Patents by Inventor Kent R. Lowry
Kent R. Lowry has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7533340Abstract: An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip may be useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention may integrate HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip may provide additional levels of help or documentation when requested and may provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. Embodiments of the present invention may provide a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip may be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell. The help facility may recognize that the user has begun entering a function.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2004Date of Patent: May 12, 2009Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Margaret G. Hudson, Tuan Huynh, Kent R. Lowry, Justin M. Maguire, III, Eric W. Patterson, Marcella Rader, Mariya Tikunova
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Patent number: 7237186Abstract: A user can click on a spreadsheet cell to enter edit mode and alter the contents of the cell. Edit mode can be exited through a click and drag maneuver. The click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but also selects a range of cells. The click and drag is performed by depressing a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned Over the edit cell, moving the mouse while holding the mouse button depressed, and releasing the mouse button when the end of the desired range of cells is reached. The range of selected cells starts with the edit cell and continues to the cell over which the mouse indicator was positioned when the mouse button was released.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2002Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Matthew J. Androski, Mark S. Igra, Kent R. Lowry, Brian Frank, Jeanell D. Sullivan, Justin M. Maguire, III
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Patent number: 6828988Abstract: An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip is especially useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention integrates HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip provides additional levels of help or documentation when requested and provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. The present invention provides a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip will be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2001Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Margaret G. Hudson, Tuan Huynh, Kent R Lowry, Justin M. Maguire, III, Eric W. Patterson, Marcella Rader, Mariya Tikunova
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Patent number: 6691281Abstract: A spreadsheet program directly publishes a data table or chart into an HTML document. The table or chart is published to a predefined location within the HTML document and a user is enabled to readily update the published table or chart to include changes made in the spreadsheet program by republishing the data table or chart. Furthermore, the published or republished data can be imported back into the parent spreadsheet program from the HTML document without loss of functionality or formatting that it had in the parent spreadsheet program. In addition, the data may be published in a form that can be used by ActiveX web components in order to provide spreadsheet functionality from within the browser application. A unique marker tag or identification tag within the HTML document indicates where the data table or chart has been inserted.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 1999Date of Patent: February 10, 2004Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Terri L. Sorge, May May Quan, Kent R. Lowry, Russell S. Johnson, John L. Dauphiny
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Patent number: 6579324Abstract: A method for using an indicator, known as “See Through View,” that allows a user to select a region on the display device and still see the visual attributes of the contents as they will appear when the region is deselected. When the user selects a region on the display device, the invention “shades” the background of the selected region. The contents within the selected region are left unchanged. Shading is accomplished by combining each original background base color with a selection shading color to produce a corresponding blended color, or colors. If the corresponding blended color is similar to the background base color, the blended color is either lightened or darkened, as needed to produce an adjusted blended color. Each blended color, or the adjusted blended color (as required) replaces the corresponding base background color within the selected region. The effect is that the selected region and background items appear “shaded.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1999Date of Patent: June 17, 2003Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Kent R. Lowry, Howard Wesley Cherry, Willard Bruce Jones, Tjeerd Hoek, Justin Maguire, III, John A. Tholen, Richard M. Banks, Terrence T. Huang
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Patent number: 6549878Abstract: Editing cells within a spreadsheet to change the contents of a spreadsheet. To enter edit mode and alter the contents of a cell, the user first selects a cell by single clicking a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned above the cell. The user then initiates another single click when the mouse indicator is positioned above the selected cell. Once edit mode is active, the user may change the contents of the cell from within the web browser window as desired. Edit mode can be exited through one of three methods: an “exit and save” signal, an “exit and discard” signal, or a click and drag maneuver. The exit and save signal prompts the invention to save all changes to the cell that the user has made. The exit and discard signal prompts the invention to discard any changes made to the cell by the user, revert to the pre-edit mode contents of the edit cell, and exit edit mode. Finally, a click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but selects a range of cells.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 1998Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Kent R. Lowry, Mark S. Igra, Brian Frank, Jeanell D. Sullivan, Justin M. Maguire, III, Matthew J. Androski
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Publication number: 20030051209Abstract: Editing cells within a spreadsheet to change the contents of a spreadsheet. To enter edit mode and alter the contents of a cell, the user first selects a cell by single clicking a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned above the cell. The user then initiates another single click when the mouse indicator is positioned above the selected cell. Once edit mode is active, the user may change the contents of the cell from within the web browser window as desired. Edit mode can be exited through one of three methods: an “exit and save” signal, an “exit and discard” signal, or a click and drag maneuver. The exit and save signal prompts the invention to save all changes to the cell that the user has made. The exit and discard signal prompts the invention to discard any changes made to the cell by the user, revert to the pre-edit mode contents of the edit cell, and exit edit mode. Finally, a click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but selects a range of cells.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2002Publication date: March 13, 2003Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Matthew J. Androski, Mark S. Igra, Kent R. Lowry, Brian Frank, Jeanell D. Sullivan, Justin M. Maguire
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Publication number: 20020118221Abstract: An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip is especially useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention integrates HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip provides additional levels of help or documentation when requested and provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. The present invention provides a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip will be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2001Publication date: August 29, 2002Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Margaret G. Hudson, Tuan Huynh, Kent R. Lowry, Justin M. Maguire, Eric W. Patterson, Marcella Rader, Mariya Tikunova