Multi-dimensional locating system and method

• US 7,606,819 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu, Berthiaume, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US10/265,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 128/897, 707/100, 707/104.1, 701/213, 704/8, 704/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• 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

A method for organizing information elements in a system having a display capability which (a) generates a first information element vector based on a predetermined first characterization attribute, (b) generates a second information element vector based on a second characterization attribute, and (c) display on the display device the first information element vector non-parallel to the second information element vector. Furthermore, the method allows a user to select the characterization attributes and to visualize the information element vectors.

Claims

1. A method for graphically organizing and manipulating a plurality of information elements on a display of a computer, the method comprising:

retrieving a plurality of information elements from a storage location operably connected to the computer, each said information element having at least one characterization attribute associated therewith;

graphically organizing the plurality of information elements retrieved from the storage location along a first vector or axis on the display;

receiving input from a user of the computer corresponding to a selected characterization attribute associated with a related information element, the selected characterization attribute being selected by the user of the computer from among characterization attributes of the plurality of information elements along the first vector or axis; and

graphically organizing a subset of the plurality of information elements along a second vector or axis on the display, the first and second vectors or axes being organized on the display such that the second vector or axis intersects or adjoins the first vector or axis at a non-zero degree angle at a location proximate to the selected information element,

wherein the subset of the plurality of information elements only includes information elements having the selected characterization attribute associated therewith.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first vector or axis of information elements and the second vector or axis of information elements have at least one information element in common.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second vector or axis of information elements is adapted to be, at least partially, displayable co-planar with the first vector or axis of information elements.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected characterization attribute is selected from the group consisting of the characterization attributes of the information elements of the first vector or axis of information elements.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected characterization attribute is selected by selecting an information element from the first vector or axis of information elements.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected characterization attribute is selected without regard to the characterization attributes of the information elements of the first vector or axis of information elements.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the information elements comprises a first version and a second version, and wherein a third vector or axis of information elements is defined by the versions of the at least one of the information elements.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element displayed by the display is a graphical representation of its content.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a graphical representation of at least one selectable characterization attribute of at least one information element is graphically displayed along with its at least one information element.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a vectorial space is defined by the first vector or axis of information elements and the second vector or axis of information elements, and wherein the vectorial space is adapted to change size on the display.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first vector or axis of information elements is adapted to display information elements along a chronological order.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the vectors or axes of information elements is adapted to display the information elements along a substantially linear disposition.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at lest one of the characterization attributes is an identifier code.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of creating a new information element having at least one characterization attribute.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is a document.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising graphically manipulating the first vector or axis of information elements.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising graphically manipulating the second vector or axis of information elements.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting at least one characterization attribute is selecting at least one characterization attribute of the first vector or axis of information elements.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is a web page.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is a music file.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is a picture.

22. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is a video file.

23. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element is music album art.

24. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected characterization attribute is associated with at least one information element of the first information element vector or axis.

25. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising graphically manipulating at least one information element of the first vector or axis of information elements to select at the least one characterization attribute.

26. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second vectors or axes are substantially orthogonal to one another.

27. A system for graphically organizing and manipulating a plurality of information elements on a display of a computer, comprising:

a storage location operably connected to the computer, the storage location including a plurality of information elements, each said information element having at least one characterization attribute associated therewith;

an organization module configured to graphically organize the plurality of information elements retrieved from the storage location along a first vector or axis on the display; and

a selection module configured to receive input from a user of the computer corresponding to a selected characterization attribute associated with a related information element, the selected characterization attribute being selected by the user of the computer from among characterization attributes of the plurality of information elements along the first vector or axis,

wherein the organization module is further configured to graphically organize a subset of the plurality of information elements along a second vector or axis on the display, the first and second vectors or axes being organized on the display such that the second vector or axis intersects or adjoins the first vector or axis at a non-zero degree angle at a location proximate to the selected information element,

wherein the subset of the plurality of information elements only includes information elements having the selected characterization attribute associated therewith.

28. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the organization module is adapted to send instructions to a processor for running a task that is, at least in part, for organizing the information elements.

29. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the selection module is adapted to send instructions to a processor for running a task that is, at least in part, for selecting the at least one characterization attribute.

30. The system as recited in claim 27 further comprising a user interface module.

31. The system as recited in claim 30 wherein the user interface module is adapted to receive an input from a user, the input being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

32. The system as recited in claim 31 wherein the user interface module is adapted to store input information into memory based on the input.

33. The system as recited in claim 32 wherein the selection module is adapted to retrieve the input information from memory.

34. The system as recited in claim 31 wherein the user interface module is adapted to send instructions to the selection module, the instructions being based on the input.

35. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the selection module is adapted to store a selection information into memory, the selection information being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

36. The system as recited in claim 35 wherein the organization module is adapted to retrieve the selection information from memory.

37. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the selection module is adapted to send instructions to the organization module, the instructions being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

38. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the organization module is adapted to store vector or axis information in memory, the vector or axis information being based on one of the first vector or axis and the second vector or axis.

39. The system as recited in claim 38 wherein the user interface module is adapted to display the information elements based on the vector or axis information.

40. The system as recited in claim 27 wherein the organization module is adapted to send instructions to the user interface module, the instruction being based on at least one of the first vector or axis and the second vector or axis.

41. The system as recited in claim 30 wherein the user interface module is adapted to send instructions to the display, the instructions being based on at least one of the first vector or axis and the second vector or axis.

42. A computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a program for organizing and manipulating information elements on a device that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method comprising:

retrieving a plurality of information elements from a storage location operably connected to the computer, each said information element having at least one characterization attribute associated therewith;

graphically organizing the plurality of information elements retrieved from the storage location along a first vector or axis on the display;

receiving input from a user of the computer corresponding to a selected characterization attribute associated with a related information element, the selected characterization attribute being selected by the user of the computer from among characterization attributes of the plurality of information elements along the first vector or axis; and

graphically organizing a subset of the plurality of information elements along a second vector or axis on the display, the first and second vectors or axes being organized on the display such that the second vector or axis intersects or adjoins the first vector or axis at a non-zero degree angle at a location proximate to the selected information element,

wherein the subset of the plurality of information elements only includes information elements having the selected characterization attribute associated therewith.

43. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising sending instructions to a processor for running a task that is, at least in part, for organizing the information elements.

44. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising sending instructions to a processor for running a task that is, at least in part, for selecting the at least one characterization attribute.

45. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising storing selection information into memory, the selection information being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

46. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 45 further comprising retrieving the selection information from memory.

47. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising sending instructions for the graphical organizing, the instructions being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

48. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising storing vector or axis information in memory, the vector or axis information being based on one of the first vector or axis and the second vector or axis.

49. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising receiving input information from another device, the input information being related to the at least one characterization attribute.

50. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising sending output information to another device, the output information being based on at least one of the first vector or axis and second vector or axis.

51. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 50 wherein the output information is at least in part produced as a result of the graphically organizing.

52. A method of manipulating data on a display of a computer, the method comprising:

(a) retrieving a plurality of information elements from a storage location operably connected to the computer, each said information element having at least one characterization attribute associated therewith;

(b) graphically organizing the plurality of information elements retrieved from the storage location along a vector or axis on the display;

(c) receiving input from a user of the computer corresponding to a selected characterization attribute associated with a related information element, the related information element being selected by the user of the computer from among the plurality of information elements organized on the display;

(d) graphically organizing a subset of the plurality of information elements retrieved from the storage location along a further vector or axis such that the further vector or axis and the vector or axis on which the selected characterization attribute is located are non-parallel to one another, the subset of the plurality of information elements including only information elements having characterization attributes associated therewith that match the selected characterization attribute associated with the related information element; and

(e) enabling (c) and (d) to be repeated at least one additional time.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein each said information element is a document.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein at least one information element displayed in the vector or axis also is displayed in the further vector or axis.