SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROPAGATING ALERTS VIA A HIERARCHY OF GRIDS

• US 20090083676A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skarven Enterprises, Inc., Kestrel Enterprises, Inc. (The Boeing Co.), The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: AUTON, Larry D., FLANAGAN, William J., GINSBERG, Philip M., HARGIS, Robert, BINGAMAN, Keith, VOGEL, Gerald C., FLEISCHMAN, Charles, MURAKAMI, Gary J., RADI, David A., LEE, Tom, RODEMANN, Kenneth R., WEIMER, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

The present solution addresses the displaying of multiple levels of information in a constrained display footprint in a manner that allows a user to be vigilant over the information. Systems and methods are described herein for organizing data and information queries against data sources in a relational display with hierarchical grids, linked to query results, score displays, and alert monitoring. In an embodiment of the present solution, a system allows an analyst to view results and status from monitoring numerous and persistent queries against real-time data streams. Many of these queries may be inter-related and composed in a way to comprehensively analyze a problem. To display, monitor, and interact with a collection of queries, the present solution provides a relational display that makes use of a set of grids via a feature referred to as “grid of grids”. The grids may be arranged in a hierarchy of any number of levels. For example, the grids may be arranged as a directed acyclic graph to facilitate nesting of grids, in which the grids are expanded according to the complexity and levels of granularity in the decomposition of queries for a problem or domain of interest.

Claims

1. A method for providing in a first grid display an alert of a status of a query from a second grid display of a plurality of grid displays arranged in a hierarchy, a grid display providing an arrangement of grid cells, each grid cell comprising one or more elements for indicating the status of the query monitoring one or more data sources, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on a screen a first grid display at a first level in a hierarchy of grid displays, the first grid display having a first arrangement of grid cells, each of the grid cells comprising an element for indicating status of a query monitoring one or more data sources, one or more grid cells of the first arrangement identifying one or more grid displays at a second level in the hierarchy different than the first level;

(b) displaying a reduced representation of a second grid display as an element in a first grid cell of the first grid display to identify status of a plurality of queries within the second grid display, the second grid display maintaining off the screen a second arrangement of grid cells comprising queries monitoring one or more data sources;

(c) determining a status of a match of the query with data from the one or more monitored data sources, the query identified by a second grid cell of the second grid display; and

(d) providing, in response to the determination, an indicator of the status of the query at a location in the reduced representation corresponding to a relative location of the second grid cell within the second grid display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises determining a score of the match one of exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (d) further comprises displaying, in response to the determination, the indicator to identify the score exceeds the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein step (d) further comprises displaying, in response to the determination, the indicator to identify the score falls below the predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises displaying, in response to the determination, the indicator to indicate existence of the match.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises displaying the indicator with one of the following to correspond to the determined status:

a predetermined color, a predetermined animation, a predetermined shape, a predetermined audio, and a predetermined text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises providing indicators for each of the queries of the second grid display at locations in the reduced representation corresponding to relative locations of the grid cells corresponding to each of the queries within the second grid display.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises determining a result of the query matches one or more search terms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second grid display is at a level in the hierarchy lower than the first grid display.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying a second reduced representation to identify the status of queries corresponding to relative locations of grid cells in one of the first grid display or a third grid display in the hierarchy.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising maintaining, by a third grid display identified via a third grid cell of the second grid display, a third arrangement of grid cells comprising queries monitoring one or more data sources.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining the status of the match of the query corresponding to a fourth grid cell of the third grid display with data from the one or more monitored data sources, and providing, in response to the determination, the indicator of the status of the query at the location in the reduced representation corresponding to the relative location of the third grid cell within the second grid display.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising identifying, by the first grid display and the second grid display via one or more grid cells, the same third grid display, the first grid display and the second display at one of a same or a different level in the hierarchy of grids.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced representation comprises a thumbnail.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises one of a visual, audio, force or tactile indicator.

16. A method for identifying in a reduced representation of a grid display a status of queries from a plurality of grid displays arranged in a hierarchy, a grid display maintaining an arrangement of grid cells, each grid cell comprising a graphical element for visually indicating the status of a query monitoring one or more data sources, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) maintaining, via a plurality of grid displays arranged in a hierarchy having a plurality of levels, an arrangement of grid cells, each grid cell comprising an element for indicating status of one or more queries monitoring one or more data sources;

(b) displaying on a screen a reduced representation of a grid to identify status of queries within one or more grid displays below an identified level in the hierarchy, each location of a status identifier in the reduced representation corresponds to a relative location of a grid display below the identified level;

(c) determining the status of a match of a query corresponding with data from the one or more monitored data sources, the query identified by a first grid cell of a first grid display, the first grid display identified via one or more grid cells of the one or more grid displays; and

(d) displaying, in response to the determination, an indicator of the status of the query at the location in the reduced representation corresponding to the status identifier for the one or more grid displays identifying the first grid display.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising maintaining, by the first grid display at a level in the hierarchy two or more levels below the identified level, a first arrangement of grid cells.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising maintaining, by the first grid display, the first arrangement of grid cells off the screen.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying, the first grid display, on screen, the first grid display displaying graphical elements in grid cells to visually indicate the status of a corresponding query.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein step (d) further comprises displaying, in response to the determination, the indicator to identify existence of the match.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein step (b) further comprises determining a score of the match one of exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls below the predetermined threshold.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) further comprises displaying the indicator to identify the score.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein step (b) further comprises displaying the thumbnail representation in a view of a user without displaying in the view of the user the one or more grid displays below the identified level.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein step (d) further comprises providing visual indicators in a plurality of locations in the reduced representation to identify status of the queries corresponding to each of the plurality of display grids.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the reduced representation comprises a thumbnail.