Abstract: A data visualization tool (“tool”) configured to generate a visualization for tree data. The tool can calculate a number of hierarchical levels of the tree data. The tool can further subdivide a presentation area for the data visualization into a number of concentric parts. The concentric parts are equivalent to the number of hierarchical levels. Each of the concentric parts corresponds to one of the hierarchical levels. Further, the tool can graphically generate the data visualization for presentation via an electronic display. A first of the concentric parts that corresponds to a highest of the hierarchal levels is an outermost one of the concentric parts in the presentation area. Each successive concentric part inward corresponds to a next lower hierarchical level.

Abstract: A data visualization tool (“tool”) configured to generate a visualization for tree data. The tool can calculate a number of hierarchical levels of the tree data. The tool can further subdivide a presentation area for the data visualization into a number of concentric parts. The concentric parts are equivalent to the number of hierarchical levels. Each of the concentric parts corresponds to one of the hierarchical levels. Further, the tool can graphically generate the data visualization for presentation via an electronic display. A first of the concentric parts that corresponds to a highest of the hierarchal levels is an outermost one of the concentric parts in the presentation area. Each successive concentric part inward corresponds to a next lower hierarchical level.

Abstract: A ConnectIcon View is employed to establish collaborative communications between a plurality of participants in a group. Specifically, it is a dynamic visual representation of the participants of a group being invited to communicate together with their presence information, lists of documents and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to be examined, and a set of mechanisms (email, chat, voice, and the like) to initiate communication, each of which can be billed to the originator or otherwise as desired. The available presence information allows a user to employ the best mode of communicating for the instant purpose, namely, either asynchronous communication or synchronous communication.

Abstract: A so-called “OpenChannel™” conference is established by separating particular participants of the conference from those participants that are actually currently active in the conference. This establishes a type of virtual conference, i.e., meeting, that can be monitored by participants, i.e., users, without requiring them to be actively a part of the conference call. These particular participants are in a so-called monitor mode. These participants can readily change their state from the monitor mode to a listen mode or active mode, as desired. One advantage of this invention is that a long-term conference of months or even years duration can be set up, only incurring a cost to participants when they are active participants in the conference call.

Abstract: A TeamPortal View is a dynamic visual representation of the members of a team who may be located at geographically distributed locations. The TeamPortal View provides a Web portal that (a) displays static team information, (b) provides a dynamic view of the team members presence and their current locations, which are collected automatically and up-dated in real-time and (c) allows contact to be made by members of the team using the Web interface to initiate email, chat sessions, person-to-person calls, conference calls or the like.

Abstract: A ConnectIcon View is employed to establish collaborative communications between a plurality of participants in a group. Specifically, it is a dynamic visual representation of the participants of a group being invited to communicate together with their presence information, lists of documents and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to be examined, and a set of mechanisms (email, chat, voice, and the like) to initiate communication, each of which can be billed to the originator or otherwise as desired. The available presence information allows a user to employ the best mode of communicating for the instant purpose, namely, either asynchronous communication or synchronous communication.

Abstract: A so-called “OpenChannel™” conference is established by separating particular participants of the conference from those participants that are actually currently active in the conference. This establishes a type of virtual conference, i.e., meeting, that can be monitored by participants, i.e., users, without requiring them to be actively a part of the conference call. These particular participants are in a so-called monitor mode. These participants can readily change their state from the monitor mode to a listen mode or active mode, as desired. One advantage of this invention is that a long-term conference of months or even years duration can be set up, only incurring a cost to participants when they are active participants in the conference call.

Abstract: A technique for generating and displaying views of hierarchically clustered data in a computer system. A binary tree is stored in memory of a computer system. The leaf nodes represent data items and the interior nodes represent clusters of the data items and a measure of dissimilarity between child clusters. The nodes of the tree are traversed and a display area is recursively split until nodes having a certain level of dissimilarity are reached, at which time a group rectangle is drawn around the current rectangle. Lower level nodes continue to be processed so that all data items are displayed in the display area. During the splitting of rectangles, the rectangles are split along the longest axis to produce better dimensioned rectangles. Upon generating a new display at a different level of dissimilarity, all data items are displayed in their same relative location, with only the resulting groups changing.

Abstract: Apparatus for visualizing slices of transitive closures of entities having dependence relationships with one another. A preferred embodiment visualizes slices of programs. A display in a computer system includes reduced representations of the files, procedures, and lines making up a program. The user employs a pointing device to interactively select a reduced representation as the slice point and the apparatus computes the slice and changes the color of the reduced representations in the slice. The color of the reduced representation indicates the distance of the entity represented by the reduced representation from the slice point. The display may be rearranged so that files and procedures are ordered by distance from the slice point.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing displays in which the locations of nodes of a graph relative to each other are a function of the significance of a relationship between the nodes. The technique used to locate the nodes produces groups of nodes with significant relationships to each other which are set visually apart from the other nodes. The relationships between the nodes are defined by using a statistic to give weights to links between the nodes. Statistics may also be used to determine the size, shape, and color of the nodes and the color and width of the links. The display may also include histograms which show the numbers of links or nodes which have given values of the statistics and which relate the colors in which the nodes and links are displayed to values of the statistics. The histograms may further be used to interactively define masks for links and nodes, and masked links and nodes are not taken into account in making the display.

Abstract: Apparatus for visualizing slices of transitive closures of entities having dependence relationships with one another. A preferred embodiment visualizes slices of programs. A display in a computer system includes reduced representations of the files, procedures, and lines making up a program. The user employs a pointing device to interactively select a reduced representation as the slice point and the apparatus computes the slice and changes the color of the reduced representations in the slice. The color of the reduced representation indicates the distance of the entity represented by the reduced representation from the slice point. The display may be rearranged so that files and procedures are ordered by distance from the slice point.