Patent Application
20070240066
Further embodiments and advantages of the invention are described by the embodiment which is shown in the figures.
The following explanation of the embodiment applies to both figures. The system comprises a computer screen of a common personal computer or laptop for showing the information to the user.
The system further comprises a database which stores textual or numerical values. Such textual values are for example the name of the customers, the name of the ordered products etc. Numerical values are for example turnover values vs. time.
The values are stored in a database which is accessed by receiving means of the system of the present invention. The receiving means are adapted to read or receive from the database values which are the basis for generating data lines.
After receipt of the values the receiving means transfers the values to the generating means of the system. The generating means generate data from the values such as sparklines and/or textual information and form data sets 20 comprising said data. One or usually more than one data set 20 is assembled into a data line 10 which comprises one or preferably two or more data sets 20 in a row.
The receiving means further receive labels 30 from the database which labels designate the kind of the data displayed in each of the data lines 10. These labels 30 form the first column or line of the shown data lines 10. The data lines 10 usually move horizontally over the screen. However, the invention covers also any other kind of movement such as a vertical movement of data lines for example at one side of the screen. Contrary to the data lines 10 the labels 30 are preferably not moved by the moving means of the system.
The moving means are adapted to move the data lines 10 on the screen so that the user may be provided with a lot of information without the requiring user interaction.
As outlined above the generating means are provided to generate data lines 10 based on values of a database. As shown in the figures the data lines 10 comprise sparklines which have the shape of vertical bar diagrams, line diagrams etc. reflecting the development of a value over time. The data lines 10 also comprise textual information such as the name of customers or the name of products as shown in the figure. This textual information is linked with numerical values such as the number of calls of the customers or the number of product downloads.
As shown in the figures the system of the present invention allows the representation of a number of data lines 10, each of the data lines 10 reflecting a certain category of the displayed data. In the shown example these categories which are designated by the labels 30 in the first row are turnover, outgoing and incoming calls, mails, visits, orders, downloads etc. Moved data lines 10 are located beside the labels 30 wherein the data lines 10 are composed of data sets 20. The data sets 20 are comprised of data which data reflect values of the labeled category.
As shown in the first line of the enclosed figures the data may comprise sparklines which show the development of the turnover versus time for different companies or departments or sections of a company. Reference numeral 20 in the first line in
A label designating the sparkline is located on the left-hand side of the vertical bar diagram of the sparkline. This label, the bar diagram as well as said numbers form a data set 20. Of course other kinds of representation such as line diagrams as well as other values describing the diagram, such as mean values, deviations, absolute and relative values etc. are also conceivable to be displayed.
As shown in the second and third data line 10 of the figures the data lines have not to comprise graphical elements but can also contain textual information. In this example the second line is a data line which shows the number of outgoing calls to different firms. The data line 10 comprises the name of the company, on the right hand side thereof the number of outgoing calls to this company and on the left hand side the ordinal number of the respective company wherein the ordinal number is based on the number of outgoing calls.
The third and the following data lines 10 represent further data such as outgoing mails, calls etc.
The present figures of course merely contain examples of data forming the data sets 20. The present invention may be used for any kind of data such as for example for results of sport events, any kind of company data such as personnel or economic data etc. There is no restriction as to the kind of data and to the kind of representation of these data which may be shown in those data lines 10.
The system according to the embodiment shown in the figures may have additional tools which allow a comfortable use of the data lines 10.
On of these tools is a means for stopping the movement of a data line 10 which eases inspecting the data set 20. This stopping means may be triggered by moving a pointer to the data set 20 or data line 10 of interest or by touching on a touch screen the respective position on the screen.
Another tool is designed to show more details of a data set 20 to the user. This tool may be adapted to represent additional figures referring to a data line 10 or data set 20 or data such as relative or absolute values, changes or deviations of the data line 10 or further information referring to a company to which the data set 20 belongs etc. The tool may be adapted to create a space in a data set 20 in which the additional data are shown. Such space may be created for example on one or both sides of a column of a sparkline or beside the text of a data set.
In a further embodiment of the invention tools are provided for adjusting the size, color or form of the representation of the data. It is for example conceivable to provide selecting means for allowing the user to select the kind of sparkline which is represented in a data set 20.
The data lines 10 may be shown in a frame or window (“ticker portal”) opening on the screen which is shown in
The window may be located on the screen at a fixed location, such as on top of the screen or may be moved on the screen according to the users need. This allows the user to continue his current work on the screen and at the same time gives to the user without user interaction permanently the desired information in form of said data lines 10. Preferably the size of the window may be adjusted according to the users need for example so that it perfectly fits on the screen. Such size adjustment may be accompanied by a corresponding scale up or scale down of the data lines 10 so as to maintain the amount of displayed information independently of the size of the window.
