Method and apparatus for interface for graphic display of data from a Kstore

• US 7,348,980 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Buckwalter, Robert, Mazzagatti, Jane Campbell
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, CHANTE E
• Application Number:
  US11/014,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20060114255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 707/100
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore in a graphical display system having a graphic display device is disclosed, the method including the steps of collecting display requirements for defining a value and at least one display characteristic to be displayed on the graphic display device and querying an interlocking trees datastore in accordance with the display requirements to determine the value to be displayed. At least one graphical display parameter is determined in accordance with the display requirements and the value to be displayed and the graphical display parameter are transmitted to the graphical display device for display of the value by the graphic display device.

Claims

1. A method for providing displays of data including graphs or charts from an interlocking trees datastore having datastore nodes in a graphical display system having a graphic display device, comprising the steps of:

collecting display requirements for defining at least one value and at least one display characteristic to be displayed on said graphic display device;

querying an interlocking trees datastore in accordance with said display requirements to determine said value to be displayed wherein said querying includes traversing said nodes of said interlocking trees datastore from elemental root nodes through combinations of subcomponent nodes and end-product nodes using asCase and asResult bi-directional links to determine the paths of said interlocking trees datastore needed to define said at least one value;

determining at least one graphical display parameter in accordance with said display requirements and said value to be displayed;

and transmitting said graphical display parameter to said graphical display device for displaying of said value to be displayed by said graphic display device.

2. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting at least one variable constraint.

3. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 2, wherein said variable constraint establishes a context.

4. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 2, wherein said graph or chart has an x-axis and a y-axis and the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting a variable constraint for a plurality of x-axis values.

5. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, comprising the further step of querying said interlocking trees database for at least one constraint count.

6. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, wherein said graph or chart has an x-axis and a y-axis and the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting at least one focus constraint for determining a y-axis value of said graph or chart.

7. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 6, wherein the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting a plurality of foci for determining a plurality of y-axis values of said graph or chart.

8. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting at least one analytic type.

9. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 8, comprising the further step of querying said interlocking trees database in accordance with said analytic type.

10. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 9, said graph or chart having an x-axis and a y-axis, and said interlocking trees database having a plurality of data records wherein the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further steps of:

determining at least one focus contraint; and

applying type and said focus constraint to said plurity of data records to determine a y-axis value.

11. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 8, wherein said analytic type comprises a descriptive analytic type such as but not limited to a sum analytic.

12. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 8, wherein said analytic type comprises a predictive analytic type such as but not limited to the probability analytic.

13. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

collecting at least one constraint; and

querying said interlocking trees database for at least one corresponding constraint count in accordance with the number of times said constraint is referenced in said interlocking trees datastore.

14. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 13, wherein a plurality of constraints having a plurality of corresponding constraint counts is collected, comprising the further step of ordering the constraints of said plurality of constraints in accordance with the counts of said plurality of constraint counts to provide ordered constraints.

15. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 14, comprising the further step of querying said interlocking trees database in accordance with said ordered constraint counts.

16. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 13, wherein said graph or chart has y-axis comprising the further steps of:

logically associating at least two constraints of said plurality of constraints with each other to provide a constraint set; and

determining a y-axis value for said constraint set.

17. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 1, wherein said graphical display system includes a graphical user interface having a plurality of fields for displaying a plurality of lists of constraints for querying said interlocking trees datastore comprising the further steps of:

selecting a field of said plurality of fields, said selected field having a list of said plurality of lists;

selecting at least one constraint from said selected list; and

querying said interlocking trees datastore in accordance with said selected constraint.

18. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 17, comprising the further step of selecting a plurality of constraints from said selected list.

19. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 17, wherein said graph or chart has an x-axis and a y-axis and the step of collecting said display requirements comprises the further step of collecting a variable constraint for a plurality of x-axis values.

20. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 17, wherein said selected constraint comprises a variable constraint.

21. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 20, wherein said variable constraint establishes a context.

22. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 17, wherein said selected constraint comprises a focus.

23. The method for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 17, comprising the further step of transmitting said graphical display parameter to said graphical display device by way of said graphical user interface, collecting display requirements for defining at least one value and at least one display characteristic to be displayed on said graphic display device.

24. An apparatus for providing displays of data of interest to a user on graphic display device, said displays including graphs or charts from said data of interest derived from an interlocking trees datastore having datastore nodes, comprising:

a collector for collecting display requirements, said display requirements collected for defining at least one value and at least one display characteristic to be displayed on said graphic display device;

a query component for enabling a query of an interlocking trees datastore in accordance with said display requirements to determine said value to be displayed, including traversing said nodes of said interlocking trees datastore from elemental root nodes through combinations of subcomponent nodes and end-product nodes using asCase and asResult bi-directional links to determine the paths of the interlocking trees datastore needed to define said at least one value;

wherein said collector component determines at least one graphical display parameter in accordance with said display requirements and said at least one value to be displayed; and

a display component for enabling the display of said at least one value to be displayed by said graphic display device to provide a visual display of data for viewing by said user in accordance with said graphical display parameter.

25. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, wherein said collector is operable to collect one or more than one constraints to establish a context, for x or y values.

26. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, wherein said query component queries said interlocking trees datastore for at least one constraint count.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein when there are a plurality of constraints having a plurality of corresponding constraint counts said plurality of constraints is ordered for determining said at least one value, said ordering arranged in accordance with the counts of said plurality of constraint counts to provide ordered constraints.

28. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, wherein said graph or chart has an x-axis and a y-axis and wherein said collector is enabled to collect at least one focus constraint for determining a y-axis value of said graph or chart.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said apparatus also enables processing of data from said interlocking trees datastore through use of a selected at least one analytic type component.

30. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, wherein said graphical display system includes a graphical user interface for facilitating use of said apparatus, said graphical user interface having a plurality of fields for displaying a plurality of lists of constraints for querying said interlocking trees datastore, wherein a selected field of said plurality of fields has a list of said plurality of lists;

wherein said graphical user interface allows selection of a one of said plurality of lists and selection of at least one constraint to be selected from said selected list;

thus enabling via said apparatus a query of said interlocking trees datastore in accordance with said selected constraint.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said graphical user interface allows for selection of at least one analytic component for analyzing data obtained via at least one query of said interlocking trees datastore.

32. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, wherein said graph or chart has an x-axis and a y-axis and wherein at least one variable constraint is collected for at least one x-axis values.

33. The apparatus for providing a display of data from an interlocking trees datastore of claim 24, further comprising at least one graphical display parameter transmitted to said graphical display device by way of said graphical user interface.