Enhanced tree control system for navigating lattices data structures and displaying configurable lattice-node labels

• US 6,055,515 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 04/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Consentino, Sharon Renee, Hansen, Gregory Christopher, Greef, Arthur Reginald, Fohn, Steffen Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US08/688,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/100, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/1, 707/102, 707/200, 345/356, 345/357, 345/353, 345/334, 345/347, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The objective of the instant invention is to define a computer user interface display system that presents hierarchical data in an enhanced tree presentation control that blends the ease-of-use character of the familiar "tree presentation control" with a technique for navigating more complex lattice data structures, while at the same time providing more node information by displaying configured lattice-node labels along with the node'"'"'s name. Thus a primary objective of this invention is to facilitate building, maintaining and using a multiple inheritance taxonomy such as a product catalog data base by means of a multi-navigation path browsing system, which is made possible through the capability of this system'"'"'s multiple inheritance capability; with indicators in the tree view to indicate ancestors such as immediate parents and further removed ancestors.

Claims

1. An integrated computer browsing system, comprising:

a computer controlled user interface display,

processing means for presenting data from a complex lattice data structure in a tree data structure,

browsing means for navigating said complex lattice data structure through said tree data structure by means of multi-navigation paths, and

display processor means for facilitating navigation without expanding said tree by providing navigation information as displayed categories of information located beyond currently displayed information.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for facilitating navigation comprises means for providing at least one indicator means for displaying categories of information located beyond currently displayed information.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said complex lattice data structure includes data for a plurality of products in a plurality of product categories, at least two of said products being related by parent datum, and wherein each of said parent data and each of said product categories represent a node in said complex lattice data structure, wherein said indicator means, for finding information in said taxonomy, is any one of a plurality of geometric symbols to indicate an immediate super node and said parents of the product below and an alternate one of said plurality of geometric symbols, to indicate that said product is also under another category.

4. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said complex lattice data structure includes data for a plurality of products in a plurality of product categories, at least two of said products being related by parent datum, and wherein each of said parent data and each of said product categories represent a node in said complex lattice data structure, and wherein said indicator means, for finding information in said taxonomy, is a square to indicate an immediate super node and said parents of said product below and an arrow to indicate that said product is also under another category.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said display processor means for facilitating navigation without expanding said tree by providing navigation information as displayed categories of information located beyond currently displayed information comprises means for providing floating menus associated with particular nodes which are displayed by means of clicking on said nodes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said display processor means for facilitating navigation without expanding said tree by providing navigation information as displayed categories of information located beyond currently displayed information comprises means for providing configurable node labels that show a description or other characteristic of said node by merely clicking on said node.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said configurable node labels shows catalog sales data and product information including, pricing, sizes, colors, announcement dates and withdrawn dates.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said complex lattice data structure comprises a product catalog database.

9. The system recited in claim 1 further comprising:

means for building, maintaining, and using said multi-inheritance taxonomy,

means for providing multiple parents in said taxonomy, and

means for storing the nodes of each of said multiple parents wherein each node is stored at a single location, each of said parents being displayed in said taxonomy a plurality of times.

10. A method of building and maintaining a multi-taxonomy of product categories, organizing categories into hierarchies, creating products and attribute descriptions and adding values to said attributes, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer user interface display that presents said hierarchies of data in a tree presentation form of lattice structures,

navigating through said tree presentation form by means of an integrated multi-navigation path browsing system,

building a multi-inheritance taxonomy by the means of said integrated multi-navigation path browsing system, and

employing at least one indicator means for allowing a user to find information in said multi-taxonomy, without requiring expansion of said tree, said indicator means indicating categories beyond the immediate window wherein said products would be located.

11. A method of claim 10 wherein said indicator means is any one of a plurality of geometric symbols to indicate an immediate super node and the parents of the product below and an alternate one of said plurality of geometric symbols to indicate that said product is also under another category.

12. A method of claim 10 wherein said indicator means is a square to indicate an immediate super node and the parents of the product below and an arrow to indicate that said product is also under another category.

