Table editing apparatus

• US 6,247,030 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/115,771
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 707/7, 707/102, 707/503, 707/509, 707/517
• US Class Current: 715/259
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

In view of supporting the table edition while keeping correspondence between the set of headings and data corresponding to such set and reducing the cost required for table edition, the table editing apparatus comprises a heading editing unit for accepting the heading editing designation to edit the heading of table, a mapping storing designating unit for designating storing of mapping, a mapping offering unit for accepting the mapping storing designation to store the mapping in regard to the table when the designation is accepted, a data arrangement designating unit for designating data arrangement and a data arrangement unit for accepting the data arrangement designation and determining the data to be arranged in the cell on the basis of the mapping for each cell of the data part of the table, to conduct the data arrangement with reference to the mapping at the time when the data arrangement unit has designated storing of mapping after a user has edited the heading for the edition of table. Thereby, cost of user for keeping the correspondence in the course of the edition can be reduced.

Claims

1. A table editing apparatus that edits a table by using a mapping which is a set of pairs, each pair consisting of a set of headings and corresponding data, comprising:

a heading editing unit for receiving edits to headings, and editing the headings of the table;

a mapping storing designating unit that generates a mapping storing designation, which instructs a mapping offering unit to store the mapping of the table;

a mapping offering unit that receives the mapping storing designation from said mapping storing designating unit, and stores the mapping of the table when the mapping storing designation is accepted;

a data arrangement designating unit that generates a data arrangement designation, which instructs a data arrangement unit to arrange data; and

wherein the data arrangement unit receives the data arrangement designation from the data arrangement designating unit, and determines, for each cell having a data part, which is a cell having data other than the headings of the table, how the data should be arranged in the cell depending on the headings corresponding to the cell and the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit.

2. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping storing designating unit detects the data arrangement process by the data arrangement unit and the mapping storing designating unit designates, after the data arrangement process, the storing of mapping to the mapping offering unit.

3. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping storing designating unit detects the heading editing designation for the heading editing unit and the mapping storing designating unit designates storing of mapping for the mapping offering designating unit before the heading editing unit edits the headings.

4. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping storing designating unit designates storing of mapping in response to the user request.

5. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data arrangement designating unit detects the heading editing process by the heading editing unit and the data arrangement designating unit designates data arrangement for the data arrangement unit after the heading editing process by the heading editing unit.

6. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data arrangement is designated by the data arrangement designating unit in response to user request.

7. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data arrangement unit comprises:

an expected data list generating unit for receiving the mapping from the mapping offering unit to generate, to each cell of the data part of the table, an expected data list to be arranged in the cell from the mapping and set of headings to the cells, and sorting the expected data in the list depending on the possibility for arrangement in the cell of each expected data;

and a data selecting unit for presenting to a user the expected data list generated by the expected data list generating unit whereby a user can select only one expected data from the list, in order to designate the expected data selected by the data selecting unit, as the data determined by the data arrangement unit.

8. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data arrangement unit calculates, to each cell of the data part of table, possibility for entry to the cell regarding each expected data to be arranged in the cell and defines the expected data having highest possibility as the data to be determined by the data arrangement unit.

9. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data arrangement unit comprises:

an expected data list generating unit for receiving the mapping from the mapping offering unit to generate, to each cell of the data part of the table, the expected data list be arranged in the cell from the mapping and set of headings to the cell, and sorting the expected data in the list depending on a possibility for arrangement in the cell of each expected data; and

a data selecting unit for presenting, to a user, the expected data list generated by the expected data list generating unit, whereby a user can select only one expected data from the list, and whereby the data arrangement unit calculates, to each cell, possibility for entry to the cell of each expected data of the data to be arranged in the cell and defines such data as the data to be determined by the data arrangement unit when the expected data having the highest possibility is uniquely determined and defines the expected data selected by the data selecting unit as the data to be determined by the data arrangement unit when such expected data having the highest possibility is not uniquely determined.

10. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein possibility for arrangement of data in the cell is calculated, in the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit, with reference to whether the set of data and corresponding headings is identical to the set of headings corresponding to the cell or not.

11. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein possibility for arrangement of data in the cell is calculated, in the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit, with reference to the number of elements of a product set of the set of headings corresponding to the data and the set of headings corresponding to the cell.

12. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein possibility for arrangement of data in the cell is calculated, in the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit, with reference to a result obtained by adding a number of elements of the set of headings corresponding to the cell to a number of elements of the set of headings corresponding to the data and then substracting two times of a number of elements of a product set of such two sets from such added value.

13. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein possibility for arrangement of data in the cell is calculated with reference to a number of times the same data appears in the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit.

14. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when a plurality of data having an equal possibility are detected to exist as a result of calculation for possibility using a certain reference on the occasion of obtaining possibility for arrangement of data into the cell, difference between possibility of these data can be measured by calculating the possibility using another reference.

15. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when a plurality of same data exist in the same order on the occasion of sorting the list by the expected data list generating unit, only one data among these data are left as it is, deleting a remaining data.

16. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when a plurality of same data are detected to exist in the list on the occasion of sorting the list by the expected data list generating unit, the data appearing first in the list among the data is left as it is and the remaining data is deleted.

17. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the data selecting unit does not consider data of a pair as the expected data to be arranged in the cell if the set of headings of a pair does not consider the set of headings corresponding to the cell as the subset in each pair in the mapping offered by the mapping offering unit.

18. A table editing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the data selecting unit defines what preceding heading edition has been conducted before as the parameter for defining the data as a expected data to be arranged in the cell.

19. A table editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping offering unit is capable of offering, upon reception of the mapping storing designation for a plurality of times, one or more mappings by selecting such mappings from the mappings in respective designation times.