Displaying variables stored in calculators

• US 7,574,465 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Jinsong, Dietz, Robert Scott, Kelly, Luke, Kunz, William Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Malzahn; David H
• Application Number:
  US11/171,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 708/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544

Abstract

A centralized view and management of stored variables for calculators and pieces of software emulating calculators is provided. Users can glance at the status bar and know what variables are stored. A single click then brings up a window within which a list of the stored variables and their values is shown. In this window users can clear individual variables or the entire variable list. Users can be reminded that their calculations contain stored variables by displaying the stored variable names in one or more different colors so that errors can be easily detected and corrected.

Claims

1. A method for displaying stored variables, comprising:

employing a processor executing computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

receiving mathematical expressions as input to a computer-executable program that resolves mathematical expressions to their symbolic results and numeric results;

displaying stored variables and their associated values in one or more windows while the act of receiving mathematical expressions is occurring, the act of displaying automatically updating stored variables and their associated values when a new variable is added, a stored variable is removed, or an associated value is changed; and

disassociating the stored variables from their values individually or collectively upon user selection of an interface element contained in the one or more windows.

2. The method of claim 1, further including displaying a list of stored variables without displaying their associated values in a dedicated area on a status bar, the dedicated area being clickable for causing the execution of the act of displaying stored variables and their associated values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of displaying stored variables without displaying their associated values displays a truncated list of stored variables with an ellipsis when the number of stored variables in the list is too many to display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of displaying stored variables and their associated values displays the stored variables in a color or style distinguishable from the colors or styles used to display other variables.

5. A computer for calculating mathematical expressions, comprising:

a microprocessor on which a piece of software is executing for receiving a mathematical expression as input and for storing variables and their associated values; and

a display on which a window is presented showing the variables and their associated values, the window containing user interface elements that are selectable to cause the variables to be disassociated with their values individually or collectively.

6. The computer of claim 5, wherein the display displays the variables with associated values in a color different from the colors used to display other variables without associated values.

7. The computer of claim 5, further including means for displaying a list of stored variables without displaying their associated values in a dedicated area of a computer, the list of stored variables being truncated when the list of stored variables is too long to display in the dedicated area.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for implementing a method for displaying stored variables, comprising:

receiving mathematical expressions as input to a computer-executable program that resolves mathematical expressions to their symbolic results and numeric results;

displaying stored variables and their associated values in one or more windows while the act of receiving mathematical expressions is occurring, the act of displaying automatically updating stored variables and their associated values when a new variable is added, a stored variable is removed, or an associated value is changed; and

disassociating the stored variables from their values individually or collectively upon user selection of an interface element contained in the one or more windows.

9. The method of claim 8, further including displaying a list of stored variables without displaying their associated values in a dedicated area on a status bar, the dedicated area being clickable for causing the execution of the act of displaying stored variables and their associated values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the act of displaying stored variables without displaying their associated values displays the list of stored variables with an ellipsis when the number of stored variables in the list is too many to display.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of displaying stored variables and their associated values displays the stored variables in a color distinguishable from the colors used to display other variables.