System and method for illustrating a menu of insights associated with visualizations

• US 20050144573A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ice, Cynthia L., Bermingham, Francis D., Conmy, Douglas W., Krishnamurthy, Ram, Raven, Mary Elizabeth, Moody, Paul B., Coppinger, Jodi L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,900,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/825
• 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

Abstract

A system and method are provided for generating one or more menus having options that display insights from visualizations. The options presented in the menus enable users to determine relationships between elements of the visualization. The relationships may be displayed textually to enable user to navigate the menus using a keyboard, a text-to-voice converter, and/or pointers.

Claims

1. A method of generating at least one menu having options that enable representations of visualizations associated with a computer application, the method comprising:

in response to a user selecting a document from a list of documents;

analyzing criteria associated with the selected document;

determining one or more relationships between the selected document and the list of documents;

generating one or more menus that display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents, wherein the options associated with the one or more menus provide insights that may be determined from the visualizations.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the documents include messages.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the documents include email messages.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more menus are textual menus.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the user to navigate the list of documents based on at least one of a time sequence and a relationship sequence.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of concurrently displaying the visualizations and the one or more menus that display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the user to navigate the one or more menus using at least one of a keyboard, a text-to-voice converter, and a pointing device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more menus include one or more levels of options.

9. A system for generating at least one menu having options that enable representations of visualizations associated with a computer application, the system comprising:

a user interface module that is adapted to present a list of documents, wherein a user selects a document through the graphical user interface, wherein the user interface module presents one or more views;

a relationship determining module that is adapted to analyze criteria associated with the selected document and determine one or more relationships between the selected document and the list of documents; and

a menu generating module that is adapted to generate one or more menus to display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents, wherein the options associated with the one or more menus provide insights that may be determined from the visualizations.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the documents include messages.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the documents include email messages.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more menus are textual menus.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more menus include one or more levels of options.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the user interface module is adapted to enable the user to navigate the list of documents based on at least one of a time sequence and a relationship sequence.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the user interface module is adapted to concurrently display the visualizations and the one or more menus that display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the user interface module is adapted to enable the user to navigate the one or more menus using at least one of a keyboard, a text-to-voice converter, and a pointing device.

17. A storage medium for storing computer readable code, the computer readable code being executable to generate at least one menu having options that enable representations of visualizations associated with a computer application according to the steps of:

in response to a user selecting a document from a list of documents;

analyzing criteria associated with the selected document;

determining one or more relationships between the selected document and the list of documents;

generating one or more menus that display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents, wherein the options associated with the one or more menus provide insights that may be determined from the visualizations.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the documents include messages.

19. The storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the one or more menus are textual menus.

20. The storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising the step of concurrently displaying the visualizations and the one or more menus that display options derived from the relationships between the selected document and the list of documents.