Interface and Method for Exploring a Collection of Data

• US 20110041099A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XBranch, LLC (Endpoint IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: XBranch, LLC (Endpoint IP LLC)
• Inventors: Weise, Thomas, Rubbert, Ruedger
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• 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 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced. Electronic documents can be assigned to each node, and the interface allows these documents to be displayed either directly in a reserved display region of the interface, or by launching a matching application on the user'"'"'s computer.

Claims

1. An electronic interface being displayed on a display device to permit a user to explore a data collection including records and directional references between records, the electronic interface comprising:

a display region;

a first control element, the first control element and a first visual indicia being displayed adjacently on the display region, the first visual indicia corresponding to a first record, the first control element being responsive to the user so that when the first control element is operated, a first plurality of visual indicia is displayed adjacent to the first visual indicia on the display region, each visual indicia of the first plurality of visual indicia corresponding to a record having a directional reference of a first direction to the first record; and

a second control element, the second control element being displayed adjacent to the first visual indicia on the display region, the second control element being responsive to the user so that when the second control element is operated, a second plurality of visual indicia is displayed adjacent to the first visual indicia on the display region, each visual indicia of the second plurality of visual indicia corresponding to a record having a directional reference of a second direction to the first record, the second direction being different from the first direction.

2. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1, wherein the first visual indicia, the first plurality of visual indicia, and the second plurality of visual indicia are displayed in a nodal arrangement.

3. An electronic interface as defined in claim 2, wherein the first plurality of visual indicia is displayed branching from the first visual indicia, and the second plurality of visual indicia is displayed branching from the first visual indicia.

4. A method to display on an electronic display device a data collection to thereby permit a user to explore the data collection, the data collection including records and directional references between records, the method comprising:

providing an electronic display region on an electronic display device;

displaying a first control element and a first visual indicia adjacent each other on the electronic display region, the first visual indicia corresponding to a first record, the first control element being responsive to the user so that when the first control element is operated, a first plurality of visual indicia is displayed adjacent the first visual indicia on the display region, each visual indicia of the first plurality of visual indicia corresponding to a record having a directional reference of a first direction to the first record; and

displaying a second control element adjacent the first visual indicia on the display region, the second control element being responsive to the user so that when the second control element is operated, a second plurality of visual indicia is displayed adjacent to the first visual indicia on the display region, each visual indicia of the second plurality of visual indicia corresponding to a record having a directional reference of a second direction to the first record, the second direction being different from the first direction.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the first visual indicia, the first plurality of visual indicia, and the second plurality of visual indicia are displayed in a nodal arrangement.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the first plurality of visual indicia is displayed branching from the first visual indicia, and the second plurality of visual indicia is displayed branching from the first visual indicia.