Graphical user interface, data structure and associated method for cluster-based document management

• US 7,447,999 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Czerwinski, Mary P., Robbins, Daniel C., Robertson, George G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roswell; Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/101,239
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/788, 715/789, 715/490, 715/526, 715/848
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a user interface, data structure and method to facilitate management and/or access to data, such as by grouping graphical representations of the data in an image space relative to cluster indicators. A given graphical representation for selected data (e.g., a graphical object) can be associated with a corresponding cluster indicator based on its proximity to the cluster indicator. Thus, cluster membership can be changed, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, by moving graphical objects relative to the cluster indicators.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface comprising:

a cluster indicator that represents a group of n objects visualized in an image space, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 0;

at least one graphical object to represent data in the image space, the at least one graphical object dynamically visually associates the group of objects represented by the cluster indicator as a function of a distance between the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator;

cluster annotation associated with the cluster indicator;

wherein the at least one graphical object associated with the cluster indicator inherits at least a portion of the cluster annotation from the cluster indicator based on the association; and

a scaling component that selectively scales the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator relative to the image space wherein the image space comprising a simulated three-dimensional image space that includes a visualized surface relative to which the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator are arranged, the scaling component performing scaling of the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator without scaling the surface.

2. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of clusters, each of the plurality of clusters having a respective cluster indicator, membership of the at least one graphical object to one of the plurality of clusters is determined based on the proximity of the at least one graphical object relative to the respective cluster indicator of the one cluster.

3. The interface of claim 2, further comprising a clustering control that automatically associates the at least one graphical object with the one cluster when the at least one graphical object is within a threshold distance of the respective cluster indicator of the one cluster.

4. The interface of claim 2, the plurality of clusters having a plurality of respective operating states based on interaction with a pointer represented in the image space, wherein a cluster selected via the pointer is capable of moving relative to the image space and other of the plurality of clusters, such that when the moving cluster is within a predetermined distance of another of the plurality of clusters, the another cluster is pushed away from the moving cluster.

5. The interface of claim 2, further comprising a cluster avoidance control that controls movement of the another cluster from a first position to a second position in response to the moving cluster being within the predetermined distance of the another cluster and, if the moving cluster has moved sufficiently away from the first position, the cluster avoidance control returning the another cluster to approximately the first position.

6. The interface of claim 2, the respective cluster indicators including different graphical elements to visually distinguish membership of the plurality of clusters, the at least one graphical object including a graphical element that substantially matches the graphical element of the one respective cluster indicator to which the at least one graphical object is associated to identify cluster membership wherein the graphical elements of the cluster indicators and of the at least one graphical object further comprising respective banners to indicate cluster membership.

7. The interface of claim 1, further comprising an import component that imports selected objects into the interface, such that a graphical object associated with each respective imported object is visually represented in the image space.

8. The interface of claim 7, further comprising a clustering component that visually associates the graphical objects of respective imported objects with corresponding cluster indicators in the image space based on metadata of the imported object or based on similarities between the imported objects.

9. A method to facilitate management or viewing of data, comprising:

displaying at least one cluster indicator in an image space to represent a cluster that can include n number of objects, where n is an integer greater than or equal to zero;

providing at least one graphical object to represent data in the image space;

visually associating the at least one graphical object with the at least one cluster as a function of a distance between the at least one graphical object and the at least one cluster indicator to indicate cluster membership by the association; and

simulating the image space as a three-dimensional image space having a visualized surface, the at least one graphical object and the at least one cluster indicator being arranged relative to the surface; and

wherein the at least one cluster indicator including an annotation, the at least one graphical object associated with the at least one cluster indicator inheriting at least a portion of the annotation from the at least one cluster indicator based on the association.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of cluster indicators in the image space, each of the plurality of cluster indicators representing a respective cluster; and

determining membership of the at least one graphical object to one of the plurality of clusters based on the distance between the graphical object and the one cluster indicator.

11. The method of claim 10, a plurality of graphical objects is displayed in the image space, the method further comprising:

automatically associating each of graphical objects with one respective cluster based on the distance between each respective graphical object and the plurality of cluster indicators;

moving at least one of the plurality of clusters relative to the image space and other of the plurality of clusters; and

graphically pushing another of the plurality of clusters away from the moving cluster when the moving cluster is within a predetermined distance of the another of the plurality of clusters.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

importing at least one selected object into the image space, such that an associated graphical object for the imported object is visually represented in the image space; and

visually associating the graphical objects of respective imported object with corresponding cluster indicators.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a substantially common graphical element at each of the at least one graphical object and the at least one cluster indicator to visualize cluster membership.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising scaling the at least one graphical object and the at least one cluster indicator relative to the image space, the scaling is performed relative to the at least one graphical object in an amount proportionally different from the at least one cluster indicator in response to change in scaling.

15. The method of claim 14, the scaling component performing scaling of the at least one graphical object and the at least one cluster indicator without scaling the surface.

16. A graphical user interface, comprising:

means for representing a group of n objects visualized relative to a surface in an image space via a cluster indicator, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 0;

means for graphically representing data in the image space via at least one graphical object;

means for visually associating the at least one graphical object with the group of objects as a function of a distance between the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator to indicate cluster membership by the association; and

means for selectively scaling the means for graphically representing data and the means for representing the group of objects independently of the surface in the image space, wherein the image space comprises a simulated three-dimensional image space having a visualized surface, the at least one graphical object and the cluster indicator being arranged relative to the surface; and

wherein the cluster indicator includes an annotation, the at least one graphical object associated with the cluster indicator inherits at least a portion of the annotation from the indicator based on the association.

17. The interface of claim 16, the means for graphically representing data comprising a plurality of graphical objects, the interface further comprising means for automatically associating each of the graphical objects with a respective means for representing a group of objects based on the distance between the each of the graphical objects and the respective means for representing the group of objects.

18. The interface of claim 16, wherein the means for scaling scales the means for graphically representing data an amount proportionally different from the means for representing the group of objects in response to a change in scaling.