System and methods for automated graphing of spreadsheet information

• US 5,581,678 A
• Filed: 10/23/1995
• Issued: 12/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Borland International, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Kahn, Philippe R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US08/546,859
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/156, 395/157, 395/161, 395/140, 345/133, 345/134, 345/135
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

An electronic spreadsheet system of the present invention includes an intelligent graphing module for automatically selecting a graph type based on a user'"'"'s own data. Methods are described for determining the level of complexity present in a user'"'"'s data and for automatically selecting a preferred graph type based on that determined complexity. The system includes a preferred interface for receiving selections from the user indicating an information set (e.g., a block of contiguous or non-contiguous spreadsheet cells) to visualize graphically.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a computer-implemented method for assisting a user with graphing information, the method comprising:

(a) providing a variety of graph types for presenting different types of user data sets;

(b) receiving as input one of said user data set, said data set including information cells storing information desired by the user to be plotted as a graph;

(c) examining the data set for determining layout and data types of the information cells for the data set;

(d) selecting a graph type based on said determined layout and data types of the information cells for the data set; and

(e) plotting said graph with said information of said information cells, said graph having a type of said selected graph type.