Method and system for navigation and data entry in hierarchically-organized database views

• US 6,381,611 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ascend Hit LLC
• Original Assignee: Cyberpulse, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Roberge, James, Soble, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/584,925
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/1-3, 707/501, 707/513, 707/100-103, 705/2, 705/3, 345/356, 345/357, 345/764, 345/853, 345/854
• US Class Current: 707/797
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system for navigating hierarchical database views that supports the efficient entry, review, and updating of data using a navigation display that is clear and efficient—yet compact in terms of the screen area used. At any point in the navigation process, the navigation display consists of buttons corresponding to the nodes that lie along the path to the last node visited (the set of previously made choices) and the children of this node (the set of current choices). Unselected and unselectable choices are culled and do not clutter the display. The user navigates up and down the hierarchy and enters data by selecting these buttons. An important feature of the invention is support for multiple instances of database subhierarchies within this navigation process and display. In addition, multiple nodes can be composed to form a single database entry, thereby reducing the size and complexity of the hierarchical database views. Finally, database views that are directed acyclic graphs are also supported—including both serial and parallel traversal techniques.

Claims

1. A method for the entry, review and update of data in a hierarchically-organized database comprising:

(a) creating the hierarchically-organized database, said database having a root node, said root code having at least one child node, and also having further descendant nodes;

(b) displaying the root node and each of the at least one child nodes of the root node as a set of selectable buttons;

(c) navigating the database by selecting one of the selectable buttons at a time;

(d) retaining the display of only the selected button and its parent button to prevent display space from being consumed through the display of one or more unneeded parent buttons, and displaying all of the child nodes associated with the selected node as selectable child buttons;

(e) repetitively selecting said child buttons and erasing completely from the display one or more child buttons that are not selected, but retaining ancestor buttons in the display, thereby enabling navigation back up the hierarchy by selecting one or more previously selected and retained visible ancestor buttons; and

entering new data by selecting a selectable button for the input of new data pertaining to the currently displayed node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) is repeated until leaf buttons are displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, with each node being stored as a set of tuples, wherein each tuple comprises a node identifier, a label, and a descriptive phrase.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a type of node.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a flag that indicates whether the node automatically triggers the opening of an instance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of a selectable ancestor button results in the removal of all descendant selectable buttons of said ancestor and the redisplay of the selectable buttons representing the child buttons of said ancestor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the data value from an associated data instance as part of the selectable button.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple data instances associated with a database node are displayed as selectable child buttons of the button corresponding to the database node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple data instances are selectable for modification and deletion.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the display of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of the selectable button associated with the link'"'"'s target node in place of the link'"'"'s source node.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the selection of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of a separate navigation structure containing a selectable button corresponding to the link'"'"'s target node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said database is a database of medical information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said new data is represented by a selectable button integrated into the previously-entered data instances associated with the displaced node.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a button for entering a negative data instance to represent the absence of a particular finding or state.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a button for entering free-form text information.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising a selecting a button for entering audio data.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a button for entering graphical data.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a button for the entering hyperlinks to related data.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying input boxes as part of certain selectable buttons and entering data using these boxes.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the composition of multiple input data buttons to form a single database entry.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously displaying data in a separate report summary window.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying data instances as selectable data buttons, such that selecting a data button in the report display initiates the display of said data button as a selectable button along with selectable buttons corresponding to the ancestors and children of said data button.

23. A hierarchically-organized database system comprising:

(a) means for creating the hierarchically-organized database, said database having a root node, said root node having at least one child node, and also having further descendant nodes;

(b) means for displaying the root node and each of the at least one child nodes of the root node as a set of selectable buttons, each of the selectable buttons displaying a text description thereon;

(c) means for navigating the database by selecting one of the selectable buttons at a time;

(d) means for retaining the display of only the selected button and its parent button to prevent display space from being consumed through the display of one or more unneeded parent buttons, and displaying all of the child nodes associated with the selected node as selectable child buttons;

(e) means for repetitively selecting said child buttons and erasing completely from the display one or more child buttons that are not selected, but retaining ancestor buttons in the display, thereby enabling navigation back up the hierarchy by selecting one or more previously selected and retained visible ancestor buttons; and

(f) means for entering new data by selecting a selectable button for the input of new data pertaining to the currently displayed node.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein step (e) is repeated until leaf buttons are displayed.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the selection of a selectable ancestor button results in the removal of all descendant selectable buttons of said ancestor and the redisplay of the selectable buttons representing the child buttons of said ancestor.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for displaying the data valve from an associated data instance as part of the selectable button.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the multiple data instances associated with a database node or subtree are displayed as selectable child buttons of the button corresponding to the database node.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein each node is stored as a set of tuples, and wherein each tuple comprises a node identifier, a label, a descriptive phrase, and an associated sentence or sentence fragment.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein at least one of the tuples comprises a type of node.

