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US 7,627,599 B2Granted
Method, apparatus, and program product for visualizing tree structured information
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsJeffery M Heer, Stuart K Card
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that perform computationally efficient layout of hierarchical data structures.
Claims33
A computer controlled method executed on a suitably programmed computer comprising:
- configuring a constrained display area comprising a constrained depth extent and a constrained breadth extent;
- receiving a hierarchical data structure comprising a plurality of nodes containing information comprising text and a respective node interest characteristic;
- distributing the nodes over depth levels;
- segmenting the hierarchical data structure into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising sibling nodes selected from the nodes and associated with a breadth and one or more of the depth levels;
- determining an extent for each depth level comprising a total of the breadth for each block associated with that depth level;
- determining that the extent for at least one of the depth levels exceeds the constrained breadth extent;
- decreasing the extent by ordering the sibiling nodes for each block in the at least one depth level by their respective node interest characteristic and by aggregating at least a part of the sibling nodes as aggregates for one or more of the blocks into an elided subset based on the respective node interest characteristic such that the extent does not exceed said constrained breadth extent;
- assigning the unaggregated sibling nodes in each block into a visualized subset;
- placing the blocks into the constrained display area for each depth level and positioning the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset and the aggregates within the blocks;
- and
- presenting the information associated with the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset within the constrained display area.
8 more elements
An apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory coupled to said CPU comprising:
- a display logic configured to present a constrained display area comprising a constrained depth extent and a constrained breadth extent;
- an input logic configured to receive a hierarchical data structure comprising a plurality of nodes containing information comprising text and a respective node interest characteristic;
- a distribution logic configured to distribute the nodes over depth levels;
- a block construction logic configured to segment the hierarchical data structure into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising sibling nodes selected from the nodes and associated with a breadth and one or more of the depth levels;
- a breadth exceeded logic configured to determine an extent for each depth level comprising a total of the breadth for each block associated with that depth level and further configured to determine that the extent for at least one of the depth levels exceeds the constrained breadth extent;
- a node partitioning logic configured to decrease the extent by ordering the sibling nodes for each block in the at least one depth level by their respective node interest characteristic and by aggregating at least a part of the sibling nodes as aggregates for one or more of the blocks into an elided subset based on the respective node interest characteristic such that the extent does not exceed said constrained breadth extent;
- an assignment logic configured to assign the unaggregated sibiling nodes in each block into a visualized subset;
- a placement logic configured to place the blocks into the constrained display area for each depth level and to position the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset and the aggregates within the blocks;
- and
- a presentation logic configured to present the information associated with the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset within the constrained display area.
7 more elements
A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable program code to be executed by a computer system, the computer executable program code comprising a method of:
- configuring a constrained display area comprising a constrained depth extent and a constrained breadth extent;
- receiving a hierarchical data structure comprising a plurality of nodes containing information comprising text and a respective node interest characteristic;
- distributing the nodes over depth levels;
- segmenting the hierarchical data structure into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising sibling nodes selected from the nodes and associated with a breadth and one or more of the depth levels;
- determining an extent for each depth level comprising a total of the breadth for each block associated with that depth level;
- determining that the extent for at least one of the depth levels exceeds the constrained breadth extent;
- decreasing the extent by ordering the sibling nodes for each block in the at least one depth level by their respective node interest characteristic and by aggregating at least a part of the sibling nodes as aggregates for one or more of the blocks into an elided subset based on the respective node interest characteristic such that the extent does not exceed said constrained breadth extent;
- assigning the unaggregated sibling nodes in each block into a visualized subset;
- placing the blocks into the constrained display area for each depth level and positioning the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset and the aggregates within the blocks;
- and
- presenting the information associated with the unaggregated sibling nodes of the visualized subset within the constrained display area.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.