U.S. patent application number 14/692394 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-03 for user interfaces for displaying relationships between cells in a grid.
The applicant listed for this patent is SURFWAX, INC.. Invention is credited to Thomas D. Holt.
Application Number | 20150347371 14/692394 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53176499 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150347371 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holt; Thomas D. |
December 3, 2015 |
USER INTERFACES FOR DISPLAYING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CELLS IN A
GRID
Abstract
User interfaces for displaying visual representations of
relationships between cells in a grid. In one example embodiment, a
user interface includes a grid including rows and columns, a
viewport that displays only a portion of the grid, and a plurality
of cells each having a specific position in one of the rows and one
of the columns of the grid. A first one of the cells is related to
a second one of the cells that is positioned in a different one of
the rows and a different one of the columns of the grid from the
first cell such that the first cell and the second cell are not
capable of being displayed in the viewport at the same time. The
viewport is configured to display, upon selection of the first cell
displayed in the viewport, a completely visible visual
representation in the viewport of the relationship between the
first cell and the second cell.
Inventors: |
Holt; Thomas D.; (Atherton,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SURFWAX, INC. |
Menlo Park |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53176499 |
Appl. No.: |
14/692394 |
Filed: |
April 21, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13739792 |
Jan 11, 2013 |
9043722 |
|
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14692394 |
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61661633 |
Jun 19, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/212 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/169 20200101;
G06F 3/0484 20130101; G06F 40/134 20200101; G05B 2219/31477
20130101; G06Q 10/067 20130101; G06F 40/177 20200101; G06F 3/04842
20130101; G16H 15/00 20180101; G06F 16/288 20190101; G16H 10/60
20180101; G06F 40/18 20200101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/24 20060101
G06F017/24; G06F 3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484 |
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program
configured to cause a processor to generate a user interface on a
display device associated with the processor, the user interface
comprising: a grid including rows and columns; a viewport that
displays only a portion of the grid; and a plurality of cells each
having a specific position in one of the rows and one of the
columns of the grid, a first one of the cells being related to a
second one of the cells that is positioned in a different one of
the rows and a different one of the columns of the grid from the
first cell such that the first cell and the second cell are not
capable of being displayed in the viewport at the same time, the
viewport being configured to display, upon selection of the first
cell displayed in the viewport, a completely visible visual
representation in the viewport of the relationship between the
first cell and the second cell.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the relationship is a semantic relationship in which the
meaning of words in first content of the first cell are
semantically related to the meaning of words in second content of
the second cell.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein one or more of the cells of the grid are non-rectangular
cells.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein: the grid is configured to display, upon selection of a
third one of the cells, a visual representation of a relationship
between the second cell and the third cell and thereby also display
a visual representation of an indirect relationship between the
first cell and the third cell; and the relationship between the
first and second cells has a different relationship type from the
relationship between the second and third cells.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
4, wherein: the relationship between the first and second cells is
a "prerequisite" relationship; and the relationship between the
second and third cells is a "see also" relationship.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the viewport is further configured to reposition a
gathered version of the second cell, which includes the second cell
or a copy of the second cell, out of its original position in the
grid and into the viewport in order to display the visual
representation of the relationship between the first cell and the
second cell.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
6, wherein the viewport is further configured to modify the
gathered version of the second cell in its size, shape, or other
visual aspect of its appearance.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
6, wherein the viewport is further configured to overlay the
gathered version of the second cell on top of the grid.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
8, wherein the viewport is further configured to gray out or
otherwise diminish the grid when the gathered version of the second
cell is overlaid on top of the grid.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the relationship between the first cell and the second
cell is configured to be defined by a user using a drawing palette
included within the user interface that includes predefined
relational data objects and drawing tools that the user may assign
to cell pairs or groupings of cells.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the relationship between the first cell and the second
cell is a node along a relational thread.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein: the grid is configured to display the visual
representation of the relationship using a line connecting the
first cell to the second cell; and an aspect of the relationship is
