System and method for illustrating a menu of insights associated with visualizations

• US 7,900,160 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bermingham, Francis D., Conmy, Douglas W., Krishnamurthy, Ram, Raven, Mary Elizabeth, Ice, Cynthia L., Moody, Paul B., Coppinger, Jodi L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIENER, ERIC A
• Application Number:
  US10/745,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,619 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 715810-845, 715/752
• US Class Current: 715/825
• 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 system and method are provided for generating one or more menus having options that display insights from visualizations. The options presented in the menus enable users to determine relationships between elements of the visualization. The relationships may be displayed textually to enable user to navigate the menus using a keyboard, a text-to-voice converter, and/or pointers.

Claims

1. A method of generating for presentation on a display at least one menu having options that enable representations of visualizations associated with a computer application, the method comprising:

presenting to a user a list of electronic messages received by the user,

receiving selection from the user of one of the electronic messages included in the list of electronic messages;

determining, from criteria associated with the selected electronic message, one or more relationships between the selected electronic message and the list of electronic messages; and

responsive, at least in part, to reception of the selection of the selected electronic message from the user, concurrently presenting to the user on an electronic display with the list of electronic messages, a menu that is separate from the list of electronic messages and displays selectable commands that each comprise a corresponding descriptively identified generic relationship between the selected electronic message and another electronic message in the list of electronic messages,

wherein a given one of the descriptively identified generic relationships is selectable in order to operate the command it corresponds to;

the commands being associated with the electronic messages determined to have the relationships to the selected electronic message that are generically identified by the displayed commands such that operation by the user of one of the commands opens the electronic message determined to have the relationship with the selected electronic message that is generically identified by the selected one of the displayed commands.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic messages include text messages.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the electronic messages include email messages.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the menu is a textual menu.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to navigate the list of electronic messages based on at least one of a time sequence and a relationship sequence.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generically identified relationships comprise one or both of a next message in thread relationship and a previous message in thread relationship.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to navigate the one or more menus using at least one of a keyboard, a text-to-voice converter, and a pointing device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the menu includes two or more levels of options.