Apparatus and method for visualizing overlapping range-bands

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

forming column range-bands;

generating row range-bands, wherein a column range-band and a row range-band intersect at a shared data cell and wherein the shared data cell is split to display both the column range-band and the row range-band; and

establishing global range-bands in conjunction with the column range-bands and the row range-bands.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the global range-band includes a gradient overlay.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the global range-band is displayed with an outer-edge to cell-center gradient overlay.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a range-band has indicia selected from a color, a texture, a shading and an animation.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein textures are associated with different colors and are provided as default options in specific cases, selected from at least one of printing to gray scale printers and displaying on predetermined devices.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein a color set associated with a range-band ranges from light to dark in association with a set of value ranges.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the column range-bands, the row range-bands and the global range-bands are distinguished from each other by using at least one of a contrasting color set, a contrasting texture set, a contrasting shading set or a contrasting animation set.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared data cell is split on a line of symmetry displaying the column range-band in a first portion of the shared data cell and displaying the row range-band in a second portion of the shared data cell.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared data cell is split diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner displaying the column range-band in the upper portion of the cell and displaying the row range-band in the lower portion of the cell.

10. A computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

apply a first range-band; and

form a second range-band, wherein:

the first range-band and the second range-band intersect at a shared cell and

both the first range-band and the second range-band are visible within the shared cell.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein:

the first range-band is selected from a column range-band, a row range-band and a global range-band, and

the second range-band is selected from a column range-band, a row range-band and a global range-band, but is a dissimilar type of range-band from the first range-band.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , further comprising executable instructions to apply a third range-band.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein:

the shared cell is intersected by the third range-band

and

all range-bands are visible within the shared cell.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein:

the third range-band is selected from a column range-band, a row range-band and a global range-band, and

is a dissimilar type of range-band from the first range-band and the second range-band.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first range-band and the second range-band are distinguished from each other by at least one of a contrasting color set, a contrasting texture set, a contrasting shading set and a contrasting animation set.