Location aware spreadsheet actions

• US 9,811,516 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Campbell, John, Lin, Amy, Waldman, Lawrence, Der, Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber, David
• Application Number:
  US12/967,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,520 Days
• Field of Search: 715201, 715212, 715227, 715209, 715210, 715273, 715255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

Location information is integrated with spreadsheet formulas and operations. Location information may be used in filtering data, detecting data sources, performing calculations, and the like. The data may be filtered by location, individuals, places, and other location based information. The location information may be integrated into native spreadsheet formulas to perform calculations, trigger alerts, or drive other spreadsheet business logic. The location information may also be used to detect and use nearby data sources that are published near the spreadsheet user.

Claims

1. A method for using location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device associated with a first user, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with a second computing device;

in response to receiving the location information, automatically performing an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises non-location values and location values, and wherein performing the operation on the preexisting data within the first spreadsheet comprises;

determining that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;

determining that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;

determining identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values;

automatically executing at least one native formula to create the updated data based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device; and

displaying the first spreadsheet with the updated data; and

in response to receiving different location information, changing a display of the first spreadsheet in response to executing the at least one native formula based on the predetermined condition satisfied by the different location information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location of other spreadsheet users.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when a data source is near the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically filtering the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically sorting the display of the updated data associated with the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values comprises accessing the first spreadsheet and examining the first spreadsheet to determine at least one of:

a row and a column that are associated with a location value and a spreadsheet object that is associated with a location value.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a different portion of the first spreadsheet is automatically displayed in response to receiving different location information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing an operation on the location information, wherein performing the operation on the location information comprises performing native location based functions comprising native location based formulas, wherein the native location based formulas comprise at least one of;

a formula to convert the location information to different forms of location information, a formula to determine a location of a current user, and a formula to determine a location of another user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that data within the second spreadsheet is available for collaborating, beginning a collaboration session when the second user is within the predetermined proximity.

10. A first computing device associated with a first user comprising a processing unit and storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processing unit cause the first computing device to perform a method for integrating location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:

receiving, by the first computing device, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with a second computing device;

in response to receiving the location information, automatically performing an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises location values and non-location values, and wherein performing the operation on the preexisting data within the first spreadsheet comprises;

determining that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;

determining that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;

determining identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values; and

automatically executing at least one native formula based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device;

displaying the first spreadsheet with the updated data; and

in response to receiving different location information, changing a display of the first spreadsheet in response to executing the at least one native formula based on the predetermined condition satisfied by the different location information.

11. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising determining a location of other spreadsheet users.

12. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising determining when a data source is near the user and surfacing the data source in a display.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically filtering the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically sorting the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

15. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising automatically examining the first spreadsheet to determine at least one of:

a row and a column that are associated with a location value.

16. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising:

performing an operation on the location information using a native location based formula comprising at least one of;

a formula to convert the location information to different forms of location information, a formula to determine a location of a current user, and a formula to determine locations of other users.

17. A system associated with a first user for integrating location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) and a computer storage media;

a display;

an operating environment stored on the computer storage media and executing on the CPU; and

a location manager operating under the control of the operating environment and operative to;

receiving, by the location manager, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with the second computing device;

in response to receiving the location information, automatically perform an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises location values and non-location values, the location manager being further operative to;

determine that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;

determine that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;

determine identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values; and

execute, within the first spreadsheet, at least one native formula based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information to create the updated data, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on the data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device;

display the first spreadsheet with the updated data; and

in response to receiving different location information, change a display of the first spreadsheet in response to executing the at least one native formula based on the predetermined condition satisfied by the different location information.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising determining when a data source is near the user and surfacing the data source in a display.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically filtering the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically sorting the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.