System and method for the simultaneous display and manipulation of hierarchical and non-hierarchical data
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsRichard Carl Gossweiler, III, Jock D. Mackinlay
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Abstract
A system and method for the analysis of hierarchical and non-hierarchical relationships between a set of related nodes and for the creation of a cone graph structure based on the hierarchical and non-hierarchical relationships. The cone graph structure is a three-dimensional or pseudo-three-dimensional object which can be altered and manipulated by the actions of a user. The cone graph structure is an interface for providing a user with a structural understanding of the relationships between different nodes such as files in a file structure of web pages within a web site.
Claims13
A computer implemented method of graphically displaying relationships between a plurality of nodes, comprising:
- identifying at least one hierarchical relationship between at least two of said plurality of nodes;
- and
- generating a virtual three dimensional cone having:
- graphical representations of each node on a surface of the cone;
- graphical representations of the at least one hierarchical relationship;
- identifying at least one non-hierarchical relationship between at least two of said plurality of nodes;
- and
- generating graphical representations of the at least one non-hierarchical relationship;
- wherein the graphical representations of the non-hierarchical relationships between the pairs of non-hierarchically linked nodes are lines extending through the interior of the cone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.