Context-sensitive views

• US 8,713,467 B1
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Allen, Goldenberg, Joshua, Ngo, Brian, Dwyer, Bill, Menon, Parvathy, Martin, Gregory, Bush, Zach, Boland, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/095,798
• Time in Patent Office: 147 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/772, 715/716
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A context-sensitive viewing system is disclosed in which various data visualizations, also referred to a contextual views, of a common set of data may be viewed by a user on an electronic device. Data in the system may comprise data objects and associated properties and/or metadata, and may be stored in one or more electronic data stores. As a user of the system views and manipulates a first contextual view of a set of data objects, one or more other contextual views of the same set of data objects may be updated accordingly. Updates to the secondary contextual views may, in various embodiments, happen real-time. Further, the secondary contextual views may be visible to the user simultaneously with the primary contextual view. A user may switch from one view to another, and may manipulate data in any view, resulting in updates in the other views.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in communication with a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors, the software modules including at least;

an electronic database configured to store a plurality of data objects and properties associated with each of the data objects; and

a context viewing module configured to;

generate a primary contextual view including a visualization of a set of data objects and associated properties, the visualization comprising;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

generate one or more secondary contextual views distinct from the primary contextual view, each secondary contextual view including respective secondary visualizations, distinct from the visualization, of the set of data objects, the secondary visualizations comprising at least one of;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

receive a user input modifying the primary contextual view, wherein the user input modifying the primary contextual view comprises at least one of;

adding data objects to the set of data objects, removing data objects from the set of data objects, modifying data objects in the set of data objects, moving data objects in the set of data objects, modifying properties associated with data objects in the set of data objects, or modifying and/or manipulating links between data objects in the set of data objects;

in response to receiving the user input modifying the primary contextual view, modify a first adjacent secondary contextual view and a second adjacent secondary contextual view of the one or more of the secondary contextual views, based at least in part on the user input; and

in response to receiving the user input modifying the primary contextual view, modify a first adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and modify a second adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the second adjacent secondary contextual view,

wherein the context viewing module is configured to display the first adjacent secondary contextual preview when a location indicator is positioned above a first portion of a scrollbar associated with the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and display the second adjacent secondary contextual preview when the location indicator is positioned above a second portion of the scrollbar associated with the second adjacent secondary contextual view.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the context viewing module is further configured to:

in response to receiving the user input modifying the primary contextual view, determine additional secondary contextual views the one or more of the secondary contextual views to modify; and

modify the additional secondary contextual views based at least in part on the user input.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the additional secondary contextual views comprises all of the one or more secondary contextual views.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein modifying one or more the additional secondary contextual views comprise any of the one or more secondary contextual views that are currently viewable by a user.

5. The computer system of claim 2, wherein modifying one or more the additional secondary contextual views comprise any of the one or more secondary contextual views that are adjacent to the first and second adjacent secondary contextual views.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary contextual views are viewable in a drawer or scrollbar on a user interface, wherein the one or more secondary contextual views are selectable by a user.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary contextual views are substantially the same size as the primary contextual view.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more secondary contextual views are configured to be accessible by a user through the use of the scrollbar.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the scrollbar includes at least one of tick marks indicating the locations of the one or more secondary views or contextual previews accessible in pop up windows, wherein the tick marks indicate the first and second portions of the scrollbar.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more secondary contextual views are positioned laterally to the primary contextual view, and wherein the secondary contextual views are accessible by a user through a user input including at least one of a mouse cursor or a touch input.

11. A computer system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in communication with a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors, the software modules including at least a context viewing module configured to;

display a first data visualization of a set of data objects and properties associated with data objects of the set of data objects, the first data visualization comprising;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

provide one or more secondary data visualizations of the set of data objects, the one or more secondary data visualizations distinct from the first data visualization, the secondary data visualizations comprising at least one of;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

receive a user input modifying the first data visualization, wherein the user input modifying the first data visualization comprises at least one of;

adding data objects to the set of data objects, removing data objects from the set of data objects, modifying data objects in the set of data objects, moving data objects in the set of data objects, modifying properties associated with data objects in the set of data objects, or modifying and/or manipulating links between data objects in the set of data objects; and

in response to receiving the user input modifying the first data visualization, implement modifications to at least a first adjacent secondary data visualization and a second adjacent secondary data visualizations of the one or more secondary data visualizations based at least in part on the user input; and

