Browsing of contextual information

• US 9,081,767 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radiant Logic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Radiant Logic Incorporated
• Inventors: Prompt, Michel, Samuelson, Claude Yves Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sponner, Lamont
• Application Number:
  US13/189,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20120022856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/9, 704/10, 707706-708, 715/534
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Systems and methods for searching and browsing a data store of contextually related data objects. The system includes a search/browse module that receives a search query. The search/browse module identifies data objects that match the search query and generates sentences from data objects that are contextually related to the matching data objects. The sentences are human-readable sentences, for example in subject-verb-object format, where each sentence represents the relationship between two data objects. The sentences are output for display as a hierarchy of sentences. Additionally, a user can browse the data store of contextually related data objects by selecting a sentence that is displayed to the user. The search/browse module then outputs attributes of the data object represented by the sentence for display in two separate regions of a user interface.

Claims

1. A method for browsing a datastore of data objects, the method comprising:

providing a first sentence for display in a first region of a user interface, the first sentence having a subject, verb and object, the object of the first sentence representing a first data object from the datastore of data objects, the datastore associating the first data object with a plurality of attributes describing characteristics of the first data object;

providing a second sentence for display in the first region of a user interface, the second sentence having a subject, verb and object, the subject of the second sentence representing the first data object from the datastore of data objects and the object of the second sentence representing at least a second data object from the datastore of data objects that is related to the first data object, the datastore associating the second data object with a plurality of attributes describing characteristics of the second data object, the first sentence and the second sentence organized in the user interface as a hierarchy that includes a plurality of levels and the first sentence is in a superior level of the hierarchy and the second sentence is in a subordinate level of the hierarchy;

receiving, by a computer, a user input selecting the second sentence displayed in the subordinate level of the hierarchy in the first region of the user interface; and

responsive to receiving the user input selecting the second sentence displayed in the subordinate level of the hierarchy in the first region of the user interface;

providing, for display in a second region of the user interface, one or more of the attributes of the first data object represented by the subject of the second sentence; and

providing, for display in a third region of the user interface, one or more of the attributes of the second data object represented by the object of the second sentence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second sentence for display comprises providing the second sentence for display with a verb that indicates a relationship between the first and second data objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second sentence for display comprises providing the second sentence for display with an object that is a generic object, the generic object representing a plurality of data objects.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of data objects belong to a common class and the generic object comprises an identifier for the common class.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the generic object comprises an indication of a number of the data objects represented by the generic object.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein providing, for display in the third region of the interface, one or more attributes of the second data object represented by the object of the second sentence comprises providing, for display in the third region of the user interface, one or more attributes for each of the plurality of data objects represented by the generic object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the second sentence for display in a fourth region of the user interface responsive to receiving the user input selecting the second sentence.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, for display in a second region of the interface, one or more attributes of the first data object comprises providing, for display in the second region of the interface, one or more attributes of the first data object that are fewer than all the attributes of the first data object.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions for browsing a datastore of data objects, the instructions when executed by a processor perform steps comprising:

providing a first sentence for display in a first region of a user interface, the first sentence having a subject, verb and object, the object of the first sentence representing a first data object from the datastore of data objects, the datastore associating the first data object with a plurality of attributes describing characteristics of the first data object;

providing a second sentence for display in the first region of a user interface, the second sentence having a subject, verb and object, the subject of the second sentence representing the first data object from the datastore of data objects and the object of the second sentence representing at least a second data object from the datastore of data objects that is related to the first data object, the datastore associating the second data object with a plurality of attributes describing characteristics of the second data object, the first sentence and the second sentence organized in the user interface as a hierarchy that includes a plurality of levels and the first sentence is in a superior level of the hierarchy and the second sentence is in a subordinate level of the hierarchy;

receiving a user input selecting the second sentence displayed in the subordinate level of the hierarchy in the first region of the user interface; and

responsive to receiving the user input selecting the second sentence displayed in the subordinate level of the hierarchy in the first region of the user interface;

providing, for display in a second region of the user interface, one or more of the attributes of the first data object represented by the subject of the second sentence; and

providing, for display in a third region of the user interface, one or more of the attributes of the second data object represented by the object of the second sentence.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein providing the second sentence for display comprises providing the second sentence for display with a verb that indicates a relationship between the first and second data objects.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein providing the second sentence for display comprises providing the second sentence for display with an object that is a generic object, the generic object representing a plurality of data objects.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the plurality of data objects belong to a common class and the generic object comprises an identifier for the common class.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the generic object comprises an indication of a number of the data objects represented by the generic object.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein providing, for display in the third region of the interface, one or more attributes of the second data object represented by the object of the second sentence comprises providing, for display in the third region of the user interface, one or more attributes for each of the plurality of data objects represented by the generic object.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising providing the second sentence for display in a fourth region of the user interface responsive to receiving the user input selecting the second sentence.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein providing, for display in a second region of the interface, one or more attributes of the first data object comprises providing, for display in the second region of the interface, one or more attributes of the first data object that are fewer than all the attributes of the first data object.