Method and device for arranging information that is linked in complex ways and for pathfinding in such information

• US 20130174074A1
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Peter Strzygowski
• Original Assignee: Peter Strzygowski
• Inventors: Strzygowski, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/555,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20130174074A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The invention concerns the field of displaying information, specifically the automated arrangement of displayed data that are linked in complex ways in limited display areas, e.g., computer screens, or in limited space for three-dimensional displays. Using the method, interlinked information (one-dimensional or multi-dimensional, directed and undirected graphs, finite multigraphs, and even “quivers”) can be displayed in the form of a navigable user interface through the special arrangement of the representatives standing for the information content, for example to display the relationships in social networks, genealogies, scientific work. The novelty resides in the method of the arrangement of the representatives of the information content, in the resulting arrangement and the resulting user interface for exploring content of said graphs. Representatives may be words or graphic symbols (areas, circles, etc.). The invention further enables small computers and devices like braille interfaces to display content of complex graphs.

Claims

1. ) Computer-implemented method, executed by means of a DP system comprising at least one computer unit, for arranging representatives of content that can be represented by a graph comprising information elements (at least nodes and edges), the content elements (nodes) of which graph are connected by edges of at least one category, whereby the representatives may be suitable to receive input commands, wherein the improvement comprises

the output of representatives of the category/categories and content element/elements is arranged with different directional vectors in different geometric or logical directions or dimensions,

influencing variables located inside or outside the DP system or the program exert an effect on the computations of the spatial arrangement of the output representatives of the information elements on the output device, by the means that the number and the geometric arrangement of the representatives and the visibility of the representatives are adapted to the given output interface, wherein

the geometry of the output interface, its size, extent, display capacity, or other externally determined influencing variables (time, duration, physical phenomena, control data, predefined parameters, device-specific settings) are taken into account in this process whereby

the method comprises at least one selection process,

a content element or a category can be set as active as a result of the selection,

after the selection of a category, at least a portion of the content elements of this category is output if no content element is active,

after the selection of a category, at least a portion of the content elements of this category that are connected to the currently active content element is output,

after the selection of a content element, at least a portion of the categories in which this active content element is classified is output,

after the selection of a content element, at least a portion of all other content elements that are connected to this active content element in the currently active category is output,

an output takes place of at least the representatives of the categories and content elements determined and arranged in accordance with said method steps,

the output takes place fully, in abbreviated form, or in symbolic form.

2. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising the output of

detailed content items that are contained by the current content element or the current category, or that are linked thereto.

3. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising

the storage of the “

history”

, the sequence of pathfinding selection steps with or without corresponding parameters of the presentation context.

4. ) Method according to claim 3, further comprising

the output of at least a limited number of steps from the progression of the “

history”

with or without a mechanism for reactivating a presentation context according to one of these steps.

5. ) Method according to claim 4, further comprising

determining the number and/or design of the output of the displayed steps of the history and/or the arrangement of the representatives of the displayed steps of the history on the basis of properties of the output device or the geometry of the output interface, or as defined by parameters or other externally determined influencing variables (time, duration, physical phenomena).

6. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining the number and/or design of the output of the representatives of the content items and/or the arrangement of the representatives of the content on the basis of properties of the output device or the geometry of the output interface, or as defined by parameters or other externally determined influencing variables (time, duration, physical phenomena).

7. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising

the output content items can be edited and/or changed.

8. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising

the step that the (spatial) location and/or the direction of the output of the categories and/or of the content and/or of the detail outputs or of a combination of said content can be influenced by the user.

9. ) Method according to claim 2, further comprising

the step that the (spatial) location and/or the direction of the output of the categories and/or of the content and/or of the detail outputs or of a combination of said content can be influenced by the user.

10. ) Method according to claim 4, further comprising

the step that the (spatial) location and/or the direction of the output of said content can be influenced by the user.

11. ) Method according to claim 6, further comprising

the step that the (spatial) location and/or the direction of the output of the categories and/or of the content and/or of the detail outputs or of a combination of said content can be influenced by the user.

12. ) Method according to claim 1, further comprising that the behavior, the visibility, the selectability, the arrangement in the output of the content or the access to content is limited or expanded by suitable rules (access rights) or by other parameters associated with the content.

13. ) Device comprising at least one computer and at least one computer program, with which the steps according to claim 1 are performed.

14. ) Device according to claim 13 that additionally comprises at least one input device for the user and/or at least one output device for output of the content in the arrangement according to the method.

15. ) Method according to claim 1, wherein the content representatives are output arranged in a geometrically limited area.

16. ) Device according to claim 13, wherein the content representatives are output arranged in a geometrically limited area.

17. ) Method according to claim 4, wherein the content representatives are output arranged in a geometrically limited area.

18. ) Method according to claim 1, wherein the content representatives are output (physically or projected or holographic) arranged in a geometrically limited space.

19. ) Device according to claim 13, wherein the content representatives are output (physically or projected or holographic) arranged in a geometrically limited space.

20. ) Computer program product that is stored in a storage medium and comprises software code segments with which steps according to claim 1 are performed when the product runs on a computer.

21. ) A user interface generating apparatus comprising an application program execution unit displaying an interface for observing content of a graph using a method according to claim 1.

22. ) A user interface generating apparatus comprising an application program execution unit displaying an interface for observing content of a graph (nodes and edges, whereby categories are defined by edges and the content elements (nodes) of which graph are connected by edges of at least one category) using a method to arrange the representatives of content of the graph onto a limited output area or space determine the arrangement whereby the geometry of the interface or the output device, its size, extent, display capacity, or other externally determined influencing variables (time, duration, physical phenomena, control data, predefined parameters, device-specific settings) are taken into account in this process whereby

the method comprises at least one selection process,

a content element or a category can be set as active as a result of the selection,

after the selection of a category, at least a portion of the content elements of this category is output if no content element is active,

after the selection of a category, at least a portion of the content elements of this category that are connected to the currently active content element is output,

after the selection of a content element, at least a portion of the categories in which this active content element is classified is output,

after the selection of a content element, at least a portion of all other content elements that are connected to this active content element in the currently active category is output,

an output takes place of at least the representatives of the categories and content elements determined and arranged in accordance with said method steps,

the output takes place fully, in abbreviated form, or in symbolic form.

23. ) Apparatus according to claim 22 whereby the representatives of content items are arranged in spatial different directions according to their type, comprising or not comprising output of a number of “

history”

steps.

24. ) Apparatus according to claim 22 with a mechanism to use the output representatives for user input to influence the said application program execution.

25. ) Apparatus according to claim 23 with a mechanism to use the output representatives for user input to influence the said application program execution.