represented by the weight of the line.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the grid is configured to display the visual
representation of the relationship using a separate interface
object that overlays one or more cells in the grid and that lists
the relationship between the first cell and the second cell.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
1, wherein the user interface is configured to allow a user to
specify the relationship and one or more aspects of the
relationship.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program
configured to cause a processor to generate a user interface on a
display device associated with the processor, the user interface
comprising: a grid including rows and columns; a plurality of cells
each having a specific position in one of the rows and one of the
columns of the grid, a first one of the cells being related to a
second one of the cells that is positioned in a different one of
the rows and a different one of the columns of the grid from the
first cell; and a viewport that displays only a portion of the
grid, the viewport not being capable of displaying the second cell
simultaneously with the first cell because the specific position of
the second cell in the grid is too far from the specific position
of the first cell in the grid to be displayed in the viewport at
the same time, the viewport being configured, upon selection of the
first cell displayed in the viewport, to reposition a gathered
version of the second cell out of its specific position in the grid
and into a position within the viewport in order to display a
completely visible visual representation of the relationship
between the first cell and the gathered version of the second
cell.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
15, wherein the viewport is further configured to modify the
gathered version of the second cell in its size, shape, or other
visual aspect of its appearance.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
15, wherein the viewport is further configured to overlay the
gathered version of the second cell on top of the grid.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
15, wherein the relationship is a semantic relationship in which
the meaning of words in first content of the first cell are
semantically related to the meaning of words in second content of
the second cell.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
15, wherein the viewport is further configured to gray out or
otherwise diminish the grid when the gathered version of the second
cell is overlaid on top of the grid.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim
15, wherein the relationship between the first cell and the second
cell is a node along a relational thread.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Grid-based user interfaces often store content in rows and
columns of cells. In general, cells in a row are related in some
manner and/or cells in a column are also related in some manner.
However, beyond simple relationships that are manifest by the row
and/or column positioning of a cell, cells may have other
relationships to cells that do not share the same row and/or the
same column. Such relationships may not be perfectly linear as
implied by the X-Y structure of a grid. Unfortunately, current
grid-based user interfaces are not capable of establishing and
displaying relationships between individual cells in a grid beyond
basic row and/or column positioning of cells.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0002] In general, example embodiments of the invention relate to
user interfaces for displaying relationships between cells in a
grid. At least some of the example user interfaces disclosed herein
enable relationships between individual cells in a grid to be
established and displayed, upon selection of one of the related
cells, in the user interface. These embodiments enable nonlinear
relationships to be displayed outside of the normal parameters of
the contiguous X-Y structure of the grid.
[0003] In one example embodiment, a non-transitory
computer-readable medium stores a program configured to cause a
processor to generate a user interface on a display device
associated with the processor. The user interface includes a grid
including rows and columns, a viewport that displays only a portion
of the grid, and a plurality of cells each having a specific
position in one of the rows and one of the columns of the grid. A
first one of the cells is related to a second one of the cells that
is positioned in a different one of the rows and a different one of
the columns of the grid from the first cell such that the first
cell and the second cell are not capable of being displayed in the
viewport at the same time. The viewport is configured to display,
upon selection of the first cell displayed in the viewport, a
completely visible visual representation in the viewport of the
relationship between the first cell and the second cell.
[0004] In another example embodiment, a non-transitory
computer-readable medium stores a program configured to cause a
processor to generate a user interface on a display device
associated with the processor. The user interface includes a grid
including rows and columns, a plurality of cells each having a
specific position in one of the rows and one of the columns of the
grid, with a first one of the cells being related to a second one
of the cells that is positioned in a different one of the rows and
a different one of the columns of the grid from the first cell, and
a viewport that displays only a portion of the grid. The viewport
is not capable of displaying the second cell simultaneously with
the first cell because the specific position of the second cell in
the grid is too far from the specific position of the first cell in
the grid to be displayed in the viewport at the same time. The
viewport is configured, upon selection of the first cell displayed
in the viewport, to reposition a gathered version of the second
cell out of its specific position in the grid and into a position
within the viewport in order to display a completely visible visual
representation of the relationship between the first cell and the
gathered version of the second cell.
