System and process for presenting search results in a histogram/cluster format

• US 7,698,657 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lueder, Roger, Gemmell, David, Bell, Chester
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Tuyetlien T
• Application Number:
  US11/932,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 715/767, 715821-824, 715/833, 715/838, 715/968, 707/3, 707/7, 707/102
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

A user interface system and process for graphically displaying the results of a standard search, such as a database search, to a user on a display device via an interactive search results window in which the user views and filters search results items. These results can be presented in either a cluster or histogram format, or both. This allows the user to visualize the results graphically, rather than just displaying a list of the items found. In addition the presentation of the search results can be graphically manipulated to easily filter the results as desired by the user.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a process for graphically displaying the results of a search to a user on said display via an interactive search results window in which the user views and filters search results items, comprising process actions for:

computing a clustering of the search results items in terms of a user-specified independent variable corresponding to a common attribute of at least some of the search results to form a plurality of cluster subdivisions each comprising a portion of the search results items within a particular range of the independent variable determined by the clustering;

displaying a graphic data presentation sector in the search results window which comprises a series of shapes representing said cluster subdivisions displayed in the order dictated by the independent variable, wherein each subdivision shape is visually distinguished from the other subdivision shapes and has a length in the direction of an axis of the independent variable proportional to the number of search results items within the associated subdivision and a fixed width in the direction perpendicular to the independent variable axis; and

upon the user selecting one of the cluster subdivision shapes via said selection device, those search results items associated with the selected subdivision shape are re-clustered and cluster subdivision shapes associated with the re-clustered search result items are displayed in the graphic data presentation sector in lieu of the previously displayed higher-order clustering, thereby effecting a user specified filtering of the search results.

2. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for graphically displaying the results of a search to a user on a display device via a search results window, said computer-executable instructions operable to:

compute a clustering of the search results items in terms of a user-specified independent variable corresponding to a common attribute of at least some of the search results to form a plurality of cluster subdivisions each comprising a portion of the search results items within a particular range of the independent variable determined by the clustering; and

display a graphic data presentation sector in the search results window which comprises,

a series of shapes representing said cluster subdivisions displayed in the order dictated by the independent variable, wherein each subdivision shape is visually distinguished from the other subdivision shapes and has a length in the direction of an axis of the independent variable proportional to the number of search results items within the associated subdivision and a fixed width in the direction perpendicular to the independent variable axis, and

a histogram of the search results items, in terms of the user-specified independent variable, displayed over the cluster subdivision shapes, wherein the bars of the histogram each represent a histogram bin corresponding to a particular range of the independent variable and each have a length proportional to the number of search results items determined to be in the associated bin and extend perpendicular to the independent variable axis, and wherein the independent variable range covered by the histogram bins associated with bars displayed within each cluster subdivision shape falls within the independent variable range of the associated subdivision.