Displaying events by category based on a logarithmic timescale

• US 20060010382A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kurebayashi, Toshihiro, Ejiri, Kohichi
• Application Number:
  US11/177,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/712
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

An apparatus, method, system, computer program and product, each capable of displaying one or more categories, with each category including one or more events; selecting one of the categories; generating a timeline for the selected category based on a logarithmic scale; determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline; and displaying each of the events at the determined position of the timeline. The categories may be displayed in a three-dimensional form.

Claims

1. An event display method, comprising the steps of:

displaying one or more categories, with each category including one or more events;

selecting one of the categories;

generating a timeline, starting at a starting date for the selected category, based on a logarithmic scale;

determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline from the starting date of the timeline; and

displaying each of the events belonging to the selected category at the determined position of the timeline.

2. The event display method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selecting one of the events being displayed.

3. The event display method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

displaying an event data file corresponding to the selected event.

4. The event display method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selecting a time unit of the timeline, wherein each of the events belonging to the selected category is displayed in the selected time unit.

5. The event display method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

converting the timeline from the logarithmic scale to a linear scale.

6. The event display method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

forming a frame having a predetermined size for the selected category, wherein the timeline is displayed within the frame.

7. The event display method of claim 6, wherein the timeline has a length corresponding to the size of the frame.

8. The event display method of claim 1, wherein the timeline ends at an ending date preceding the starting date.

9. The event display method of claim 8, wherein the ending date is determined based on category time information.

10. The event display method of claim 9, wherein the starting date is determined based on category time information.

11. The event display method of claim 9, wherein the starting date is determined based on current date information.

12. The event display method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises the step of:

obtaining, for each of the events belonging to the selected category, a time period between the starting date of the timeline and an event date of the event.

13. The event display method of claim 12, wherein the determining step further comprises the step of:

converting the obtained time period with a conversion factor, wherein the determined position corresponds to the converted obtained time period.

14. The event display method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises the step of:

obtaining event time information for each of the events belonging to the selected category, wherein the position of each of the events is determined based on the corresponding event time information.

15. The event display method of claim 14, wherein the displaying step comprises the step of:

obtaining event properties information for each of the events belonging to the selected category.

16. The event display method of claim 15, wherein the displaying step further comprises the step of:

changing a view of the displayed events based on at least one of the event properties information and the event time information.

17. The event display method of claim 15, wherein the displaying step further comprises the step of:

clustering the events belonging to the selected category into one or more clusters, based on at least one of the event properties information and the event time information.

18. The event display method of claim 17, wherein the displaying step further comprises the step of:

changing a view of the displayed events based on the result of the clustering step.

19. The event display method of claim 1, wherein the one or more categories are displayed in a three-dimensional form.

20. The event display method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step comprises the step of:

generating a category timeline for each of the categories based on a logarithmic scale, with each category timeline indicating a time period represented by the corresponding category.

21. The event display method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step further comprises the steps of:

obtaining category time information for each of the categories; and

changing a view of the categories based on the category time information.

22. An event display method, comprising the steps of:

displaying one or more categories, with each category including one or more events;

selecting one of the categories;

generating a timeline starting at a starting date, for the selected category, based on a logarithmic scale;

determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline from the starting date of the timeline;

selecting one or more of the events belonging to the selected category for display; and

displaying the selected events on the determined positions of the timeline.

23. A category display method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining category data indicating one or more categories to be displayed;

generating, for each of the categories, a category timeline starting at a starting date based on a logarithmic timescale;

determining, for each of the categories, a starting date and an ending date of the category based on category time information;

determining, for each of the categories, a portion of the category timeline corresponding to a time period between the starting date and the ending date; and

displaying each of the categories at the determined portion of the category timeline.

24. An event display system, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device configured to store a plurality of instructions which, when activated by the processor, cause the processor to perform an event display operation, comprising;

displaying one or more categories with each category including one or more events;

selecting one of the categories;

generating a timeline starting at a starting date for the selected category based on a logarithmic scale;

determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline, from the starting date of the timeline; and

displaying each of the events belonging to the selected category on the determined position of the timeline.

25. The event display system of claim 24, wherein the storage device further stores one or more event data files.

26. The event display system of claim 25, wherein the operation further comprises:

selecting one of the events being displayed; and

obtaining an event data file corresponding to the selected event for display.

27. The event display system of claim 25, wherein the storage device further stores:

event time information for each of the event data files.

28. The event display system of claim 27, wherein the storage device further stores:

event properties information for each of the event data files.

29. An event display apparatus, comprising:

means for displaying one or more categories with each category including one or more events;

means for selecting one of the categories;

means for generating a timeline starting at a starting date, for the selected category, based on a logarithmic scale;

means for determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline, from the starting date of the timeline; and

means for displaying each of the events belonging to the selected category at the determined position of the timeline.

30. The event display apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for selecting a time unit of the timeline, wherein each of the events belonging to the selected category is displayed in the selected time unit.

31. The event display apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for converting the timeline from the logarithmic scale to a linear scale.

32. An event display apparatus, comprising:

means for displaying one or more categories with each category including one or more events;

means for selecting one of the categories;

means for generating a timeline starting at a starting date for the selected category based on a logarithmic scale;

means for determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline, from the starting date of the timeline;

means for selecting one or more of the events belonging to the selected category for display; and

means for displaying the selected events on the determined positions of the timeline.

33. A category display apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining category data indicating one or more categories to be displayed;

means for generating, for each of the categories, a category timeline starting at a starting date, based on a logarithmic timescale;

means for determining, for each of the categories, a starting date and an ending date of the category based on category time information;

means for determining, for each of the categories, a portion of the category timeline corresponding to a time period between the starting date and the ending date; and

means for displaying each of the categories at the determined portion of the category timeline.

34. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium for carrying out a method when running on an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying one or more categories, with each category including one or more events;

selecting one of the categories;

generating a timeline starting at a starting date, for the selected category, based on a logarithmic scale;

determining a position of each of the events belonging to the selected category on the timeline, from the starting date of the timeline; and

displaying each of the events belonging to the selected category at the determined position of the timeline.

35. The product of claim 34, wherein the operation further comprises the steps of:

selecting one of the events being displayed; and

displaying an event data file corresponding to the selected event.