Calculations on sound associated with cells in spreadsheets

• US 11,080,474 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 08/03/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Radakovitz, Samuel C., Canton, Christian M., Ortero, Carlos A., Campbell, John, Rutherford, Allison, Rampson, Benjamin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US15/340,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 : Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 : Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 : Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

Described herein is a system and method for associating audio files with one or more cells in a spreadsheet application. As described, one or more audio files may be associated with a single cell in a spreadsheet application or it may be associated with a range of cells in the spreadsheet application. Information about the audio file, such playback properties and other parameters, may be retrieved from the audio file. Once retrieved, a calculation engine of the spreadsheet application may perform one or more calculations on the information in order to change the content of audio file, the playback of the audio files and so on.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving an audio file in a first cell of a spreadsheet application executing on the computing device;

obtaining numeric data from a second cell of the spreadsheet application;

changing, using a first calculation function provided by the spreadsheet application, a numeric value of a playback property of the audio file using the numeric data from the second cell of the spreadsheet application;

providing access to the audio file with the changed playback property in the first cell;

determining a condition of a second calculation function associated with the audio file is satisfied;

updating the audio file using the second calculation function; and

automatically playing the updated audio file, wherein;

the audio file is associated with additional audio data,

the audio file and the additional audio data include a compound data type,

calculation is performed on the compound data type using the first calculation function, and

the compound data type comprises the audio file and the additional audio data in a structured format.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein providing the access to the audio file comprises one of:

displaying a visual representation of the audio file;

playing the audio file;

sending the audio file in a message to a user; and

sending the audio file as a voicemail to the user.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, further cause the computing device to perform an operation comprising updating a cell that is associated with the audio file when the audio file is changed.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first calculation function adjusts a speed of playback of the audio file.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first calculation function generates a clip from the audio file.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the audio file is received by one of:

recording the audio file;

pasting the audio file into the first cell;

dropping the audio file into the first cell;

retrieving the audio file from storage;

converting a range of values in the spreadsheet application into the audio file;

converting a document into the audio file; and

converting a musical score into the audio file.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first calculation function causes a portion of the audio file to begin a playback at a point that is different than a beginning of the audio file.

8. A method comprising:

receiving an audio file in a first cell of a spreadsheet application executing on a computing device;

providing a numeric value of a playback property of the audio file and numeric data from a second cell to a first calculation function of the spreadsheet application;

changing, using the first calculation function of the spreadsheet application, the numeric value of the playback property of the audio file using the numeric data from the second cell of the spreadsheet application;

providing access to the audio file with the changed playback property in the first cell;

determining a condition of a second calculation function associated with the audio file is satisfied;

updating the audio file using the second calculation function; and

automatically playing the updated audio file, wherein;

the audio file is associated with additional audio data,

the audio file and the additional audio data comprise a compound data type,

calculation is performed on the compound data type using the first calculation function, and

the compound data type comprises the audio file and the additional audio data in a structured format.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a visual representation of the audio file in the spreadsheet application.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing access to the audio file from the first cell in the spreadsheet application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the access to the audio file comprises one of:

providing a user interface with play controls for the audio file;

sending the audio file in a message to a user; and

sending the audio file as a voicemail to the user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the audio file in the first cell comprises one of:

embedding the audio file into the first cell in the spreadsheet application; and

anchoring the audio file to the first cell in the spreadsheet application.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first calculation function returns an array of clips of the audio file.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first calculation function causes a playback of the audio file from a first point to a second point that is different than a beginning point of the audio file and an ending point of the audio file.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first calculation function adjusts a playback speed of the audio file.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a processing unit; and

a memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing device to;

receive an audio file in a first cell of a spreadsheet application executing on the computing device;

provide a numeric value of a playback property of the audio file and numeric data from a second cell to a first calculation function of the spreadsheet application;

change, using the first calculation function of the spreadsheet application, the numeric value of the playback property of the audio file using the numeric data from the second cell of the spreadsheet application;

provide access to the audio file with the changed playback property in the first cell;

determine a condition of a second calculation function associated with the audio file is satisfied;

update the audio file using the second calculation function; and

automatically play the updated audio file, wherein;

the audio file is associated with additional audio data,

the audio file and the additional audio data comprise a compound data type, calculation is performed on the compound data type using the first calculation function, and

the compound data type comprises the audio file and the additional audio data in a structured format.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory stores the computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, further cause the computing device to display a visual representation of the updated audio file.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory stores the computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, further cause the computing device to update a cell associated with the audio file when calculation is performed on the audio file using the first calculation function.