US 7,333,998 B2 · Apparatus and accompanying methods for visualizing clusters of data and hierarchical cluster classifications

Abstract

A system that incorporates an interactive graphical user interface for visualizing clusters (categories) and segments (summarized clusters) of data. Specifically, the system automatically categorizes incoming case data into clusters, summarizes those clusters into segments, determines similarity measures for the segments, scores the selected segments through the similarity measures, and then forms and visually depicts hierarchical organizations of those selected clusters. The system also automatically and dynamically reduces, as necessary, a depth of the hierarchical organization, through elimination of unnecessary hierarchical levels and inter-nodal links, based on similarity measures of segments or segment groups. Attribute/value data that tends to meaningfully characterize each segment is also scored, rank ordered based on normalized scores, and then graphically displayed. The system permits a user to browse through the hierarchy, and, to readily comprehend segment inter-relationships, selectively expand and contract the displayed hierarchy, as desired, as well as to compare two selected segments or segment groups together and graphically display the results of that comparison. An alternative discriminant-based cluster scoring technique is also presented.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented system for automatically categorizing unknown incoming data and a category visualization (CV) system that displays a graphic representation of each category as a hierarchical map, comprising:

a node corresponding to each base category;
nodes corresponding to combinations of similar categories;
a leaf node corresponding to a base category, the leaf node is positioned as a cluster of nodes at a lowest level of the hierarchy wherein combinations of similar categories are positioned on top of the leaf node, forming successively higher levels of the hierarchy;
a root node corresponding to a category that contains all records in a collection, the root node forms top of the hierarchy;
a non-leaf node corresponding to each combined category, wherein similar base categories are combined into a combined category;
wherein each non-leaf node has two arcs that connect the non-leaf node to two nodes corresponding to sub-categories of the combined category;
and
wherein if a node is selected, the system displays additional information about corresponding category, the additional information is at least one of number of records in the category or characteristic attributes of the category, and
wherein if an arc is selected, the system displays information relating to categories connected by the arc, such as similarity value for the connected categories.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and accompanying methods for visualizing clusters of data and hierarchical cluster classifications

Life of this patent

Apparatus and accompanying methods for visualizing clusters of data and hierarchical cluster classifications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15