Location aware spreadsheet actions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811516-B2
Application number	US-96797210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2010
Priority date	Dec 14, 2010
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Location information is integrated with spreadsheet formulas and operations. Location information may be used in filtering data, detecting data sources, performing calculations, and the like. The data may be filtered by location, individuals, places, and other location based information. The location information may be integrated into native spreadsheet formulas to perform calculations, trigger alerts, or drive other spreadsheet business logic. The location information may also be used to detect and use nearby data sources that are published near the spreadsheet user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for using location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:
receiving, by a first computing device associated with a first user, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with a second computing device;
in response to receiving the location information, automatically performing an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises non-location values and location values, and wherein performing the operation on the preexisting data within the first spreadsheet comprises:
determining that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;
determining that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;
determining identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values;
automatically executing at least one native formula to create the updated data based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device; and
displaying the first spreadsheet with the updated data; and

in response to receiving different location information, changing a display of the first spreadsheet in response to executing the at least one native formula based on the predetermined condition satisfied by the different location information.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a location of other spreadsheet users.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining when a data source is near the user.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically filtering the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically sorting the display of the updated data associated with the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values comprises accessing the first spreadsheet and examining the first spreadsheet to determine at least one of: a row and a column that are associated with a location value and a spreadsheet object that is associated with a location value.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein a different portion of the first spreadsheet is automatically displayed in response to receiving different location information.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing an operation on the location information, wherein performing the operation on the location information comprises performing native location based functions comprising native location based formulas, wherein the native location based formulas comprise at least one of: a formula to convert the location information to different forms of location information, a formula to determine a location of a current user, and a formula to determine a location of another user.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that data within the second spreadsheet is available for collaborating, beginning a collaboration session when the second user is within the predetermined proximity.

10. A first computing device associated with a first user comprising a processing unit and storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processing unit cause the first computing device to perform a method for integrating location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:
receiving, by the first computing device, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with a second computing device;
in response to receiving the location information, automatically performing an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises location values and non-location values, and wherein performing the operation on the preexisting data within the first spreadsheet comprises:
determining that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;
determining that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;
determining identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values; and
automatically executing at least one native formula based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device;

displaying the first spreadsheet with the updated data; and
in response to receiving different location information, changing a display of the first spreadsheet in response to executing the at least one native formula based on the predetermined condition satisfied by the different location information.

11. The computing device of claim 10 , further comprising determining a location of other spreadsheet users.

12. The computing device of claim 10 , further comprising determining when a data source is near the user and surfacing the data source in a display.

13. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically filtering the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

14. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein displaying the first spreadsheet comprises automatically sorting the display of the first spreadsheet in response to receiving the location information.

15. The computing device of claim 10 , further comprising automatically examining the first spreadsheet to determine at least one of: a row and a column that are associated with a location value.

16. The computing device of claim 10 , further comprising:
performing an operation on the location information using a native location based formula comprising at least one of: a formula to convert the location information to different forms of location information, a formula to determine a location of a current user, and a formula to determine locations of other users.

17. A system associated with a first user for integrating location information with a first spreadsheet, comprising:
a central processing unit (CPU) and a computer storage media;
a display;
an operating environment stored on the computer storage media and executing on the CPU; and
a location manager operating under the control of the operating environment and operative to:
receiving, by the location manager, location information for a physical location of a second user associated with the second computing device;
in response to receiving the location information, automatically perform an operation on preexisting data within the first spreadsheet to create updated data, wherein the preexisting data comprises location values and non-location values, the location manager being further operative to:
determine that the second user is within a predetermined proximity;
determine that data within a second spreadsheet on the second computing device is available for collaborating;
determine identifiers in the first spreadsheet associated with the location values; and
execute, within the first spreadsheet, at least one native formula based on a predetermined condition satisfied by the location information to create the updated data, wherein the updated data is based at least in part on the data within the second spreadsheet on the second computing device;

display the first spreadsheet with the update

Assignees

• Campbell John
• Lin Amy
• Waldman Lawrence
• Der Sherman
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Campbell John
• Lin Amy
• Waldman Lawrence
• Der Sherman

Classifications

• G06F40/18 Primary

  of spreadsheets (form-filling G06F40/174) · CPC title

• G06F40/106

  Display of layout of documents; Previewing · CPC title

• H04M1/2757

  by data transmission, e.g. downloading · CPC title

• G06F40/166

  Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting · CPC title

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title