Underlying grid structure and animation of tables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9477650-B2
Application number	US-201113220946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2011
Priority date	Aug 30, 2011
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments are provided that include the use of an underlying grid structure as part of managing table operations and/or animation visualizations, but are not so limited. A method of an embodiment uses an underlying grid structure as part of an animation control reference or guide to provide table visualizations for display, including using one or more table borders and aspects of a reference grid column or row as part of controlling table features. A system of one embodiment includes a table manager to manage table actions and a grid manager to manage an underlying grid structure based in part on associated table actions and/or animations. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a selection to insert a table structure into a word processing document;
displaying the table structure including an outer table border and a number of interior table borders including bound interior table borders and at least one of a semi-bound interior table border and an unbound interior table border, wherein the semi-bound table border includes one end coupled to the outer table border, and ends of the unbound interior table border do not extend to the outer table border;
generating an underlying grid structure for the table structure by expanding the one or more semi-bound and unbound interior table borders to define corresponding bound underlying grid structure borders, the underlying grid structure comprising an outer grid border corresponding to the outer table border and bound interior grid borders corresponding to the bound, and the expanded one or more semi-bound and unbound interior table borders, wherein all borders of the underlying grid structure are bound; and
displaying a table animation animating a table action using constraints dictated by the underlying grid structure, wherein the table action is one of: a column deletion action, a column insertion action, a row deletion action, and a row insertion action.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising managing display of the table animation using grid boundaries as determined in part by an interaction point relative to the outer table border.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using boundaries associated with an underlying grid column or row as part of animating a column or row selection action.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining the relevant borders of the underlying grid column or row based in part on an interaction location outside of the table structure and nearest interior table borders relative to a line extending horizontally or vertically from the interaction location.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using boundaries associated with an underlying grid column or row as part of determining the result of a column or row selection action.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using aspects of the underlying grid structure as part of an animation constraint to visualize selection, insertion, and deletion table actions.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using aspects of the underlying grid structure as part of guiding and controlling interactive table actions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a selection indication based in part on whether the table action results from interacting inside or outside of the outer table border including using a corresponding underlying grid boundary as an animation reference.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling an animation sequence based in part on structural constraints of an underlying grid column or row associated with the table action.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating aspects of the underlying grid structure based on results of a table portion insertion action, a table portion deletion action, a table portion resize action, or a table portion move action.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising animating aspects of the table structure based on a sorting a table column action or a filtering a table column action.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising animating aspects of the table structure based on a moving a table column or row action.

13. A system comprising:
at least one processor and memory;
a table manager to manage operations associated with a table, wherein the table includes an outer table border and a number of interior table borders including one or more bound interior table borders, semi-bound interior table borders, and unbound interior table borders, wherein a semi-bound table border includes one end coupled to the outer table border and ends of an unbound interior table border do not extend to the outer table border;
a grid manager to generate an underlying grid structure for the table by expanding the one or more semi-bound and unbound interior table borders to define corresponding bound underlying grid structure borders, wherein the underlying grid structure comprises an outer grid border and bound interior grid borders that are based in part on unbound and semi-bound interior table borders, wherein all borders of the underlying grid structure are bound borders and capable of being used in part as a table animation control reference; and
a display component to display the table including table animations, wherein the display of a table animation includes one of an animation animating a column deletion action, an animation animating a column insertion action, an animation animating a row deletion action, and an animation animating a row insertion action.

14. The system of claim 13 , the table manager further configured to identify interior table borders that coincide with one or more underlying grid borders.

15. The system of claim 13 , the grid manager further configured to identify an underlying grid border associated with a location of a table action.

16. Computer hardware storage including instructions that, when executed, operate to:
receive a control input as part of a table action associated with the table defined in part by table boundaries including an outer boundary and interior boundaries, wherein the interior boundaries include:
one or more of a bound horizontal boundary, a semi-bound horizontal boundary, an unbound horizontal boundary, and a bound vertical boundary; and
one or more of a semi-bound vertical boundary and an unbound vertical boundary, wherein a semi-bound vertical boundary includes one end coupled to the outer boundary and ends of an unbound vertical boundary do not extend to the outer boundary;

generate an underlying grid structure by expanding the semi-bound and unbound interior table borders to define corresponding bound underlying grid structure boundaries, the underlying grid structure including a grid boundary and bound horizontal and vertical interior grid boundaries defined in part by the table boundaries, wherein all the interior boundaries of the underlying grid structure are bound boundaries; and
control a display of an animation associated with the user interaction including using aspects of the underlying grid structure as an animation constraint when animating the table for certain table actions, wherein the table actions include a column deletion action, a column insertion action, a row deletion action, and a row insertion action.

17. The computer storage of claim 16 including instructions that, when executed, operate further to define the animation constraint based in part on an underlying grid boundary.

18. The computer storage of claim 17 including instructions that, when executed, operate further to translate the underlying grid boundary as part of a table display.

19. The computer storage of claim 16 including instructions that, when executed, operate further to update the underlying grid structure based on performance of the table action.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the table animation animating the column insertion action further comprises:
displaying a gap in the table corresponding to a table separation at a table portion coinciding with a bound grid border of an underlying grid column, wherein the bound grid border of the underlying grid border is not present in the table structure;
displaying and expansion of the g

Assignees

• Ashley-Rollman Caitlin
• Douglas Malia
• Best Jessica Arwen
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Ashley-Rollman Caitlin
• Douglas Malia
• Best Jessica Arwen

Classifications

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06T13/80

  Two-dimensional [2D] animation, e.g. using sprites · CPC title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06F40/177 Primary

  of tables; using ruled lines · CPC title

• G06F17/245 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic