Multidimensional visualization method
First Claim
1. A processor-implemented method of analyzing information objects, the information objects having at least four unique fields in common, wherein each field of each information object has a respective value, comprising:
- defining unit vectors for each of the fields, wherein the unit vectors lie in a common plane;
providing a graphical representation for each of the unit vectors on a monitor interfaced with a processor;
for each information object, calculating field vectors for each field in the information object, each of the field vectors having a magnitude determined by the field'"'"'s value and an orientation determined by the field'"'"'s unit vector;
for each information object, summing the field vectors to determine an information object vector;
for each information object, displaying on the monitor a feature representing the end point of the corresponding information object vector, thereby displaying a first plot of features on the monitor;
changing at least one of the graphical representations in response to a user using a graphical user interface (GUI);
using the processor to redefine the unit vector corresponding to the changed graphical representation in accordance with said changing;
using the processor to recalculate information object vectors in accordance with said redefinition of the unit vector; and
for each recalculated information object, displaying on the monitor a feature representing the end point of the corresponding recalculated information object vector, thereby displaying a second plot of features on the monitor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Multi-dimensional objects or data may be represented in two dimensions, thereby facilitating understanding of the information or data. This reduction in the number of dimensions is accomplished by constructing unit vectors corresponding to the dimensions, in which the unit vectors share a common plane. Information objects or multi-dimensional data are plotted and represented as small features such as points on a display tied to a processor or computer. A user may gain insight into how the information is structured by performing certain transformations on it, such as scaling one (or more) unit vectors or rotating one or more unit vectors, followed by replotting the points.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A processor-implemented method of analyzing information objects, the information objects having at least four unique fields in common, wherein each field of each information object has a respective value, comprising:
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defining unit vectors for each of the fields, wherein the unit vectors lie in a common plane; providing a graphical representation for each of the unit vectors on a monitor interfaced with a processor; for each information object, calculating field vectors for each field in the information object, each of the field vectors having a magnitude determined by the field'"'"'s value and an orientation determined by the field'"'"'s unit vector; for each information object, summing the field vectors to determine an information object vector; for each information object, displaying on the monitor a feature representing the end point of the corresponding information object vector, thereby displaying a first plot of features on the monitor; changing at least one of the graphical representations in response to a user using a graphical user interface (GUI); using the processor to redefine the unit vector corresponding to the changed graphical representation in accordance with said changing; using the processor to recalculate information object vectors in accordance with said redefinition of the unit vector; and for each recalculated information object, displaying on the monitor a feature representing the end point of the corresponding recalculated information object vector, thereby displaying a second plot of features on the monitor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28, 32)
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23. A processor-implemented method of analyzing information, comprising:
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providing a set of information objects that include fields, the information objects having at least four unique fields in common, in which each field of each information object has a respective value; constructing a unit vector for each field, the unit vectors having a plane in common; representing the unit vectors graphically on a monitor as rays emanating from a common origin, the rays having respective magnitudes and orientations corresponding to the magnitudes and orientations of the unit vectors; for each information object, calculating a vector summation over the fields in the information object, in which each field contributes to the vector summation an amount equal to the field'"'"'s value times the field'"'"'s unit vector; for each information object, displaying the end point of the corresponding vector summation as a feature on the monitor, thereby displaying on the monitor a first set of features corresponding to the information objects; reconstructing at least one of the rays in response to a user using a graphical user interface (GUI), so that at least one of the reconstructed ray'"'"'s magnitude and orientation is changed; using the processor to reconstruct the unit vector corresponding to the reconstructed ray in accordance with the change made to the reconstructed ray; for each information object, using the processor to recalculate the vector summation with the reconstructed unit vector; and for each information object, displaying the end point of the corresponding recalculated vector summation as a feature on the monitor, thereby displaying on the monitor a second set of features corresponding to the information objects. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33)
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Specification