Graphical access to data objects

• US 7,353,457 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Scheu, Sylvia, Modler-Spreitzer, Anja, Riss, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US10/611,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20040268268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 715/834, 715/835, 715/700, 715/841, 715/866, 715/774, 715762-765, 715771-772, 715/836, 715/846, 715/977, 715/976, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for accessing data objects from a storage medium includes rendering a combination of graphical structures. Each graphical structure depicts a storage hierarchy or logic, and can include a link or reference to stored data objects. The combination of graphical structures defines a number of graphical objects. Each graphical object is associated with a coordinate display and linking mechanism to access one or more data objects represented by the graphical object. Thus, a number of collections of data objects is represented graphically for quick access.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to stored data objects, the method comprising:

representing a first arrangement of data objects comprising a first set of documents as a first graphical structure in a graphical user interface (GUI;

concurrently representing a second arrangement of data objects comprising a second set of documents as a second graphical structure in the GUI;

combining the first and second graphical structures in the GUI defining a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects each providing access to one or more data objects associated with a corresponding portion of the combined first and second arrangements, the combined first and second graphical structures including at least one overlapping region defining one of the user-selectable objects providing access to the first and second arrangements of data objects and one or more of the first and second set of documents, wherein the first arrangement is based on a date or time, and the first graphical structure includes an area divided into a number of arc-sections, wherein each arc-section represents a duration of the date or time.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first graphical structure comprises a number of arc-sections of an area, and wherein the second graphical structure comprises a plurality of sectors coaxially arranged in the area.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the area is circular.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of sectors is intersected by one of the arc-sections.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first graphical structure comprises a structure organized based on one or more types of information includes within the data objects.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is based on a name, type, or size and is related to the date or time of the first arrangement, and the second graphical structure includes a plurality of sectors coaxially arranged in the area, wherein each sector represents the name, type, or size.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

concurrently representing a third arrangement of data objects as a third graphical structure in the GUI;

a combination of the first, second and third graphical structures in the GUI defining the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects, each graphical object providing a link to a portion of storage associated with a corresponding portion of a combination of the first, second and third arrangements.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of graphical objects forms a three-dimensional cylinder in the GUI, wherein the first graphical structure corresponds to arc-segments of the cylinder, wherein the second graphical structure corresponds to coaxial sectors of the cylinder, and wherein a third graphical structure corresponds to a height of the cylinder.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the cylinder includes a plurality of sub-sections.

10. An apparatus for accessing data objects from a storage medium, comprising:

a processor; and

memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to provide

a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects defined by a combination of a first graphical structure representing a first arrangement of data objects comprising a first set of documents and a second graphical structure representing a second arrangement of data objects comprising a second set of documents, wherein each graphical object provides access to one or more data objects associated with a corresponding portion of the combination of the first and second arrangements, the combined first and second graphical structures including at least one overlapping region defining one of the user-selectable objects providing access to the first and second arrangements of data objects and one or more of the first and second set of documents, wherein the first arrangement is based on a date or time, and the first graphical structure includes an area divided into a number of arc-sections, wherein each arc-section represents a duration of the date or time.

11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each graphical object comprises a two-dimensional polygon.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the GUI includes a circular area, and wherein the first graphical structure comprises a number of arc-sections of the circular area.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein the second graphical structure comprises a plurality of sectors of the circular area.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each graphical object is defined by a combination of the first and second graphical structures, and by a third graphical structure representing a third data object storage arrangement.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein each graphical object comprises a three-dimensional polygon.

16. A system for accessing data objects, comprising

a sisplay providing a graphical user interface (GUI);

a storage medium for storing one or more data objects;

a processor responsive to instructions stored in an instruction memory, and configured to represent a first arrangement of data objects comprising a first set of documents as a first graphical structure in the GUI, and to represent a second arrangement of data objects comprising a second set of documents as a second graphical structure in the GUI;

wherein a combination of the first and second graphical structures in the GUI defines a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects, each graphical object providing access to one or more data objects in the storage medium associated with a corresponding portion of the combination of the first and second arrangements, the combined first and second graphical structures including at least one overlapping region defining one of the user-selectable objects providing access to the first and second arrangements of data objects and one or more of the first and second set of documents, wherein the first arrangement is based on a date or time, and the first graphical structure includes an area divided into a number of arc-sections, wherein each arc-section represents a duration of the date or time.

17. The system in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a user input device for receiving input signals to navigate the GUI for accessing the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects.

18. The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein the GUI defines a two-dimensional graphic formed of the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects.

19. The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to represent a third arrangement of data objects as a third graphical structure in the GUI, and wherein a combination of the first, second and third graphical structures in the GUI defines the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects.

20. The system in accordance with claim 19, wherein the GUI defines a three dimensional graphic formed of the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects.

21. A data object access method, comprising:

representing each of two or more arrangements of data objects as a graphical structure that, when combined in a graphical user interface, define a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects each providing access to one or more data objects associated with a corresponding portion of the combination of the arrangements, the combined first and second arrangements including at least one overlapping region of one of the user-selectable objects providing access to the first and second data objects, wherein the first arrangement is based on a date or time, and one or the graphical structures includes an area divided into a number of arc-sections, wherein each arc-section represents a duration of the date or time.