# US 7,609,266 B2 · System and method for providing a dynamically updating legend > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,609,266 B2 - Document ID: US7609266B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/323,938 - Filed: 2005-12-29 - Published: 2006-05-18 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-01-12 - Assignees: Microsoft Corporation - Inventors: Janet L. Schorr; Timothy J. Cullen; Mark Frederick Iverson; Michael D. Mueller; William Holt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609266B2 ## CPC - G06F 40/169: Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes - G06F 40/258: Heading extraction; Automatic titling; Numbering - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Generating a dynamic legend for a drawing developed by a diagramming software program. A drawing sheet module and legend module, logically-coupled to the drawing sheet module, are useful for generating and updating a dynamic legend. The legend module can support the addition of a legend to a drawing sheet. The legend module can also determine if legend symbols should be automatically added to the legend. If legend symbols are added to a drawing sheet, that addition can be automatically reflected in the dynamic legend. Symbols can be converted such that they may be reflected in a dynamic legend. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method in a computer system with a processor and memory for updating a dynamic legend for a file, the method comprising: providing by the computer system a legend for the file, the legend including representations of symbols in the file, each representation being associated with a count of a number of symbol occurrences in the file; receiving by the computer system an indication that a user has added a symbol to the file; determining by the computer system whether the symbol added by the user is already represented in the legend; when the symbol is already represented in the legend, updating the legend by incrementing the count for the symbol in the legend; when the symbol is not already represented in the legend, updating the legend by adding a representation of the symbol to the legend and initializing a count for the symbol in the legend; and displaying the legend. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including after receiving the indication that the user has added the symbol to the file, receiving an indication that the user has converted the symbol to a legend symbol, and wherein the updating of the legend occurs after the symbol is converted to a legend symbol. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the symbol is converted to a legend symbol by setting a characteristic of the symbol. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the file represents a diagram. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the updating is performed automatically. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the symbol is designated as a legend symbol by setting a characteristic of the symbol. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: continually monitoring for indications that the user has added a symbol to the file. ### Claim 8 A computer system for dynamically updating a legend of a file, comprising: a memory storing: a drawing sheet component comprising computer-executable instructions for execution by a processor that allows a user to add a legend symbol to a file; and a legend component comprising computer-executable instructions for execution by the processor that: receives from the drawing sheet component an indication that a user has added a legend symbol to the file; determines whether the legend symbol added by the user is already represented in the legend; when the legend symbol is already represented in the legend, automatically increments a count for the symbol in the legend; and when the legend symbol is not already represented in the legend, automatically adds a representation of the legend symbol to the legend and initializes a count for the legend symbol in the legend; and displays the legend; and a processor for executing the computer-executable instructions of the components stored in the memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the legend component adds the legend symbol to the legend when a non-legend symbol is converted to a legend symbol. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein a non-legend symbol is converted to a legend symbol by setting a characteristic of the symbol. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the file represents a diagram. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the drawing sheet component adds a legend to the file and wherein the legend component performs the adding when the legend is added to the file. ### Claim 13 A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a computing system with a processor and memory to update a dynamic legend for a file, the instructions for executing a method comprising: providing by the computing system a legend for the file; receiving by the computing system an indication that a user has added a non-legend symbol to a file; receiving by the computing system an indication that the user has converted the non-legend symbol to a legend symbol; in response to receiving the indication that the user has converted the non-legend symbol to a legend symbol, automatically adding a representation of the converted legend symbol to the legend information; and displaying the legend. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the non-legend symbol is converted to a legend symbol by setting a characteristic of the symbol. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the automatic adding occurs when the non-legend symbol is converted. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the automatic adding occurs when a legend is added to a file that does not currently have a legend. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the file represents a diagram. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the user converts the non-legend symbol to a legend symbol by dragging the non-legend symbol to the legend and dropping the non-legend symbol on the legend. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the user converts the non-legend symbol to a legend symbol by making a selection on a displayed menu. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the count for the converted legend symbol indicates a number of occurrences of the converted legend symbol in the file.