Effective arrangement of data elements

• US 9,142,046 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Kuldeep, Lal, Sohan, Lohar, Mrunal S., Malviya, Rajanikant
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, M Good
• Application Number:
  US13/911,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A plurality of data elements are analyzed, in one or more computers, to optimize an arrangement of slices in a pie chart, wherein a value for each of the data elements represents an area of a corresponding one of the slices in the pie chart, and the data elements are ordered by their values, so that labels and lines on placed on the pie chart without overlap.

Claims

1. A computer implemented apparatus for processing a plurality of data elements for display in a pie chart, comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more processes performed by the one or more computers, the processes configured for analyzing a plurality of data elements to optimize an arrangement of slices in a pie chart, wherein a value for each of the data elements represents an area of a corresponding one of the slices in the pie chart, and the data elements are ordered by their values, so that labels and lines are placed on the pie chart without overlap;

wherein the processes configured for analyzing comprise processes configured for;

dividing the plurality of data elements, based on a threshold value, into groups A and B;

dividing the data elements in group A into sub-groups A1 and A2, in such a way that both of the sub-groups A1 and A2 contain about equal numbers of the data elements and the slices for the data elements in the sub-groups A1 and A2 cover about a same amount of area in the pie chart;

dividing the data elements in group B into sub-groups B1 and B2, in such a way that the slices for the data elements in the sub-groups B1 and B2 cover about a same amount of area in the pie chart;

arranging the data elements in each of the sub-groups A1 and A2 by pairing a remaining smallest data element with a remaining largest data element in the sub-group A1 or A2, until all, except no more than one, of the data elements is so paired;

generating the pie chart with the slices for the data elements of the sub-group A1 placed in a vertical half of the pie chart, such that a horizontal center line axis of the pie chart bisects the slices for the data elements of the sub-group A1;

placing the slices for the data elements from the sub-groups B1, A2, B2 clockwise or counter-clockwise about the pie chart adjacent the slices for the data elements from the sub-group A1; and

outputting the pie chart containing the slices for the data elements of sub-groups A1, B1, A2, B2.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data elements in group A are below the threshold value, and the data elements in group B are at or above the threshold value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the threshold value is a standard deviation for the data elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the threshold value is a user-defined threshold value.

5. A non-transitory computer program product for processing a plurality of data elements for display in a pie chart, said computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored or encoded thereon;

program instructions executable by one or more computers to cause the computers to perform the step of analyzing a plurality of data elements to optimize an arrangement of slices in a pie chart, wherein a value for each of the data elements represents an area of a corresponding one of the slices in the pie chart, and the data elements are ordered by their values, so that labels and lines are placed on the pie chart without overlap;

wherein the analyzing step comprises;

dividing the plurality of data elements, based on a threshold value, into groups A and B;

dividing the data elements in group A into sub-groups A1 and A2, in such a way that both of the sub-groups A1 and A2 contain about equal numbers of the data elements and the slices for the data elements in the sub-groups A1 and A2 cover about a same amount of area in the pie chart;

dividing the data elements in group B into sub-groups B1 and B2, in such a way that the slices for the data elements in the sub-groups B1 and B2 cover about a same amount of area in the pie chart;

arranging the data elements in each of the sub-groups A1 and A2 by pairing a remaining smallest data element with a remaining largest data element in the sub-group A1 or A2, until all, except no more than one, of the data elements is so paired;

generating the pie chart with the slices for the data elements of the sub-group A1 placed in a vertical half of the pie chart, such that a horizontal center line axis of the pie chart bisects the slices for the data elements of the sub-group A1;

placing the slices for the data elements from the sub-groups B1, A2, B2 clockwise or counter-clockwise about the pie chart adjacent the slices for the data elements from the sub-group A1; and

outputting the pie chart containing the slices for the data elements of sub-groups A1, B1, A2, B2.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the data elements in group A are below the threshold value, and the data elements in group B are at or above the threshold value.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the threshold value is a standard deviation for the data elements.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the threshold value is a user-defined threshold value.