System and method for dynamically adjusting data values in response to remote user input

• US 6,877,015 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1998
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kilgore, Benjamin F., Imes, Loren K., Lamb, Steven D., Hickling, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/148,615
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744, 705 1- 3, 705/36, 705/27, 709/200, 709/203, 703/6, 341 20- 27, 345/145, 345/163, 345/167, 434/307.R
• US Class Current: 707/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention is embodied in a system and method for dynamically adjusting data values in response to remote user input to provide the remote user with real time interaction of the data values. First, a user requests information from a remote computer and then results of the requested information are collected at a host computer. Second, the results of the request are transmitted in a hidden format from the host to the remote computer. Third, the results are remotely processed in response to user input. Last, the processed results are dynamically displayed. Client-side processing is preferably used instead of server-side processing to enable the user to quickly access and adjust information dynamically and in real time without server delays.

Claims

1. A display device having rendered thereon dynamically changing results of a database query, comprising:

a query grid having at least one field and associated data, the query grid being stored on a server as raw data, wherein the query grid is transmitted from the server to a remote client through a communications interface in response to a communication from the client to the server; and

adjustable interface options displayed on the client display device including a single slider control that is slidably moveable along a reference datum and dual slider controls disposed on a same slider track and having a first slider filter for adjusting a lower boundary criteria and a second slider filter for adjusting an upper boundary criteria of the at least one associated field in real time using the remote client to process the adjustment;

wherein the first and the second slider filters are dynamically coupled to an input box so that both the slider filters and the input box dynamically change as a user configures either the sliders filters or the input box to allow the user a choice of interactivity between the interface options.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the interface options are slider filters, input boxes, dropdown menus and radio buttons.

3. A method for dynamically adjusting associated data values on a client computer, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of data packets comprising associated data values from a host computer to a remote client computer in response to an initial query by the client computer, the associated data values being a subset of available data on the host computer relating to the initial query;

automatically displaying a control module on a display monitor of the client computer;

using dual slider controls displayed on the client display monitor to dynamically adjust the associated data values using the remote client to process the adjustment in response to user interaction with the automatically displayed control module, wherein the dual slider controls have a first slider disposed on a slider track for adjusting a lower boundary and a second slider disposed on the same slider track for adjusting an upper boundary of the associated data values within a range;

dynamically coupling the dual slider controls to an input box such that the dual slider controls dynamically change as a user adjust the associated data values using the input box; and

dynamically displaying the adjusted data values on the client display monitor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the control module comprises a graphical user interface for manipulating and interacting with the data values in real time.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the data values are hidden from the user until the user interacts with the control module.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of data packets transmitted from the host computer to the remote client computer further comprises the control module.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the control module is automatically created on the client computer.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the control module is capable of dynamically adjusting the displayed data in response to user interaction with the control module after an electronic connection between the host computer and the remote client computer is terminated.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the data is dynamically adjusted using the remote client computer to process the adjustment to provide real-time interactivity between the user and the dynamically displayed data.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the dynamically displayed data is sorted by the control module in response to user interaction with the control module.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein the scope of the dynamically displayed data is limited by user interaction with the control module.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein the scope of the dynamically displayed data is expanded by user interaction with the control module.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein the control module has at least one graphical control for allowing the user to dynamically adjust the displayed data.

14. The method of claim 3 wherein the dynamically displayed data is pricing data.

15. A method for dynamically adjusting pricing data displayed on a client computer, comprising:

transmitting a set of pricing data from a server computer to the client computer in response to an initial query from the client computer, wherein the pricing data relates to the initial query and is a portion of available data on the server computer;

transmitting a control module comprising a graphical user interface from the server computer to the client computer;

automatically displaying the graphical user interface on the client computer;

adjusting the pricing data using dual slider filters contained on a single slider track in the graphical user interface and having a first slider filter for adjusting a lower boundary and a second slider filter for adjusting an upper boundary;

dynamically coupling the dual slider filters to an input box such that the dual slider filters dynamically change as a user adjusts the pricing data using the input box and the input box dynamically changes as the user adjusts the pricing data using the dual slider controls; and

dynamically displaying the adjusted pricing data using the remote client to process the adjustment in response to user interaction with the automatically displayed graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising transmitting a data decode module from the server computer to the client computer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the pricing data transmitted from the host computer is encoded.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising automatically decoding the pricing data on the client computer with the data decode module using the client computer to decode the pricing data.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the graphical user interface has at least one user interface control for dynamically adjusting the pricing data.