Timescales for axis of user-selectable elements

• US 10,430,495 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc., Maya-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 9224-5489 Quebec Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Haimei
• Application Number:
  US14/930,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A method is presented to combine a plurality of arrays of computer-readable files along a common collation function. The arrays can be embodied as axes of documents disposed along a timeline. Such a combination creating a group of axes of documents improving the graphical interactions among two groups of documents. An interface, a computerized system and a method for enabling same is equally hereby presented.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, provide an interface adapted to display user-selectable elements by performing a method comprising:

causing a first plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a first axis including a first timeline including a first timescale, the first timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the first timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements;

causing a second plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a second axis in a substantially parallel fashion with the first axis of user selectable elements on a common display, the second plurality of user-selectable elements being displayed along a second axis including a second timeline including a second timescale, the second timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the second axis and wherein the second plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the second timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements, wherein the first timeline and the second timeline are distinct;

receiving an input for grouping the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements for sharing a unified timeline; and

causing the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be grouped to share the unified timeline different from the first timeline and the second timeline, wherein the unified timeline includes a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and the second axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements displayed along the first axis and the second plurality of user selectable elements are displayed along the second axis are displayed along the unified timeline at non-constant intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements of the first axis are selected on a basis of a first query and the second plurality of user-selectable elements of the second axis are selected on a basis of a second query.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements include time units.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the time units of the first axis of user-selectable elements and the time units of the second axis of user-selectable elements are not transversally aligned when the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements are not grouped and wherein the time units of the first axis of user-selectable elements and the time units of the second axis of user-selectable elements are transversally aligned when the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements are grouped.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the axes using the unified timeline include a unit of time without user-selectable elements therein.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a graphical length along the unified timeline representing a shared unit of time is defined on a basis of a highest number of user-selectable elements from the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be displayed in the shared unit of time.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least some of the user-selectable elements are computer-readable files.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least some of the user-selectable elements are documents.

9. A method of grouping axes of elements, the method comprising:

causing a first plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a first axis including a first timeline including a first timescale, the first timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the first timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements;

causing a second plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a second axis in a substantially parallel fashion with the first axis of user selectable elements on a common display, the second plurality of user-selectable elements being displayed along the second axis including a second timeline including a second timescale, the second timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the second axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the second timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements, wherein the first timeline and the second timeline are distinct;

receiving an input for grouping the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be grouped to share a unified timeline; and

causing the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be grouped to share the unified timeline different from the first timeline and the second timeline, wherein the unified timeline includes a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and the second axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements displayed along the first axis and the second plurality of user selectable elements are displayed along the second axis are displayed along the unified timeline at non-constant intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements of the first axis are selected on a basis of a first query and the second plurality of user-selectable elements of the second axis are selected on a basis of a second query.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements include units of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the time units of the first axis of user-selectable elements and the time units of the second axis of user-selectable elements are not transversally aligned when the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements are not grouped and wherein the time units of the first axis of user-selectable elements and the time units of the second axis of user-selectable elements are transversally aligned when the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements are grouped.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the axes using the unified timeline include a unit of time without user-selectable elements therein.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a graphical length along the unified timeline representing a shared unit of time is defined on a basis of a highest number of user-selectable elements from the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be displayed in the shared unit of time.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least some of the user-selectable elements are computer-readable files.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least some of the user-selectable elements are documents.

17. A computerized system configured to read computer-executable instructions adapted to provide an interface adapted to display user-selectable elements, the computerized system comprising:

a processing unit configured to process the computer executable instructions; and

a display configured to display the interface;

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, being operative to;

cause a first plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a first axis including a first timeline including a first timescale, the first timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the first timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements;

cause a second plurality of user-selectable elements to be displayed along a second axis in a substantially parallel fashion with the first axis of user selectable elements on a common display, the second plurality of user-selectable elements being displayed along the second axis including a second timeline including a second timescale, the second timescale including a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the second axis and wherein the second plurality of user-selectable elements are displayed along the second timeline at substantially constant graphical intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements, wherein the first timeline and the second timeline are distinct;

receive an input for grouping the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be grouped to share a unified timeline; and

cause the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be grouped to share the unified timeline different from the first timeline and the second timeline, wherein the unified timeline includes a time distribution that is substantially variable, wherein equal lengths of time are not visually represented in equal lengths of distance along the first axis and the second axis and wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements displayed along the first axis and the second plurality of user selectable elements are displayed along the second axis are displayed along the unified timeline at non-constant intervals between adjacent user-selectable elements.

18. The computerized system of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of user-selectable elements of the first axis are selected on a basis of a first query and the second plurality of user-selectable elements of the second axis are selected on a basis of a second query.

19. The computerized system of claim 17, wherein the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements include units of time.

20. The computerized system of claim 19, wherein a graphical length along the unified timeline representing a shared unit of time is defined on a basis of a highest number of user-selectable elements from the first axis of user-selectable elements and the second axis of user-selectable elements to be displayed in the shared unit of time.