Optimal menu inquiry system and system for editing structure data by hierarchical menu inquiry processing

• US 5,546,522 A
• Filed: 02/16/1994
• Issued: 08/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shinoda, Takashi, Nishida, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/197,194
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155-161, 345/117-120, 345/146, 345/902
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An optimal menu inquiry system includes a skeleton data generating means, a tree structure data constructing means, a menu display means, a control means, and a menu candidate determining means. The skeleton data generating means generates inquiries, from a rule description describing the context of the inquiries, as skeleton data by sequentially linking the inquiries, from the first inquiry to the subsequent inquiries, in the form of a tree structure. The tree structure data constructing means constructs and updates tree structure data by sequentially retracing the skeleton data from first data. The menu display means displays menu items corresponding to constructed/updated tree structure data. The control means controls the tree structure data constructing means to update the tree structure data when one of the menu items displayed by the menu display means is selected. The menu candidate determining means evaluates an evaluable expression in the skeleton data by referring to the updated structure data, and determines menu item candidates to be displayed by the menu display means.

Claims

1. An optimal menu inquiry system for displaying inquiries with a hierarchical structure as menu items comprising:

skeleton data generating means for generating inquiries from a rule description describing a context of a plurality of inquiries as skeleton data by sequentially linking the plurality of inquiries, from a first inquiry to at least one subsequent inquiry in a form of a tree structure;

tree structure data constructing means for constructing and changing tree structure data by sequentially retracing the skeleton data from the first inquiry, the skeleton data being sequentially generated by said skeleton data generating means in correspondence with each of the inquiries from the first inquiry to the at least one subsequent inquiry;

menu display means for displaying a plurality of menu items corresponding to constructed/changed tree structure data;

control means for controlling said tree structure data constructing means to change the tree structure data when one of the menu items displayed by said menu display means is selected by a user; and

menu candidate determining means, when the skeleton data includes an evaluable expression, for evaluating the evaluable expression in the skeleton data using the constructed/changed tree structure data, and determining at least one of the menu items to be displayed by said menu display means.

2. A system for editing structure data by hierarchical menu inquiry processing, comprising:

skeleton data generating means for generating inquiries from a rule description describing a context of a plurality of the inquiries as skeleton data serving as a skeleton of the inquiries by sequentially and hierarchically linking the plurality of inquiries from a first inquiry to at least one subsequent inquiry in a form of a tree structure;

inquiry control means for performing inquiry processing while referring to and evaluating the skeleton data and a syntax tree data indicating results of the inquiries, and constructing the syntax tree data; and

structure data constructing means for constructing structure data on a basis of the skeleton data designated by the syntax tree data constructed by said inquiry control means.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the skeleton data is of a plurality of types corresponding to forms of inquiries, and said inquiry control means is constituted by a plurality of inquiry type control means corresponding to the respective plurality of types of skeleton data.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein each inquiry type control means is started by another of said inquiry type control means, and said started inquiry type control means constructs syntax tree data by performing inquiry processing while retracing the skeleton data and the syntax tree data, which has undergone inquiry processing, toward a root data, and starting inquiry control means corresponding to a type of skeleton data corresponding to the constructed syntax tree data after the syntax tree data is constructed.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein each inquiry type control means is started by another of said inquiry type control means, and said started inquiry type control means constructs syntax tree data by performing inquiry processing while retracing the skeleton data and the syntax tree data, which has undergone inquiry processing, toward a node data, and starting inquiry control means corresponding to a type of skeleton data corresponding to the constructed syntax tree data after the syntax tree data is constructed.