Multi-dimensional locating system and method

• US 7,680,817 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu, Berthiaume, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US11/693,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20070216694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions 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 adjacent to the second information element vector. Furthermore, the computer-executable instructions allow a user to select the characterization attributes and to visualize the information element vectors.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for organizing and displaying, on a display device, information elements associated with corresponding characterization attributes, the instructions comprising:

(A) receiving a command to generate a first information element vector grouping a plurality of information elements according to a first predetermined sequence;

(B) generating the first information element vector;

(C) representing the first information element vector on the display device at a first position;

(D) receiving a command to select a characterization attribute;

(E) identifying information elements associated with the selected characterization attribute;

(F) generating a second information element vector grouping a plurality of information elements according to a second predetermined sequence; and

(G) representing the second information element vector non-parallel to the first position of the representation of the first information element vector.

2. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the first information element vector and the second information element have at least one information element in common.

3. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one information element on the first information element vector is selected from a group consisting of a document, a picture, a movie and a web page.

4. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the representation of the second information element vector is at least partially co-planar with the representation of the first information element vector.

5. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected characterization attribute is selected from the group consisting of each of the characterization attributes of each of the information elements of the first information element vector.

6. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the characterization attribute is selected by selecting an information element from the first information element vector.

7. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the characterization attribute is selected without regard to the characterization attributes of the information elements of the first information element vector.

8. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the information elements comprises a first version and a second version, and wherein a third information element vector is defined by the versions of the information element.

9. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the representations displayed by the display device is graphical.

10. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein a graphical representation of the characterization attributes associated with at least one information element represented on the display device is displayed along with the information element.

11. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the selection of the characterization attribute is obtained by selecting at least one graphical representation of the characterization attributes.

12. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein a vectorial space is defined by the information element vectors.

13. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the vectorial space is selectively of a plurality of sizes.

14. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein a score is associated with the vectorial space.

15. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the score is based on at least one selected from the group consisting of the characterization attributes of the information elements within the vectorial space and a time.

16. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the information elements has a identifier code associated therewith.

17. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, further comprising creating a new information element having at least one characterization attribute.

18. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, further comprising displaying a presentation of the new information element.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for organizing and displaying information on a display, each information element having a least one characterization attribute, the method comprising:

(A) generating a first information element vector based on a pre-determined order;

(B) causing the display to display a representation of the first information element vector;

(C) determining a first characterization attribute based, at least in part, on an action performed on the first information element vector;

(D) generating a second information element vector based on the first characterization attribute, the second information element vector comprising a group of information elements associated with the first characterization attribute; and

(E) causing the display device to display a representation of the second information element vector non-parallel to the representation of the first information element vector.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instruction for managing information elements in a computer system having a graphical user interface, a display and a user interface selection device, the computer-executable instructions providing a method comprising:

(A) receiving a command to generate a first information element vector grouping a plurality of information elements according to a first sequence;

(B) representing the first information element vector on the display;

(C) selecting, with the selection device, a first characterization attribute associated with at least one information element in the first information element vector;

(D) identifying information elements associated with the first characterization attribute;

(E) generating a second information element vector grouping a second plurality of information elements according to a second sequence; and

(F) representing the second information element vector adjacent to the representation of the first information element vector on the display.