System and method for reorienting clusters within a display

• US 20080180446A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuix North America Inc. (Nuix Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Vanderbilt Minerals, LLC
• Inventors: Gallivan, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 7,948,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A system and method for reorienting clusters within a display is provided. Clusters are maintained within a display. Each cluster includes a center located at a distance relative to a common origin for the display and a radius measured from the center. A pair of the clusters is selected and a bounding region is determined for each cluster in the pair by forming a pair of tangent vectors about the cluster and originating at the common origin. The bounding regions of the clusters in the pair are compared. The distance from the common origin of one of the clusters in the pair is increased upon overlap of the bounding regions as a perspective-corrected distance, which is determined as a function of the distances, the radii, and an angle between tangent vectors. The one cluster is moved to reorient the cluster'"'"'s center at the perspective-corrected distance in the display.

Claims

1. A system for reorienting clusters within a display, comprising:

a database to maintain clusters within a display, each cluster having a center located at a distance relative to a common origin for the display and a radius measured from the center;

a sort module to select a pair of the clusters based on their distances from the common origin;

a bounding module to determine a bounding region for each cluster in the pair by forming a pair of tangent vectors about the cluster and originating at the common origin;

a comparison module to compare the bounding regions of the clusters in the pair;

a distance module to increase the distance from the common origin of one of the clusters in the pair upon overlap of the bounding regions as a perspective-corrected distance; and

a reorient module to move the one cluster to reorient the cluster'"'"'s center at the perspective-corrected distance in the display,

wherein the perspective-corrected distance is determined as a function of the distances and the radii of the clusters in the pair, and an angle between tangent vectors representing the distances of the clusters in the pair.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the perspective-corrected distance is calculated by a quadratic equation based on a relationship of the clusters in the pair.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the one cluster i in the pair is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising:

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an orientation module to orient each cluster in the display at a fixed angle along a common axis drawn through the common origin.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the common origin and the common axis are measured using a coordinate system comprising one of polar coordinates, Cartesian coordinates, and logarithmic coordinates.

6. The system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a maintenance module to maintain the fixed angle for each cluster during reorientation.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the clusters individually represent thematically related objects comprising a collection of documents.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reorientation module reorients the clusters based on a span measured from the centers of the one cluster and the other cluster in the pair, comprising:

a value module to determine a sum of the radius for the one cluster and the radius for the other cluster in the pair;

a span module to apply the span to the sum; and

a distance module to determine a new distance for the one cluster in the pair when the span is less than the sum.

9. A method for reorienting clusters within a display, comprising:

maintaining clusters within a display, each cluster having a center located at a distance relative to a common origin for the display and a radius measured from the center;

selecting a pair of the clusters based on their distances from the common origin;

determining a bounding region for each cluster in the pair by forming a pair of tangent vectors about the cluster and originating at the common origin;

comparing the bounding regions of the clusters in the pair;

increasing the distance from the common origin of one of the clusters in the pair upon overlap of the bounding regions as a perspective-corrected distance; and

moving the one cluster to reorient the cluster'"'"'s center at the perspective-corrected distance in the display,

wherein the perspective-corrected distance is determined as a function of the distances and the radii of the clusters in the pair, and an angle between tangent vectors representing the distances of the clusters in the pair.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the perspective-corrected distance is calculated by a quadratic equation based on a relationship of the clusters in the pair.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the one cluster i in the pair is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising:

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

orienting each cluster in the display at a fixed angle along a common axis drawn through the common origin.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the common origin and the common axis are measured using a coordinate system comprising one of polar coordinates, Cartesian coordinates, and logarithmic coordinates.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

maintaining the fixed angle for each cluster during reorientation.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the clusters individually represent thematically related objects comprising a collection of documents.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

reorienting the clusters based on a span measured from the centers of the one cluster and the other cluster in the pair, comprising;

determining a sum of the radius for the one cluster and the radius for the other cluster in the pair;

applying the span to the sum; and

determining a new distance for the one cluster in the pair when the span is less than the sum.

17. A system for displaying a perspective-corrected representation of clusters, comprising:

a sort module to sort clusters based on a distance measured from a center of each cluster to a common origin, each cluster comprising a radius originating from the center and to group pairs of the sorted clusters;

an overlap module to form a bounding region for each cluster in the pairs of clusters and selecting those pairs with the clusters having overlapping bounding regions;

a reorientation module to provide a perspective-corrected representation by reorienting at least one cluster in each selected pair, comprising;

a measurement module to measure a span between the centers of the clusters in one such selected pair;

a value module to apply the span to a value calculated as a sum of the radii for each cluster in the selected pair; and

a determination module to determine a perspective-corrected distance for the one cluster by increasing the distance when the span is less than the value, wherein the perspective-corrected distance is determined as a function of the distances and the radii of the clusters in the selected pair, and an angle between tangent vectors representing the distances of the clusters in the selected pair; and

a display module to display the perspective-corrected representation.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein perspective-corrected distance is calculated by a quadratic equation based on a relationship of the clusters in the selected pair.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the one cluster i in the pair is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising:

20. Tile system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a proportion module to proportionately increase the span relative to the increase in the perspective-corrected distance.

21. A method for displaying a perspective-corrected representation of clusters, comprising:

sorting clusters based on a distance measured from a center of each cluster to a common origin, each cluster comprising a radius originating from the center;

grouping pairs of the sorted clusters;

forming a bounding region for each cluster in the pairs of clusters and selecting those pairs with the clusters having overlapping bounding regions;

providing a perspective-corrected representation by reorienting at least one cluster in each selected pair, comprising;

measuring a span between the centers of the clusters in one such selected pair;

applying the span to a value calculated as a sum of the radii for each cluster in the selected pair; and

determining a perspective-corrected distance for the one cluster by increasing the distance when the span is less than the value, wherein the perspective-corrected distance is determined as a function of the distances and the radii of the clusters in the selected pair, and an angle between tangent vectors representing the distances of the clusters in the selected pair; and

displaying the perspective-corrected representation.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein perspective-corrected distance is calculated by a quadratic equation based on a relationship of the clusters in the selected pair.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the one cluster i in the pair is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising:

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

proportionately increasing the span relative to the increase in the perspective-corrected distance.