Multiple sorting of columns in a displayed table in a user interactive computer display interface through sequential radial menus

• US 8,161,407 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ulerich, Rhys D., Williamson, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US11/686,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 715/834, 715/815, 715/825
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Multi-sorting of displayed columns representative of a tabular display is carried out by displaying a table of a plurality of columns, selectively displaying a first radial menu having a plurality of sectors, each sector representative of one of the plurality of columns, enabling a user to select one of the sectors, and responsive to a user selection of a sector for displaying a second radial menu of the plurality of sectors wherein the selected one sector is disabled, e.g. eliminated. This is continued through a sequence of subsequent radial menus until the user has selected the intended set of sequential columns for the multiple sorting.

Claims

1. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a method for sequential multiple-sorting of displayed columns in a display interface representative of a tabular database comprising:

displaying a table of a plurality of columns, each column representing a data element of said database;

selectively displaying a first radial menu having a plurality of arcuate sectors, each sector representative of the data element represented in a corresponding one of said plurality of columns;

enabling a user to select one of said sectors;

displaying a second radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of a sector, wherein said second radial menu is identical with said first radial menu except said selected one sector is disabled;

enabling said user to select another of said sectors in said second radial menu;

displaying a subsequent radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of said another sector in said second radial menu, identical with said first radial menu except said selected one and another sectors are disabled;

wherein the order of selection in said sequence of said first, second, and subsequent radial menus determines the order of the multiple-sorting;

sorting said plurality of columns in said table by weight; and

enabling the user to change a size of one or more of said sectors wherein a weight of the column represented by said changed sector in said sorting is charged.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said disabled one and another sectors are eliminated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first, second and subsequent radial menus are concentric.

4. The method of claim 2 further including the step of enabling the user to change a radial sorting order of said sectors in said first radial menu wherein the order of said sorting of the columns represented by said sectors is correspondingly changed.

5. A system including a computer controlled user-interactive display interface for sequential multiple-sorting of displayed columns representative of a tabular database, the system comprising:

a processor;

a computer memory holding computer program instructions which when executed by the processor perforin the method comprising;

displaying a table of a plurality of columns, each column representing a data element of said database;

selectively displaying a first radial menu having a plurality of arcuate sectors, each sector representative of the data element represented in a corresponding one of said plurality of columns;

enabling a user to select one of said sectors;

displaying a second radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of a sector, wherein said second radial menu is identical with said first radial menu except said selected one sector is disabled;

enabling said user to select another of said sectors in said second radial menu;

displaying a subsequent radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of said another sector in said second radial menu, identical with said first radial menu except said selected one and another sectors are disabled;

wherein the order of selection in said sequence of said first, second, and subsequent radial menus determines the order of the multiple-sorting;

sorting said plurality of columns in said table by weight; and

enabling the user to change a size of one or more of said sectors wherein a weight of the column represented by said changed sector in said sorting is changed.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said disabled one and another sectors are eliminated.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first, second and subsequent radial menus are concentric.

8. The system of claim 5 the performed method further includes the step of enabling the user to change a radial sorting order of said sectors in said first radial menu wherein the order of said sorting of the columns represented by said sectors is correspondingly changed.

9. A computer usable storage medium having stored thereon a computer readable program for sequential multiple-sorting of displayed columns representative of a tabular database on a computer controlled user-interactive display interface, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

display a table of a plurality of columns, each column representing a data element of said database;

selectively display a first radial menu having a plurality of arcuate sectors, each sector representative of the data element represented in a corresponding one of said plurality of columns;

enable a user to select one of said sectors;

display a second radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of a sector, wherein said second radial menu is identical with said first radial menu except said selected one sector is disabled;

enable said user to select another of said sectors in said second radial menu;

display a subsequent radial menu of said plurality of sectors, responsive to a user selection of said another sector in said second radial menu, identical with said first radial menu except said selected one and another sectors are disabled;

wherein the order of selection in said sequence of said first, second, and subsequent radial menus determines the order of the multiple-sorting;

sort said plurality of columns in said table by weight; and

enable the user to change a size of one or more of said sectors wherein a weight of the column represented by said changed sector in said sorting is changed.

10. The computer usable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said disabled one and another sectors are eliminated.

11. The computer usable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said first, second and subsequent radial menus are concentric.

12. The computer usable, storage medium of claim 10, wherein the computer program when executed further causes the computer to enable the user to change a radial order of said sectors in said menu wherein the order of said sorting of the columns represented by said sectors is changed.