Intelligent positioning of items in a tree map visualization

• US 7,667,701 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leah, Robert, Uthe, Robert, Parzygnat, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US12/166,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 345/424, 345/440, 345/441, 345/621, 345/419
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A system for displaying a tree map visualization including a processor, a memory device, and program code resident in the memory device. The program code is executable by the processor to prioritize data in a data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, to predefine a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set, to generate the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, and to display the tree map visualization on a display device.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a tree map visualization comprising:

a processor;

a memory device;

program code resident in the memory device, the program code executable by the processor to;

prioritize data in a data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, where the associated priorities designate a desired sequence to the respective elements of the data set;

predefine a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set;

generate the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, a combination of bounding boxes corresponding to the elements of the data in the data set and void regions where no information is displayed, such that each bounding box in the tree map visualization is arranged in priority order based upon the sequence designated by the priority associated with its corresponding element and the predefined pattern and the void regions fill in the remainder of the display space where no bounding box is present; and

display the tree map visualization on a display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a size of each bounding box is based on a first data value associated with that bounding box.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a color and/or shade of each bounding box is based on a second data value associated with that bounding box.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the priority corresponding to each bounding box comprises a third data value associated with that bounding box.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the bounding boxes are arranged in one of ascending or descending priority from top to bottom of the tree map visualization.

6. A system for displaying data from a data set in a tree map visualization, comprising:

processor means for prioritizing the data in the data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, where the associated priorities designate a desired sequence to the respective elements of the data set and predefining a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set, the processor means further for generating the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, a combination of bounding boxes corresponding to the elements of the data in the data set and void regions where no information is displayed, such that each bounding box in the tree map visualization is arranged in priority order based upon the sequence designated by the priority associated with its corresponding element and the predefined pattern and the void regions fill in the remainder of the display space where no bounding box is present; and

display means for displaying the tree map visualization on a display device.

7. A computer program product for displaying data from a data set in a tree map visualization, comprising:

a computer-usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to prioritize the data in the data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, where the associated priorities designate a desired sequence to the respective elements of the data set;

computer readable program code configured to predefine a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set;

computer readable program code configured to generate the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, a combination of bounding boxes corresponding to the elements of the data in the data set and void regions where no information is displayed, such that each bounding box in the tree map visualization is arranged in priority order based upon the sequence designated by the priority associated with its corresponding element and the predefined pattern and the void regions fill in the remainder of the display space where no bounding box is present; and

computer readable program code configured to display the tree map visualization on a display device.