System and method to display table data residing in columns outside the viewable area of a window

• US 7,216,291 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; James H
• Application Number:
  US10/690,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/784, 715/509, 715/853, 345/684
• US Class Current: 715/227
• 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 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A portion of a table is displayed in a window having a viewable area. For at least one row, information from one or more columns outside the viewable area of the window is displayed in a hovering row, which may be displayed below the associated row. Column headers may be displayed with the hovering row. The hovering row is dynamically displayed or not displayed in response to user input, such as moving a cursor over an icon associated with the row. Static display of the hovering row is toggled in response to user input, such as (de)selecting a toggle button icon associated with the row. The hovering row is not displayed if all information in columns outside the viewable window area cannot be displayed.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a table having a plurality of rows and columns in a window, comprising:

displaying a portion of a two-dimensional table comprising a plurality of rows and columns in a viewable area of said window; and

for at least one row of said table in said displayed portion, displaying information obtained from one or more of said columns located outside said viewable area of said window, wherein said information is displayed in a hovering row adjacent to said at least one row in the same viewable area of said window.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said hovering row is displayed below said displayed row.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying column headers above said hovering row.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said hovering row is dynamically displayed or not displayed, in response to a user input.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said user input comprises moving a mouse pointer over an icon associated with said displayed row.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the static display of said hovering row is toggled in response to a user input.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said user input comprises the (de)selection of a toggle button icon associated with said displayed row.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said hovering row is displayed only if all columns outside said viewable area can be displayed in said hovering row.

9. A system for displaying information in a table, comprising:

a display device displaying a window having a viewable area;

an input device;

memory; and

a processor programmed to;

display a portion of a two-dimensional table comprising a plurality of rows and columns in said viewable area of said window; and

for at least one row of said table in said displayed portion,

displaying information obtained from one or more of said columns located outside said viewable area of said window, wherein said information is displayed in a hovering row adjacent to said at least one row, in the same viewable area of said window.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said processor is programmed to display a plurality of rows, and wherein the display of a hovering row associated with each displayed row is dynamically selectable.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein a user input via said input device toggles the display of a hovering row associated with each displayed row of said table.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said user input comprises the selection of an icon associated with each displayed row of said table.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said hovering row is displayed only if all columns outside said viewable area can be displayed in said hovering row.

14. A computer-readable medium which stores computer-executable process steps for displaying a table in a window having a viewable area, said computer-executable process steps causing a computer to perform the steps of:

displaying a portion of a two-dimensional table comprising a plurality of rows and columns in a viewable area of said window; and

for at least one row of said table in said displayed portion, displaying information obtained from one or more of said columns located outside said viewable area of said window, wherein said information is displayed in a hovering row adjacent to said at least one row, in the same viewable area of said window.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein said computer-executable process steps cause said computer to display a plurality of rows, and wherein the display of a hovering row associated with each displayed row is dynamically selectable.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein a user input toggles the display of a hovering row associated with each displayed row of said table.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein said user input comprises the selection of an icon associated with each displayed row of said table.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein said hovering row is displayed only if all columns outside said viewable area can be displayed in said hovering row.