SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUALIZING CONNECTED TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL INFORMATION AS AN INTEGRATED VISUAL REPRESENTATION ON A USER INTERFACE

• US 20100185984A1
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pen-Link Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Uncharted Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Wright, William, Kapler, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A system and method for configuring the presentation of a plurality of presentation elements in a visual representation on a user interface, the presentation elements having both temporal and spatial parameters, the method comprising the steps of: defining a time bar with a time scale having time indicators as subdivisions of the time scale and having a first global temporal limit and a second temporal global limit of the time scale for defining a temporal domain of the presentation elements, defining a focus range of the time bar such that the focus range has a first local temporal limit and a second local temporal limit wherein the first local temporal limit is greater than or equal to the first global temporal limit and the second local temporal limit is less than or equal to the second global temporal limit; defining a focus bar having a focus time scale having focus time indicators as subdivisions of the focus time scale and having the first and second local temporal limits as the extents of the focus time scale, such that the focus time scale is an expansion of the time scale; and displaying a set of presentation elements selected from the plurality of presentation elements based on the respective temporal parameter of each of the set of presentation elements is within the first and second local temporal limits.

Claims

1. A method for configuring the presentation of a plurality of presentation elements in a visual representation on a user interface, the presentation elements having both temporal and spatial parameters, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a time bar with a time scale having time indicators as subdivisions of the time scale and having a first global temporal limit and a second temporal global limit of the time scale for defining a temporal domain of the presentation elements,

defining a focus range of the time bar such that the focus range has a first local temporal limit and a second local temporal limit wherein the first local temporal limit is greater than or equal to the first global temporal limit and the second local temporal limit is less than or equal to the second global temporal limit;

defining a focus bar having a focus time scale having focus time indicators as subdivisions of the focus time scale and having the first and second local temporal limits as the extents of the focus time scale, such that the focus time scale is an expansion of the time scale; and

displaying a set of presentation elements selected from the plurality of presentation elements based on the respective temporal parameter of each of the set of presentation elements is within the first and second local temporal limits.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of defining the focus range as a focus slider configured for displacement along the time scale between the first and second global limits resulting in updating of the first and second local limits, such that the focus range remains constant during the displacement of the focus slider;

wherein during the displacement the set of presentation elements is updated from the plurality of presentation elements based on the respective temporal parameter of each of the updated set of presentation elements is within the updated first and second local temporal limits.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of generating a chart for positioning in relation to the focus bar, the chart having a plurality of entries corresponding to those presentation elements selected from the plurality of presentation elements matching their temporal parameter to be within the focus range, such that the entries are relatively positioned to one another in the chart in ordered relation to their respective temporal position in the focus time scale using spacing between the entries corresponding with that spacing of the focus time indicators of the focus time scale.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the chart is positioned adjacent to the focus bar such that the entries are lined up with their corresponding focus time indicators.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the matching presentation elements have a spatial parameter matching a specified spatial search criterion.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the chart is a summary chart generated for a specified data element selected from the matching presentation elements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the summary chary is positioned in the visual representation in defined association to the chart.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the chart includes a series of columns and rows.

9. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of using an analysis operator in generating the chart such that the plurality of entries also satisfy at least one analysis criterion of the analysis operator.

10. The method of 9, wherein the analysis operator is selected from analysis means selected from the group comprising:

meeting finder;

gap finder;

speed finder;

connection filtering;

path between presentation elements;

link analysis; and

link between entities.

11. A system for configuring the presentation of a plurality of presentation elements in a visual representation on a user interface, the presentation elements having both temporal and spatial parameters, the system comprising:

a time module configured for defining a time bar with a time scale having time indicators as subdivisions of the time scale and having a first global temporal limit and a second temporal global limit of the time scale for defining a temporal domain of the presentation elements, and for defining a focus range of the time bar such that the focus range has a first local temporal limit and a second local temporal limit wherein the first local temporal limit is greater than or equal to the first global temporal limit and the second local temporal limit is less than or equal to the second global temporal limit;

a focus module configured for defining a focus bar having a focus time scale having focus time indicators as subdivisions of the focus time scale and having the first and second local temporal limits as the extents of the focus time scale, such that the focus time scale is an expansion of the time scale; and

a visual module configured for displaying a set of presentation elements selected from the plurality of presentation elements based on the respective temporal parameter of each of the set of presentation elements is within the first and second local temporal limits.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising the time module defining the focus range as a focus slider configured for displacement along the time scale between the first and second global limits resulting in updating of the first and second local limits, such that the focus range remains constant during the displacement of the focus slider;

wherein during the displacement the set of presentation elements is updated from the plurality of presentation elements based on the respective temporal parameter of each of the updated set of presentation elements is within the updated first and second local temporal limits.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a chart module configured for generating a chart for positioning in relation to the focus bar, the chart having a plurality of entries corresponding to those presentation elements selected from the plurality of presentation elements matching their temporal parameter to be within the focus range, such that the entries are relatively positioned to one another in the chart in ordered relation to their respective temporal position in the focus time scale using spacing between the entries corresponding with that spacing of the focus time indicators of the focus time scale.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the chart is for positioning adjacent to the focus bar such that the entries are lined up with their corresponding focus time indicators.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the matching presentation elements have a spatial parameter matching a specified spatial search criterion.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the chart is a summary chart generated for a specified data element selected from the matching presentation elements.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the summary chary is for positioning in the visual representation in defined association to the chart.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the chart includes a series of columns and rows.

19. The system of claim 12 further comprising an analysis operator module configured for use in generating the chart such that the plurality of entries also satisfy at least one analysis criterion of the analysis operator.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the analysis operator is selected from analysis means selected from the group comprising:

meeting finder;

gap finder;

speed finder;

connection filtering;

path between presentation elements;

link analysis; and

link between entities.