Table-based user interface for retrieving and manipulating indices between data structures

• US 5,572,651 A
• Filed: 10/15/1993
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Poon, Alex D., Weber, Karon A., Moran, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/138,817
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 395/161, 395/100, 395/160, 360/22, 364/578
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A user-interactive method for use in a processor controlled machine provides a user with the capability to retrieve and manipulate associations previously established among image segments in a single or in multiple data structures, where the image segments are stored as image data and not as recognized or interpreted information. The use of certain designated image segments, called key objects, for association with one or more other stored image segments in effect imposes a user-defined categorization structure on the image segments with which key objects are associated, producing groups of image segments associated with respective key object. The categorized information for a particular key object is retrievable and displayable with the key object image, also without performing a recognition operation, providing an indexing mechanism into the image data. Multiple groupings of categorized information may be presented in a tabular format, showing the relationship between key objects and image segments, and the tabular presentation may be used as a user interface for the post-creation manipulation and alteration of key object associations in order to further refine or extend the categorization structure. The invention is particularly useful in systems that provide for a stylus- or pen-based computing interface, since it provides a powerful mechanism for manipulating relationships that are semantically significant to a user between handwritten symbols represented as images without the need to perform a recognition operation on the images.

Claims

1. An interactive method for operating a processor-controlled system to modify a correlation between two data structures using a table image;

the processor-controlled system including input circuitry connected to a user input device for producing graphical signals including strokes indicating actions of a system user;

output circuitry connected to at least one display having at least one display area for presenting images;

memory for storing data;

a processor connected for receiving the graphical signals from the input circuitry connected for providing images to the output circuitry, and connected for accessing the data stored in the memory;

the data stored in the memory including instruction data indicating instructions the processor executes;

the method comprising;

operating the processor to obtain key object data items from a first data structure stored in the memory, and to obtain information data items from a second data structure stored in the memory;

at least one of the information data items being associated with at least one respective key object data item such that the information data item is retrievable using the respective key object data item;

operating the processor to present a table image in the display area using the key object data items and the information data items;

the table image including a plurality of first dimension identifier regions, a plurality of second dimension identifier regions, and a plurality of cell regions;

the table image showing a key object image in each of the first dimension identifier regions;

each key object image representing one of the key object data items included in the first data structure;

the table image further showing an information image in each of the second dimension identifier regions;

each information image representing one of the information data items included in the second data structure;

the table image further showing, in each cell region at the intersection of a first dimension identifier region and a second dimension identifier region, display features indicating whether the respective key object data item represented by the key object image and the information data item represented by the information image have an associative relationship indicated in the first and second data structures;

the table image presenting a grid of key object data items by information data items and a graphical display of associative data structure relationships therebetween;

operating the processor to receive a first signal from the user input device indicating a selection action of one of the plurality of cell regions as a selected cell region in the table image;

the first signal further including a modification signal indicating a request to modify an associative relationship between a respective key object data item in the first data structure and an information data item in the second data structure represented by the selected cell region;

operating the processor to respond to the first signal by;

modifying the first or second data structure to indicate a modified associative relationship therebetween using the key object data item and the information data item represented by the selected cell region; and

presenting an image in the selected cell region including display features showing the modified associative relationship between the key object data item and the information data item represented by the selected cell region.

2. The interactive method of claim 1 for operating a processor-controlled system to modify a correlation between two data structures wherein the key object data items included in the first data structure and the information data items included in the second data structure each indicate non-machine-recognizable data;

the non-machine-recognizable data indicated by an information data item being retrievable using the non-machine-recognizable data indicated by a respective one of the key object data items;

the system user being able to modify associative relationships established between non-machine-recognizable data.

3. The interactive method of claim 2 wherein the non-machine-recognizable data is stroke data.

4. The interactive method of claim 2 wherein the non-machine-recognizable data is image definition data.

5. The interactive method of claim 2 wherein the associative relationship between a first key object data item and a first information data item each indicating non-machine-recognizable data is produced using a unique key object identifier assigned to the first key object data item;

the unique key object identifier being machine-recognizable data and stored in the second data structure to indicate the first information data item.

6. The interactive method of claim 1 for operating a processor-controlled system to modify a correlation between two data structures wherein the modification signal indicating a request to modify the associative relationship between the key object data item and the information data item represented by the selected cell region is a delete-association request;

and wherein the step of modifying the first or second data structure to indicate a modified associative relationship includes deleting the associative relationship between the key object data item and the information data item.

7. The interactive method of claim 1 for operating a processor-controlled system to modify a correlation between two data structures wherein the modification signal indicating a request to modify the associative relationship between the key object data item and the information data item represented by the selected cell region is an add-association request;

and wherein the step of modifying the first or second data structure to indicate a modified associative relationship includes producing the associative relationship between the key object data item and the information data item.

8. The interactive method of claim 1 for operating a processor-controlled system to modify a correlation between two data structures wherein the first dimension identifier region is a column region and the second dimension identifier region is a row region;

the table image showing key object images in the column identifier regions, information images in the row identifier regions and display features showing associative relationships in intersecting cells;

the associative relationships between a respective one of the key object images and all of the information images being visually aligned in a column in the table image so as to show patterns in the associative relationships.