Displaying pie charts in a limited display area

• US 8,810,574 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MeLLmo Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: MeLLmo Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Alsbury, Quinton, Becerra, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sams, Michelle L
• Application Number:
  US12/417,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 345/649, 345/659, 345/440, 715/215, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed for visually displaying data points using pie charts on a display screen with limited display area. Detailed information is presented for individual sectors compared to other sectors displayed. The sector is selected for displaying detailed information based on its orientation with respect to a centerline axis of the chart. The pie chart can be rotated to cause detailed information to be displayed for different sectors. The mechanism is used to display detailed information of data points for other kinds of charts including multi-series pie charts and donut charts.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of displaying a pie chart on a display screen of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a report including a data set related to a plurality of data points;

rendering a pie chart including a plurality of sectors, the rendering based on the report such that each sector of the pie chart is associated with at least a data point;

displaying the pie chart on the display screen in a first orientation having a first sector aligned with an axis of the pie chart, a relative size of the first sector proportional to a value of the data point associated with the first sector, wherein first additional information associated with the first sector is displayed in addition to the pie chart, the first additional information including the value of the data point associated with the first sector;

receiving a user input selecting a second sector of the pie chart, a relative size of the second sector proportional to a value of the data point represented by the second sector;

responsive to receiving the selection of the second sector, rotating, by a computer processor, the pie chart to a second orientation having the second sector of the pie chart aligned with the axis of the pie chart; and

responsive to the second sector being aligned with the axis of the pie chart, displaying on the display screen second additional information describing the second sector in addition to the pie chart and not displaying the first additional information, the second additional information including the value of the data point associated with the second sector.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pie chart is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, and the method further comprising:

for each sector that aligns with the axis of the pie chart as the pie chart is rotated, displaying additional information describing the sector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input includes a swiping gesture across the chart.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the speed of the rotation of the chart region is determined by the user input.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a direction of rotation that causes minimum rotation from the first orientation to the second orientation; and

rotating the pie chart along the determined direction of rotation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a pointer region that is fixed with respect to the pie chart and is displayed adjacent to a sector that displays additional information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pie chart is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation until a fixed centerline axis passing through the pie chart coincides with a sector axis passing through the second of the plurality of sectors.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an audio feedback is provided as the chart is rotated each time a fixed centerline axis passing through the pie chart coincides with a side of a sector.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an audio feedback is provided as the chart is rotated each time a fixed centerline axis passing through the pie chart coincides with a sector axis passing through a sector.

10. The method of claim 1, further displaying on the display screen an overlapping pie chart, the overlapping pie chart including an overlapping plurality of sectors, the method further comprising:

displaying the overlapping pie chart on the display screen in a first orientation, wherein third additional information associated with a first of the overlapping plurality of sectors is displayed in addition to the overlapping pie chart; and

responsive to receiving a user input, displaying the overlapping pie chart in a second orientation, wherein fourth additional information associated with a second of the overlapping plurality of sectors is displayed in addition to the overlapping pie chart, and the third additional information is not displayed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a sector displays a first numeric value of the associated data point and wherein an additional information describing the sector comprises a second numeric value having a higher precision corresponding to the first numeric value.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a sector aligned with the axis of the pie chart is displayed as having a radius greater than a sector not aligned with the axis of the pie chart.

13. A computer implemented method of displaying a donut chart on a display screen of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a report including a data set related to a plurality of data points;

rendering a donut chart including a plurality of slices, the rendering based on the report such that each slice of the donut chart is associated with at least a data point;

displaying the donut chart on the display screen in a first orientation having a first slice aligned with an axis of the donut chart, a relative size of the first slice proportional to a value of the data point associated with the first slice, wherein first additional information associated with the first slice is displayed in addition to the donut chart, the first additional information including the value of the data point associated with the first slice;

receiving a user input selecting a second slice of the donut chart, a relative value of the second slice proportional to a value of the data point associated with the second slice;

responsive to receiving the selection of the second slice, rotating, by a computer processor, the donut chart to a second orientation having the second slice of the donut chart aligned with the axis of the donut chart; and

responsive to the second slice being aligned with the axis of the donut chart, displaying second additional information describing the second slice in addition to the donut chart and not displaying the first additional information, the second additional information including the value of the data point associated with the second slice.

14. A system for displaying on a display screen of a mobile device a chart representing a plurality of data points, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program modules configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program modules comprising;

an input/output driver module configured to;

receive a report including a data set related to a plurality of data points;

render a pie chart including a plurality of sectors, the rendering based on the report such that each sector of the pie chart is associated with at least a data point;

display the pie chart on the display screen in a first orientation having a first sector aligned with an axis of the pie chart, a relative size of the first sector proportional to a value of the data point associated with the first sector, wherein first additional information associated with the first sector is displayed in addition to the pie chart, the first additional information including the value of the data point associated with the first sector;

receive a user input selecting a second sector of the pie chart, a relative size of the second sector proportional to a value of the data point associated with the second sector;

responsive to receiving the selection of the second sector, rotate the pie chart to a second orientation having the second sector of the pie chart aligned with the axis of the pie chart; and

responsive to the second sector being aligned with the axis of the pie chart, display on the display screen second additional information describing the second sector in addition to the pie chart and not displaying the first additional information, the second additional information including the value of the data point associated with the second sector.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the pie chart is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, wherein the input/output driver module is further configured to, for each sector that aligns with the axis of the pie chart as the pie chart is rotated, display additional information describing the sector.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the speed of the rotation of the chart region is determined by the user input.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the input/output driver module is further configured to:

determine a direction of rotation that causes minimum rotation from the first orientation to the second orientation; and

rotate the pie chart along the determined direction.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the input/output driver module is configured to further:

display a pointer region that is fixed with respect to the pie chart and is displayed adjacent to a sector that displays additional information.

19. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for displaying on a display screen of a mobile device a chart representing a plurality of data points, the code comprising:

an input/output driver module configured to;

receive a report including a data set related to a plurality of data points;

render a pie chart including a plurality of sectors, the rendering based on the report such that each sector of the pie chart is associated with at least a data point;

display the pie chart on the display screen in a first orientation having a first sector aligned with an axis of the pie chart, a relative size of the first sector proportional to a value of the data point associated with the first sector, wherein first additional information associated with the first sector is displayed in addition to the pie chart, the first additional information including the value of the data point associated with the first sector;

receive a user input selecting a second sector of the pie chart, a relative size of the first sector proportional to a value of the data point associated with the first sector;

responsive to receiving the selection of the second sector, rotate the pie chart to a second orientation having the second sector of the pie chart aligned with the axis of the pie chart; and

responsive to the second sector being aligned with the axis of the pie chart, display on the display screen second additional information describing the second sector in addition to the pie chart and not displaying the first additional information, the second additional information including the value of the data point associated with the second sector.