Data storage, retrieval, manipulation and display tools enabling multiple hierarchical points of view

• US 20040036716A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Connect Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jena J. Jordahl
• Inventors: Jordahl, Jena J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Systems and methods for data storage, retrieval, manipulation and display provide search engines and computer-based research tools for enabling multiple hierarchical points of view. Category definitions in the hierarchical data structures can include lists of set members, like word arrays of set members, generative descriptions for determining set members, and fitness functions for determining fitness of a presented item for being a member of a set. Significance and interest values can be assigned to search categories to set threshold confidence levels for returning search results and for weighting the results, respectively. A user interface can present results in the form of browsing multiple hierarchical representations, wherein matching categories are differentiated from non-matching categories. Peer ratings can represent the ranking of search term results with relation to results using other search terms, providing an indication of the fitness of the search terms for returning satisfactory results.

Claims

1. A computer program tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and operable to cause a computer to enable a user interface for encoding a graphical representation of a point of view, the computer program comprising instructions to:

receive input from a user defining the graphical representation;

manipulate the graphical representation to obtain a hierarchy based on the point of view;

encode a structure of the hierarchy into data structures;

obtain significance and interest relations for components of the hierarchy based on the structure of the hierarchy;

apply the significance and interest relations to the data structures to obtain connectivity data;

determine confidence levels for data sets related to the components of the hierarchy based on the connectivity data; and

present the confidence levels and data sets to the user in the context of the hierarchy.

2. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to manipulate include instructions to obtain multiple hierarchies having components related to the point of view for selection by the user.

3. The computer program of claim 2, wherein instructions to manipulate include instructions to combine the multiple hierarchies.

4. The computer program of claim 2, wherein instructions to manipulate include instructions to link the multiple hierarchies.

5. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to manipulate include instructions to modify at least one of positioning of elements of the point of view in the graphical representation and connections between the elements of the point of view in the graphical representation to affect the structure of the hierarchy.

6. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to encode include instructions to execute logic modules representing set theory rules embodied by the structure of the graphical representation.

7. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the instructions to present include instructions to execute the logic modules to unpack data structures in the data sets to generate updated graphical representations of the hierarchy, the confidence levels being associated with elements of the updated graphical representations corresponding to the components of the hierarchy related to the data sets.

8. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to obtain significance and interest relations include instructions to receive significance and interest values input by the user.

9. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to obtain significance and interest relations include instructions to:

calculate significance and interest values based on at least one of locations of elements of the point of view in the graphical representation and positioning of connections between elements of the point of view in the graphical representation;

set thresholds for the confidence levels for inclusion of members of the data sets based on the significance values calculated; and

set weighting functions for the elements based on the interest values calculated.

10. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to apply include instructions to compare components of the hierarchy with a connections database, the connections database including degrees of matching between data elements in the connections database and hierarchy structures related to the data elements.

11. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the instructions to present include instructions to:

receive input from the user designating at least one member of the data sets as an interest member;

generate an updated graphical representation of the hierarchy for each of the data sets related to the components of the hierarchy, the updated graphical representation including differentiated components of the hierarchy based on the differentiated components having at least one interest member.

12. A computer-readable medium containing a data structure for defining the set theory used to describe sets of data in the data structure, the data structure comprising data elements linked in sets wherein the sets include lists of data elements, like word arrays of data elements with associated relativity factors, generative descriptions for executing procedures to determine set members, and fitness functions for executing procedures to determine fitness of a data element for being a member of a set, the data elements within sets being linked by degrees of matching.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data structure comprises:

assertive attributes assigned to the sets of data when the sets of data are defined by a system incorporating the data structure; and

proposed attributes assigned to the sets of data when the sets of data are defined by a user of the data structure.

14. A system for enabling multiple hierarchical points of view, comprising:

a host processor;

a user interface controlled by the host processor for inputting points of view to the system;

a query generator controlled by the host processor and in communication with the user interface to receive the points of view and generate queries;

a connections database having a data structure including degrees of matching between data elements in the connections database and hierarchy structures related to the data elements;

matching applications controlled by the host processor and in communication with the query generator to receive the queries, the matching applications in communication with the connections database to determine sets of the data elements having at least pre-selected degrees of matching with the queries, the matching applications operating on at least one database to obtain results based on the queries and sets of the data elements, the user interface outputting the results according to the hierarchy structures related to the data elements corresponding with the results.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising a communications application controlled by the host processor and in communication with at least one network for connecting a user to the system.

16. The system of claim 14, comprising a cluster processor controlled by the host processor and in communication with the connections database to identify clusters of data elements based on characteristics of the data elements, the degrees of matching between the elements being associated with the clusters.

17. A computer program tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and operable to cause a computer to enable searching of data records, the computer program comprising instructions to:

receive input from a user;

determine at least one hierarchy having components matching the input;

present the at least one hierarchy to the user for manipulation and selection by the user to obtain a selected hierarchy;

encode a structure of the selected hierarchy into data structures;

obtain significance and interest relations for components of the selected hierarchy based on the structure of the hierarchy;

apply the significance and interest relations to the data structures to obtain connectivity data;

search the data records for data matching the components of the selected hierarchy based on the connectivity data to obtain matching data;

present the matching data to the user in the context of the selected hierarchy.