INFORMATION ELEMENTS LOCATING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090055726A1
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc., Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mathieu Audet
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• 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: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A method for distinguishing information elements on a display, the method comprising associating at least one characterization attribute to a plurality of information elements; associating at least one visual distinctive feature with the selected characterization attribute; and displaying on the display at least some of the plurality of information elements associated with the at least one characterization attribute on an information element vector along a predetermined order, the at least some of the plurality of information elements being displayed with the associated at least one visual distinctive feature. A method for forming a group of characterization attributes is also disclosed herewith.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for displaying a plurality of information element vectors on a display, the method comprising:

displaying a first group of information elements, the first group of information elements having at least one first characterization attribute in common;

displaying a second group of information elements, the second group of information elements having at least one second characterization attribute in common;

determining information elements from the first group of information elements and the second group of information elements associated with a third characterization attribute; and

displaying the information elements associated with the third characterization attribute with at least one visual distinctive feature, the at least one visual distinctive feature influencing the visual appearance of the information elements associated with the third characterization attribute.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first group of information elements is displayed on a first information element vector along a first specific sequence and the second group of information elements is displayed on a second information element vector along a second specific sequence.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first information element vector is displayed adjacent to the second information element vector.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first information element vector is displayed parallel to the second information element vector.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one visual distinctive feature is selected from the group consisting of a color and a shape.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one visual distinctive feature is selected from the group consisting of an information element frame thickness, an information element frame color, an information element size and an information element indentation about its related information element vector.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the specific sequence is a timeline.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising displaying a present moment visual indicator identifying the present moment on the timeline.

29. The method of claim 28, comprising displaying at least one expected information element on at least one information element vector selected from the group consisting of the first information element vector and the second information element vector, the at least one expected information element being disposed after the present moment visual indicator.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one expected information element is associated with at least one preceding information element disposed before the present moment visual indicator on one of the information element vectors selected from the group consisting the first information element vector and the second information element vector, the association between the at least one expected information element and the at least one preceding information element being made with at least one commonality selected from the group consisting of a delay, a condition, a status and an action.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality of information elements is selected from a group consisting of a text document, a PDF document, a web page, an e-mail, a picture, and a computer assisted drawing file.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality of information elements is a patent document.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of the characterization attributes is selected from a group consisting of an assignee identification, an inventor identification, a patent class identification and a patent status identification.

35. The method of claim 21, comprising displaying a third plurality of information elements on a third information element vector, the third plurality of information elements having at least one fourth characterization attribute in common.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein one characterization attribute selected from the group consisting of the first characterization attribute, the second characterization attribute, the third characterization attribute and the fourth characterization attribute is selected from a group consisting of a communications with a patent office and a communications with a client.

37. A method for displaying a plurality of information element vectors on a display, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of information elements on a first information element vector along a timeline, the plurality of information elements having at least one first characterization attribute in common;

selecting a first information element displayed on the first information element vector;

selecting at least one of a condition and a delay associated with the first information element and a first related information element; and

displaying the first related information element with a first visual distinctive feature on the first information element vector, the first visual distinctive feature influencing the visual appearance of the first related information element.

39. An apparatus adapted to carry out computer readable instructions providing a method for mapping documents, the apparatus comprising:

a computer power unit;

a memory connected to the computer power unit;

a display connected to the computer power unit; and

a graphical user interface displayed on the diaplay;

the method comprising;

displaying a first group of information elements, the first group of information elements having at least one first characterization attribute in common;

displaying a second group of information elements, the second group of information elements having at least one second characterization attribute in common;

determining information elements from the first group of information elements and the second group of information elements associated with a third characterization attribute; and

displaying the information elements associated with the third characterization attribute with at least one visual distinctive feature, the at least one visual distinctive feature influencing the visual appearance of the information elements associated with the third characterization attribute.

38. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

determining if the selected at least one of a condition and a delay associated with the first information element and the first related information element is fulfilled; and

modifying the first visual distinctive feature of the first related information element for a second visual distinctive feature.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first group of information elements is at least partially displayed on a first information element vector along a first specific sequence on the display and the second group of information elements is at least partially displayed on a second information element vector along a second specific sequence on the display, the first information element vector is displayed adjacent to the second information element vector.