USER INTERFACE FOR FACETED EXPLORATION

• US 20080140617A1
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Torres, Robert J., Rudd, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation

Abstract

The extended facet navigator combines two or more facet navigators for searching two or more datasets into a single, space efficient user interface. Each facet navigator is comprised of a plurality of constraint manipulators surrounding a results viewer. In one embodiment, the results from a first facet navigator are a constraint for a second facet navigator. Whenever the results of a first facet navigator are a constraint for a second facet navigator, any change to a constraint manipulator on the first facet navigator will update the results for the first facet navigator. The updated results from the first facet navigator updates the constraint on the second facet navigator. The second facet navigator updates the results of the second facet navigator based on the updated constraint.

Claims

1. A computer implemented process for searching more than one database by facet, the computer implemented process comprising:

displaying a first facet navigator comprising a first view field surrounded by a first manipulator field, wherein the first manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a first database;

displaying a second facet navigator comprising a second view field surrounded by a second manipulator field, wherein the second manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a second database;

setting a first constraint for a facet in the first database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the first manipulator field;

searching the first database based on the first constraint; and

displaying in the first view field the search results from the first database that satisfy the first constraint.

2. The computer implemented process of claim 1 further comprising:

using the search results from the first database as a second constraint for searching the second database;

searching the second database based on the second constraint; and

displaying in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the second constraint.

3. The computer implemented process of claim 2 further comprising:

displaying a third facet navigator comprising a third view field surrounded by a third manipulator field, wherein the third manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a third database;

setting a third constraint for a facet in the third database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the third manipulator field;

searching the third database based on the third constraint;

displaying in the third view field the search results from the third database that satisfy the third constraint;

using the search results from the third database as a fourth constraint for searching the third database;

searching the third database based on the fourth constraint; and

displaying in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the fourth constraint.

4. The computer implemented process of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a minimize command, displaying a first placeholder in place of the first facet navigator.

5. The computer implemented process of claim 1 wherein the first placeholder displays a subset of the results in the first view field of the first facet navigator.

6. The computer implemented process of claim 1 wherein the first placeholder displays a description related to the first facet navigator.

7. The computer implemented process of claim 1 wherein a search result from a conventional database searching tool searching a fourth database is used as a constraint by the second facet navigator.

8. An apparatus for searching more than one database by facet, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory connected to the processor;

a first database file, a second database file, and a third database file in the memory;

a web hosting application running in the memory operable to be accessed by a web browser, wherein the web hosting application is further operable to search and display items in the first database, the second database, and the third database; and

an extended facet navigator program in the memory operable to;

display a first facet navigator comprising a first view field surrounded by a first manipulator field, wherein the first manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a first database;

display a second facet navigator comprising a second view field surrounded by a second manipulator field, wherein the second manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a second database;

set a first constraint for a facet in the first database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the first manipulator field;

search the first database based on the first constraint; and

display in the first view field the search results from the first database that satisfy the first constraint.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the extended facet navigator is further operable to:

use the search results from the first database as a second constraint for searching the second database;

search the second database based on the second constraint; and

display in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the second constraint.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the extended facet navigator is further operable to:

display a third facet navigator comprising a third view field surrounded by a third manipulator field, wherein the third manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a third database;

set a third constraint for a facet in the third database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the third manipulator field;

search the third database based on the third constraint;

display in the third view field the search results from the third database that satisfy the third constraint;

use the search results from the third database as a fourth constraint for searching the third database;

search the third database based on the fourth constraint; and

display in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the fourth constraint.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the extended facet navigator is further operable to:

responsive to a minimize command, display a first placeholder in place of the first facet navigator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first placeholder displays a subset of the results in the first view field of the first facet navigator.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first placeholder displays a description related to the first facet navigator.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the extended facet navigator is further operable to use a search result from a conventional database searching tool searching the third database as a constraint by the second facet navigator.

15. A computer readable memory containing a plurality of instructions to cause a computer to search more than one database by facet, the plurality of instructions comprising:

a first instruction to display a first facet navigator comprising a first view field surrounded by a first manipulator field, wherein the first manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a first database;

a second instruction to display a second facet navigator comprising a second view field surrounded by a second manipulator field, wherein the second manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a second database;

a third instruction to set a first constraint for a facet in the first database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the first manipulator field;

a fourth instruction to search the first database based on the first constraint; and

a fifth instruction to display in the first view field the search results from the first database that satisfy the first constraint.

16. The computer readable memory of claim 15 further comprising:

a sixth instruction to use the search results from the first database as a second constraint for searching the second database;

a seventh instruction to search the second database based on the second constraint; and

an eighth instruction to display in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the second constraint.

17. The computer readable memory of claim 16 further comprising:

a ninth instruction to display a third facet navigator comprising a third view field surrounded by a third manipulator field, wherein the third manipulator field comprises a plurality of graphical constraint manipulators representing fields in a third database;

a tenth instruction to set a third constraint for a facet in the third database with one of the graphical constraint manipulators in the third manipulator field;

an eleventh instruction search the third database based on the third constraint;

a twelfth instruction to display in the third view field the search results from the third database that satisfy the third constraint;

a thirteenth instruction to use the search results from the third database as a fourth constraint for searching the third database;

a fourteenth instruction to search the third database based on the fourth constraint; and

a fifteenth instruction to display in the second view field the search results from the second database that satisfy the fourth constraint.

18. The computer readable memory of claim 15 further comprising an instruction that responsive to a minimize command, displays a first placeholder in place of the first facet navigator.

19. The computer readable memory of claim 18 wherein the first placeholder displays a subset of the results in the first view field of the first facet navigator.

20. The computer readable memory of claim 18 wherein the first placeholder displays a description related to the first facet navigator.