MICRO BROWSER SPREADSHEET VIEWER

• US 20090313537A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hung, Shao Yi, King, Hung Ju, Tseng, Yung-Yu, Fu, Tsui-Ying
• Application Number:
  US12/140,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313537A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for displaying and managing spreadsheets on mobile devices. An optimized search can be performed. A selection is received from a user to open a spreadsheet. A find selection is received from the use along with keywords for which to the user wishes to search. Any matching keywords are found in the spreadsheet and the cell location of the keywords is retrieved. A results page is constructed that shows search result listings with the keywords along with data surrounding the one or more keywords. The results page is displayed. Navigation options are provided for allowing a user to navigate around the spreadsheet. Right, left, downward, and upward navigation options can be used to change the current view of the spreadsheet by a pre-defined number of cells. Techniques are described for optimizing the display of charts in the spreadsheet.

Claims

1. A method for performing a search for data in a spreadsheet viewer on a mobile device comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection from a user to open a spreadsheet;

receiving a find selection from the user;

receiving one or more keywords from the user for which to the user wishes to search;

finding any keywords in the spreadsheet which match the one or more keywords received from the user;

retrieving a cell location of the one or more keywords found in the spreadsheet;

constructing a results page that shows search one or more search result listings with the one or more keywords along with data surrounding the one or more keywords; and

displaying the results page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the keyword is centered in each of the search result listings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the search result listings is three rows high and three columns wide.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving user selection of one of the search result listings.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

returning to the spreadsheet to a location where the selected search result listing is found.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the results page shows a cell name for each search result listing in which the keyword was found.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at the bottom of the results page, providing additional options to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional options include options which allow the user to perform another search.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional options include an option to leave the results page and return back to the spreadsheet.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to open a spreadsheet;

displaying a portion of the spreadsheet in a current view;

when the spreadsheet contains additional columns of data on a right side of any columns being displayed in the current view, providing a right navigation option that when selected will shift the spreadsheet rightward by a pre-defined number of cells;

when the spreadsheet contains additional columns of data on a left side of any columns being displayed in the current view, providing a left navigation option that when selected will shift the spreadsheet leftward by the pre-defined number of cells;

when the spreadsheet contains additional rows of data on a lower side of any rows being displayed in the current view, providing a down navigation option that when selected will shift the spreadsheet downward by the pre-defined number of cells; and

when the spreadsheet contains additional rows of data on an upper side of any rows being displayed in the current view, providing an up navigation option that when selected will shift the spreadsheet upward by the pre-defined number of cells.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to freeze a row or column of the spreadsheet.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

prompting the user to specify the row or column to freeze.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further having computer-executable instructions operable to cause a computer to perform steps comprising:

freezing the row or column that was specified by the user as the user navigates through the spreadsheet.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to unfreeze the row or column; and

unfreezing the row or column in the spreadsheet.

15. A method for optimizing a display of charts in spreadsheets on a mobile device comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection from a user to open a spreadsheet on a mobile device;

when the spreadsheet being opened contains a chart, displaying an icon instead of the chart;

receiving a selection from the user to view the chart; and

retrieving and displaying the chart in the spreadsheet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the chart is displayed at a size that fits completely within a viewing window on the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection from a user to zoom in on the chart; and

in response to the selection to zoom in on the chart, displaying the chart in a larger size on the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection from the user to return to the spreadsheet; and

displaying the spreadsheet with the chart again represented as an icon.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the retrieving is performed by accessing an external computer over an Internet connection.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the retrieval of the chart is delayed until the chart is needed to preserve resources on the mobile device.