in response to receiving the user input modifying the first data visualization, implement modifications to a first adjacent secondary data visualization preview representing a smaller version of the first adjacent secondary data visualization, and modify a second adjacent secondary data visualization preview representing a smaller version of the second adjacent secondary data visualization,

wherein the context viewing module is configured to display the first adjacent secondary data visualization preview when a location indicator is positioned above a first portion of a scrollbar associated with the first adjacent secondary data visualization, and display the second adjacent secondary data visualization preview when the location indicator is positioned above a second portion of the scrollbar associated with the second adjacent secondary data visualization.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the context viewing module is further configured to:

in response to receiving the user input modifying the first data visualization;

determine which of the one or more of the secondary data visualizations are currently displayed to the user, and

implement modifications to the determined secondary data visualizations based at least in part on the user input.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the context viewing module is further configured to:

in response to receiving the user input modifying the first data visualization;

determine which of the one or more of the secondary data visualizations are adjacent to the first and second adjacent secondary data visualizations, and

implement modifications to the determined secondary data visualizations based at least in part on the user input.

14. A computer-implemented method of updating multiple contextual views, the method comprising:

providing an electronic database configured to store a plurality of data objects and metadata associated with each of the plurality of data objects;

generating, by a computing system having one or more computer processors, based at least in part on the plurality of data objects and associated metadata, a primary contextual view and one or more secondary contextual views distinct from the primary contextual view, each of the primary and one or more secondary contextual views comprising at least one of;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

receiving, via an input device of the computing system, a user input modifying the primary contextual view, wherein the user input modifying the primary contextual view comprises at least one of;

adding data objects to the set of data objects, removing data objects from the set of data objects, modifying data objects in the set of data objects, moving data objects in the set of data objects, modifying properties associated with data objects in the set of data objects, or modifying and/or manipulating links between data objects in the set of data objects;

in response to receiving the user input, determining, by the computing system, based on the received user input, modifications of the one or more secondary contextual views that correspond to the modification of the primary contextual view; and

in response to determining the modifications;

modifying at least a first adjacent secondary contextual view and a second adjacent secondary contextual view of the one or more secondary contextual views based on the determined modifications; and

modifying at least a first adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and modify a second adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the second adjacent secondary contextual view,

wherein the first adjacent secondary contextual preview is displayed when a location indicator is positioned above a first portion of a scrollbar associated with the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and the second adjacent secondary contextual preview is displayed when the location indicator is positioned above a second portion of the scrollbar associated with the second adjacent secondary contextual view.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, on an electronic display of the computing system, the generated primary contextual view and, in a preview drawer, at least one of the one or more secondary contextual views, the first adjacent secondary contextual preview, or the second adjacent secondary contextual preview.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, on an electronic display of the computing system, the generated primary contextual view; and

providing, on the electronic display of the computer system, the scrollbar that enables a user to scroll to any of the one or more of the secondary contextual views and view any of the one or more of the secondary contextual views on the electronic display.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 further comprising:

in response to determining the modifications;

modifying any secondary contextual views that are immediately viewable by a user.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions configured for execution by one or more hardware processors of a computer system to cause the computer system to:

communicate with an electronic database configured to store a plurality of data objects and properties associated with each of the data objects;

generate a primary contextual view including a visualization of a set of data objects and associated properties, the visualization comprising;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

generate one or more secondary contextual views distinct from the primary contextual view, each secondary contextual view including respective secondary visualizations, distinct from the visualization, of the set of data objects, the secondary visualizations comprising at least one of;

a graph, a map, a table, a timeline, a histogram, a list, a reader interface, or a postboard interface, or combinations thereof;

receive a user input modifying the primary contextual view, wherein the user input modifying the primary contextual view comprises at least one of;

adding data objects to the set of data objects, removing data objects from the set of data objects, modifying data objects in the set of data objects, moving data objects in the set of data objects, modifying properties associated with data objects in the set of data objects, or modifying and/or manipulating links between data objects in the set of data objects;

in response to receiving the user input modifying the primary contextual view, modify a first adjacent secondary contextual view and a second adjacent secondary contextual view of the one or more of the secondary contextual views, based at least in part on the user input; and

in response to receiving the user input modifying the primary contextual view, modify a first adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and modify a second adjacent secondary contextual preview representing a smaller version of the second adjacent secondary contextual view,

wherein the first adjacent secondary contextual preview is displayed when a location indicator is positioned above a first portion of a scrollbar associated with the first adjacent secondary contextual view, and the second adjacent secondary contextual preview is displayed when the location indicator is positioned above a second portion of the scrollbar associated with the second adjacent secondary contextual view.