Apparatus and methods for organizing and/or presenting data

• US 7,054,870 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kooltorch LLC
• Inventors: Holbrook, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US11/129,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-205, 715/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• 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 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method of allowing navigation of a plurality of data elements residing within a category-tree database includes providing, on a single primary “web” page, a distinct data element symbol for each data element and a distinct parent category symbol for each parent category in the category paths of the data elements. For each illustrated parent category, a distinct first level web page is provided that includes (i) a first level subcategory symbol for each first level subcategory in the category paths of the data element(s) associated with that parent category and (ii) the data element symbol for each such data element shown associated with its respective first level subcategory symbol.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of allowing navigation of and access to a plurality of data elements residing within a category-tree database, the category-tree database being structured with a plurality of parent categories and at least one plurality of subcategories, the plurality of subcategories directly below the parent categories in the category tree being first level subcategories, any subcategories directly below the first level subcategories in the category tree being second level subcategories, and so on, each data element having a category path that includes a parent category and at least one subcategory, each data element residing within the category-tree database at a subcategory included in its category path, the computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a distinct parent category symbol on a single primary web page for each parent category in the category paths of the plurality of data elements;

providing a distinct data element symbol for each data element of the plurality of data elements, each data element symbol including a link to the data element it represents;

on the primary web page, for each data element, associating its corresponding data element symbol with the parent category symbol of the parent category in its category path;

for each parent category represented on the primary web page, providing a distinct first level web page that includes a first level subcategory symbol for each first level subcategory in each category path of the at least one data element associated with that parent category and the data element symbol for each such at least one data element, such at least one data element symbol being shown associated with its respective first level subcategory symbol; and

for each depicted first level subcategory having at least one associated data element that includes a second level subcategory in its category path, providing a distinct second level web page that includes a second level subcategory symbol for each such second level subcategory and the data element symbol for each such at least one associated data element, such at least one data element symbol being shown associated with its respective second level subcategory symbol,

whereby each data element is accessible from all web pages that depict the parent category or any subcategory in the category path of such data element.

2. A computer-implemented method for representing a plurality of data elements on a first web page and being capable of representing particular subsets of the data elements on additional respective web pages, each data element having at least one characteristic, the computer-implemented method comprising:

on the first web page, providing a data element symbol for each data element of the plurality of data elements;

on the first web page, arranging the plurality of data element symbols into a first set of groups based upon the commonality of at least one characteristic of each data element included in each respective group;

if it is desired to display, in separate groups, the data elements of any group among the first set of groups,

providing a second level web page that includes the data element symbols of such group separated into a second set of groups based upon the commonality of at least one characteristic of each data element included in each respective group of such second set of groups, and

hyper-linking the first web page to each second level web page; and

if it is desired to display, in separate groups, the data elements of any group among any of the second set of groups,

providing a third level web page that includes the data element symbols of such group separated into a third set of groups based upon the commonality of at least one characteristic of each data element included in each respective group of such third set of groups, and

hyper-linking each second level web page with its corresponding third level web pages.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein each data element symbol includes at least a first item of information about the data element it represents, further including providing at least a second item of information about each data element upon at least one among moving a mouse cursor over the corresponding data element symbol and clicking on the corresponding data element symbol.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further including providing a group symbol with each group, each group symbol indicating at least one common characteristic of the respective data elements included in such group, and wherein each group symbol provides information about the group it represents upon moving a mouse cursor over the group symbol.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further including providing the hyper-links between the web pages at the group symbols.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the data element symbols are spacially optimized on each respective web page.

7. A computer-implemented method for representing and allowing the navigation of database search results, the database search results including a plurality of data elements, each data element having at least one characteristic, the computer-implemented method comprising:

on a single page,

displaying the plurality of data elements in groups based upon the commonality of at least one characteristic among the data elements in each such group, each data element being represented by a distinct symbol and each group being represented by a distinct symbol;

providing at least one item of information about each data element within its respective symbol,

providing at least one item of information about each separate group within its respective symbol,

for each group, providing a hyperlink to a distinct second level page showing the data elements of such group displayed in sub-groups based upon the commonality of at least one characteristic among the data elements in each such sub-group;

on each page, providing a hyperlink to each data element shown on such page and wherein the group symbols and data element symbols are spacially-optimized on each respective page to be capable of including at least fifty data element symbols on such page and all such symbols are concurrently visible on a display unit.

8. A computer-implemented method of creating a multi-level graphical user interface for displaying and allowing the navigation of database search results, the database having a taxonomy category-tree structure, the database search results being in the form of a plurality of data elements, each data element having a URL and a category path, the method comprising:

creating a limited category tree of the search results based upon the category paths of the plurality of data elements;

creating a plurality of hyperlinked web pages for displaying the data elements in the context of each level of the limited category tree, including,

on a single web page, displaying the plurality of data elements in the context of the first level of the limited category tree,

for all data elements having a common first level in their respective category paths, displaying such data elements in the context of the second level categories in their respective category paths on a distinct second level web page, and

for all data elements displayed on a second level web page, displaying such data elements in the context of the third level categories in their respective category paths on a distinct third level web page;

providing a hyperlink to each data element on any web page where such data element is displayed; and

obtaining a brief description of each data element, displaying the brief description of each data element in a pop-up window associated with each such data element on any web page displaying the data element.

9. A computer-implemented method of displaying multiple clusters of search result icons on the desired display space of a web page, each search result icon representing a data element residing within a database and selected based upon a search of the database, at least twenty search result icons being displayed, the computer-implemented method comprising:

arranging the search result icons in clusters, each cluster including the search result icons representing data elements having at least one common characteristic;

positioning a first cluster, being the cluster having the fewest number of search result icons, generally in the upper right hand corner of the display space on the web page;

positioning a second cluster, being the cluster having the greatest number of search result icons, generally diagonally downwardly and to the left of the first cluster on the display space on the web page;

positioning a third cluster, being the remaining cluster having the fewest number of search result icons, generally below the first cluster on the display space on the web page;

if there are any remaining clusters, positioning a fourth cluster, being the remaining cluster having the fewest number of search result icons, generally below the second cluster on the display space on the web page;

if there are any remaining clusters, positioning a fifth cluster, being the remaining cluster having the greatest number of search result icons, generally below the third cluster on the display space on the web page;

if there are any remaining clusters, positioning a sixth cluster, being the remaining cluster having the fewest number of search result icons, generally below the fourth cluster on the display space on the web page;

if there are any remaining clusters, positioning a seventh cluster, being the remaining cluster having the fewest number of search result icons, generally below the fifth cluster on the display space on the web page; and

if there are any remaining clusters, positioning an eighth cluster, being the remaining cluster having the greatest number of search result icons, generally below the sixth cluster on the display space on the web page.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein each search result icon has a generally round shape and further including

forming a cluster icon for each cluster of search result icons;

for each cluster including under seven search result icons, arranging the search result icons symmetrically around the cluster icon, and

for each cluster including at least seven search result icons, arranging the search results icons in at least one circle around the corresponding cluster icon.