Virtual product hierarchies
First Claim
1. A method for computer-based real time modification and management of hierarchical data comprising:
- storing a base hierarchy that categorizes a collection of inventory including a number of consumer products into a number of levels of categories in a database management system;
receiving a plurality of desired changes to the base hierarchy from a user within a graphical user interface of a computer, wherein the desired changes collectively characterize a modified hierarchy categorizing the number of consumer products, and wherein the plurality of desired changes reflect marketplace performance data of the number of consumer products;
storing the plurality of desired changes logically separately from the base hierarchy as change data using a database tool, wherein each item of change data includes an instruction to add, delete, or move a node between the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy, the instruction received from the user through a drag-and-drop operation of the node on a visual representation of one or more of the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein each item of change data is an invertible instruction with a corresponding instruction that undoes the change, and wherein an order of the change data is maintained for a plurality of items of change data;
dynamically displaying a representation of the modified hierarchy to the user in the graphical user interface with a user interface tool executing on the computer by rendering the base hierarchy as modified according to each item of change data;
receiving a query with respect to the modified hierarchy in the graphical user interface; and
processing the query by performing the steps of;
identifying an inverse for each of the plurality of desired changes, thereby identifying a plurality of inverses;
using the plurality of inverses in a reverse of the order, determining a modified query with respect to the base hierarchy; and
processing the modified query with respect to the base hierarchy.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A base hierarchy of products or the like can be user-modified into a virtual hierarchy that is represented as a collection of changes to the base hierarchy rather than a new hierarchy stored in memory. The collection of changes can be used to enable user interactions such as queries, displays, and writes using the virtual hierarchy as thought it were an actual hierarchy stored in memory, with aspects of the virtual hierarchy dynamically created using a collection of procedures based on the changes and corresponding inverses. The representation of the modified hierarchy can be dynamically displayed to a user or otherwise processed in the same manner as other hierarchies and hierarchical data.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for computer-based real time modification and management of hierarchical data comprising:
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storing a base hierarchy that categorizes a collection of inventory including a number of consumer products into a number of levels of categories in a database management system; receiving a plurality of desired changes to the base hierarchy from a user within a graphical user interface of a computer, wherein the desired changes collectively characterize a modified hierarchy categorizing the number of consumer products, and wherein the plurality of desired changes reflect marketplace performance data of the number of consumer products; storing the plurality of desired changes logically separately from the base hierarchy as change data using a database tool, wherein each item of change data includes an instruction to add, delete, or move a node between the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy, the instruction received from the user through a drag-and-drop operation of the node on a visual representation of one or more of the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein each item of change data is an invertible instruction with a corresponding instruction that undoes the change, and wherein an order of the change data is maintained for a plurality of items of change data; dynamically displaying a representation of the modified hierarchy to the user in the graphical user interface with a user interface tool executing on the computer by rendering the base hierarchy as modified according to each item of change data; receiving a query with respect to the modified hierarchy in the graphical user interface; and processing the query by performing the steps of; identifying an inverse for each of the plurality of desired changes, thereby identifying a plurality of inverses; using the plurality of inverses in a reverse of the order, determining a modified query with respect to the base hierarchy; and processing the modified query with respect to the base hierarchy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17, 18)
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7. A computer program product comprising computer executable code embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:
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storing a base hierarchy that categorizes a collection of inventory including a number of consumer products into a number of levels of categories in a database management system; receiving a plurality of desired changes to the base hierarchy from a user within a graphical user interface of a computer, wherein the desired changes collectively characterize a modified hierarchy categorizing the number of consumer products, and wherein the plurality of desired changes reflect marketplace performance data of the number of consumer products; storing the plurality of desired changes logically separately from the base hierarchy as change data using a database tool, wherein each item of change data includes an instruction to add, delete, or move a node between the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy, the instruction received from the user through a drag-and-drop operation of the node on a visual representation of one or more of the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein each item of change data is an invertible instruction with a corresponding instruction that undoes the change, and wherein an order of the change data is maintained for a plurality of items of change data; dynamically displaying a representation of the modified hierarchy to the user in the graphical user interface with a user interface tool executing on the computer by rendering the base hierarchy as modified according to each item of change data; receiving a query with respect to the modified hierarchy in the graphical user interface; and processing the query by performing the steps of; identifying an inverse for each of the plurality of desired changes, thereby identifying a plurality of inverses; using the plurality of inverses in a reverse of the order, determining a modified query with respect to the base hierarchy; and processing the modified query with respect to the base hierarchy. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20)
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13. A system for computer-based real time modification and management of hierarchical data, the system comprising:
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one or more processors; and memory bearing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of; storing a base hierarchy that categorizes a collection of inventory including a number of consumer products into a number of levels of categories in a database management system; receiving a plurality of desired changes to the base hierarchy from a user within a graphical user interface of a computer, wherein the desired changes collectively characterize a modified hierarchy categorizing the number of consumer products, and wherein the plurality of desired changes reflect marketplace performance data of the number of consumer products; storing the plurality of desired changes logically separately from the base hierarchy as change data with a database tool, wherein each item of change data includes an instruction to add, delete, or move a node between the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy, the instruction received from the user through a drag-and-drop operation of the node on a visual representation of one or more of the base hierarchy and the modified hierarchy displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein each item of change data is an invertible instruction with a corresponding instruction that undoes the change, and wherein an order of the change data is maintained for a plurality of items of change data; dynamically displaying a representation of the modified hierarchy to the user in the graphical user interface with a user interface tool executing on the computer by rendering the base hierarchy as modified according to each item of change data; receiving a query with respect to the modified hierarchy in the graphical user interface; and processing the query by performing the steps of; identifying an inverse for each of the plurality of desired changes, thereby identifying a plurality of inverses; using the plurality of inverses in a reverse of the order, determining a modified query with respect to the base hierarchy; and processing the modified query with respect to the base hierarchy. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification