3 ms·
Apparently Microsoft filed for a patent on this in May of 2008. It's fascinating to me that Edward Tufte isn't mentioned anywhere in the patent application. h
by decode 17y ago
Apparently Microsoft filed for a patent on this in May of 2008. It's fascinating to me that Edward Tufte isn't mentioned anywhere in the patent application.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2009/0282325.html http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2009/0282325.html
Interestingly, that's the same month that someone else started posting mockups for the feature:
http://sparklines-excel.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html http://sparklines-excel.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
I wonder where that leaves these companies:
http://www.bonavistasystems.com/Products_SparkLiner_Overview.html http://www.bonavistasystems.com/Products_SparkLiner_Overview...
http://www.bissantz.com/sparkmaker/index_en.asp http://www.bissantz.com/sparkmaker/index_en.asp
- nfnaaron 17y agoI was planning to use them in a web app. I wonder where that leaves ... everybody? Will Tufte have to license his own invention for a future book or app? It would be odd, considering that Microsoft names Tufte as the inventor on the posted page. "For Excel 2010 we’ve implemented sparklines, “intense, simple, word-sized graphics”, as their inventor Edward Tufte describes them in his book Beautiful Evidence. "
- imp 17y agoIt's still just an application, so there's a chance that it will be rejected or limited in scope before it's approved. You may also be able to design around their specific claims.