Microsoft patents AI tool that copies chart styles from images
Microsoft has filed a patent for a system that uses AI to look at a picture of a chart and automatically apply its style to a spreadsheet. The technology identifies visual details in the image and turns them into commands that update an existing chart to match the look.
In the filing’s own words
Methods, systems, and computer storage media for providing chart formatting management using a chart formatting engine in an artificial intelligence (AI) system are described. The chart formatting engine is integrated into a spreadsheet engine and leverages AI to automate and enhance the creation, customization, and refinement of chart visualizations. The chart formatting engine bridges the gap between static reference images and dynamic, editable charts by applying AI-driven insights and automation to streamline chart styling. The chart formatting engine uses advanced AI to convert formatting elements of a reference chart into edit commands that are used to generate an editable spreadsheet chart that replicates the reference chart's visual style. A multi-modal vision model analyzes the reference-chart, identifies formatting elements and then generates edit commands associated with adjusting the formatting elements. These edit commands are applied programmatically to an original chart to generate a subsequent chart streamlining customization and reducing manual effort.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computerized system comprising: one or more computer processors; computer memory storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations, the operations comprising: accessing a reference-chart; analyzing the reference-chart using a multi-modal visual model, wherein analyzing the reference-chart identifies one or more formatting elements, based on the one or more formatting elements, generating one or more edit commands; based on the one or more edit commands, generating a reference-based chart using the reference-chart and an original chart, wherein the reference-based chart is formatted as an editable chart based on the one or more formatting elements of the reference-chart; and causing display of the reference-based chart.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- CHART FORMATTING ENGINE IN AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM
- Publication number
- US20260268070A1
- Application number
- 19070311
- Filed
- Mar 4, 2025
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026
- Inventors
- 6
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 40/18 Physics & computingG06F 40/103 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.