DISPLAY OF FILTERED DATA VIA FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION

• US 20110258569A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weinstein, Alex, Weir, Jeffrey, Soegiono, Orry
• Application Number:
  US12/763,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258569A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Embodiments related to the display of filtered data via a frequency distribution are disclosed. One embodiment provides filtering a collection based on a category to create a subset of the collection, wherein the subset comprises one or more items each having metadata corresponding to the category and a value associated with the metadata. The method further includes ranking the subset based on the values associated with the metadata, determining lower and upper endpoints of the values, determining a range of the subset, and sending to a display a user interface object comprising a frequency distribution and a slider object indicating a selected portion of the range. The method further includes sending to a results portion of the display one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

Claims

1. A method of filtering a collection comprising a plurality of items, each item comprising associated metadata, the method comprising:

filtering the collection based on a category to create a subset of the collection, the subset comprising one or more items each having metadata corresponding to the category and a value associated with the metadata;

ranking the subset based on the values associated with the metadata;

upon ranking the subset, determining a lower endpoint and an upper endpoint of the values associated with the metadata;

determining a range of the subset, the range being defined between the lower endpoint and the upper endpoint;

sending to a display a user interface object comprising a frequency distribution of the subset for the range, the user interface object further comprising a range indication user interface object indicating a selected portion of the range; and

sending to a results portion of the display one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending one or more items of the subset includes sending an animation of non-selected items being removed from the results portion of the display, the non-selected items comprising one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall outside of the selected portion of the range.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending one or more items of the subset includes sending an animation of selected items appearing on the results portion, the selected items comprising the one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the range is numeric.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the range is non-numeric.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, for each item, the value associated with the metadata is non-numeric and wherein the value has a numeric mapping utilized for ranking the subset.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, for each item, the value associated with the metadata is non-numeric, and wherein the value is listed in order in a collection header utilized for ranking the subset.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an adjustment of the range indication user interface object selecting the selected portion of the range.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjustment includes a selection of a value for one or more of a left-hand side range indication user interface object and a right-hand side range indication user interface object defining the selected portion of the range on the range indication user interface object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjustment includes a repositioning of the selected portion of the range along the range indication user interface object while maintaining a span of values of the range.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjustment includes a selection of a predetermined range corresponding to the metadata.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each item, the value associated with the metadata is time-sensitive.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an adjustment of the range indication user interface object selecting the selected portion of the range, and in response, updating the results portion of the display to display an animation of non-selected items being removed from the results portion and an animation of selected items appearing on the results portion, the non-selected items comprising items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall outside of the selected portion of the range and the selected items comprising items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to:

filter the collection based on a category to create a subset of the collection, the subset comprising one or more items each comprising metadata corresponding to the category and a value associated with the metadata, and the subset being ranked based on the values associated with the metadata;

send to a display a user interface object comprising a frequency distribution of the subset for a range of the subset, the range being defined between a lower endpoint and an upper endpoint of ranked values associated with the metadata, and the user interface object further comprising a slider user interface object indicating a selected portion of the range;

send to a results portion of the display one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range;

receive an adjustment of the slider user interface object updating the selected portion of the range; and

in response, send to the results portion of the display one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are configured to send the one or more items of the updated subset by sending an animation of non-selected items being removed from the results portion and selected items appearing on the results portion, the non-selected items comprising items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall outside of the selected portion of the range, and the selected items comprising items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the range is one of numeric and non-numeric.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the adjustment comprises one of a selection of a value for one or more of a first side slider user interface object and a second side slider user interface object defining the selected portion of the range on the slider user interface object, a repositioning of the selected portion of the range along the slider user interface object while maintaining a span of values of the range, a selection of a predetermined range corresponding to the metadata, and a selection of a frequency bar of the frequency distribution.

18. A computing device, comprising:

a display configured to display a user interface;

a logic subsystem configured to execute instructions and to access a database comprising a collection comprising a plurality of items, each item having metadata; and

a data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to;

filter the collection based on a category to create a subset of the collection, the subset comprising one or more items each comprising associated metadata corresponding to the category and a value associated with the metadata corresponding to the category, and the subset being ranked based on the values associated with the metadata;

display, on the display, a user interface object comprising a frequency distribution of the subset for a range of the subset, the range being defined between a lower endpoint and an upper endpoint of ranked values associated with the metadata corresponding to the category, and the user interface object further comprising a slider user interface object indicating a selected portion of the range;

display, on a results portion of the display, one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata corresponding to the category which fall within the selected portion of the range;

receive an adjustment of the slider user interface object updating the selected portion of the range; and

in response, display, on the results portion of the display, one or more items of the subset having values associated with the metadata which fall within the selected portion of the range.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the range is one of numeric and non-numeric.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the adjustment comprises one of a selection of a value for one or more of a first side slider user interface object and a second side slider user interface object defining the selected portion of the range on the slider user interface object, a repositioning of the selected portion of the range along the slider user interface object while maintaining a span of values of the range, a selection of a predetermined range corresponding to the metadata, and a selection of a frequency bar of the frequency distribution.