Panoptic visualization document database management

• US 9,104,760 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hadley, Brent L., Eames, Patrick J., Floyd, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIBBEE, JARED M
• Application Number:
  US13/428,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A system includes a database management system engine, data manipulation subsystem and layout engine. The management system engine is configured to manage a database having stored therein a panoptic visualization document collection of document components each of which has associated metadata providing information about the respective document component, with the document components and metadata being stored in respective records of the database. The data manipulation subsystem includes a query language engine configured to receive a request for the respective records of document components and associated metadata, and the management system engine is configured to retrieve the requested, respective records from the database. The layout engine is configured to generate a layout of panoptically-arranged visual representations of the document components. And the query language engine is configured to communicate the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

Claims

1. An apparatus for implementation of a panoptic visualization document database system, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to implement at least:

a database management system engine configured to manage a database having stored therein a panoptic visualization document collection of a plurality of document components that are groupings of media content of one or more electronic documents between basic breaking points, each document component including respective media content, and having associated metadata providing structured information about the document component, the document components and metadata being stored in respective records of the database, the document components being stored as strings in the form of binary large objects;

a data manipulation subsystem coupled to the database management system engine and including a query language engine configured to receive a request for the respective records of a subset of the document components and associated metadata from the database, wherein the database management system engine is configured to execute the request, including being configured to retrieve the requested, respective records from the database; and

a layout engine of the query language engine or coupled to the query language engine, the layout engine being configured to generate a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the subset of the document components stored in the retrieved, respective records according to a layout model, and the retrieved, respective records of the subset of the document components and associated metadata, the images of document components including images of the respective media content thereof,

wherein the query language engine is configured to communicate the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layout engine is configured to select the layout model from a plurality of layout models, the layout model being selected according to the retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about a type of the one or more electronic documents of the panoptic visualization document collection, the layout engine being configured to select the layout model according to the type of the one or more electronic documents.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about the media content of the subset of the document components, the layout engine being configured to select the layout model according to the media content of the subset of the document components.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the associated metadata for each document component of the subset of the document components provides structured information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the image of the document component in the layout, and

wherein for each document component of the subset of the document components, the layout engine is configured to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the structured information provided in the associated metadata.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein for each document component of one or more document components of the subset of the document components, the one or more of the size, location or depth is specified relative to one or more others of the subset of the document components.

7. The apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the query language engine is configured to communicate the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata to a graphical user interface for simultaneous display of the layout and retrieved, respective records thereby.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata are communicated to a graphical user interface for simultaneous display of the layout and retrieved, respective records thereby.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the document components of the layout include an identified document component and one or more other document components identified according to the associated metadata of the identified document component, and

wherein the associated metadata of the identified document component includes information identifying one or more links between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components, and including a unique identifier for each of the respective one or more other document components.

8. A method comprising:

managing a database having stored therein a panoptic visualization document collection of a plurality of document components that are groupings of media content of one or more electronic documents between basic breaking points, each document component including respective media content, and having associated metadata providing structured information about the document component, the document components and metadata being stored in respective records of the database, the document components being stored as strings in the form of binary large objects;

receiving a request for the respective records of a subset of document components and associated metadata from the database, and executing the request, including retrieving the requested, respective records from the database;

generating a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the subset of the document components stored in the retrieved, respective records according to a layout model, and the retrieved, respective records of the subset of the document components and associated metadata, the images of document components including images of the respective media content thereof; and

communicating the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising selecting the layout model from a plurality of layout models, the layout model being selected according to the retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about a type of the one or more electronic documents of the panoptic visualization document collection, the layout model being selected according to the type of the one or more electronic documents.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about the media content of the subset of the document components, the layout model being selected according to the media content of the subset of the document components.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated metadata for each document component of the subset of the document components provides structured information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the image of the document component in the layout, and

wherein for each document component of the subset of the document components, the layout is generated according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the structured information provided in the associated metadata.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein for each document component of one or more document components of the subset of the document components, the one or more of the size, location or depth is specified relative to one or more others of the subset of the document components.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that is non-transitory and has computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

manage a database having stored therein a panoptic visualization document collection of a plurality of document components that are groupings of media content of one or more electronic documents between basic breaking points, each document component including respective media content, and having associated metadata providing structured information about the document component, the document components and metadata being stored in respective records of the database, the document components being stored as strings in the form of binary large objects;

receive a request for the respective records of a subset of the document components and associated metadata from the database, and execute the request, including the apparatus being caused to retrieve the requested, respective records from the database;

generate a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the subset of the document components stored in the retrieved, respective records according to a layout model, and the retrieved, respective records of the subset of the document components and associated metadata, the images of document components including images of the respective media content thereof; and

communicate the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further select the layout model from a plurality of layout models, the layout model being selected according to the retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about a type of the one or more electronic documents of the panoptic visualization document collection, the layout model being selected according to the type of the one or more electronic documents.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the associated metadata for the subset of the document components provides structured information about the media content of the subset of the document components, the layout model being selected according to the media content of the subset of the document components.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the associated metadata for each document component of the subset of the document components provides structured information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the image of the document component in the layout, and

wherein for each document component of the subset of the document components, the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the structured information provided in the associated metadata.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein for each document components of one or more document components of the subset of the document components, the one or more of the size, location or depth is specified relative to one or more others of the subset of the document components.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is caused to communicate the layout and retrieved, respective records of the associated metadata to a graphical user interface for simultaneous display of the layout and retrieved, respective records thereby.