13. A method of claim 10 wherein said multiple inheritance taxonomy is a product catalog database.

14. A method of claim 10 wherein said taxonomy of information in said system exhibits configurable node labels that show a description or other characteristics of said node by means of clicking on said node.

15. A method of claim 14 wherein said configurable node labels shows catalog sales data and product information including, pricing, sizes, colors, announcement dates and withdrawn dates.

16. A method of claim 10, wherein said means for finding information in said taxonomy, comprises floating menus associated with particular nodes which are displayed by means of clicking on said nodes.

17. A computer program product, for use with a graphics display device, of a recording medium on which is recorded a program for building and maintaining of a multi-taxonomy of product categories, organize categories into hierarchies, create product and attribute descriptions and adding to said attributes comprising the steps of:

providing a computer user interface display that presents said hierarchies of data in a tree presentation form of lattice structures,

navigating through said tree presentation form by means of an integrated multi-navigation path browsing system,

building and maintaining a multi-inheritance taxonomy by the means of said integrated multi-navigation path browsing system, and

employing at least one indicator means for allowing a user to find information in said multi-taxonomy, without requiring expansion of said tree, said indicator means indicating categories beyond the immediate window wherein said products would be located.

18. A computer program product, of claim 17 wherein, said indicator means is any one of a plurality of geometric symbol to indicate an immediate super node and the parents of the product below and an alternate one of said plurality of geometric symbols to indicate that the product is also under another category.

19. A computer program product of claim 17 wherein, said indicator means is a square to indicate an immediate super node and the parents of the product below and an arrow to indicate that said product is also under another category.

20. A computer program product of claim 17, wherein said multiple inheritance taxonomy is a product catalog database.

21. A computer program product of claim 17, wherein, clicking on said node of said configurable node labels provides said taxonomy of information on said configurable node labels that show a description or other characteristics.

22. An integrated computer browsing system, for building a multi-inheritance taxonomy of product categories, organizing such categories into hierarchies, comprising:

a computer controlled user interface display,

means for presenting hierarchies of data having a complex lattice data structure in a tree data structure,

browsing means for navigating through said data structure by means of multi-navigation paths,

means for using said multi-inheritance taxonomy,

means for providing multiple parents in said taxonomy,

means for storing the nodes of each of said multiple parents wherein each node is stored at a single location, each of said parents being displayed in said taxonomy a plurality of times, and

means for finding information in said taxonomy without expanding said tree by displaying categories of information located beyond currently displayed information,

wherein an indicator means is used for finding information in said taxonomy without expanding said tree by displaying categories of information located beyond currently displayed information.

23. The system as recited in claim 22 wherein said indicator means, for finding information in said taxonomy, is any one of a plurality of geometric symbols to indicate an immediate super node and said parents of the product below and an alternate one of said plurality of geometric symbols, to indicate that said product is also under another category.

24. The system as recited in claim 22 wherein said indicator means, for finding information in said taxonomy, is a square to indicate an immediate super node and said parents of said product below and an arrow to indicate that said product is also under another category.

25. The system as recited in claim 22 wherein said means for finding information in said taxonomy, comprising floating menus associated with particular nodes which are displayed by means of clicking on said nodes.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein said taxonomy of information in said system exhibits configurable node labels that show a description or other characteristics of said node by merely clicking on said node.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said configurable node labels shows catalog sales data and product information including, pricing, sizes, colors, announcement dates and withdrawn dates.

28. The use of an integrated computer browsing system comprising a system having a computer controlled user interface display and processing means for presenting hierarchies of product data in a tree presentation form, said product data being stored in a complex lattice data structure, comprising the steps of:

entering user input at said computer controlled user interface display, whereby said user input causes said system to display indicator means indicating categories beyond the immediate window wherein said product data would be located;

selecting at least one indicator means, whereby said selecting causes said system to navigate to find information in said multi-taxonomy, without expanding the tree.