Computer system and method for controlling the same utilizing an abstraction stack with a sequence of predetermined display formats

• US 6,307,552 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeStefano, George Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sealey, Lance W.
• Application Number:
  US09/039,915
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/433
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A computer system and method of controlling the same in which an abstraction stack is sequenced through a number of predetermined display formats to facilitate user comprehension of a body of knowledge. An abstraction stack is utilized to present information from a body of knowledge in a three-dimensional workspace to facilitate user comprehension and management of both the specific information in the body of knowledge, as well as the contextual relationships of the information within the body of knowledge as a whole. Moreover, a number of predetermined display formats are defined for the abstraction stack to permit the presentation of information to a user to be optimized throughout a sequence of predefined steps.

Claims

1. A method of presenting information from a body of knowledge to a user on a computer display, the body of knowledge stratified into a plurality of levels of abstraction and including a plurality of information elements associated with the plurality of levels of abstraction, the method comprising:

(a) displaying an abstraction stack on the computer display in a three-dimensional workspace, the abstraction stack having associated therewith a predetermined sequence of steps, each step defining a predetermined display format for the abstraction stack, each predetermined display format specifying at least one of a position in the body of knowledge and a lens configuration for the abstraction stack, each lens configuration specifying at least one lens configured to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge;

(b) at a first predetermined step in the sequence of steps, configuring the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the first predetermined step; and

(c) in response to a transition to a second step in the sequence of steps that specifies a different lens configuration from that specified by the first step, reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the second predetermined step.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the predetermined display format defined by the second predetermined step specifies a predetermined position in the body of knowledge, updating at least one lens in the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of an information element disposed at the predetermined position in the body of knowledge.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstraction stack includes an arrangement of lenses, and wherein reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack includes altering the arrangement of lenses displayed in the abstraction stack based upon the predetermined lens configuration specified by the second predetermined step.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each lens in the abstraction stack includes a filter criteria that filters the body of knowledge into a filtered set of information elements, and wherein altering the arrangement of lenses includes modifying the filter criteria of at least one lens in the arrangement of lenses.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filter criteria for at least one lens in the abstraction stack applies a focus effect to information elements associated with at least one predetermined level of abstraction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the arrangement of lenses includes at least one supplementary lens associated with the primary lens, the supplementary lens configured with a filter criteria that is the same as that of the primary lens.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein altering the arrangement of lenses includes hiding a lens specified by the lens configuration for the first predetermined step but not specified by the lens configuration for the second predetermined step.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein altering the arrangement of lenses includes creating a lens specified by the lens configuration for the second predetermined step but not specified by the lens configuration for the first predetermined step.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein altering the arrangement of lenses includes designating a predetermined lens from the plurality of lenses as a primary lens.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the arrangement of lenses includes at least one secondary lens associated with the primary lens, the method further comprising scrolling the primary and secondary lenses in a coordinated fashion in response to user input.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second predetermined step immediately succeeds the first predetermined step in the sequence of steps, the method further comprising receiving user input from a user interface component, the user interface component configured to initiate the transition from the first predetermined step to the second predetermined step in response to user selection thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, prior to reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack, displaying a next guide band extending between the user interface component and the primary lens specified by the second predetermined step.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a current guide band coupled to a primary lens specified by the first predetermined step.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a third predetermined step in the sequence of steps immediately precedes the first predetermined step, the method further comprising:

(a) receiving user input from a second user interface component, the second user interface component configured to initiate the transition from the first predetermined step to the third predetermined step in response to user selection thereof; and

(b) prior to reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack, displaying a previous guide band extending between the second user interface component and a primary lens specified by the third predetermined step.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein the arrangement of lenses includes at least first and second lenses, the method further comprising respectively orienting the first and second lenses at first and second positions along an abstraction axis defined in the three-dimensional workspace.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a connector element extending between the first and second lenses.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one step in the sequence of steps specifies guide information associated with the step, and wherein reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack includes, if the second predetermined step specifies guide information, displaying in a guide lens the guide information for the second predetermined step.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined step immediately precedes the first predetermined step in the sequence of steps.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined step immediately succeeds the first predetermined step in the sequence of steps.