30. The system of claim 27, further comprising linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the display of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of the selectable button associated with the link'"'"'s target node in place of the link'"'"'s source node.

31. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the selection of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of a separate navigation structure containing a selectable button corresponding to the link'"'"'s target node.

32. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting a button for entering a negative data instance to represent the absence of a particular finding or state.

33. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting a button for entering free-form text information.

34. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for a selecting a button for entering audio data.

35. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting a button for entering graphical data.

36. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting a button for the entering hyperlinks to related data.

37. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for displaying input boxes as part of certain selectable buttons and entering data using these boxes.

38. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for forming multiple input data buttons into a single database entry.

39. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for simultaneously displaying data in a separate report summary window.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising means for displacing data instances as selectable data buttons, such that selecting a data button in the report display initiates the display of said data button as a selectable button along with selectable buttons corresponding to the ancestors and children of said data button.

41. A method for navigating a hierarchically-organized database having a root node comprising:

(a) displaying the root node;

(b) displaying all child nodes of the root node as selectable buttons;

(c) selecting a first one of the child nodes of the root node to start navigating the data base, thus prompting the display of the root node, the first one of the child nodes of the root node, and all child nodes of the first one of the child nodes as selectable buttons;

(d) moving down the database by selecting one of the children buttons of the selected button, completely erasing from display all other unselected children buttons of the selected buttons, but retaining the display of selected ancestor buttons; and

(e) navigating the database by selecting selectable buttons representing nodes of the database until leaf buttons are displayed.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting buttons representing the absence of a particular finding or state.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting a button for entering audio data.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting a button for entering graphical data.

45. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting a button for entering free-form textual data.

46. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting a button for entering hyperlinks to related data.

47. The method of claim 41, further comprising displaying input boxes as part of certain selectable buttons, and entering data using those buttons.

48. The method of claim 41, further comprising displaying data instances as selectable data buttons, such that selecting a data button in the report display initiates the display of said data button as a selectable button along with selectable buttons corresponding to the ancestors and children of said data button.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein each node is stored as a set of tuples, and wherein each tuple comprises a node identifier, a label, a descriptive phrase, and an associated sentence or sentence fragment.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a type of node.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a flag that indicates whether the node automatically triggers the opening of an instance.

52. A method for navigating a hierarchically-organized database having a root node comprising:

(a) displaying a representation of the database as a set of buttons, wherein each button represents a node on the database;

(b) selecting a button, thus erasing completely from display the children buttons of the parent button, and displaying the children button of the selected button;

(c) moving down the database by selecting one of the children buttons of the selected button, erasing completely from display all other unselected children buttons of the selected buttons, and displaying all the children buttons of the selected child buttons and all the selected ancestor buttons; and

(d) moving up the database by selecting a previously selected and displayed ancestor button, displaying all the children buttons of the ancestor button, and erasing from display all buttons that lie below the children buttons of the ancestor button.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein all ancestor buttons going back to a root node button are displaced.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein each node is stored as a set of tuples, and wherein each tuple comprises a node identifier, a label, and a descriptive phrase.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein each node also comprises an associated sentence or sentence fragment.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a type of node.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein at least one of said tuples comprises a flag that indicates whether the node automatically triggers the opening of an instance.

58. The method of claim 52, further comprising linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the display of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of the selectable button associated with the link'"'"'s target node in place of the link'"'"'s source node.

59. The method of claim 52, further comprising linking pairs of nodes to form a directed acyclic graph such that the selection of one node in a linked pair triggers the display of a separate navigation structure containing a selectable button corresponding to the link'"'"'s target node.

60. The method of claim 52, wherein said database is a database of medical information.

61. The method of claim 52, wherein said method is executed on a computer system having limited screen space available for display.