Method and apparatus for graphical data interaction and vizualization of graphs via paths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715748-B2
Application number	US-201514810800-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 4, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Method for displaying and identifying relevant paths through a graph by displaying them in a tabular format and providing user defined and computed values and filters. Each graph is represented as a set of nodes and edges. Each path through the graph is displayed as a row in a table where the user can apply sorting, filtering, and compute intrinsic or extrinsic information to augment the data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for the retrieval, sorting, filtering and graphical visualization of information comprising a computer system and a software program stored in a non-transitory medium, said software program comprising computer implementable instructions which when executed by said computer system cause said computer system to:
define the nodes and edges of a graph to be graphically visualized, wherein said nodes and edges correspond to user-defined metadata;
graphically visualize said defined graph in an initial state, wherein said graph visualization further comprises:
a metadata definition;
a plurality of major columns each corresponding to a node;
a plurality of major columns each corresponding to an edge;
a plurality of sub columns wherein each sub column corresponds to a category of said metadata and wherein each plurality corresponds to each said major column; and
a plurality of rows, wherein
each of said plurality of rows further comprises a plurality of cells containing metadata corresponding to a corresponding sub column's category of metadata; and
wherein
each of said plurality of rows corresponds to a separate traversal through said graph; and

to apply a sorting criteria to a subcolumn so as to reorder the position of said plurality of rows within said graph.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further causing said computer system to:
encircle together all data cells corresponding to a particular node; and
strike a continuous line through all cells corresponding to a particular edge.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the number of said major columns is defined by the most lengthy traversal through said graph.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said sorting criteria further causes said computer system to:
retain said reordering of said rows from a prior sort; and
apply a subsequent sorting criteria to said retained reordering of said rows.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further causing said computer system to apply graph filtering according to a graph filter criteria, wherein said graph filtering:
evaluates all cells in all paths;
identifies those paths in which a cell fails said filter criteria;
sorts those rows containing failed paths beneath rows containing non-failed paths; and
denotes the demarcation between rows containing failed and non-failed paths by displaying a visual cue therebetween.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising instructing said computer system to apply column filtering according to a column filter criteria, wherein said column filtering:
evaluates all cells in a column to which column filtering is being applied;
identifies those paths having a cell which fails said column filter criteria;
sorts those rows containing failed paths beneath rows containing non-failed paths; and
denotes the demarcation between rows containing failed and non-failed paths by displaying a visual cue therebetween.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when said sorting or filtering result in consecutive rows having identical cell values in the same major column, said computer system:
denotes edge bundling between said consecutive row identical cell values by displaying a visual cue interconnecting said edges thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said computer system:
inserts additional major columns and sub columns thereunder into said graph visualization; and
applies a sorting criteria to said inserted sub columns so as to reorder the position of said plurality of rows within said graph vizualization.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said visual cue comprises a line.

Assignees

• The United States Of America As Represetned By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Us Air Force

Inventors

• Moore Jason A
• Lebo Timothy

Classifications

• G06T11/26 Primary

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06F17/30

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T11/206 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/13

  File access structures, e.g. distributed indices (arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06) · CPC title

• G06F16/00

  Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor · CPC title