Proposing visual display components for processing data

• US 9,032,314 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mital, Vijay, Rubin, Darryl Ellis, Green, David G., Payne, John A., Poozhiyil, Suraj T., Anuar, Ahmad Nizam
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, HIEN LUONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/958,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A pattern of visual interactivity may be automatically proposed for processing a data set that exhibits dimensions of variability. A visual display component may be analyzed to assess whether it is capable of receiving user input representing changes that correspond to types of changes of the identified dimensions of the data set. A suitable visual display component may be provided as a suggestion on a user interface for potentially using the visual display component to allow a user to interact with the data. In some embodiments, a visual display component includes a number of visual objects and/or visually interactive components for use within a graphical user interface. A visual display component may include one or more analytic patterns having at least one of an equation, rule, constraint, expression or combination thereof that represents the analytic pattern. Alternatively, a visual display component may involve a visual display representation of data through visual characteristics of a graphical object.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computing device to construct a user interface for interacting with a data set, the method comprising:

with at least one processor;

identifying in the data set at least one dimension of variability of data in the data set;

analyzing a visual display component adapted to receive user input indicating a change in at least one dimension of data associated with the data set, the analyzing determining whether the visual display component is capable of (i) receiving user input representing change in the data set in one of the at least one identified dimensions and (ii) producing one or more visual outputs within the visual display component in response to the user input representing change in the data set in one of the at least one identified dimensions;

when the visual display component is determined to be capable of receiving user input representing change in the data set in each of the at least one identified dimensions, presenting to a user a suggestion for incorporating the visual display component in a user interface configured for interaction with the data set;

receiving a user input selecting the visual display component in the presented suggestion to the user; and

in response to receiving the user input selecting the visual display component, incorporating the selected visual display component in the user interface for interaction with the data set by the user, wherein the incorporated visual display component is configured to allow manipulation of the data set along the one of the at least one dimensions of variability of data in the data set in response to the user input representing change in the data set in one of the at least one identified dimensions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises determining a quantization of change in each of the at least one identified dimensions; and

wherein analyzing the visual display component comprises determining, for each of the at least one identified dimensions, whether the visual display component comprises a visually interactive component that can be adjusted with a quantization that matches the quantization of change in the dimension.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying in the data set at least one dimension comprises analyzing metadata associated with the data set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

analyzing the visual display component comprises analyzing metadata associated with the visual display component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises selecting the visual display component from a library of visual display components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

presenting to the user the suggestion for incorporating the visual display component in the user interface configured for interaction with the data set comprises presenting an animation showing a user interface based on the visual display component being adjusted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

presenting to the user the suggestion for incorporating the visual display component in the user interface configured for interaction with the data set comprises presenting a menu of visual display components.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to user input selecting the visual display component, associating the visual display component with the data set.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set comprises a display subset constructed from a database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual display component comprises a visual object having at least one visual characteristic representing the at least one dimension of variability of data in the set.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual display component implements an analytic pattern for receiving a data input and outputting a result by evaluating at least one of an equation, rule, constraint or expression concerning the data input.

12. A computer system for processing a data set comprising at least one dimension of variability of data in the data set, comprising:

a storage device comprising a library of visual display components;

at least one processor configured to;

analyzing the data set to identify the at least one dimension of variability of data in the data set;

analyzing at least some of the visual display components in the library to identify in the library a visual display component capable of receiving a user input representing a change in one dimension in the data set, the change in the dimension matching at least a portion of the at least one dimension of variability of data in the data set, and wherein the identified visual display component is also capable of producing one or more visual outputs within the visual display component in response to the user input representing the change in the dimension in the data set;

generate an output suggesting use of the identified visual display component;

receive a user input selecting the suggested visual display component;

in response to receiving the user input requesting use of the suggested visual display component, generate a graphical user interface incorporating a representation of the identified visual display component; and

in response to user input manipulating the representation of the visual display component in the graphical user interface by providing input representing the change in the dimension in the data set, manipulating the data set along the at least one dimension of variability of data in the data set according to the user input.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the visual display component comprises metadata associated with a visually interactive component for manipulating the data set and the data set comprises metadata associated with the at least one dimension of variability in the data set.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to present a menu of suggested visual display components on the graphical user interface.

15. A method of interacting with a data set, the method comprising:

through at least one processor;

selecting the data set having at least one dimension of data for user interaction, the data set having a variability of data along the at least one dimension;

analyzing a visual display component to determine a capability for (1) the visual display component to receive input from a user through a user interface indicating a change in the at least one dimension of the data set and (2) producing one or more visual outputs within the visual display component in response to the input indicating the change in the at least one dimension of the data set from the user;

when the visual display component is determined to be capable of (1) receiving input representing the change in the at least one dimension of the data set and (2) producing one or more visual outputs within the visual display component in response to the received user input indicating the change in the at least one dimension of the data set, proposing a suggestion to the user for incorporating the visual display component configured for interacting with the data set in the user interface;

receiving a user input selecting the visual display component in the proposed suggestion to the user;

incorporating the selected visual display component in the user interface for interaction with the data set; and

receiving input applying the visual display component to the at least one dimension of data in the data set according to the pattern of visual interactivity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the visual display component includes metadata defining the pattern of visual interactivity with the at least one dimension of data in the data set.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein analyzing the visual display component comprises analyzing the metadata to determine a visual object or a visual affordance that can be incorporated in the user interface for interaction with the at least one dimension of data in the data set.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the pattern of visual interactivity includes at least one of a continuous change, a quantizable change, a position change, or a traversal through data alternatives.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the continuous change includes at least one of a slider, a text box, or a resizing of a visual object;

the quantizable change includes at least one of a check box, a menu selector, or a snap-to feature in a visual object scaling;

the position change includes at least one of a moveable object defined by a Cartesian geometry; and

the traversal through data alternatives includes at least one of an implementation to scroll through data, an implementation to flip through portions of data, or an implementation to focus on a portion of data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein proposing the suggestion for incorporating the visual display component comprises generating multiple choices of visual objects or visual affordances that visually display on the user interface an effect of the pattern of visual interactivity with the at least one dimension of data.