|Numéro de publication||US7370047 B2|
|Type de publication||Octroi|
|Numéro de demande||US 10/776,440|
|Date de publication||6 mai 2008|
|Date de dépôt||10 févr. 2004|
|Date de priorité||4 nov. 2000|
|État de paiement des frais||Payé|
|Autre référence de publication||US6738770, US20020143780, US20040163039|
|Numéro de publication||10776440, 776440, US 7370047 B2, US 7370047B2, US-B2-7370047, US7370047 B2, US7370047B2|
|Inventeurs||John G. Gorman|
|Cessionnaire d'origine||Deep Sky Software, Inc.|
|Exporter la citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citations de brevets (19), Citations hors brevets (2), Référencé par (31), Classifications (12), Événements juridiques (6)|
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet|
This application is a continuation application, and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of application Ser. No. 09/823,406 filed on Mar. 30, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,770, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to database systems. More particularly, the field of the invention relates to a system and method of filtering, sorting, and displaying data that is managed by a database system.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A graphical user interface program, such as a spreadsheet, is often used to display and manipulate data that is managed by a database. To organize the data, the spreadsheet typically displays to the user a data table that includes a plurality of rows and columns of data cells, each of the data cells displaying certain data items from the database.
Although a number of spreadsheet programs for various applications are in commercial use, these programs are limited in that they do not readily allow an unsophisticated user to filter and sort multiple columns of data cells in a data table.
For example, although many spreadsheet programs allow a user to filter data, they require the user to input a complicated set of instructions using “pull down” menu commands. A pull down menu command is a feature that can be selected from a menu bar that is displayed at the top of a screen by the spreadsheet programs. The menu bar contains various commands that may be selected by a user via the keyboard or mouse.
Furthermore, these spreadsheet programs do not dynamically respond to input filter criteria as it is typed by the user. For example, in known systems, a user is required to input the filter criteria in a filter criteria window that is separate from the data table. For example, assume a user is using the spreadsheet program to manage personnel data, and the user desires to find the record for Sarah Shievelniche. In this example, the user would be required to open the spreadsheet's filter window, and type in the name of the individual they were looking for, i.e., Sarah Shievelniche. If the user typed in her name incorrectly, the user would need to return to the filter menu and try different filter criteria. Such a process is time consuming since the user continually needs to re-request the spreadsheet program to display the filter criteria window to input new filter criteria.
Another disadvantage of known spreadsheet programs is that they do not display the data that satisfies the search criteria in the context of the data that does not satisfy the search criteria. Often, despite errors in entering filter criteria the desired information would be seen if the user was allowed to see the data cells that do not satisfy the search criteria. For example, using the above example, if the user entered the filter criteria “Sheivelniche”, the spreadsheet program would not find Sarah Shievelniche because the user had incorrectly typed her last name, i.e., the letter “i” and the letter “e” were reversed. However, if the spreadsheet program had displayed the data for those users having names close to the misspelled name, it is likely that the user could readily find the desired information despite his error.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for easily filtering multiple columns of data grids. The system and method should automatically filter and sort the data cells in dynamic response to receiving filter criteria. Furthermore, if desired, the system should allow the user to see those data cells that satisfy the filter criteria in the context of those data cells that do not satisfy the filter criteria.
One aspect of the invention includes a method of managing data, the method comprising displaying in a single window a plurality of filter cells and a table comprising a plurality of rows and columns of data cells, wherein the content of each of the data cells belongs to at least one data set, wherein each of the columns or rows has an associated sort procedure, and wherein each of the data cells is associated with at least one of the filter cells receiving filter criteria via one or more of the filter cells identifying which of the data cells contain data that satisfies the filter criteria of the filter cell that is associated with the data cells; and sorting the data sets of the identified data cells, wherein the sorting is based at least in part upon one of the sort procedures.
Another aspect of the invention includes a system for managing data, the system comprising means for displaying a table comprising a plurality of rows and columns of data cells, wherein a number of the rows or columns of cells of the table have an associated filter cell and an associated sort procedure, and wherein the content of each of the data cells belongs to at least one data set means for receiving filter criteria via one or more of the filter cells means for identifying which of the data cells satisfy the filter criteria that is associated with the respective data cells; and means for sorting the data sets of the identified data cells, wherein the sorting is based at least in part upon one of the sort procedures.