[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential characteristics of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the
scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0006] Additional features will be set forth in the description
which follows or may be learned by the practice of the teachings
herein. Features of the invention may be realized and obtained by
means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out
in the appended claims. Features of the present invention will
become more fully apparent from the following description and
appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention
as set forth hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] To further clarify certain aspects of the present invention,
a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by
reference to example embodiments thereof which are disclosed in the
appended drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings are
diagrammatic and schematic representations of such example
embodiments, and are not limiting of the present invention, nor are
they necessarily drawn to scale. Aspects of the invention will be
described and explained with additional specificity and detail
through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an example tablet computer environment in
which an example user interface having a grid of cells is
displayed;
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates the example user interface of FIG. 1 with
the user interface displaying a visual representation of
relationships between cells using lines connecting the cells;
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates the example user interface of FIG. 1 with
the user interface displaying a visual representation of
relationships between cells using a separate interface object that
lists the relationships;
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates the example user interface of FIG. 1
displaying a different portion of the grid;
[0012] FIG. 5 discloses the example user interface of FIG. 4 with
the user interface displaying a visual representation of
relationships between cells using gathered cells that are gathered
into the viewport and are connected to one another by lines;
and
[0013] FIG. 6 discloses the example user interface of FIG. 4 with
the user interface displaying a visual representation of
relationships between cells using a separate interface object that
lists the relationships.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Example embodiments of the present invention relate to user
interfaces for displaying relationships between cells in a grid. At
least some of the example user interfaces disclosed herein enable
relationships between individual cells in a grid to be established
and displayed, upon selection of one of the related cells, in the
user interface. These embodiments enable nonlinear relationships to
be displayed outside of the normal parameters of the contiguous X-Y
structure of the grid.
[0015] As used herein, the term "grid" is not limited to a grid
made up of rectangular cells organized into X-Y rows and columns.
Therefore, although the grids of the example user interfaces
disclosed herein are generally grids made up of rectangular cells
organized into X-Y rows and columns, it is understood that the term
"grid" can also encompass a grid with non-rectangular cells, such
as a spherical grid, and/or a grid that does not have linear
vertical and horizontal X-Y rows and columns, such as diagonal or
curved rows and columns.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example tablet computer environment in
which an example user interface having a grid of cells is
displayed. In particular, FIG. 1 discloses a tablet computer 100
having a touch display area 102. The touch display area 102 is
employed in FIG. 1 to display an example user interface 200. The
user interface 200 includes a grid 202. The grid 202 has rows and
columns of cells, with each cell having a specific position in the
grid. Each cell is configured to contain content, such as the
structured content disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/271,882, which was filed on Oct. 12, 2011, and which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Some of the cells
in the grid 202 may be cluster cells. A cluster cell is a cell
which itself may contain two or more separate additional cells. The
grid 202 includes a header row 204 and a header column 206.
[0017] The user interface 200 also includes a viewport 208, a
viewtracker 210, a search box 212, a target box 214, and a user
options selector 216.
[0018] Since the grid 202 is too large to be displayed all at once,
the viewport 208 displays only a portion of the grid 202. The user
interface 200 enables a user to reposition the grid 202 within the
viewport 208 to allow the user to navigate to any portion of the
grid 202. This repositioning may be accomplished, for example, by
dragging the grid using a mouse pointer on a non-touch display or
using a finger on a touch display.
[0019] The viewtracker 210 includes a grid representation 218 of
the grid 202 and a viewport representation 220 of the viewport 208.
The viewport representation 220 is positioned within the grid
representation 218 and overlays the grid representation 218. The
viewport representation 220 visually conveys both the proportion of
the grid 202 currently displayed in the viewport 208 as well as the
position within the grid 202 of the portion of the grid 202
displayed in the viewport 208, thereby helping the user visualize
where the user is in terms of either additional or total content to
be viewed or progress along the progression of the grid 202. During
scrolling within the viewport 208, the viewport representation 220
may also convey the rate of travel through the grid 202.
[0020] The search box 212 allows a user to search for a specific
cell or a specific cell content within the grid 202. The target box
214 displays the target of the grid. The target of the grid 202 may
be, for example, an individual, a group of individuals, an animal,
a computer program, a project, a company, a car model, a series of
paintings, or anything to which a range or value or rating or score
can be determined or assigned, for which a sense of status change
or progress can be represented or tracked. In FIG. 1, the target
box 214 displays the name of a target individual associated with
the cell contents or cell statuses of the cells currently displayed
in the grid 202. The target individual may be different from the
user of the user interface 200. For example, the target individual
may be a child and the user of the user interface 200 may be the
child's parent, teacher, or physician. The user may access the user
interface 200 to track the developmental progress of the child in
each of the developmental areas covered by the content contained in
each cell. Alternatively, for example, the user may be a car
salesman, with the target being a specific make of car selectable
under the user options selector 216 of different makes of car, with
the status representing consumer ratings on the features of
different models of that make of car. The user options selector 216
may be selected by the user in order to access various option menus
related to the user interface 200.
