Gesture-based visualization of data grid on mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9904456-B2
Application number	US-201414558017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2014
Priority date	Dec 2, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A mobile device user may quickly and naturally explore data received in a data grid from a remote database. A mobile device engine receives the database data including dimensions and measures, in a grid format comprising rows and columns of numerals. In response to a recognized suite of user gestures (e.g., horizontal swipe, vertical swipe, drag and drop), the engine may modify the data grid to provide a changed visualization, without the user device having to re-access a remote database server. In one example, a touch swipe down a column of the data grid may result in display of column data in vertical bar chart form, rather than exclusively as numerical values. Other user recognized gestures can include a user dragging and dropping one column into another, with horizontal bar visualizations combined into stacked bar charts that serve to rapidly apprise the user of a relative magnitude of column information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
a mobile device displaying a data grid comprising numerical values arranged in rows and columns of table cells, the columns including column headers;
a functional module of the mobile device receiving a user drag gesture in the data grid displayed by the mobile device;
in response to the user drag gesture, the function module generating a data grid visualization comprising a modified table cell combining multiple table cells, the modified table cell including a chart replacing numerical values of the multiple table cells; and
the function module generating a composite header for a column including the modified table cell, the composite header replacing column headers of multiple table cells being combined and indicating a source of data of the modified table cell.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the visual representation comprises a bar.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein the visual representation comprises a stacked bar comprising a plurality of measures.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the functional module comprises:
a gesture recognition engine configured to reference an event listener; and
a visualization engine configured to generate the data grid visualization based upon an output of the gesture recognition engine.

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:
the functional module of the mobile device receiving another user gesture in the data grid visualization displayed by the mobile device; and
in response to the other gesture, the function module generating another data grid visualization comprising a combination of visual representations.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein the another gesture comprises a swipe in a column of the data grid.

7. A method as in claim 5 wherein the another gesture comprises a swipe in a row of the data grid.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein a column of the visualized data grid corresponds to a measure.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying a computer program for performing a method, said method comprising:
a mobile device displaying a data grid comprising numerical values of database measures arranged in rows and columns of table cells, the columns including column headers, wherein a column corresponds to single measure;
a functional module of the mobile device receiving a user drag gesture in the data grid displayed by the mobile device;
in response to the user drag gesture, the function module generating a data grid visualization comprising a modified table cell combining multiple table cells, the modified table cell including a chart replacing numerical values of the multiple table cells; and
the function module generating a composite header for a column including the modified table cell, the composite header replacing column headers of multiple table cells being combined and indicating a source of data of the modified table cell.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 wherein the visual representation comprises a horizontal bar.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 10 wherein the horizontal bar comprises a stack of a plurality of measures.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 wherein the functional module comprises:
a gesture recognition engine configured to reference an event listener; and
a visualization engine configured to generate the data grid visualization based upon an output of the gesture recognition engine.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 wherein the method further comprises:
the functional module of the mobile device receiving another user gesture in the data grid visualization displayed by the mobile device; and
in response to the other gesture, the function module generating another data grid visualization comprising a combination of visual representations.

14. A computer system comprising:
one or more processors;
a software program, executable on said computer system, the software program configured to:
cause a mobile device to display a data grid comprising numerical values arranged in rows and columns of table cells, the columns including column headers;
cause a functional module of the mobile device to receiving a user drag gesture in the data grid displayed by the mobile device;
in response to the user drag gesture, cause the function module to generate a data grid visualization comprising a modified table cell combining multiple table cells, the modified table cell including a chart replacing numerical values of the multiple table cells; and
the function module generating a composite header for a column including the modified table cell, the composite header replacing column headers of multiple table cells being combined and indicating a source of data of the modified table cell.

15. A computer system as in claim 14 wherein the visual representation comprises a stacked bar of a plurality of measures.

16. A computer system as in claim 14 wherein the visual representation comprises a horizontal bar chart of a plurality of values of a same measure.

17. A computer system as in claim 14 wherein the software program is further configured to:
cause the functional module of the mobile device to receive a drag-and-drop user gesture in the data grid visualization displayed by the mobile device; and
in response to the drag-and-drop gesture, cause the function module to generate another data grid visualization comprising a combination of visual representations of a plurality of measures.

Assignees

• Xie Yingyu
• Miao Youdong
• Business Objects Software Ltd

Inventors

• Xie Yingyu
• Miao Youdong

Classifications

• G06F3/04842

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

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F3/0486 Primary

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F40/18

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