Graphical chronological path presentation

• US 7,802,205 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Basom; Blaine T.
• Application Number:
  US11/031,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20060156255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 715/839, 715/848, 715/760, 715/764, 715/846, 715/850
• US Class Current: 715/848
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The life history of a person or entity can be presented in a graphical representation of a highway. Life events may be represented by simple data strings, or by files such as photographs, dissertations, job offers, and love-letters, among others. For ease in viewing, the information representing the life history is categorized according to type (medical, educational, photographic, etc.) and placed in lanes corresponding to the type of information. The information is also organized by date, being placed between mile corresponding to temporal periods, for instance, years. Other graphical arrangements of stored information are also included.

Claims

1. A method of presenting information comprising:

saving a computer file record of the information with a corresponding time stamp and event category;

associating the computer file record of the information with an object; and

visually presenting the object in a visual computer medium in a highway representation of events in the life of a person, the events being graphically depicted in chronological order as objects along the highway representation,

wherein the computer file record is displayed in response to selecting the object associated with the computer file record depicted in the highway representation,

wherein the highway representation includes a three-dimensional path with a plurality of partitions, wherein the plurality of partitions can be navigated by a user visually traveling on the three-dimensional path,

wherein the object associated with the computer file record is located in a lane on the path corresponding to the event category of the information, and

wherein the objects for certain of the events are shown in ramps connected to a highway representation of a chronological record of the life of another person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are presented between markers corresponding to temporal periods.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event category of the information is marked with a meta-tag.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the meta-tag is written in XML.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects in the visual medium comprise at least one icon.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one icon is located in a lane on the path corresponding to the event category of the computer file record.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one icon is located between markers corresponding to the time stamp of the computer file record.

8. A system for presenting information comprising:

a data storage device for storing a computer file record of the information;

a display device for displaying a representation of the computer file record of the information;

a user interface device for interaction between a user and the display device; and

a processor for selectively displaying the representation of the stored computer file record of the information on the display device;

wherein the processor displays an object associated with the computer file record chronologically on a graphically implemented three-dimensional path that is interactive for a user, the three-dimensional path representing being a highway representation of events in a life of a person, the events being graphically depicted in chronological order as objects along the highway representation,

wherein the computer file record displaying in response to selecting the object associated with the computer file record,

wherein the object associated with the computer file record is located in a lane on the path corresponding to an event category of the information, and

wherein the objects for certain of the events are shown in ramps connected to a highway representation of a chronological record of the life of another person.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the objects are represented by at least one icon on the path.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the object associated with the computer file record is organized along the highway representation according to a corresponding date of the computer file record the object.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one icon is located between markers representing temporal periods and the location corresponds to the date of a particular computer file record represented by the icon.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer file record is categorized according to event type.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the category of the computer file record is marked with a meta-tag.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the meta-tag is written in XML.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein a category is represented as a partition on the path.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a program for presenting information, the program comprising:

first logic for saving a computer file record of the information with a corresponding time stamp and event category;

second logic for associating the computer file record of the information with an object; and

third logic for visually presenting the object in a visual computer medium in a highway representation of events in the life of a person, the events being graphically depicted in chronological order as objects along the highway representation,

wherein the computer file record is displaying in response to selecting the object associated with the computer file record depicted in the highway representation,

wherein the highway representation includes a three-dimensional path with a plurality of partitions, wherein the plurality of partitions can be navigated by a user visually traveling on the three-dimensional path,

wherein the object associated with the computer file record is located in a lane on the path corresponding to the event category of the information, and

wherein the objects for certain of the events are shown in ramps connected to a highway representation of a chronological record of the life of another person.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the object associated with the computer file record is presented between markers corresponding to temporal periods.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the object associated with the computer file record presented in the visual computer medium comprises least one icon located in a partition on the path, the partition corresponding to the event category of the computer file record, and the at least one icon located between markers corresponding to the time stamp of the computer file record.