Yet another aspect of the invention includes a system for managing data, the system comprising a module for displaying a table comprising a plurality of rows and columns of data cells, wherein a number of the rows or columns of cells of the table have an associated filter cell and an associated sort procedure, and wherein the content of each of the data cells belongs to at least one data set a module for receiving filter criteria via one or more of the filter cells a module for identifying which of the data cells satisfy the filter criteria that is associated with the respective data cells; and a module for sorting the data sets of the identified data cells, wherein the sorting is based at least in part upon one of the sort procedures.
And yet another aspect of the invention includes a method of managing data, the method comprising displaying a table comprising a plurality of rows and columns of data cells, wherein a number of the rows or columns of cells of the table have an associated filter cell and an associated sort procedure, and wherein the content of each of the data cells belongs to at least one data set receiving filter criteria via one or more of the filter cells generating a sorting priority list that defines a sorting order for the sort procedures, wherein the sorting priority list is generated based at least in part upon the order in which a user enters filter criteria in the filter cells identifying which of the data cells satisfy the filter criteria that is associated with the respective data cells sorting the data sets of the identified data cells, wherein the sorting is based at least in part upon one of the sort procedures and the sort priority list; and displaying the sorted data sets of data cells, wherein the satisfying cells are displayed contiguously and interposed between non-satisfying data cells, wherein the data cells are identified, sorted, and displayed in response to receiving character-by-character input or upon the lapse of a preset pause period subsequent to not receiving character input, and wherein the data sets associated with the identified data cells are graphically identified to a user via highlight, color or other image marking that is different from the highlight, color, or image marking that is used for the non-satisfying data cells.
The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims.
The computer 110 can include a microprocessor and other hardware for executing a data management module 200 (
The computer is connected to a display 125 and at least one input device. Using the input device and display 125, a user can selectively view the data that is managed by the data management system 100. The input device may be a keyboard 130, mouse 135, rollerball, pen and stylus, or voice recognition system. The input device may also be a touch screen associated with the display 125. The user may respond to prompts on the display by touching the screen. Textual may be entered by the user through the input device. Together these elements may be embodied as a variety of computing devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone, laptop computer, set top box, and so forth.
The network 120 may include any type of electronically connected group of computing devices including, for instance, the following networks: Internet, Intranet, Local Area Networks (LAN) or Wide Area Networks (WAN). In addition, the connectivity to the network may be, for example, remote modem, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Token Ring (IEEE 802.5), Fiber Distributed Datalink Interface (FDDI) or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Note that networked computing devices may be desktop, server, portable, hand-held, set-top, or any other desired type of configuration. As used herein, an Internet network may include network variations such as public Internet, a private Internet, and a secure Internet. Furthermore, the network could be configured as a private network, a public network, a value-added network, an intranet, and the like.
The modules 205-220 and the database 225 may each be written in any programming language such as C, C++, BASIC, Pascal, Java, and Fortran and executed under any well-known or proprietary operating system. C, C++, BASIC, Pascal, Java, and Fortran are industry standard programming languages for which many commercial compilers can be used to create executable code.
Furthermore, depending on the one embodiment of the invention, certain ones of the modules 205-220 and/or the database 225 reside and execute on a computer that is external to the computer 110. For example, the database 225 may reside in a database server that is remotely accessible by various client computing devices such as the computer 110.
Each of the columns has an associated filter cell 410 and sort cell 415. Using an input device, such as the keyboard 130, a user can input filter criteria into the filter cells 410. As will be discussed in further detail below, the data management system 100 filters and sorts the data in the data cells in response to receiving filter criteria. The user may designate a sort algorithm for each of the columns in the table 400. By selecting one of the sort cells 415, e.g., the cell named “Last Name”, the user can toggle between different sorting algorithms. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, two sorting algorithms are associated with each of the sort cells, i.e., an alphabetical sort and a reverse alphabetical sort. In another embodiment of the invention, the user can configurably set the sort algorithm that is associated with each of the sort cells.
It is to be appreciated that the number of column and rows in the table 400 will vary depending on the embodiment. Furthermore, the type of data that is stored in the table 400 will vary depending upon the application.
Referring again to
As is shown in
Proceeding to a decision state 304, the data management system 100 determines whether the user entered an operator into one of the filter cells. If the user enters an operator, the data management system 100 returns to the state 300 to receive other parameters regarding the provided operator. However, if the user did not input an operator, i.e., the user input a letter or digit, the data management system 100 proceeds to a state 308 wherein all data cells satisfying the criteria input into the filter cell are highlighted or otherwise visually identified to the user on the display 125. In one embodiment of the invention, the data management system 100 also highlights the data cells falling within the same rows, i.e., information bars, as the identified data cells.
