Determining a location for placing data in a spreadsheet based on a location of the data source

• US 7,930,626 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Serra, Bill, Drudis, Antoni, Pradhan, Salil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Debrow; James J
• Application Number:
  US10/697,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/504, 715/508, 715/517, 715/212, 702/85
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Data from a data source is received. A location in a spreadsheet is determined for placing at least a portion of the data from the data source based on location information for the data source.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computerized system comprising:

receiving data from a data source;

determining a geographical location of the data source;

determining a location in an electronic spreadsheet for placing at least a portion of the data, wherein the determined spreadsheet location is based on the determined geographical location of the data source;

inserting the data portion in the electronic spreadsheet at the determined spreadsheet location; and

displaying the electronic spreadsheet to a user, wherein the electronic spreadsheet indicates the geographical location of the data source from a display of the data portion inserted at the determined location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

calculating, as a function of time, a value associated with the at least a portion of the data from the data source; and

transmitting the value to a spreadsheet program for display in the electronic spreadsheet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the at least a portion of the data from the data source to control a device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the at least a portion of the data and the location in the spreadsheet to a spreadsheet program, wherein the spreadsheet program is operable to display the at least a portion of the data at the location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a total from the at least a portion of the data from the data source and at least a pardon of data from at least one other data source physically located proximate the data source; and

determining a location in the spreadsheet for placing the total based on one or more of the location information for the data source and location information for the at least one other data source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a location in a spreadsheet based on the location information for the data source comprises mapping the location information for the data source to a predetermined location in the electronic spreadsheet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a view to be displayed in the spreadsheet;

determining whether the at least a portion of the data from the data source is in the view; and

transmitting the at least a portion of the data and the location in the electronic spreadsheet to a spreadsheet program in response to the at least a portion of the data being in the view, wherein the spreadsheet program is operable to display the at least a portion of the data at the location.

8. A method of using an electronic spreadsheet to display information at locations in the spreadsheet associated with the origin of the information, the method comprising;

receiving data from a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors situated at a separate geographical location;

determining the separate geographical location of each of the plurality of sensors;

determining locations in the spreadsheet based on the determined separate geographical locations of the plurality of sensors such that one or more of at least a portion of the data from each of the plurality of sensors and a value is operable to be displayed in one or more of the locations in the electronic spreadsheet, wherein the value is calculated from at least some of the data from the plurality of sensors;

inserting the data portion from each of the plurality of sensors in the electronic spreadsheet at each of the determined spreadsheet locations; and

providing a display in the electronic spreadsheet to a user at least one of the data portions inserted in one of the determined spreadsheet locations, wherein the display indicates the separate geographical location of one of the plurality of sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

calculating, as a function of time, the value; and

the step of determining locations in the spreadsheet comprises determining a location in the spreadsheet to display the value based on the location of at least one of the plurality of sensors.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling a device based on the value.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining locations in the spreadsheet comprises:

selecting cells in the electronic spreadsheet to display at least one of the at least a portion of the data and the value.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the at least a portion of the data and the determined locations to a spreadsheet program, wherein the spreadsheet program is operable to display the at least a portion of the data in the determined locations.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

dividing an area into a plurality of sections, the plurality of sensors being located in the area;

receiving a selection of a view including at least one of the plurality of sections;

determining whether any of the plurality of sensors are located in the at least one of the plurality of sections; and

transmitting data from the plurality of sensors located in the at least one of the plurality of sections and the determined locations for the plurality of sensors located in the at least one of the plurality of sections to a spreadsheet program operable to display the data from the plurality of sensors located in the at least one of the plurality of sections at the determined locations.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

calculating a total from the data from at least some of the sensors located in the at least one of the plurality of sections; and

transmitting the total to a spreadsheet program operable to display the total at one of the determined locations associated with the at least some of the sensors.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein determining locations in the spreadsheet comprises mapping the locations of the plurality of sensors to predetermined locations in the electronic spreadsheet.

16. A system comprising:

a plurality of data sensors; and

a computing platform operable to identify a geographical location of each of the data sensors;

the computing platform is further operable to designate locations in an electronic spreadsheet based on the identified geographical locations of the plurality of data sensors to display at the designated locations in the electronic spreadsheet at least one of the data from the plurality of sensors and a value calculated from the data from one or more of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein the computing platform conveys to a user, via the electronic spreadsheet, a display of the at least one data at one of the designated locations in the electronic spreadsheet to indicate the geographical location of at least one of the data sensors.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing platform is operable to calculate the value as a function of time.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising at least one other electronic spreadsheet operable to use data contained in the electronic spreadsheet to perform a mathematical function.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising at least one device controlled by the computing platform based on the data from one or more of the plurality of data sensors.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a configuration repository storing the data from the plurality of data sensors and the locations in the electronic spreadsheet for placing the data from the plurality of data sensors, wherein the computing platform is operable to retrieve the locations in the electronic spreadsheet from the configuration repository to determine where to place the data from the plurality of data sensors in the electronic spreadsheet.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a plurality of sensors inn data center and the computing platform is operable to facilitate the placement of the data from The plurality of the sensors in the locations in the spreadsheet associated with locations of the plurality sensors in the data center.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is operable to facilitate the generation of different views of the sensors in the data center, the different views being provided in the spreadsheet.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving data from a plurality of sensors;

means for determining a geographical location of each of the plurality of sensors;

means for determining locations in an electronic spreadsheet based on the determined geographical locations of the plurality of sensors such that one or more of at least a portion of the data from each of the plurality of sensors and a value calculated from the data from one or more of the plurality of sensors is operable to be displayed in one or more of the determined locations in the electronic spreadsheet; and

means for providing a display in the electronic spreadsheet to a user at least one of the data portions inserted in one of the determined spreadsheet locations, wherein the display indicates the geographical location of one of the plurality of sensors.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising means for calculating as a function of time the value.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for controlling a device based on the calculated value.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising storage means for storing the data from the sensors and the locations in the spreadsheet, wherein the means for determining the locations in the spreadsheet is operable to retrieve the locations in the spreadsheet from the storage means based on the locations of the plurality of sensors.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for receiving user selections associated with a view to be displayed in the spreadsheet, the view including at least one of the data from one or more of the plurality of sensors and the value.

28. A computer readable medium on which is embedded a program, the program performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving data from a data source;

determining a geographical location of the data source;

determining a location in an electronic spreadsheet for placing at least a portion of the data, wherein the determined spreadsheet location is based on the determined geographical location of the data source;

inserting the data portion in the electronic spreadsheet at the determined location; and

displaying the electronic spreadsheet to a user, wherein the electronic spreadsheet indicates the geographical location of the data source from a display of the data pardon inserted at the determined spreadsheet location.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

calculating, as a function of time, a value associated with the at least a portion of the data from the data source; and

transmitting the value to a spreadsheet program for display in the electronic spreadsheet.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises the at least a portion of the data to control a device.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises determining the location information for the data source, wherein the location information is associated with a geographical location of the data source.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the at least a portion of the data and the location in the electronic spreadsheet to a spreadsheet program, wherein the spreadsheet program is operable to display the at least a portion of the data at the location.