Chart view for reusable data markup language

• US 7,512,875 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: e-Numerate Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: e-Numerate Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Russell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Queler, Adam M
• Application Number:
  US11/119,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/529, 715/212, 715/215, 345/440
• US Class Current: 715/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

Methods and systems provide a “chart view” for a markup language referred to as Reusable Data Markup Language (“RDML”). Generally, a chart view comprises the components necessary for automatically manipulating and displaying a graphical display of numerical data contained in RDML markup documents. RDML is a markup language, such as the Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”) or the Extensible Markup Language (“XML”). Generally, RDML facilitates the browsing and manipulation of numbers, as opposed to text as in HTML, and does so by requiring attributes describing the meaning of the numbers to be attached to the numbers. Upon receiving RDML markup documents, the chart view transforms, formats, manipulates and displays data stored in the markup documents using the attributes describing the meaning of the data. The chart view uses the attributes of the numbers to, for example, facilitate the simultaneous display of different series of numbers of different types on a single chart and automatically display appropriate axis labels, axis titles, chart titles, number precision, etc. A chart view may be a component of a data viewer used to retrieve, manipulate, and view documents in the RDML format.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system having a display showing a chart, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first series of numerical values having first tags indicating characteristics of the numerical values;

displaying the first series of numerical values on the chart, the first series of numerical values corresponding to a first axis on the chart;

receiving a second series of numerical values to be added to the chart, the second series of numerical values having second tags indicating characteristics of the second series of numerical values;

in response to receiving the second series, automatically generating a second axis on the chart;

displaying the second series of numerical values on the chart corresponding to the second axis while the first series is displayed on the chart;

determining an axis label on the chart;

automatically determining a new axis label based on at least one of the first tags and the second tags; and

displaying the new axis label on the chart.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

automatically formatting the second axis on the chart based at least on one of the second tags.

3. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the data processing system having a display showing a chart, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first series of numerical values having first tags indicating characteristics of the numerical values;

displaying the first series of numerical values on the chart, the first series of numerical values corresponding to a first axis on the chart;

receiving a second series of numerical values to be added to the chart, the second series of numerical values having second tags indicating characteristics of the second series of numerical values;

in response to receiving the second series, automatically generating a second axis on the chart;

displaying the second series of numerical values on the chart corresponding to the second axis while the first series is displayed on the chart;

determining an axis label on the chart;

automatically determining a new axis label based on at least one of the first tags and the second tags; and

displaying the new axis label on the chart.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

automatically formatting the second axis on the chart based on at least one of the second tags.