Patent · US Expired

Interactive, tree structured, graphical visualization aid

US5895474A · kind A · utility

75Cited by
4References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 3, 1996
Grant dateApr 20, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 3, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F16/34
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An interactive, tree structured, graphical visualization aid enables a user to better understand and interpret underlying structures in collections of digitally stored data elements, such as documents, programs and other data files. The visualization aid responds to user input, which directs the aid to operate in one of at least two modes. In a first mode, the visualization aid displays a graphical tree structure that includes a selected node and all branches of the selected node, including all subordinate nodes and data elements. In this first mode of operation, all data elements or documents branching either directly from the selected node or directly from subordinate nodes are displayed in the tree structure as branching directly from their respective nodes. In a second mode of operation, the visualization aid displays a graphical tree structure that includes a single group of all data elements or documents that branch either directly from the selected node or directly from subordinate nodes, but the selected node and its subordinate nodes are not displayed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.