Method and apparatus for visualizing and exploring large hierarchical structures

• US 6,496,208 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bernhardt, Jeff, Fayyad, Usama M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/300,932
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 345/853, 345/835, 345/804, 345/841, 345/781, 345/968, 345/805, 345/767, 345/764, 345/733, 345/765
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Method and apparatus for displaying and navigating data organized in the form of a graph structure (hierarchy or network) is presented. The invention has application for displaying a system of interconnected nodes such as a graph, a network, an organizational chart, a flowchart etc. wherein data or information is associated with nodes of the system. A user interface is implemented as an ActiveX control having a viewer component for displaying and navigating graph structur (for example a data mining model over data records or a directory structure over a set of files). The viewer component updates the contents of related windows that display different aspects of the components (nodes) of the data structure. A thumbnail window presents the user with an overview of the data structure. A layout window presents a more detailed view of part of the graph structure. Other windows display context and detailed properties associated with particular selected nodes. One instance of the invention is used for displaying structure of a database classifier which organizes data in a tree. A tree viewer maintains a depiction of the entire graph (or tree) in the Thumbnail window and depicts a detailed portion of the graph in a larger layout window. The user can move the mouse pointer over either the thumbnail or the layout window and by mouse actuated inputs can control the manner in which the window depicts the tree structure. Color coding of properties of the structure being displayed, along with auxiliary detail windows for displaying values and histograms, can be used to quickly navigate a large structure and locates zones of interest within it.

Claims

1. Apparatus for displaying a data structure which is based on information contained within a data source comprising:

a data classifier for classifying the information from the data source and building a data structure from the information;

a display component communicating with the data classifier for rendering a visual depiction of the data structure by displaying two related renderings of the data structure, a first overview depiction of the data structure and a second detail depiction of a subportion of the overview portion wherein the detail depiction is displayed as a plurality of interconnected nodes that convey information about a data set that defines an associated node;

said display component also defining a highlighted region of the overview depiction and depicting correspondingly different portions of the data structure in the detail depiction based on the highlighted region; and

a control for allowing a user to communicate with the display component to adjust the highlighted region and thereby adjust the visual rendering of the data structure; and

means for displaying a third related rendering comprising a textual description of the nodes that make up the data structure;

said display component adjusting a size of the highlighted region based upon the data contained within the portion of the data structure represented by the highlighted region.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising means for depicting additional text information for a node that is highlighted in the detail depiction.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the display renders a detail window for displaying the detail depiction and separately renders an additional detail window containing information concerning nodes in the detail window.

4. A method for displaying data comprising the steps of providing a user interface for displaying and navigating a data structure characterized by a decision tree representing data from a database by:

rendering an overview depiction of a first portion of the decision tree in one region of a video display;

rendering a second, detail depiction of the decision tree in a second region of the video display wherein the detail depiction of the decision tree is displayed as a plurality of interconnected nodes from a selected portion of the decision tree that convey information about a data set from the database;

displaying a control component within the overview depiction for navigating the decision tree;

changing a position of said control component with respect to the overview depiction;

adjusting the detail portion of the decision tree appearing within the second region of the video display based on a position of the control component; and

changing the size of the control component based on the detail portion of the data structure appearing within said second region; and

rendering in a third region of a video display text corresponding to a logic of the branches of the decision tree leading to the data nodes displayed in the detailed depiction.