[0021] Additional details about cluster cells, header rows, and
header columns, viewports, viewtrackers, and search boxes are
disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/271,882.
[0022] Each of the cells disclosed in the grid 202 of FIG. 1 may be
related to one or more of the other cells in the grid 202. As used
herein, the phrase "a first cell and a second cell are related
cells" or "a first cell is related to a second cell" refers to the
content of the first cell of a grid and the content of the second
cell of the grid being related. As noted previously, these
relationships may not be perfectly linear as implied by the X-Y
structure of the grid 202. Further, it is noted that a single cell
may be related to multiple other cells (i.e., one-to-many
relationships), and multiple cells may be related to multiple other
cells (i.e., many-to-many relationships). Therefore, although many
of the example relationships disclosed herein relate a first cell
to a single cell, it is understood that various one-to-many and
many-to-many combinations of relationships are also possible. It is
further noted that although the relationships disclosed between
cells herein are generally direct relationships (where one cell is
directly related to another cell), various indirect relationships
may also be defined and exist between cells in the grid 202. For
example, if a first cell is directly related to a second cell via a
first direct relationship, and the second cell is directly related
to a third cell via a second direct relationship, the first cell is
indirectly related to the third cell via the first and second
direct relationships.
[0023] A relationship between cells may have one or more aspects.
An aspect of a relationship may include, but is not limited to, the
relationship's type, degree, weight, magnitude, order, or sequence.
A relationship type may be, for example, a human relationship
(e.g., parent/child, sibling, child/parent, or spouse), an
organizational relationship (e.g., employer/employee,
investor/board, or parent corporation/subsidiary), a logical
relationship (e.g., related "see also" content or prerequisite), a
conceptual relationship (e.g., a broader concept in one cell and a
narrower concept in another cell), or a semantic relationship
(e.g., the meaning of words in one cell being semantically related
to the meaning of words in another cell). Other relationship
aspects are also possible, and the term "aspect" is not limited to
these examples.
[0024] The relationships between cells may be established manually
by a user or automatically by the user interface 200 and these
relationships may be viewed as nodes along a "relational thread".
For example, the user interface 200 may be configured to allow a
user to specify the relationship and one or more aspects of the
relationship between two or more cells. This may be accomplished
using an options display (not shown) that is accessed by selecting
the user options selector 216 of the user interface 200. As used
herein, the term "user" includes not only an end user of the user
interface 200, but any other user, such as a content author or an
interface administrator. Also, the user interface 200 may be
configured to allow a user to create and define custom
relationships between cells by using any of various methods, for
example, using a provided drawing palette provided within the user
interface 200 that includes pre-defined relational data objects and
drawing tools that the user may assign to cell pairs or groupings
of cells. Similarly, the user interface 200 may automatically
establish relationships between cells by, for example, matching
cell content or tracking user interaction patterns with cells.
[0025] The user interface 200 may also be configured to display a
related-cells indicator when a cell has related cells. For example,
where a cell in the grid 202 has a certain number of related cells,
that number may be displayed in the cell inside a circle as
disclosed in FIG. 1. For example, the cell 222 includes two related
cells, as indicated by the circle with the number "2" in the cell
222. Using a related-cells indicator may enable a user to quickly
ascertain which cells have a related cell, and also ascertain
certain aspects of those relationships such as how many such
relationships exist.
