ANIMATED TRANSITIONS FOR DATA VISUALIZATION
First Claim
1. A method for animating changes to charts, comprising steps for:
- receiving at least one data set comprising a plurality of data elements;
automatically rendering a first chart having a user selected first chart type from data elements of the at least one data set;
wherein the chart includes a plurality of chart elements that provide graphical representations of corresponding data elements.displaying the first chart on a display device;
changing one or more of the data elements of the at least one data set; and
rendering an animation on the display device that morphs the first chart into a second chart, wherein the second chart is rendered from the data elements of the at least one data set, including the one or more changed data elements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A “Charting Animator” enhances computer-based charting/graphing systems by rendering dynamic animations of chart displays. In general, when a user changes from one chart type to another, adds new data to a chart, or changes, sorts or deletes data, a new chart is generated to replace the old chart. Conventional charting systems simply replace the existing chart with the new chart. In contrast to conventional systems, the Charting Animator renders animated transitions that dynamically morph the original chart into the new chart. Consequently, these animations avoid abrupt changes that can disorient users. Examples of these animations include animating changes from one chart family to another (e.g., changing from a “Bar Chart” to a “Pie Chart”), animating changes from one chart type within a chart family to another chart type (e.g., changing 2D Bar Charts to 3D Bar Charts or Stacked Bar Charts), animating data changes, animating sorts, etc.
191 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for animating changes to charts, comprising steps for:
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receiving at least one data set comprising a plurality of data elements; automatically rendering a first chart having a user selected first chart type from data elements of the at least one data set; wherein the chart includes a plurality of chart elements that provide graphical representations of corresponding data elements. displaying the first chart on a display device; changing one or more of the data elements of the at least one data set; and rendering an animation on the display device that morphs the first chart into a second chart, wherein the second chart is rendered from the data elements of the at least one data set, including the one or more changed data elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for rendering charts on a display device, comprising instructions for:
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entering a set of data elements; selecting a first chart type from a list of available chart types; rendering a first chart of the selected first chart type on a display device as a function of the set of data elements, said first chart being composed of a plurality of chart elements each chart element providing a graphical representation of one or more of the data values; modifying one or more of the data elements via a graphical user interface; and rendering an animated transition that morphs the first chart into a second chart, said second chart being rendered as a function of the set of data elements as changed by modifying one or more of the data elements. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for rendering charts, comprising using a computing device for:
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receiving a set of data elements, said data elements representing values for defining graphical elements of a chart; providing a user interface for selecting a first chart type; rendering a first chart of the selected chart type on a display device using the set of data elements to define each graphical element of the first chart; changing one or more parameters of the first chart; determining an appearance of a second chart based on the changed parameters of the first chart; and rendering an animated transition on the display device that morphs the first chart into the appearance of the second chart over a predefined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification