Viewing tabular data on small handheld displays and mobile phones
View Patent ↗What is disclosed is a method for presenting spreadsheets and other documents on client-side devices with limited resources and tiny display screen area. The present invention involves the user, on a client-side device, scrolling through a condensed image view of a document with the user's viewpoint of the image repeatedly computed server-side. A split-bar is stitched into a composite view of the user's current viewpoint. The user clicks a scroll-bar or scroll-points to indicate an intended change in direction of their current viewpoint. The client-side device provides the server with information as to where and how the next viewpoint is to be updated. Responsive to the received client information the server updates the viewpoint currently displayed with the transmission of images therefor and provides the same back to the client. In such a manner, the computing power and resources of the server are utilized for the image manipulation, cropping, etc. rather than that of the client's handheld device.
1. A method for document viewing on a client-side device, comprising:
(a) receiving, at a server, first user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the first user generated data including document data corresponding to a document to be viewed on the client-side device and client-side display device data corresponding to a client-side display device display capabilities;
(b) generating, at the server, a first image portion and a second image portion of the document to be viewed on the client-side device, the first image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the second image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the first image portion being intra-document to be viewed spatially related to the second image portion;
(c) generating, at the server, a split-bar image to indicate a visual separation between image portions;
(d) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the second image portion, and the split-bar image to create a composite image;
(e) transmitting the composite image to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device;
(f) receiving, at the server, second user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the second user generated data including data relating to a new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(g) generating, at the server, a third image portion, the third image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to the new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(h) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the third image portion, and the split-bar image to create a new composite image; and
(i) transmitting the new composite image to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image portion has a horizontal relationship with the second image portion.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image portion has a vertical relationship with the second image portion.
4. A method for document viewing on a client-side device, comprising:
(a) receiving, at a server, first user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the first user generated data including document data corresponding to a document to be viewed on the client-side device and client-side display device data corresponding to a client-side display device display capabilities;
(b) generating, at the server, a first image portion and a second image portion of the document to be viewed on the client-side device, the first image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the second image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the first image portion being intra-document to be viewed spatially related to the second image portion;
(c) generating, at the server, a split-bar image to indicate a visual separation between image portions;
(d) generating, at the server, an scroll image to provide an activatable area, within an image portion, to enable a user generated scroll instruction;
(e) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the second image portion, the scroll image, and the split-bar image to create a composite view;
(f) transmitting the composite view to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device;
(g) receiving, at a server, second user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the second user generated data being generated in response to a user activating the activatable area within the composite view being displayed by the client-side display device so as to request a new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(h) generating, at the server, a third image portion, the third image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to the new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(i) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the third image portion, the scroll image, and the split-bar image to create a new composite view; and
(j) transmitting the new composite view to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first image portion has a horizontal relationship with the second image portion.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first image portion has a vertical relationship with the second image portion.
7. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a horizontal scroll instruction.
8. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a vertical scroll instruction.
9. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a vertical/horizontal scroll instruction.
10. A method for document viewing on a client-side device, comprising:
(a) receiving, at a server, first user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the first user generated data including document data corresponding to a document to be viewed on the client-side device and client-side display device data corresponding to a client-side display device display capabilities;
(b) generating, at the server, a first image portion and a second image portion of the document to be viewed on the client-side device, the first image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the second image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to client-side display device data, the first image portion being intra-document to be viewed spatially related to the second image portion;
(c) generating, at the server, a split-bar image to indicate a visual separation between image portions, the split-bar image providing an activatable area, within the split-bar image, to enable a user generated scroll instruction;
(d) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the second image portion, the scroll image, and the split-bar image to create a composite view;
(e) transmitting the composite view to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device;
(f) receiving, at a server, second user generated data communicated from the client-side device, the second user generated data being generated in response to a user activating the activatable area within the composite image being displayed by the client-side display device so as to request a new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(g) generating, at the server, a third image portion, the third image portion being a portion of the document corresponding to the new viewpoint of the document being viewed on the client-side display device;
(h) stitching, at the server, the first image portion, the third image portion, the scroll image, and the split-bar image to create a new composite view; and
(i) transmitting the new composite view image to the client-side device to be displayed by the client-side display device.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first image portion has a horizontal relationship with the second image portion.
12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first image portion has a wed vertical relationship with the second image portion.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a horizontal scroll instruction.
14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a vertical scroll instruction.
15. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the activatable area enables a user to generate a vertical/horizontal scroll instruction.