Representation of overlapping visual entities

• US 9,449,581 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Jeff J., Loomis, Anne H., Impas, Romualdo T., Paulin, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US14/699,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20150235623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 715/790
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/002 Magnetic work holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 : for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5569 : details of specially adapted mobile parts, e.g. electromechanical control devices motors in general H02K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 : Work holding

Abstract

Various embodiments present a combined visual entity that represents overlapping visual entities. The combined visual entity can include a primary visualization that represents one of the overlapping visual entities and annotations that represent others of the overlapping visual entities. For example, a map view can include multiple geographical entities that overlap. A primary visualization can be rendered that represents one of the multiple geographical entities. The primary visualization can be visually annotated (e.g., with symbols, letters, or other visual indicators) to indicate others of the multiple geographical entities. In some embodiments, a zoom operation can cause visual entities to be added and/or removed from the combined visual entity.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a first visual entity associated with a first data layer overlaps with a second visual entity associated with a second data layer, the second data layer defined by an end-user; and

rendering in response to said determining a combined visualization that represents overlap of the first visual entity and the second visual entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity represent one or more geographical locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity represent one or more business entities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined visualization comprises a primary visualization that represents the first visual entity, and an annotation that represents the second visual entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are each associated with respective x-coordinates in a display region, and wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are included in the combined visualization based on the respective x-coordinates for the first visual entity and the second visual entity exceeding a threshold x-coordinate overlap.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are each associated with respective y-coordinates in a display region, and wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are included in the combined visualization based on the respective y-coordinates for the first visual entity and the second visual entity exceeding a threshold y-coordinate overlap.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are each associated with respective x-coordinates in a display region, and wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are included in the combined visualization based on the respective x-coordinates for the first visual entity and the second visual entity exceeding a threshold x-coordinate overlap measured in pixels.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an indication of a user interaction with the combined visualization; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the user interaction with the combined visualization, causing information about data entities represented by the first visual entity and the second visual entity represented by the combined visualization to be displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data layer and the second data layer are related to a same business entity.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to perform operations including;

ascertaining that a visualization of a data entity at least partially overlaps with visualizations of multiple other data entities;

determining that the data entity has provided an indication to opt out of clustering as part of a registration process; and

rendering a combined visualization of the multiple other data entities and omitting the data entity from the combined visualization in response to the indication that the data entity has opted out of clustering.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization of the data entity and the visualizations of the multiple other data entities are each associated with respective x-coordinates in a display region, and wherein said ascertaining comprises determining the visualization of the data entity and the visualizations of the multiple other data entities exceed a threshold x-coordinate overlap.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization of the data entity and the visualizations of the multiple other data entities are each associated with respective y-coordinates in a display region, and wherein said ascertaining comprises determining the visualization of the data entity and the visualizations of the multiple other data entities exceed a threshold y-coordinate overlap.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data entity and the multiple other data entities represent business entities.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further include rendering the visualization of the data entity separate from the combined visualization.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining by a computing system that visualizations for a group of data entities belonging to multiple layers visually overlap in a display by at least a threshold amount; and

rendering by the computing system a visual representation of a cluster representing the data entities of the group, the visual representation of the cluster including a primary visualization representative of a layer of the multiple layers to which one of the data entities belongs, and one or more visual annotations representing one or more other layers of the multiple layers to which one or more other data entities of the group belong.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising causing a flyout that individually represents the data entities to be displayed responsive to a user interaction with the visual representation of the cluster.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the threshold amount is measured in pixels.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the threshold amount is measured in geographic coordinates.

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

determining that a number of the data entities included in the cluster exceeds a maximum number; and

breaking the cluster into two or more clusters.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising updating, responsive to said determining, at least one of:

a layer membership, a cluster membership, or a z-order related to one entity of the data entities of the cluster.