20. A computer system configured to present information from a body of knowledge to a user, the body of knowledge stratified into a plurality of levels of abstraction and including a plurality of information elements associated with the plurality of levels of abstraction, the computer system comprising:

(a) a computer display; and

(b) a processor, coupled to the computer display, the processor configured to (1) display an abstraction stack on the computer display in a three-dimensional workspace, the abstraction stack having associated therewith a predetermined sequence of steps, each step defining a predetermined display format for the abstraction stack, each predetermined display format specifying at least one of a position in the body of knowledge and a lens configuration for the abstraction stack, each lens configuration specifying at least one lens configured to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge;

(2) at a first predetermined step in the sequence of steps, to configure the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the first predetermined step; and

(3) in response to a transition to a second step in the sequence of steps that specifies a different lens configuration from that specified by the first step, to reconfigure the lens configuration for the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the second predetermined step.

25. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the abstraction stack includes an arrangement of lenses, and wherein the processor is configured to reconfigure the lens configuration for the abstraction stack by altering the arrangement of lenses displayed in the abstraction stack based upon the predetermined lens configuration specified by the second predetermined step.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein each lens in the abstraction stack includes a filter criteria that filters the body of knowledge into a filtered set of information elements, and wherein the processor is configured to alter the arrangement of lenses by modifying the filter criteria of at least one lens in the arrangement of lenses.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the filter criteria for at least one lens in the abstraction stack applies a focus effect to information elements associated with at least one predetermined level of abstraction.

28. The computer system of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to alter the arrangement of lenses by hiding a lens specified by the lens configuration for the first predetermined step but not specified by the lens configuration for the second predetermined step.

29. The computer system of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to alter the arrangement of lenses by creating a lens specified by the lens configuration for the second predetermined step but not specified by the lens configuration for the first predetermined step.

30. The computer system of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to alter the arrangement of lenses by designating a predetermined lens from the plurality of lenses as a primary lens.

31. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the second predetermined step immediately succeeds the first predetermined step in the sequence of steps, wherein the processor is further configured to receive user input from a user interface component, the user interface component configured to initiate the transition from the first predetermined step to the second predetermined step in response to user selection thereof.

32. The computer system of claim 20, wherein at least one step in the predetermined sequence of steps specifies guide information associated with the step, and wherein the processor is further configured to, if the second predetermined step specifies guide information, display in a guide lens the guide information for the second predetermined step.

21. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to perform a method of presenting information from a body of knowledge to a user on a computer display, the body of knowledge stratified into a plurality of levels of abstraction and including a plurality of information elements associated with the plurality of levels of abstraction, the method comprising;

(1) displaying an abstraction stack on the computer display in a three-dimensional workspace, the abstraction stack having associated therewith a predetermined sequence of steps, each step defining a predetermined display format for the abstraction stack, each predetermined display format specifying at least one of a position in the body of knowledge and a lens configuration for the abstraction stack, each lens configuration specifying at least one lens configured to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge;

(2) at a first predetermined step in the sequence of steps, configuring the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the first predetermined step; and

(3) in response to a transition to a second step in the sequence of steps that specifies a different lens configuration from that specified by the first step, reconfiguring the lens configuration for the abstraction stack to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge in the predetermined display format defined by the second predetermined step; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

22. The program product of claim 21, wherein the signal bearing media is transmission type media.

23. The program product of claim 21, wherein the signal bearing media is recordable media.

24. A method of creating a presentation of information from a body of knowledge, the body of knowledge stratified into a plurality of levels of abstraction and including a plurality of information elements associated with the plurality of levels of abstraction, the method comprising:

(a) defining a sequence of steps; and

(b) for each step in the sequence of steps, defining a predetermined display format for an abstraction stack to be displayed to an end user, each predetermined display format specifying at least one of a position in the body of knowledge and a lens configuration for the abstraction stack, the lens configuration specifying at least one lens configured to display at least a portion of the body of knowledge, wherein the sequence of steps includes at least first and second steps that specify different lens configurations such that a transition between the first and second steps results in reconfiguration of the lens configuration for the abstraction stack.