Methodology for viewing large strategies via a computer workstation

• US 7,000,199 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fairisaac and Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fairisaac and Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Crawford, Stuart L., Steele, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/852,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20020167551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 715514-526, 715853-855, 715/500, 715/508, 715/825, 715/826, 715/861, 715/501.1, 345762-767, 345775-778, 345815-816, 345853-855, 345/866
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The invention herein draws from the design principles of the field of information visualization and provides a series of design principles for the efficient display of large strategies, based in part upon the use of fish-eye views. Specific principles include any of the following: do not let the off screen part of strategy affect the display of the on screen part of the strategy; do not try to show detail where it is not important; always show the condition path; no scroll bars; provide navigational shortcuts; provide navigational cues; fit as much information on the screen as possible; maintain a consistent top of the strategy-children orientation; fit the strategy display into a rectangular view; and be capable of rendering all strategies.

Claims

1. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

displaying in a strategy view an on screen part of a strategy that is not affected by an off screen part of said strategy;

showing detail in said display where it is important;

always showing a condition path on screen;

providing said display without scroll bars;

providing navigational shortcuts for traversing said strategy view;

providing navigational cues in said display;

fitting as much information on said display as possible;

maintaining a consistent top of the strategy-children orientation in said display;

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

fitting said display into a rectangular view; and

rendering all strategies.

2. A computer implemented process implemented in a computer program that is stored in a tangible storage medium, said storage medium comprising:

a computer program for performing any of the steps of;

displaying in a strategy view an on screen part of a strategy that is not affected by an off screen part of said strategy;

showing detail in said display where it is important;

always showing a condition path on screen;

providing said display without scroll bars;

providing navigational shortcuts for traversing said strategy view;

providing navigational cues in said display;

fitting as much information on said display as possible;

maintaining a consistent top of the strategy-children orientation in said display;

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

fitting said display into a rectangular view; and

rendering all strategies.

3. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

wherein if a portion of said strategy is not being viewed, it has no effect on layout of a visible portion of said strategy;

wherein said strategy layout is dynamic and adaptable to a current portion of said strategy being viewed; and

wherein a user may view, in its entirety, a portion of said strategy on which said user currently wants to concentrate.

4. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

defining a single segment of said strategy as a focal point of said display;

displaying segments with less detail the farther away they are from said focal point; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position.

5. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position; and

always displaying a set of conditions needed to reach a single segment currently selected as a focal point.

6. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

instead of providing scroll bars, accomplishing navigation by hopping from segment to segment; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position.

7. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

wherein selecting any segment makes that segment a focal point; and

wherein selecting any element in a decision path makes a corresponding segment the focal point.

8. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

providing navigational cues which may comprise smooth, double-buffered animation transitions; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position.

9. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

using available display space to provide extra context for a focus node;

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

eliminating redundant information; and

rendering information as compactly as possible.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein widths of nodes and levels are only wide enough to fit a widest label.

11. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

maintaining a consistent top of the strategy-children orientation; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

wherein a top of the strategy is always at a center, left most portion of said display.

12. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen;

fitting said display into a rectangular view; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

wherein said strategy layout is dynamic and adaptable to a current portion of said strategy being viewed.

13. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy; and

always showing a condition path on screen;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy; and

allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position;

wherein no assumption is made about a form of said strategies that are being rendered; and

wherein every strategy that a user or software provider creates can be displayed.

14. A method for the efficient display of large strategies, comprising the steps of:

providing a strategy;

providing a strategy view display of said strategy;

always showing a condition path on screen; and

selecting a portion of said strategy to display by choosing a branch of said strategy view to display and optionally how many levels of said branch to display by allowing a branch of a first focus segment to be chosen for display by selecting a segment at top of said branch so that said segment becomes a new focus segment, wherein if said new focus segment is a descendant of said first focus segment, then, after the descendant segment becomes said new focus segment, continuing to display a number of segments initially visible on said display but initially located in a different position in said display, and providing an animation showing each of said segments starting in their original position and migrating to a new position.

15. A method of claim 14, wherein a branch segment is either displayed in its entirety or completely hidden.