Surface-Surface Graphical Intersection Tools and Primitives for Data Visualization, Tabular Data, and Advanced Spreadsheets

• US 20130191712A1
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Graphical tools and primitives are provided for interactively intersecting graphical surfaces in a spreadsheet or visualization to produce surface intersection data. The invention can be used for simple business analysis as well as advanced engineering and science, and provide numerical solution for simultaneous spatially-manipulated interactive equations.

Visualizations of two-dimensional surfaces are rendered from provided data according to position, orientation, and viewpoint, some or all of which can be controlled by a user interface so as to create or control the intersection of surfaces. The provided data can be from an electronic spreadsheet, and the overall visualization can be displayed together with the display an electronic spreadsheet or other tabular data representation. Visually rendered surfaces can comprise symbols, colors, textures, or glyphs representing data, and virtual illumination. Intersection data corresponding to the mathematical intersection of the surfaces is computed and provided to further computation. Intersection computation can comprise interpolation and resampling.

Claims

1. A method for interactive orienting and computing the intersection between a pair of surfaces representing provided data, the method comprising:

obtaining at least a first plurality of data values and a second plurality of data values;

rendering a first visualization of a first two-dimensional surface, the first visualization computed from the first plurality of data values and further computed from first position data, first orientation data, and first viewpoint data;

rendering a second visualization of a second two-dimensional surface, the second visualization computed from the second plurality of data values and further computed from second position data, second orientation data, and second viewpoint data; and

computing intersection data corresponding to the mathematical intersection of the first two-dimensional surface and the second two-dimensional surface, the computation responsive to the first position data, first orientation data, second position data, and second orientation data,

wherein the first visualization and second visualization are rendered to form a common visualization in a common visual display area, and

wherein the computed intersection data is provided to an external computation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position data is provided from a user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation data is provided from a user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first viewpoint data is provided from a user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of data comprises tabular data associated with an electronic spreadsheet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the common visualization is displayed together with the display of tabular data of the electronic spreadsheet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display of tabular data of the electronic spreadsheet is rendered within the common visualization.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the common visualization is a 3-dimensional visualization.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendered surface of at least one of the first visualization of the first two-dimensional surface and the second visualization of the second two-dimensional surface further comprises a color, the color representing values of at least one additional dimension of data at least one of the first plurality of data values and second plurality of data values.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendered surface of at least one of the first visualization of the first two-dimensional surface and the second visualization of the second two-dimensional surface further comprises a parameterized locally varying texture, the texture representing values of at least one additional dimension of data at least one of the first plurality of data values and second plurality of data values.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendered surface of at least one of the first visualization of the first two-dimensional surface and the second visualization of the second two-dimensional surface is further supplemented with at least one symbol rendered on the surface, the symbol representing values of at least one additional dimension of data at least one of the first plurality of data values and second plurality of data values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendered surface of at least one of the first visualization of a first two-dimensional surface and the second visualization of a second two-dimensional surface is further supplemented with at least one parameterized glyph rendered on the surface, the parameterized glyph representing values of at least one additional dimension of data at least one of the first plurality of data values and second plurality of data values.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendered surface of at least one of the first visualization of the first two-dimensional surface and the second visualization of the second two-dimensional surface is further virtually illuminated by at least one virtual light source.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein an attribute of the virtual light source can be controlled by a user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises rendering a visualization of at least a third two-dimensional surface, the visualization computed from data values and further computed from at least third position data, third orientation data, and third viewpoint data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein more than two surfaces are intersected simultaneously, and wherein group intersection data is displayed.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein more than two surfaces are intersected simultaneously, and wherein group intersection data is captured.

18. The method of claim 1, the method further comprises rendering a visual height measuring tool in the common visualization.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein numerical values of selected points on a curve formed by the intersecting surfaces are numerically calculated.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein numerical values of selected points on a curve formed by the intersecting surfaces are visually displayed.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing of the intersection data comprises interpolation.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing of the intersection data comprises resampling.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the method provides a numerical solution for simultaneous interactive numerical equations.