Patent application EP19382553A (EP), filed 2019-06-28
Publication number: EP3757863A1
Title: COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR ENABLING DATA REFERENCING USING ONE OR MULTIPLE DATA CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ONE OR MULTIPLE SOURCE SPREADSHEETS AND ONE OR MULTIPLE DESTINATION SPREADSHEETS
Abstract: The invention refers to a computer-implemented method for enabling data referencing using one or multiple data connections (48) between one or multiple source spreadsheets and one or multiple destination spreadsheets with the steps: defining, by a user: a first spreadsheet (49) to be the source spreadsheet; defining a second spreadsheet (50) to be the destination spreadsheet; a source (56) for a data connection in the source spreadsheet; a destination (61) for the data connection in the destination spreadsheet, the data connection being from source to destination; then storing information defining the data connection separate both from first and second spreadsheet, the information including source and destination; transferring data from source to destination through the data connection using the stored information. Moreover, the invention refers to a computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed, cause the computing device to perform the method.
IPC codes: G06F  40/   166            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A computer-implemented method for enabling data referencing using one or multiple data connections (30, 48, 77, 79, 80, 100, 116, 120, 128, 132) between one or multiple source spreadsheets and one or multiple destination spreadsheets, the method comprising the following steps:
number: 2
text: The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining, by the user, the source comprises defining the source as a single cell (3-11, 31-39, 57-60, 62-65), a range of cells (21, 56, 61), a tab (12, 13, 14) within the source spreadsheet, or all of the tabs (12, 13, 14) in the source spreadsheet, and
when the source is the single cell or the ranges of cells, then defining, by the user, the destination in the destination spreadsheet as a single cell or a range of cells, and
when the source is the tab or all the tabs, then defining, by the user, the destination spreadsheet as the destination.
number: 3
text: The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the source spreadsheet and the destination spreadsheet are stored in an online storage.
number: 4
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the source spreadsheet and the destination spreadsheet are in a single spreadsheet file.
number: 5
text: The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the single spreadsheet file is defined by a single unique identifier.
number: 6
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the source spreadsheet (49) is in a first spreadsheet file (51) and the destination spreadsheet (50) is in a second spreadsheet file (52), wherein the first spreadsheet file and the second spreadsheet file are different.
number: 7
text: The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first spreadsheet file is defined by a first unique identifier and the second spreadsheet file is defined by a second unique identifier.
number: 8
text: The computer-implemented method of claim 6 or 7, further comprising the steps of:
number: 9
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the step of automatically triggering transferring of the data in the data connection based on changes in a cell, a range of cells, or a tab in the source spreadsheet, or based on time.
number: 10
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 9, after the step of transferring data from the source to the destination through the data connection using the stored information defining the data connection, further comprising the step of automatically tracking from where in the source spreadsheet the data in the destination spreadsheet originated, and the step of displaying a real-time map showing a route the data travelled across the first spreadsheet file, the second spreadsheet file, and one of range of cells, cell, and tab.
number: 11
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the first spreadsheet file (131) is of a first user (75) and the second spreadsheet file (133) is of a second user (76), wherein the first user and the second user are different, or wherein the first spreadsheet and the second spreadsheet are of a single user.
number: 12
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first spreadsheet and the second spreadsheet are maintained in a closed or an opened state by the user during the defining steps.
number: 13
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 4 to 12, wherein the spreadsheet file, or the first spreadsheet file and the second spreadsheet file are maintained in a closed or an opened state by the user during the defining steps.
number: 14
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 13, wherein during the step of transferring data from the source to the destination through the data connection using the stored information defining the data connection, the source spreadsheet and the destination spreadsheet are kept closed or opened.
number: 15
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 4 to 14, wherein during the step of transferring data from the source to the destination through the data connection using the stored information defining the data connection, the spreadsheet file, or the first spreadsheet file and the second spreadsheet filed are kept closed or opened.
number: 16
text: The computer-implemented method of one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the step of storing the information defining the data connection, wherein the information is stored separate from the first spreadsheet and separate from the second spreadsheet comprises storing the information in a separate file, optionally on a separate computing device.
number: 17
text: A computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of one of claims 1 to 16.
Office action: search_report, dated 2020-12-30
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2014157098A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: - ANOYMOUS: "SHEETGO", SOFTWARE, 27 June 2019 (2019-06-27)
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - ANONYMOUS: "Sheetgo - Wikipedia", 25 March 2019 (2019-03-25), XP055652278, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheetgo&oldid=889412807> [retrieved on 20191212]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - ANONYMOUS: "How to use the Sheetgo add-on for Google Sheets", YOUTUBE.COM, 21 November 2018 (2018-11-21), XP055653428, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQCtxzR2VM> [retrieved on 20191217]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - ANONYMOUS: "How to Merge multiple spreadsheets with Sheetgo", YOUTUBE.COM, 21 November 2018 (2018-11-21), XP055653439, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL7ll2isS8U> [retrieved on 20191217]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - ANONYMOUS: "How to create a blank workflow with Sheetgo", YOUTUBE.COM, 23 May 2019 (2019-05-23), XP055653366, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKk8QVAb3x8> [retrieved on 20191217]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - ANONYMOUS: "How to update your workflows - automatically or manually", YOUTUBE.COM, 23 May 2019 (2019-05-23), XP055653371, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v9EQPo3eK0> [retrieved on 20191217]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - JOANNA SMITH: "G Suite Pro Tips: how to sync one spreadsheet to another in Google Sheets", 23 May 2018 (2018-05-23), XP055653481, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/g-suite-pro-tips-how-sync-one-spreadsheet-another-google-sheets/> [retrieved on 20191217]
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: US2014157098
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: - ANOYMOUS, "SHEETGO", SOFTWARE, (20190627) [XO] 1-17 * The software as a service (SaaS) used in a web browser on a computer running e.g. Windows, MAc or Linux operating system. *
ref_type: npl
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: - Anonymous, "Sheetgo - Wikipedia", (20190325), URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheetgo&oldid=889412807, (20191212), XP055652278 [L] 1-17 * Cited to show the existence of the Software Sheetgo * * section Features; page  2 *
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - Anonymous, "How to use the Sheetgo add-on for Google Sheets", youtube.com, (20181121), URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQCtxzR2VM, (20191217), XP055653428 [X] 1-17 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: - Anonymous, "How to Merge multiple spreadsheets with Sheetgo", youtube.com, (20181121), URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL7ll2isS8U, (20191217), XP055653439 [X] 1-17 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: - Anonymous, "How to create a blank workflow with Sheetgo", youtube.com, (20190523), URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKk8QVAb3x8, (20191217), XP055653366 [I] 1-17 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - Anonymous, "How to update your workflows - automatically or manually", youtube.com, (20190523), URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v9EQPo3eK0, (20191217), XP055653371 [I] 1-17 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - Joanna Smith, "G Suite Pro Tips: how to sync one spreadsheet to another in Google Sheets", (20180523), URL: https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/g-suite-pro-tips-how-sync-one-spreadsheet-another-google-sheets/, (20191217), XP055653481 [A] 1-17 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: background
Final disposition: pending (2020-12-30)