Data charting

• US 6,256,628 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dobson, Adam Alexander, Merrick, Roland Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US09/103,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/6, 345/440, 345/339, 345/437, 345/24, 701/207, 706/62, 706/10, 704/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A method of displaying clustered data points in detail and in context within a data set. The method includes the step of identifying one or more clustered sets of data points within a data set. The data set includes a plurality of data points. The method also includes the steps of determining a respective data range segment for each cluster of data points, where each data range segment has a boundary and a scale interval, and displaying the data points in each segment such that each segment is mutually distinguishable. Where two or more data range segments are determined, the scale interval value for one of the data range segments is modifiable to differ from one or more of the other data range segments.

Claims

1. A method of displaying clustered data points within a data set comprising the steps of:

identifying a plurality of clustered sets of data points within a data set, each of said data sets comprising a plurality of data points;

determining a respective data range segment for each of said plurality of clustered sets of data points, each data range segment having a boundary and a scale interval, the scale interval corresponding to a scale at which the respective data range segment is displayed, wherein the scale interval for one of said data range segments is modifiable to differ from the scale intervals of one or more of other of said data range segments; and

displaying the data points in each segment such that each segment is mutually distinguishable.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said identifying and determining steps are initially carried out automatically according to control parameters supplied by a user.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said identifying and determining steps comprise, in response to user interaction, determining one or more data range segments relating to data clusters following visual data cluster identification by said user.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein said data points are displayed on a chart, said chart comprising a data point display area, a vertical axis and a horizontal axis.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein, in response to a user actuating a user input device at a point on an axis within a data range segment, a popup menu is displayed, said menu having a split scale option selectable by said user, and in response to said user selecting said option, said data range segment is split into two contiguous segments.

6. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein response to a user actuating a user input device on an axis at a boundary adjoining two data range segments, a popup menu is displayed, said menu having a join scale option selectable by said user, and in response to said user selecting said option, said data range segments being joined into a single data range segment.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, comprising the step of:

adjusting existing data range segments in response to user interaction.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein response to a user first actuating a user input device on a data range segment boundary, a data range segment is adjusted by further actuating the device to locate the boundary at a required location.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein a boundary has a display position and an associated scale value, and in response to said further device actuation, adjusting said scale value such that the scale interval of a segment adjacent said boundary is maintained.

10. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein a boundary has a display position and an associated scale value, and in response to said further device actuation, maintaining said scale value such that the scale interval of a segment adjacent said boundary is adjusted.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the data range segments are contiguous.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each data range segment is linear.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein displayed data points are connected by lines, and the method further comprises the step of:

applying a line clipping algorithm to said lines, to prevent lines crossing data range segment boundaries.

14. A computer system comprising a processing unit connected to one or more user input devices, a monitor and a data store, said system comprising a computer software component responsive to user interaction via at least one of said input devices and receptive to a data set supplied from said data store, said software component being adapted to display said data points from said data set on said monitor according to a method comprising the steps of:

identifying one or more clustered sets of data points within a data set, said data set comprising a plurality of data points;

determining a respective data range segment for each of said plurality of clustered sets of data points, each data range segment having a boundary and a scale interval, the scale interval corresponding to a scale at which the respective data range segment is displayed, wherein the scale interval for one of said data range segments is modifiable to differ from the scale intervals of one or more of other of said data range segments; and

displaying the data points in each segment such that each segment is mutually distinguishable.