System and method for presenting independent variable geometric relationships

• US 7,196,705 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuix North America Inc. (Nuix Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Altenex Corporation
• Inventors: Gallivan, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan; Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAPPAS, PETER
• Application Number:
  US11/110,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20050179690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A pair of convex clusters are selected. Each convex cluster has a center of mass located at an original fixed distance from a common origin, and is oriented along a vector formed at a fixed angle from a common polar axis. A span is measured between the centers of mass of each convex cluster. A segment is measured from the center of mass of each convex shape to a point closest to the other convex shape along the span. A new fixed distance from the common origin for the center of mass for one of the convex clusters located along the vector for that convex cluster is evaluated if the span is less than the sum of the segments of the convex clusters. The pair of convex clusters are displayed rendered using at least the new fixed distance for the center of mass of the one convex cluster.

Claims

1. Computer-readable medium encoded with stored rendering data for output as a perspective-corrected visualization of data clusters, comprising:

a plurality of stored clusters to individually represent thematically related objects, each stored cluster visually defining a bounded area within a two-dimensional visualization with a center of mass located within the bounded area;

a concept space to span the two-dimensional visualization, which outputs the stored clusters positioned with each center of mass at a distance and angle of rotation determined from an origin common to the concept space; and

a perspective-corrected distance determined as a function of spacing between the centers of mass and the distances and angles of rotation for each pair of stored clusters, wherein the distance of at least one of the pair of stored clusters is conditionally replaced with the perspective-corrected distance;

a stored quadratic equation to provide the function by which the perspective-corrected distance can be determined, wherein, for the at least one pair of clusters d_i and d_j, the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the cluster i is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising;

2. Stored rendering data according to claim 1, further comprising:

stored multidimensional data to provide the thematically related objects, wherein each thematically related object corresponds to a different dimension within the concept space.

3. An output device providing rendering data for output as a perspective-corrected visualization of data clusters, comprising:

a two-dimensional output area to render data for physical presentation in a display; and

an output buffer to store the rendering data pending output, comprising;

a plurality of clusters to individually represent thematically related objects, each cluster visually defining a bounded area within a two-dimensional visualization with a center of mass located within the bounded area; and

a concept space to span the two-dimensional visualization, which outputs the clusters positioned with each center of mass at a distance and angle of rotation determined from an origin common to the concept space; and

a perspective-corrected distance determined as a function of spacing between the centers of mass and the distances and angles of rotation for each pair of clusters, wherein the distance of at least one of the pair of clusters is conditionally replaced with the perspective-corrected distance,

a stored quadratic equation to provide the function by which the perspective-corrected distance can be determined, wherein, for the at least one pair of clusters d_i and d_j, the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the cluster i is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising;

4. An output device according to claim 3, further comprising:

multidimensional data further stored in the output buffer to provide the thematically related objects, wherein each thematically related object corresponds to a different dimension within the concept space.

5. An output device according to claim 3, wherein the display of the two-dimensional output is selected from the group comprising a CRT display, LCD display, and printer.

6. A system for rendering data for output as a perspective-corrected visualization of data clusters, comprising:

a memory, comprising;

a plurality of stored clusters to individually represent thematically related objects, each stored cluster visually defining a bounded area within a two-dimensional visualization with a center of mass located within the bounded area;

a concept space to span the two-dimensional visualization, which outputs the stored clusters positioned with each center of mass at a distance and angle of rotation determined from an origin common to the concept space; and

a processor, comprising;

a reorientation module to determine a perspective-corrected distance as a function of spacing between the centers of mass and the distances and angles of rotation for each pair of stored clusters; and

a visualization module to render the stored clusters for output on the two-dimensional output, wherein the distance of at least one of the pair of stored clusters is conditionally replaced with the perspective-corrected distance,

a stored quadratic equation to provide the function by which the perspective-corrected distance can be determined, wherein, for the at least one pair of clusters d_i and d_j, the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the cluster i is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising;

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a coefficient submodule to determine a coefficient to modify the perspective-corrected distance as applied to the at least one stored cluster for which the distance is replaced proportionately to the at least one pair of stored clusters.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the coefficient k is calculated according to the equation comprising:

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein the memory further comprises stored thematically related objects to provide multidimensional data, wherein each thematically related object corresponds to a different dimension within the concept space.

10. A system according to claim 6, further comprising:

an overlap submodule to replace the distance of the at least one stored cluster when the bounded areas of the at least one pair of stored clusters overlap within the two-dimensional visualization.

11. Computer-readable medium encoded with a structured record to store rendering data for output as a perspective-corrected visualization of data clusters, comprising:

structured data collectively organized as a database record, comprising;

a plurality of stored clusters to individually represent thematically related objects, each stored cluster visually defining a bounded area within a two-dimensional visualization with a center of mass located within the bounded area;

a concept space to span the two-dimensional visualization, which outputs the stored clusters positioned with each center of mass at a distance and angle of rotation determined from an origin common to the concept space; and

a perspective-corrected distance determined as a function of spacing between the centers of mass and the distances and angles of rotation for each pair of stored clusters,

a stored quadratic equation to provide the function by which the perspective-corrected distance can be determined, wherein, for the at least one pair of clusters d_i and d_j, the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the cluster i is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising;

12. A structured record according to claim 11, wherein the perspective-corrected distance is modified by a coefficient as applied to the at least one stored cluster for which the distance is replaced proportionately to the at least one pair of stored clusters.

13. A structured record according to claim 11, wherein the distance of the at least one stored cluster is replaced when the bounded areas of the at least one pair of stored clusters overlap within the two-dimensional visualization.

14. A method for rendering data for output as a perspective-corrected visualization of data clusters, comprising:

individually representing thematically related objects as a plurality of clusters, each cluster visually defining a bounded area within a two-dimensional visualization with a center of mass located within the bounded area;

defining a concept space to span the two-dimensional visualization;

outputting the clusters positioned with each center of mass at a distance and angle of rotation determined from an origin common to the concept space;

determining a perspective-corrected distance as a function of spacing between the centers of mass and the distances and angles of rotation for each pair of clusters;

defining a quadratic equation as the function by which the perspective-corrected distance can be determined, wherein, for the at least one pair of clusters d_i and d_j, the perspective-corrected distance d_i for the cluster i is calculated according to the quadratic equation comprising;

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

providing multidimensional data as the thematically related objects, wherein each thematically related object corresponds to a different dimension within the concept space.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

replacing the distance of the at least one cluster when the bounded areas of the at least one pair of clusters overlap within the two-dimensional visualization.

17. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

a coefficient submodule to determine a coefficient to modify the perspective-corrected distance as applied to the at least one cluster for which the distance is replaced proportionately to the at least one pair of clusters.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the coefficient k is calculated according to the equation comprising:

19. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for performing the method according to claim 14.