SPREADSHEET CONTROL PROGRAM, SPREADSHEET CONTROL APPARATUS AND SPREADSHEET CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120260152A1
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UEI Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ubiquitous Entertainment, Inc.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Lines drawn on a touch screen with an inputting window opened are recognized as ruled lines which are parallel with a row or column of a spreadsheet, and a square formed by the ruled lines is set to a cell in the spreadsheet when the square is formed. Consequently, it is possible to create the spreadsheet when a user of a computer simply draws a line with a fingertip or the like over the touch screen, and furthermore, it is also possible to input a value to the cell by specifying the square part drawn with the lines to carry out an operation for inputting data. Thus, there is provided a spreadsheet creating interface which makes the most of a visibility and an operability of the touch screen.

Claims

1. A spreadsheet control program for controlling a spreadsheet in a computer including a touch screen, the program causing the computer to execute:

a line detecting step of detecting a line drawn on a predetermined window of the touch screen;

a ruled line recognizing step of recognizing the line detected at the line detecting step as a ruled line which is parallel with a transverse or vertical ruled line corresponding to a row or column of the spreadsheet to be displayed on the window;

a cell setting step of setting, to a single cell in the spreadsheet, a region in which a square formed by intersection points of the ruled lines recognized at the ruled line recognizing step is displayed when the square is formed; and

an input value accepting step of accepting data specifying the region set to the cell at the cell setting step as a value input to the cell over the spreadsheet when the data are input.

2. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein when a height or width of a square formed newly is different from that of an adjacent cell which is previously set, a height or width of a cell corresponding to the square formed newly is set in such a manner that a height or width which is different from that of another adjacent cell is equal to that of the another adjacent cell at the cell setting step.

3. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein when a height or width of a square formed newly is different from that of an adjacent cell which is previously set beyond a predetermined range, a height or width of a cell corresponding to the square formed newly is set in such a manner that a height or width which is different from that of another adjacent cell is different from that of the another adjacent cell at the cell setting step.

4. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to execute:

a deleting line detecting step of detecting a deleting line which is drawn to transversely or vertically cross a region set to be a cell on the spreadsheet to be displayed on the window and meets a predetermined condition; and

a deleting step of deleting a row belonging to the cell when the deleting line detected at the deleting line detecting step is drawn to transversely cross the region set to be the cell, and a column belonging to the cell when the deleting line is drawn to vertically cross the region set to be the cell.

5. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined condition for the deleting line to be detected at the deleting line detecting step indicates a line drawn on a region corresponding to cells belonging to an identical row or column, and a wavy line covering a range of at least a predetermined ratio of a height of the cell and at least a predetermined number of cells in a total number of cells in the row if the cells belong to the identical row and a wavy line covering a range of at least a predetermined ratio of a width of the cell and at least a predetermined number of cells in a total number of cells in the column if the cells belong to the identical column.

6. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to execute:

a dividing line detecting step of detecting a dividing line which is drawn to transversely or vertically cross a region set to be a cell on the spreadsheet to be displayed on the window and meets a predetermined condition; and

a cell dividing step of dividing a single cell in which the dividing line is drawn over the region at the dividing line detecting step into two cells including a cell which takes over a value input to the single cell.

7. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition for the dividing line to be detected at the dividing line detecting step indicates a line drawn on a region corresponding to cells belonging to an identical row or column, and a straight line drawn from the cell subjected to numbering for a row to the cell on a most end at a reverse side if the cells belong to the identical row and a straight line drawn from the cell subjected to numbering for a column to the cell on a most end at a reverse side if the cells belong to the identical column.

8. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to execute:

a ruled line selecting step of accepting a selection of a ruled line breaking a row or column of a spreadsheet displayed on the window; and

a cell unifying step of unifying two cells broken through a first ruled line accepted to be selected at the ruled line selecting step into a single cell when detecting that the first ruled line is moved to a position for an overlap with a second ruled line which is adjacent thereto.

9. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to execute:

a ruled line selecting step of accepting a selection of a ruled line breaking a row or column of a spreadsheet displayed on the window; and

a cell changing step of changing a height of a cell and numbering for a row if a first ruled line accepted to be selected at the ruled line selecting step is a transverse line and changing a width of the cell and numbering for a column if the first ruled line is a vertical line when detecting that the first ruled line is moved to a position placed beyond a second ruled line which is adjacent thereto.

10. The spreadsheet control program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to execute:

a ruled line selecting step of accepting a selection of a ruled line breaking a row or column of a spreadsheet displayed on the window; and

a numbering changing step of shifting a column subjected to numbering for a row in a rightward direction to change numbering for a column when detecting that a left end of a ruled line accepted to be selected at the ruled line selecting step is moved beyond the column subjected to the numbering for a row if the ruled line is a transverse line, and shifting the row subjected to the numbering for a column in a downward direction to change the numbering for a row when detecting that an upper end of the ruled line accepted to be selected at the ruled line selecting step is moved beyond the row subjected to the numbering for a column if the ruled line is a vertical line.

11. A spreadsheet control apparatus comprising:

a touch screen capable of inputting/outputting data;

line detecting means for detecting a line which is drawn on a predetermined window of the touch screen;

ruled line recognizing means for recognizing the line detected by the line detecting means as a ruled line which is parallel with a transverse or vertical ruled line corresponding to a row or column of a spreadsheet to be displayed on the window;

cell setting means for setting, to a single cell in the spreadsheet, a region in which a square formed by intersection points of the ruled lines recognized by the ruled line recognizing means is displayed when the square is formed; and

input value accepting means for accepting data specifying the region set to the cell by the cell setting means as a value which is input to the cell over the spreadsheet when the data are input.

12. A method of controlling a spreadsheet through a computer including a touch screen, comprising:

a line detecting step of causing the computer to detect a line drawn on a predetermined window of the touch screen;

a ruled line recognizing step of causing the computer to recognize the line detected at the line detecting step as a ruled line which is parallel with a transverse or vertical ruled line corresponding to a row or column of a spreadsheet to be displayed on the window;

a cell setting step of causing the computer to set, to a single cell in the spreadsheet, a region in which a square formed by intersection points of the ruled lines recognized at the ruled line recognizing step is displayed when the square is formed; and

an input value accepting step of causing the computer to accept data specifying the region set to the cell at the cell setting step as a value input to the cell over the spreadsheet when the data are input.