SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYING A PLURALITY OF ASSOCIATED ITEMS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090259947A1
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hsu, Erin E., Bechtel, Michael E., Richards, Brian H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,208,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system is described for displaying a plurality of associated items in a collaborative environment. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The memory may store items, each item associated with another item. The processor may provide the graphical representation of the items to a user where each item is represented by a shape. The processor may receive a request to associate a first metric of the items with a size of each shape and a request to associate a second metric of the items with a color of each shape. The processor may transform the graphical representation such that the size of each shape is based on the value of the first metric of each item, and the color of each shape is based on the value of the second metric of each item. The processor may provide the transformed graphical representation to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a graphical representation of a plurality of items in a collaborative environment, the method comprising:

providing, by a processor to a device of a user, a graphical representation of a plurality of items, each item having an association with at least one other item, wherein each item is represented by a shape and the association of each item with the at least one other item is represented by a line between each shape representing each item and each shape representing the at least one of other item;

receiving, by the processor from the device of the user, a request to associate a first metric of the plurality of items with a size of each shape representing each item, wherein the size of each shape is based on a value of the first metric of each item;

receiving, by the processor from the device of the user, a request to associate a second metric with a color of each shape representing each item, wherein the color of each shape is based on a second value of the second metric of each item;

transforming, by the processor, the graphical representation of the plurality of items such that the size of each shape representing each item is based on the first value of the first metric of each item and the color of each shape representing each item is based on the second value of the second metric of each item; and

providing, by the processor to the device of the user, the transformed graphical representation of the plurality of items.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item increases and the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item decreases.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item increases, and the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item decreases.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item approaches a best value for the first metric, and the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item approaches a worst value for the first metric.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the color of each shape becomes a first color as the second value of the second metric of each item increases and the color of each shape becomes a second color as the second value of the second metric of each item decreases.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the color of each shape becomes a blend of the first color and the second color as the second value of the second metric increases or decreases.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein an amount of the first color in the blend of the first color and the second color increases as the second value of the second metric of each item increases.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein an amount of the second color in the blend of the first color and the second color increases as the second value of the second metric of each item decreases.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first metric comprises at least one of a number of views of each item, an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the second metric comprises at least one of a number of views of each item, an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein each shape comprises a geometric shape.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the graphical representation comprises a hierarchical structure.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the plurality of items from a plurality of users.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein an item has the association with another item if the item was innovated from the other item or if the other item was innovated from the item.

15. A computer-implemented method for providing a graphical representation of a plurality of items in a collaborative environment, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor, a plurality of items provided by a plurality of users in a collaborative environment, each item having an association with at least one other item;

transforming, by the processor, the plurality of items into a graphical representation, wherein each item is represented by a shape and the association of each item with the at least one other item is represented by a line between each shape representing each item and each shape representing the at least one of other item;

transforming, by the processor, the plurality of items into an outline representation; and

providing, by the processor to a device of a user, the graphical representation and the outline representation, wherein the graphical representation and the outline representation are simultaneously displayed on the device of the user.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein a color of each shape is based on a first value of a first metric of each item represented by each shape.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the first metric comprises at least one of a number of views of each item, an age of each item, a status of each item, an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein a size of each shape is based on a second value of a second metric of each item represented by each shape.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein the second metric comprises at least one of an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein the graphical representation comprises a hierarchical structure.

21. A computer-implemented method for modifying a graphical representation of a plurality of items in a collaborative environment, the method comprising:

providing, by a processor to a device of a user, a graphical representation of a plurality of items, each item having an association with at least one other item, wherein each item is represented by a shape and the association of each item with the at least one other item is represented by a line between each shape representing each item and each shape representing the at least one of other item;

receiving, by a processor, a request to remove a line between a first shape and a second shape and add a line between the first shape and a third shape;

removing, by the processor, the association between the item represented by the first shape and the item represented by the second shape;

transforming, by the processor, the graphical representation to remove the line between the first shape and the second shape;

adding, by the processor, an association between the item represented by the first shape and the item represented by the third shape; and

transforming, by the processor, the graphical representation to display a line between the first shape and the third shape.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 further comprising providing, by the processor to the device of the user, the transformed graphical representation.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 wherein a color of each shape is based on a first value of a first metric of each item represented by each shape.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 wherein the first metric comprises at least one of an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 wherein a size of each shape is based on a second value of a second metric of each item represented by each shape.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 wherein the second metric comprises at least one of an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 wherein the graphical representation comprises a hierarchical structure.

28. A system for providing a graphical representation of a plurality of items in a collaborative environment, the system comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of items, each item having an association with at least one other item;

an interface operatively connected to the memory, the interface operative to communicate with a device of a user; and

a processor operatively connected to the memory and the interface, the processor operative to provide, to the device of the user, a graphical representation of the plurality of items, wherein each item is represented by a shape and the association of each item with the at least one other item is represented by a line between each shape representing each item and each shape representing the at least one other item, receive, from the device of the user, a request to associate a first metric of the plurality of items with a size of each shape representing each item, wherein the size of each shape is based on a value of the first metric of each item, receive, from the device of the user, a request to associate a second metric with a color of each shape representing each item, wherein the color of each shape is based on a second value of the second metric of each item, transform, by the processor, the graphical representation of the plurality of items such that the size of each shape representing each item is based on the first value of the first metric of each item and the color of each shape representing each item is based on the second value of the second metric of each item, and provide, to the device of the user, the transformed graphical representation of the plurality of items.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item increases and the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item decreases.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item increases, and the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item decreases.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the size of each shape increases as the first value of the first metric of each item approaches a best value for the first metric, and the size of each shape decreases as the first value of the first metric of each item approaches a worst value for the first metric.

32. The system method of claim 28 wherein the color of each shape becomes a first color as the second value of the second metric of each item increases and the color of each shape becomes a second color as the second value of the second metric of each item decreases.

33. The system of claim 28 wherein the first metric comprises at least one of an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.

34. The system of claim 28 wherein the second metric comprises at least one of an age of each item, a status of each item, a rating of each item, a number of times each items was shared, a number of total votes each item received, a geographic location of a user who provided the each item, or a department the user who provided each item belongs to.