Obscured relationship data within a graph

• US 9,607,415 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fox, Joshua, Gordon, Itai
• Primary Examiner(s): Cobb, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/141,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20150187103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

Techniques for generating a visual representation of a graph are described herein. The techniques may include determining a metamodel indicating relationships between objects, and determining rules for obscuring data about the objects of the metamodel. A visual representation of a graph is generated, which visual representation illustrates at least some of the data about the objects and their relationships without illustrating the obscured data.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a storage device;

a processor;

the storage device having instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

determine a metamodel indicating relationships between an identified central object and objects related to the central object, wherein the relationships indicated in the metamodel are defined from the perspective of the central object and each object represents a person;

access data from the related objects based on their respective relationship with the central object and on a query related to a medical condition of the central object;

determine rules for obscuring accessed data about the related objects of the metamodel utilizing restrictions relating to the relationships between the central object and the related objects, wherein the rules include at least;

obscuring the data based on a role of the user viewing the graph;

obscuring the data based on a type of relationship between each of the related objects and the central object; and

obscuring the data based on a degree of connection between the central object and the related objects, with a first degree connection obscuring less data than a second degree connection;

generate a visual representation of a graph that illustrates at least some of the accessed data about the central object and their relationships to each other, wherein the visual representation comprises nodes and edges, the edges indicating the relationships between each of the related objects relative to the central object and the nodes indicating the central and related objects, wherein the visual representation of the graph obscures the accessed data by using the rules to generate the visual representation of the medical data to the user without illustrating the obscured data; and

displaying the visual representation of the graph on a display device that is communicatively coupled to the processor;

wherein when an identity of one or more related objects at a first degree connection can be determined, creating a new node at the first degree connection by merging the one or more related objects with another object at the first degree connection or moving the one or more related objects from the first degree connection to a second degree connection so as to not reveal the identity of the one or more related objects;

wherein the type of relationship includes at least one of familial relationships, working relationships, or dwelling relationships, with information related to non-familial relationships being more obscured than in the visual representation than working and dwelling relationships; and

wherein the accessed data of the related objects is aggregated into one or more nodes such that a potential attribute of the central object existing in at least some of the related objects may be illustrated in the graph without illustrating the obscured data.

2. The computing device of claim 1, the rules are also determined based on a context of the potential attribute.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the central object is selectable and can be changed by the user of the visual representation of the graph.