GRAPHICAL DISPLAY OF DATA WITH ANIMATION

• US 20130009963A1
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Albrecht, Brian
• Application Number:
  US13/178,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20130009963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

An animated graphic transition is displayed to represent a data difference between data sets. A plurality of data sets is provided, and a user is presented with a plurality of options that includes selection of one or more data sets. A user selection from the plurality of options is detected. Displayed are a first graphic element that represents data in one data set and a second graphic element that represents data in another data set. An animated graphic transition is displayed in conjunction with the first and second graphic elements to represent a data difference between the selected data sets.

Claims

1. A method executed at least in part in a computing device for graphically displaying data, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of data sets;

presenting a plurality of options for selection by a user, including selection of one or more data sets from the plurality of data sets;

detecting a user selection from the plurality of options;

displaying a first graphic element that represents data in a first selected data set and a second graphic element that represents data in a second selected data set; and

displaying a first animated graphic transition in conjunction with the first and second graphic elements to represent a data difference between the selected data sets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one from a set of:

enabling the user to select an existing presentation of the first and second graphic elements for displaying the first animated transition;

enabling the user to select a new presentation for displaying the first and second graphic elements and the first animated graphic transition; and

enabling the user to select an automatically recommended presentation for displaying the first and second graphic elements and the first animated graphic transition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a third data set and a fourth data set from the user selection among the plurality of options;

displaying a third graphic element that represents data in the third data set and a fourth graphic element that represents data in the fourth data set; and

displaying a second animated graphic transition, wherein the second animated graphic transition is displayed in conjunction with the third and fourth graphic elements to represent a data difference between the third and fourth data sets.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the third data set is different from the second data set, and

the fourth data set is one of;

automatically determined to be the second data set and selected by the user from the plurality of data sets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first animated graphic transition includes animating at least one from a set of:

a transformation of the first graphic element into the second graphic element;

a graphic element that extends between the first and second graphic elements;

another graphic element that represents a direction of the data difference between the first and second graphic elements;

a change in a color of one or more of the graphic elements;

a change in a shade of one or more of the graphic elements; and

one of an appearance and a disappearance of one or more of the graphic elements.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the other graphic element that represents the direction of the data difference between the first and second graphic elements includes at least one from a set of:

a color gradient;

a shade gradient;

a perspective gradient;

a symbolic directional indicator;

a leading indicator; and

a trailing indicator.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeatedly displaying the first animated graphic transition.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of options include one or more parameters for repeatedly displaying the first animated graphic transition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one from a set of:

displaying a first sequence that includes the first graphic element, the first animated transition, and the second graphic element;

displaying a second sequence that includes the first graphic element, the first animated transition, the second graphic element, and a reversed sequence of the first animated transition;

repeatedly displaying one of the first sequence and the second sequence;

displaying one or more of the graphic elements prior to displaying the first animated transition;

displaying the first graphic element and the first graphic transition prior to displaying the second graphic element;

displaying the first animated transition and hiding one or more of the graphic elements; and

displaying the first animated transition and changing one of a color and a shade of one or more of the graphic elements.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the user selection of one or more of the plurality of data sets based on one of an active selection and a pointer hovering over one of the plurality of graphic elements.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options are provided employing at least one from a set of:

a checkbox, a selectable link, a drop-down menu, a radio button, and one of the plurality of graphic elements that represents data in one of the plurality of data sets.

12. A computing device for graphically displaying data, the computing device comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing an application presenting a user interface for enabling a user to select a plurality of options, wherein the application is configured to;

provide a plurality of data sets;

present the plurality of options for selection by the user, including selection of a first data set and a second data set from the plurality of data sets;

detect a user selection from the plurality of options; and

upon detecting the user selection from the plurality of options;

display a plurality of graphic elements, including a first graphic element that represents data in the first data set and a second graphic element that represents data in the second data set; and

display a animated graphic transition, wherein the animated graphic transition is displayed in conjunction with the first and second graphic elements to represent a data difference between the first and second data sets.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the user interface presents a graphic data presentation as one of:

a graph, a chart, and a plot.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the animated graphic transition includes display of a directional graphic element between the first and second graphic elements representing a direction of the data difference between the first and second graphic elements through at least one from a set of:

a color gradient;

a shade gradient;

a perspective gradient;

a symbolic directional indicator;

a leading indicator; and

a trailing indicator.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the animated transition includes timed appearance and disappearance of the first graphic element followed by timed appearance and disappearance of a plurality of intermediate graphic elements followed by timed appearance of the second graphic element.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is a server and the application is a web application presenting the user interface to the user through a browsing application executed on a client computing device.

17. A computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored thereon for graphically displaying data, the instructions comprising:

providing a plurality of data sets;

presenting a plurality of options for selection by a user, including selection of a one or more data sets from the plurality of data sets;

detecting a user selection from the plurality of options;

displaying a plurality of graphic elements representing data in the selected one or more data sets; and

displaying an animated graphic transition in conjunction with the plurality of graphic elements to represent a data difference between the selected one or more data sets, wherein the animated graphic transition includes at least one from a set of;

a plurality of intermediate graphic elements temporarily displayed between the plurality of graphic elements and one or more directional graphic elements indicating a direction of data change between the plurality of graphic elements.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of graphic elements comprise of data points represented by one or more of a text, a symbol, a graphic icon, a bar, a pie slice, a vertex, and an inflection in connectors between data points;

and wherein the data points are connected by one or more of lines and curves.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for displaying the animated graphic transition further comprise animating at least one from a set of:

a transformation of one of the plurality of graphic elements into another graphic element;

a directional graphic element that extends between the plurality of graphic elements;

a change in a color of one or more of the plurality of graphic elements;

a change in a shade of one or more of the plurality of graphic elements; and

one of an appearance and a disappearance of one or more of the plurality of graphic elements.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise at least one from the set of:

displaying a first sequence that includes at least two of the plurality of graphic elements and the animated transition;

displaying a second sequence that includes the at least two of the plurality of graphic elements, the animated transition, and a reversed sequence of the animated transition;

repeatedly displaying one of the first sequence and the second sequence;

displaying one or more of the plurality of graphic elements prior to displaying the animated transition;

displaying the animated transition and hiding one or more of the plurality of graphic elements; and

displaying the animated transition and changing one of a color and a shade of one or more of the plurality of graphic elements.