Apparatus and methods for organizing and/or presenting data

• US 7,555,476 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kooltorch LLC
• Inventors: Holbrook, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilcox, James J
• Application Number:
  US11/378,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• 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 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method of displaying a plurality of search results from a search of at least one data source includes providing a distinct image for each of the plurality of search results and displaying at least some of the images in distinct initial groups based upon at least one common characteristic of the members of each group. Upon selection of at least one initial group, at least some of the images of the selected group(s) are displayed in distinct sub-groups based upon a common characteristic of the members of each respective sub-group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying, on a monitor, screen or other apparatus, a plurality of search results from at least one search of at least one data source and allowing a user to narrow or navigate through such search results, the method comprising:

after at least one search request query is input to initiate at least one search, in a view provided on the monitor, screen or other apparatus,

showing a distinct image for each of the plurality of search results, wherein the distinct images are not shown having graphical links between them and do not overlap one another,

displaying at least some of the distinct images in at least one distinct initial grouping based upon membership in at least one such initial grouping, and

providing a distinct group identifier for each respective initial grouping;

upon selection of at least one initial grouping, transforming the view of the monitor, screen or other apparatus by regrouping at least some of the distinct images of the at least one selected initial grouping in distinct new groupings based upon membership in at least one such new grouping, and providing a new group identifier for each respective new grouping, wherein the total number of distinct images displayed in the new groupings is not greater than the number of distinct images displayed in the at least one selected initial grouping; and

thereafter, upon selection of at least one such new grouping, further transforming the view of the monitor, screen or other apparatus by again regrouping at least some of the distinct images of such selected at least one grouping in distinct different groupings based upon membership in at least one such different grouping, and providing a new group identifier for each respective different grouping, wherein the total number of distinct images displayed in the different groupings is not greater than the number of distinct images displayed in the at least one selected new grouping;

whereby the search results are displayed and arranged, and can be rearranged and narrowed, to assist at least one user in navigating through and narrowing the search results.

2. The method of claim 1 further including each depicted search result image including at least one among at least one icon, symbol, graphical representation, picture and photograph.

3. The method of claim 2 further including displaying textual information along with each displayed search result image, such textual information relating to the associated search result, and wherein each group identifier includes text.

4. The method of claim 1 further including, for each displayed search result, indicating its rank relative to other search results.

5. The method of claim 4 further including entering a textual query into a query field to input at least one search request query.

6. The method of claim 1 further including providing a geometric shape for each distinct image and providing a geometric shape for each grouping of distinct images.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the geometric shape of each distinct image is at least substantially circular and the geometric shape of each grouping is at least substantially circular.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a grouping may be selected by a user clicking a pointing device over a demarcated location, touch activation, voice activation or selecting one or more keys on a device.

9. The method of claim 8 further including each group identifier serving as a link to the next level groupings of images for the search results represented thereby.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one data source has a taxonomic structure, wherein each search result has an implied node path delineating the path within the taxonomic structure that leads to at least one node in the at least one data source where such search result resides, wherein membership in a grouping is based upon having a common node in the respective node paths of the members of such grouping.

11. The method of claim 8 further including displaying up to thirty distinct images in at least one distinct initial groupings without the necessity of web page turning or substantial web page scrolling to view them.

12. A computer-implemented method of displaying, on a monitor, screen or other apparatus, data elements resulting from a search of at least one data source and allowing a user to narrow or navigate through such search results, the data elements being accessible via at least one taxonomic index, the at least one taxonomic index having multiple nodes at multiple levels, the path in the taxonomic index that leads to each data element being referred to as that data element'"'"'s implied category path, each implied category path providing at least two categories, each consecutively listed category in an implied category path representing a different node at a lower level in the taxonomic index, the method comprising:

after at least one search request query is input to initiate at least one search, in a view provided on the monitor, screen or other apparatus, displaying at least one category from the implied category paths of each of a plurality of data elements;

upon a user selecting at least one displayed category,

providing a distinct representation of each among at least some of the data elements having the selected category in its implied category path,

organizing such data element representations in distinct groups, each distinct group including data elements having a common lower-level category in their respective implied category paths, and

displaying such lower-level categories; and

upon a user selecting at least one displayed lower-level category, regrouping at least some of the data element representations associated with the selected lower-level category in new groups, each new group including data elements having another common even lower-level category in their respective implied category paths, and displaying such lower-level categories, wherein the total number of data element representations displayed in the new groups is not greater than the number of data element representations displayed in the group(s) associated with the at least one selected category,

wherein the data element representations are not shown having graphical links between them and do not overlap one another, and

whereby the selection of a displayed category will show data elements associated with such category in the context of lower-level categories, and

whereby the search results are displayed and arranged, and can be rearranged and narrowed, to assist at least one user in navigating through and narrowing the search results.

13. The method of claim 12 further including color coding the groups of displayed data element representations.

14. The method of claim 12 further including continuing the regrouping of data element representations for multiple additional levels of the taxonomic index based upon the implied category paths of the search results represented thereby.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein up to one hundred data element representations may be displayed at once.

16. The method of claim 12 further including, for each displayed search result, indicating its rank relative to other search results.

17. A computer-implemented method of displaying, on a monitor screen or other apparatus, search results of data elements residing in at least one data source and allowing a user to narrow or navigate through such search results, the at least one data source having multiple hierarchically-arranged levels with at least one node at each level, each node having a name identifying such node, each data element residing in the at least one data source at least one node, such node being the designated end-node for such data element and any other data elements that reside there, each data element having at least one implied node path representing the path of nodes through the hierarchically-arranged levels of the at least one data source that leads to the end-node of such data element, each node path listing its respective nodes in descending order through the hierarchically-arranged levels of the at least one data source with the last-listed node being the end node for the associated data element, the method comprising:

after at least one search request query is input to initiate at least one search,

displaying, on the monitor, screen or other apparatus, a plurality of data elements from the search results in separate initial groups on a first web page, each such grouping including data elements having a common non-end node included in their respective node paths, wherein the displayed data elements are grouped together based upon such common non-end nodes,

providing the associated name for each such non-end node for each displayed initial group,

providing access to each displayed data element, and

providing the ability to select at least one initial group; and

upon selection of an initial group,

displaying at least some of the data element members of such initial group in distinct first sub-groups, each such grouping including data elements having another common non-end node at a level in their respective node paths that is lower than the node associated with the initial grouping thereof, whereby the displayed data elements are grouped together based upon such further common non-end nodes, wherein the total number of data elements displayed in such first sub-groups is not greater than the number of data elements displayed in the selected initial group, and

providing the associated name for each such non end-node for each displayed first sub-group, and providing access to each displayed data element,

wherein displayed data elements are not shown having graphical links between them and do not overlap one another, and whereby the search results are displayed and arranged, and can be rearranged and narrowed, to assist at least one user in navigating through and narrowing the search results.

18. The method of claim 17 further including

providing the ability to select at least one first sub-group;

and

upon selection of a first sub-group,

displaying at least some of the data element members of such group in distinct second sub-groups, each such grouping including data elements having a another common node at a level in their respective node paths that is lower than the node associated with the first sub-grouping thereof,

providing the associated name for each such common node for each displayed second sub-group, and

providing access to each displayed data element.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein access is provided to each displayed data element by at least one among a user clicking a pointing device over a demarcated location, touching the monitor, screen or other viewable area, voice activation or selecting one or more keys on an associated keyboard or keypad.