3-D display for time-based information

• US 8,255,817 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quotidian, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quotidian, Inc.
• Inventors: Faught, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/035,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 715848-852
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of displaying information about first and second pluralities of time-based events, the method involving: displaying perspective representations of each of a plurality of timelines including a first timeline and a second timeline, wherein the perspective representation of the first timeline is made up of perspective images of representations of the events of the first plurality of events arrayed along the first timeline at locations in time corresponding to those events and the perspective representation of the second timeline is made up of perspective images of representations of the events of the second plurality of events arrayed along the second timeline at locations in time corresponding to those events; enabling a user to select a current time; and in response to the user selecting the current time, displaying perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines as determined by the user selected current time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying information about a first plurality of time-based events, each of which has an associated time, and a second plurality of time-based events, each of which has an associated time, said method comprising:

simultaneously displaying perspective representations of each of a plurality of timelines including a first timeline and a second timeline, wherein displaying the perspective representation of the first timeline comprises simultaneously displaying perspective images of representations of multiple events of the first plurality of events arrayed along the first timeline at locations in time corresponding to the times associated with those multiple events and wherein displaying the perspective representation of the second timeline comprises simultaneously displaying perspective images of representations of multiple events of the second plurality of events arrayed along the second timeline at locations in time corresponding to the times associated with those multiple events;

enabling a user to select a current time; and

in response to the user selecting the current time, simultaneously displaying perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines as determined by the user selected current time.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines comprises identifying an event among the first plurality of events that corresponds to the current time and displaying an image of the representation of that corresponding event as a front event on the first timeline.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein displaying perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines comprises identifying a corresponding event among the second plurality of events and displaying an image of the representation of that corresponding event among the second plurality of events as a front event on the second timeline.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each event of the first plurality of events has an associated time range and wherein the identified corresponding event is identified by finding an event among the plurality of first events for which the associated time range includes the current time.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying perspective representations of said portion of each of the first and second timelines comprises identifying all events among the first plurality of events for which their respective time ranges include the current time and displaying images of the representations of said all events as front events on the first timeline.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representations of the events are three dimensional objects each of which has a time dimension and two spatial dimensions.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the images of the representations of the events are projections of the three dimensional objects representing the events.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying the representation of the corresponding event as a front event on the first timeline also involves not displaying representations of any of the events in the first timeline that are after the front event.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying a perspective representation of each of a plurality of timelines involves displaying the second timeline within the first timeline.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying a perspective representation of a plurality of timelines involves displaying the first and second timelines next to each other.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising assigning each timeline of the plurality of timelines with an associated different region of an x-y space and using the associated regions to determine where the perspective representations of the timelines are displayed on a visual display device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the associated region for the second timeline is within the associated region for the first timeline.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to select a location within the x-y space to thereby determine which of the plurality of timelines is displayed to the user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to select a scale for the x-y space and thereby determine what timelines located around said location in x-y space are displayed.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a corresponding level to each of the events among the first plurality of events and using the levels that are assigned to the events among the first plurality of events to determine which events among the first plurality of events are displayed and which events among the first plurality of events are not displayed along the perspective representation of the first timeline.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing time-based information for each event of the first plurality of events.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising associating other information with each of the events of the first plurality of events and wherein displaying the image of the representation of the front event of the first plurality of events also involves displaying at least some of the other information associated with that front event.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising associating other information with each of the events of the first plurality of events and further comprising displaying at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein for each event of the first plurality of events the other information includes a label associated with that event and wherein displaying at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events comprises displaying the labels.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein for each event of the first plurality of events the other information includes text associated with that event and wherein displaying at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events comprises displaying the text.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein for each event of the first plurality of events the other information includes an image associated with that event and wherein displaying at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events comprises displaying the images.

22. Computer readable non-transitory medium storing code for causing a computer to display information about a first plurality of time-based events, each of which has an associated time, and a second plurality of time-based events, each of which has an associated time, wherein the stored code when executed on the computer causes the computer to:

simultaneously display perspective representations of each of a plurality of timelines including a first timeline and a second timeline, wherein displaying the perspective representation of the first timeline comprises simultaneously displaying perspective images of representations of multiple events of the first plurality of events arrayed along the first timeline at locations in time corresponding to the times associated with those multiple events and wherein displaying the perspective representation of the second timeline comprises simultaneously displaying perspective images of representations of multiple events of the second plurality of events arrayed along the second timeline at locations in time corresponding to the times associated with those multiple events;

enable a user to select a current time; and

in response to the user selecting the current time, simultaneously display perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines as determined by the user selected current time.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code causes the computer to display perspective representations of a portion of each of the first and second timelines by identifying an event among the first plurality of events that corresponds to the current time and display an image of the representation of that corresponding event as a front event on the first timeline.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein each event of the first plurality of events has an associated time range and wherein the stored code causes the computer to identify the corresponding event by finding an event among the plurality of first events for which the associated time range includes the current time.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code causes the computer to display perspective representations of said portion of each of the first and second timelines by identifying all events among the first plurality of events for which their respective time ranges include the current time and display images of the representations of said all events as front events on the first timeline.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the representations of the events are three dimensional objects each of which has a time dimension and two spatial dimensions.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the images of the representations of the events are projections of the three dimensional objects representing the events.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code causes the computer to not display representations of any of the events in the first timeline that are after the front event.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code causes the computer to display a perspective representation of each of a plurality of timelines by displaying the second timeline within the first timeline.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code causes the computer to display a perspective representation of each of a plurality of timelines by displaying the first and second timelines next to each other.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code further causes the computer to assign each timeline of the plurality of timelines with an associated different region of an x-y space and use the associated regions to determine where the perspective representations of the timelines are displayed on a visual display device.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the associated region for the second timeline is within the associated region for the first timeline.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code further causes the computer to enable the user to select a location within the x-y space to thereby determine which of the plurality of timelines is displayed to the user.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code further causes the computer to enable the user to select a scale for the x-y space and thereby determine what timelines located around said location in x-y space are displayed.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code further causes the computer to assign a corresponding level to each of the events among the first plurality of events and use the levels that are assigned to the events among the first plurality of events to determine which events among the first plurality of events are displayed and which events among the first plurality of events are not displayed along the perspective representation of the first timeline.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the stored code further causes the computer to associate other information with each of the events of the first plurality of events and display at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein for each event of the first plurality of events the other information includes a label associated with that event and wherein the stored code further causes the computer to display at least some of the other information along with the perspective images of the representations of at least some of the events among the first plurality of events comprises displaying the labels.