For example, referring to
Continuing to a decision state 312 from state 308, the data management system 100 determines whether the user entered filter criteria in any of the other filter cells, e.g., cells 415 a, 415 b, 415 c. If filter criteria was not entered in any of the other filter cells, the data management system 100 moves to a state 316, wherein the information bars are sorted according to the order that filter criteria was entered. Thus, as is seen in
Referring again to decision state 312, if the user has input filter criteria in more than one of the filter cells, the data management system 100 proceeds to a state 320. At the state 320, the data management system 100 sorts each of the information bars based upon a sorting priority list. In one embodiment of the invention, the sorting priority list is used to record the order that filter cells of the columns are used. The database management system 100 sorts the information bars, using as the primary sort algorithm the sort algorithm of the first column that the user applied filter criteria. For example as is shown in
Continuing from state 320 to a decision state 324, the data management system 100 determines whether any data cells that do not satisfy the filter criteria are interleaved within the data cells that do satisfy the filter criteria. For example,
To group the data cells contiguously, at the state 328, the data management system 100 re-sorts the information bars in accordance with the sorting priority list. However, to be contrasted with the sort procedure of state 320, the data management system 100 sorts the data cells using only as many digits that were input in each of the filter cells except for the most recently used filter cell. For example,
Continuing to a state 332 from either one of the states 316, 324, or 328, as can be seen in
Proceeding to a decision state 336 (
In one embodiment of the invention, the identification and highlighting of data cells (state 308) and sorting (state 316) is performed immediately in response to receiving the filter criteria. Thus, in this embodiment, a user would not see intermediate displays showing highlighted data cells that are not sorted such as is shown in
Under these conditions, for example, the database management system starts at a state 504 and receives a keystroke. Next, at a decision state 508, the data management system 100 waits a predefined period of time before submitting a database query and updating the data table. If another key stroke is detected within the predefined time period, the database management system 100 returns to the state 504 to process another key stroke. However, if the predefined time period lapses, the data management system 100 proceeds to a state 512 and submits a new database query that is based at least in part upon the provided filter criteria and performs the filtering and sorting discussed above.
In one embodiment, the data management system 100 allows users to see the filtered data in real-time in response to character-by-character input of filter criteria. The data management system 100 includes a filter cell for each of the columns in the data table. By simply inputting text into one of the filter cells, the information bars in the table are automatically filtered and sorted. Furthermore, the data management system 100 also allows the user to see the information bars that satisfy the filter criteria in the context of the information bars that do not satisfy the filter criteria. The sorting process of the data management system 100 increases the likelihood that the user can find desired data on the same screen as the data cells that satisfy the filter criteria even with improperly formed filter criteria. Such immediate feedback allows the user to quickly identify errors in the filter criteria. Moreover, the data management system 100 records a sorting priority list based upon the order in which the user entered filter criteria in the filter cells. The priority sorting allows the information bars to be rearranged in a way that meets the user's probable expectations.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
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|Classification aux États-Unis||707/752, 707/999.007, 707/999.102|
|Classification internationale||G06F17/21, G06F7/00, G06F17/30, G06F17/00, G06F17/24|
|Classification coopérative||Y10S707/99937, Y10S707/99943, G06F17/246|
|5 août 2010||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: DEEP SKY SOFTWARE, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GORMAN, JOHN G.;REEL/FRAME:024812/0281
Effective date: 20010721
|12 oct. 2010||RF||Reissue application filed|
Effective date: 20100506
|9 juin 2011||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|21 juin 2011||RR||Request for reexamination filed|
Effective date: 20110425
|26 août 2014||B1||Reexamination certificate first reexamination|
Free format text: CLAIMS 4, 5, 15-23, 27-38 AND 43-48 ARE CANCELLED.CLAIMS 1-3, 6-14, 24-26 AND 39-42 WERE NOT REEXAMINED.AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE AND PUBLICATION OF THIS CERTIFICATE, THE PATENT REMAINS SUBJECT TO PENDING REISSUE APPLICATION NUMBER 12/800,142 FILED MAY 6, 2010.THE CLAIM CONTENT OF THE PATENT MAY BE SUBSEQUENTLY REVISED IF A REISSUE PATENT IS ISSUED FROM THE REISSUE APPLICATION.
|6 nov. 2015||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8