[0026] It is understood that although the user interface 200 is
disclosed in FIG. 1 in a tablet computer environment, the user
interface 200 may instead be employed in a variety of other
environments including other touch display environments as well as
non-touch display environments.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates the example user interface 200 displaying
a visual representation of relationships between cells using lines
connecting the cells. In particular, FIG. 2 discloses the user
interface 200 upon selection of the cell 222. The cell 222 may be
selected, for example, by double clicking or double tapping on the
cell 222. The cell 222 may alternatively be selected in a variety
of other predetermined ways. Upon selection, the lines 224 and 226
appear connecting to the cells 228 and 230, respectively. One or
more aspects of the relationship visually represented by a line may
be represented by the color, weight, or style of the line. For
example, the style of the line 224 is a dot-dot-dashed arrow
pointing from the cell 228, which represents that the cell 228 has
a "prerequisite" relationship to the cell 222. In contrast, the
style of the line 226 is a dashed arrow pointing to the cell 230,
which represents that the cell 230 has a "see also" relationship to
the cell 222. It is understood that the relationship types of
"prerequisite" and "see also" are used herein as example aspects of
a relationship between cells, but other aspects of a relationship
can also be represented by the color, weight, style, or other
characteristics of the line. Thus, FIG. 2 illustrates that lines
224 and 226 connecting cells 222, 228, and 230 together is one form
of a visual representation of the relationships between these
cells.
[0028] Although lines are used in FIG. 2 as a form of a visual
representation of the relationships between cells, it is understood
that lines are but one form of a visual representation of the
relationships between cells. Other possible forms that could
instead be employed in FIG. 2 include, but are not limited to,
other graphic objects, such as a series of bubbles or balloons, a
simple vector arrow that is not a full line, or an animated object
such as an orbiting star or symbol. Thus, the discussion of "lines"
herein could also apply to any other form of graphic or symbolic
representation.
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates the example user interface 200 displaying
a visual representation of relationships between cells using a
separate interface object that lists the relationships. In
particular, FIG. 3 discloses the user interface 200 upon selection
of the cell 222. Upon selection, a separate interface object,
namely, a pop-up window 232 is displayed in the viewport 208 in
front of the grid 202. The pop-up window 232 lists the
"prerequisite" relationship between the cell 228 and the cell 222
and the "see also" relationship between the cell 222 and the cell
230. Thus, FIG. 3 illustrates that the pop-up window 232 that lists
the relationships between the cells 222, 228, and 230 is another
form of a visual representation of the relationships between these
cells.
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates the example user interface 200 displaying
a different portion of the grid 202 in the viewport 208. As
disclosed in FIG. 4, the cell 234 includes four related cells, as
indicated by the related-cells indicator of the circle with the
number "4" in the cell 234.
[0031] FIG. 5 discloses the example user interface 200 displaying a
visual representation of relationships between cells using gathered
cells that are gathered into the viewport 208 and are connected to
one another by lines. As used herein, the term "gathered" refers to
a cell or a copy of a cell that has been repositioned out of its
original position in a grid. The cell may be further modified in
its size, shape, or other visual aspect of its appearance.
[0032] In particular, FIG. 5 discloses the user interface 200 upon
selection of the cell 234. Upon selection, the lines 236-242 appear
connecting to the cells 244-250, respectively. As noted previously,
the dot-dot-dashed arrow style of the lines 236-240 represents that
the cells 244-248 have "prerequisite" relationships to the cell
234. Also, the dashed arrow style of the line 242 represents the
cell 250 has a "see also" relationship to the cell 234. In
addition, since the cells 234 and 244-250 are not capable of being
displayed in the viewport 208 due to their respective positions in
the grid 202, the user interface 200 is configured to display the
lines 236-242 after displaying gathered versions of the cells 234
and 244-250 that are gathered into the viewport 208. The gathered
versions of the cells 234 and 244-250 may be the actual cells 234
and 244-250 having been gathered into the viewport 208, or they may
be copies of the actual cells 234 and 244-250 that are gathered
into the viewport 208. As disclosed in FIG. 5, the gathered
versions of the cells 234 and 244-250 may be overlaid on top of the
underlying grid 202. As disclosed in FIG. 5, the gathered versions
of the cells 234 and 244-250 may also be enlarged, the corners may
be rounded, and the borders may be thickened to emphasize the
gathered versions of the cells 234 and 244-250 and deemphasize the
underlying grid 202. The underlying grid 202 may be "grayed-out" or
diminished in some other fashion to further emphasize the gathered
versions of the cells 234 and 244-250 and further deemphasize the
underlying grid 202. The gathered versions of the cells 234 and
244-250 may also be overlaid on top of the underlying grid 202 with
some degree of transparency to the underlying grid 202. Thus, FIG.
