented method for filtering data based on a context of a selection of data, the method comprising:

displaying a data table;

receiving a selection of data and a signal to filter the table based on the selection of data;

analyzing a context of the selection of data;

displaying a menu of filter options based on the context;

receiving a filter selection from said menu of filters; and

creating a new filter.

17. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

creating an associated filter query; and

performing the filter query.

18. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 17, further comprising displaying results associated with the filter query.

19. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein creating a new filter further comprises retrieving data from the selection of data for use in the new filter.

20. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein analyzing a context of the selection of data comprises one of analyzing the data type of the selection of data or analyzing the location, of the selection of data, within a field.