NATURAL INPUT FOR SPREADSHEET ACTIONS

• US 20120180002A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, John, Lin, Amy, Waldman, Lawrence, Der, Sherman, Rothschiller, Chad, Cheng, Karen, Doan, Christopher, Constantine, Thomas, Ma, Yun
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Different gestures and actions are used to interact with spreadsheets. The gestures are used in manipulating the spreadsheet and performing other actions in the spreadsheet. For example, gestures may be used to move within the spreadsheet, select data, filter, sort, drill down/up, zoom, split rows/columns, perform undo/redo actions, and the like. Sensors that are associated with a device may also be used in interacting with spreadsheets. For example, an accelerometer may be used for moving and performing operations within the spreadsheet.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a spreadsheet, comprising:

receiving a gesture on a touch input device;

wherein the gesture is used to interact with the spreadsheet;

receiving sensor information, wherein the sensor information is used to interact with the spreadsheet;

wherein the sensor information comprises accelerometer data that is used in changing a view of the spreadsheet;

automatically determining a type of the received gesture;

performing an action relating to at least one of;

the type of the received gesture and the received sensor information; and

updating a display of the spreadsheet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a karate chop gesture and wherein performing the action comprises inserting at least one of a row and a column in the spreadsheet near a location of the received karate chop gesture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a chart gesture and wherein performing the action comprises inserting at least one of:

a trend line on a displayed chart in the spreadsheet and a chart in the spreadsheet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a comment gesture and wherein performing the action comprises displaying a comment box to receive a comment at a location near a received gesture location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a grip user interface element on the display of the spreadsheet and wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a grip gesture by determining when the grip user interface element is pressed and when the grip user interface element is pressed then a portion of the spreadsheet is selected in response to a finger being moved across the spreadsheet and when the grip user interface element is not pressed then changing the display of the spreadsheet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a zoom gesture and performing at least one of:

displaying a thumbnail for each sheet within a workbook that is associated with the spreadsheet when a zoom level exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

displaying a drilled down view of the data of the spreadsheet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a gesture box for receiving gesture commands and wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is received within the gesture box;

determining a gesture command from the gesture; and

performing the gesture command on data in the spreadsheet.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a vortex animation in response to a cut command and in response to a paste command based on a location of the received gesture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the type of the received gesture comprises determining when the gesture is a sort gesture, and wherein performing the action comprises sorting at least a portion of the data within the spreadsheet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is tilted;

determining a speed of the tilting; and

wherein performing the action comprises at least one of;

scrolling a display of the spreadsheet based on at least one of the tilt and the speed of the tilting; and

displaying spreadsheet objects in the spreadsheet spilling to a top of the spreadsheet.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically slowing the scrolling of the spreadsheet when a speed bump that is associated with a position in the spreadsheet is within a predetermined position.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is shaken and performing at least one of:

clearing a filter on a spreadsheet object; and

performing a gravity sort that sorts spreadsheet data based on a weight of the spreadsheet objects.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is rotated and in response changing a type of view of the spreadsheet.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for interacting with a spreadsheet comprising:

determining when a gesture on a touch input device is received;

wherein the gesture is used to interact with the spreadsheet;

automatically determining a type of the received gesture;

wherein the type of gesture is at least one of;

a karate chop gesture that indicates to a spreadsheet application to insert data within the spreadsheet;

a chart gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to display a chart within the spreadsheet;

a comment gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to display a comment box within the spreadsheet;

a grip gesture that indicates when to change a scrolling mode to a selection mode;

a zoom gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to perform at least one action comprising;

displaying a thumbnail for each sheet of the spreadsheet and performing a drilling operation on data of the spreadsheet; and

a gesture box gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet to perform an operation on data of the spreadsheet;

performing an action relating to the type of the received gesture; and

updating a display of the spreadsheet.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising receiving sensor information, wherein the sensor information is used to interact with the spreadsheet;

wherein the sensor information comprises accelerometer data that is used in changing a view of the spreadsheet;

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is tilted and wherein performing the action comprises displaying spreadsheet objects in the spreadsheet spilling to a top of the spreadsheet.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising in response to a movement of the spreadsheet scrolling the spreadsheet and automatically slowing the scrolling of the spreadsheet when a speed bump that is associated with a position in the spreadsheet is within a predetermined position.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is shaken and performing at least one of:

clearing a filter on a spreadsheet object; and

performing a gravity sort that sorts spreadsheet data based on a weight of the spreadsheet objects.

19. A system for interacting with a spreadsheet, comprising:

a processor, memory, and a computer-readable storage medium;

an operating environment stored on the computer-readable storage medium and executing on the processor;

a spreadsheet application;

a spreadsheet;

wherein the spreadsheet comprises spreadsheet objects; and

a gesture manager operating in conjunction with the spreadsheet application that is configured to perform actions comprising;

determining when a gesture on a touch input device is received;

wherein the gesture is used to interact with the spreadsheet;

determining when sensor information is received that relates to a movement of spreadsheet;

automatically determining a type of the received gesture when received;

wherein the type of gesture is at least one of;

a karate chop gesture that indicates to a spreadsheet application to insert data within the spreadsheet;

a chart gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to display a chart within the spreadsheet;

a comment gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to display a comment box within the spreadsheet;

a grip gesture that indicates when to change a scrolling mode to a selection mode;

a zoom gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet application to perform at least one action comprising;

displaying a thumbnail for each sheet of the spreadsheet and performing a drilling operation on data of the spreadsheet; and

a gesture box gesture that indicates to the spreadsheet to perform an operation on data of the spreadsheet;

performing an action relating to the type of the received gesture; and

updating a display of the spreadsheet.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising determining when the spreadsheet is tilted;

determining when the spreadsheet is rotated;

determining when the spreadsheet is shaken and wherein performing the action comprises at least one of;

displaying spreadsheet objects in the spreadsheet spilling to a top of the spreadsheet;

scrolling the spreadsheet;

reversing a direction of displayed data, changing a sorting of data, and changing a view type of the spreadsheet.