5 illustrates that lines 236-242 connecting cell 234 and gathered
cells 244-250 together is another form of a visual representation
of the relationships between these cells.
[0033] FIG. 5 also discloses various indirect relationships between
cells in the grid 202 of the user interface 200. In particular, by
virtue of cell 246 being directly related to the cell 234 via the
"prerequisite" relationship 238, and the cell 234 being directly
related to the cell 250 via the "see also" relationship 242, the
cell 246 is indirectly related to the cell 250 via these two
relationships 238 and 242. Similarly, by virtue of cell 246 being
directly related to the cell 234 via the "prerequisite"
relationship 238, and the cell 248 being directly related to the
cell 234 via the "prerequisite" relationship 240, the cell 246 is
indirectly related to the cell 248 via these two relationships 238
and 240. Thus, FIG. 5 illustrates that both direct and indirect
relationships can be visually represented using the lines 236, 238,
240, and 242 connecting cell 234 and gathered cells 244, 246, 248,
and 250. It is understood that other forms of visually representing
indirect relationships between cells can also be employed in the
user interface 200.
[0034] FIG. 5 also discloses additional direct relationships
between cells in the grid 202 of the user interface 200. In
particular, since the cells 246 and 244 are both directly related
to the cell 234, and thus are shown in the display of FIG. 5 which
is presented upon selection of the cell 234, the direct
"prerequisite" relationship 243 between the cell 246 and the cell
244 is also shown in the display of FIG. 5. Thus, selection of a
single cell can result in the display of a web of relationships
between cells that are directly related to the selected cell.
[0035] Further, in other example embodiments, the selection of a
single cell can result in the display of a web of relationships
between cells that are even indirectly related to the selected
cell. In these example embodiments, the entire web of cell may be
gathered into the viewport 208 and possibly reduced in size to
allow all cells in the web to fit in the viewport 208.
[0036] FIG. 6 discloses the example user interface 200 displaying a
visual representation of relationships between cells using a
separate interface object that lists the relationships. In
particular, FIG. 6 discloses the user interface 200 upon selection
of the cell 234. Upon selection, a separate interface object,
namely, a pop-up window 252 is displayed in the viewport 208 in
front of the grid 202. The pop-up window 252 lists the
"prerequisite" relationships between the cells 244, 246, and 248
and the cell 234 and the "see also" relationship between the cell
234 and the cell 250, similar to the pop-up window 232 disclosed in
FIG. 3.
[0037] It is understood that while the lines, pop-up windows, and
gathered cells with lines are disclosed herein as three example
forms of a visual representation of relationships between cells,
various other forms of a visual representation of relationships
between cells are also possible. Therefore, the phrase "a visual
representation of a relationship between cells," or variations
thereof, are not limited to one of these three example forms.
[0038] The embodiments described herein may include the use of a
special purpose or general purpose computer including, but not
limited to, a cell phone, smartphone, smart appliance, automobile,
navigation system, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop
computer, media player, and the like that is equipped with a
display, including various computer hardware or software modules,
as discussed in greater detail below.
[0039] Embodiments described herein may be implemented using
computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable
instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such
computer-readable media may be any available media that may be
accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way
of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may
include non-transitory computer-readable storage media including
RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic
disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other
storage medium which may be used to carry or store desired program
code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data
structures and which may be accessed by a general purpose or
special purpose computer. Combinations of the above may also be
included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0040] Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example,
instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer,
special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to
perform a certain function or group of functions. Although the
subject matter has been described in language specific to
structural features and/or methodological steps, it is to be
understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims
is not necessarily limited to the specific features or steps
described above. Rather, the specific features and steps described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
[0041] As used herein, the term "module" may refer to software
objects or routines that execute on a computing system. The
different modules described herein may be implemented as objects or
processes that execute on a computing system (e.g., as separate
threads). While the system and methods described herein are
preferably implemented in software, implementations in hardware or
a combination of software and hardware are also possible and
contemplated.
[0042] All examples and conditional language recited herein are
intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding
the example embodiments and the concepts contributed by the
inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being
without limitation to such specifically-recited examples and
conditions.
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