SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUALIZING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OBJECTS
A graphical user interface transforms objects into nodes and relationships that are shared between the objects into edges. The edges are labeled with the relationship types. Multiple edges are ordered automatically or manually. Multiple edges are collapsed onto a single line and labels applied to the single line for each collapsed edge. The labels applied to the single line are ordered along the line according to relationship type. When there are multiple types of relationships within the same class, each class is collapsed onto a single line and ordered accordingly. A user selects the objects that are displayed by he GUI. The user can add additional objects or relationships and filter the results.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/494,084 filed Jun. 29, 2009, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/076,599, Interactive Tool for Visualizing Ordered Relationships between Two or More Entities, filed Jun. 27, 2008, the entirety of each is incorporated herein by this reference thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Technical Field This invention relates generally to the field of software applications for transforming data into graphical representations of relationships. More specifically, this invention relates to an interactive tool that arranges and orders relationships between entities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many objects have complicated relationships to other objects. For example, a band makes music as a group, but then the individual members frequently produce solo albums. A diagram that illustrates the albums associated with the band and band members can be organized according to a hierarchical structure. If you add another relationship into the diagram, however, such as producers of the albums, the relationships become too complicated to represent in a hierarchy.
A graph can effectively represent the band albums, the individual solo albums, and producer relationships, but representing this information even on a graph becomes increasingly difficult to visualize as the number and density of the relationships increases. The resulting complexity of the networks of relationships quickly overwhelms human comprehension, which obscures important patterns and orderings within the relationships. While many interfaces for visualizing networks of relationships exist, they cannot readily reveal orderings of relationships that further clarify the connections between two objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA system generates a graphical user interface that depicts ordered relationships between two or more objects. In one embodiment, a graph is generated in which the objects are represented by nodes, and relationships between the objects are represented by labeled edges connecting the nodes. A single pair of nodes may be linked by multiple edges, corresponding to multiple relationships between the corresponding pair of objects. Multiple edges can be ordered automatically or as specified by a user. Where multiple edges correspond to a sequence of related events, in one embodiment, the edges are ordered chronologically. For simplicity of viewing and comprehension, in one embodiment, multiple edges within the same class are collapsed onto a single line and labeled according to the relationship type.
System Architecture
Clients 100 and servers 110 can be implemented using computer systems, such as the computer that is illustrated in
As illustrated, one component of the computer system is a bus 250. The bus 250 communicatively couples other components of the computer system, such as a processor 205, system memory 200, an input/output (I/O) controller 210, a display adapter 215, one or more interfaces, such as the storage interface 230 and the network interface 210, a keyboard controller 225, a host bus adapter
(HBA) interface card, an optical disk drive 240, a USB receptacle 220, and a serial port 211.
A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a variety of interfaces can be used to attach different devices to the bus. The display adapter 215 connects display devices, such as a display screen 217 to the bus 250. The storage interface 230 communicatively couples at least one hard disk 232 or other forms of magnetic media to the bus 250. The HBA is configured to connect with a Fibre Channel (FC) network 237 or a SCSI bus 238. The keyboard controller 225 communicatively couples the keyboard 227 to the bus 250. The USB receptacle 220 is used to connect various devices, such as a mouse 222 or other pointing device to the bus.
Other components (not illustrated) may be connected in a similar manner, e.g., document scanners, digital cameras, printers, etc. Conversely, all of the components illustrated in
The bus 250 allows data communication between the processor 205 and the system memory 200, which may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and/or flash memory. The RAM is typically the main memory into which the operating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM and/or flash memory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output system (BIOS) which controls certain basic hardware operations. Application programs can be stored on a local computer readable medium, e.g., hard disk 232, optical disk and loaded into system memory 200 and executed by the processor 205. Application programs can also be loaded into system memory 200 from a remote location, i.e., a remotely located computer system, for example via the network interface 210 or modem 213. In
Graphical User Interface An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a visualization of relationships between objects, such as celebrities. The relationships displayed for a particular celebrity may indicate, for example: films, television productions, and plays in which the celebrity appears; professionals, such as directors or producers, who have worked with the celebrity; marriages and other personal relationships; children and other relatives of the celebrity; religions, belief systems, and philosophies espoused by the celebrity; establishments frequented by the celebrity, such as restaurants, stores, and hotels; areas, locations, and resorts where the celebrity vacations; charities supported by the celebrity; designer clothes that are favored or worn by the celebrity; and companies, including studios and modeling agencies, for which the celebrity has worked.
The system simplifies a visually complex graph by arranging the objects that are related to only one of the featured objects (i.e., objects involved only in first-degree relationships with the featured objects) around the perimeter. For example, the nodes corresponding to objects that are not related to both Britney Spears and Mischa Barton are each arranged in areas around the perimeter of
The following nodes and labels are associated with Britney Spears: she “rehabbed” for “Cocaine,” “is in movie” “Austin Powers,” “is in movie” “Crossroads,” “has religion” “Baptist,” etc. The following nodes and labels are associated with Mischa Barton: she “is friends with” “Nicole Richie,” “Ashley Tisdale,” and “Rachel Zoe”; she “dated” “Sean Harris” and “Brett Simon”; one of her “locations” is in “Cannes, France”; she “has religion” “Catholic”; she “supports” “TRAID”; she “abused” “Marijuana”; she was “in the tv show” “The O.C.,” “Fastiane,” “Once and Again,” “Kablaml,” and “All My Children”; and she “eats at” “CaféStella.” Correspondingly, the second-degree relationships involving both of the featured objects (and an intervening node) are arranged near the center of
The interface can use a variety of different mechanisms for displaying data about particular objects of interest to a user.
In addition, the “+” icon 345 enables a user to add a new object or a new relationship to the database of information. In this manner, the database is populated as a collaborative effort in which anyone can input objects and create new relationships between objects. In one embodiment, upon creation of a new relationship, the user identifies the source of the supporting information.
Permissions, Review, and Duplicate Prevention
As with any system, there must be some type of monitoring or confirmation system that verifies the accuracy of the data added by a user. For example, the users must register before having permission to input data, an administrator reviews all the information, etc. This helps avoid the introduction of inaccurate information into the system and avoids duplication. In one embodiment, when a user inputs a new relationship, the type of relationship is selected from a preloaded list to avoid redundant relationship types. For example, instead of having one relationship type “is in television show” and another relationship type “appeared in television show” it is only necessary for one of these relationship types to appear in the preloaded list for selection.
Ordered and Collapsed Edges
As noted above, each relationship is characterized by a relationship type indicated by a label applied to the edge representing the relationship. Relationship types may be further assigned to a relationship class incorporating relationships of a similar nature. When multiple relationships that are of the same class are shared between the featured objects, in one embodiment, the user interface orders the edges between the nodes according to an ordering of the relationship types within the class. The ordering may be determined manually or automatically, as in the case of relationships corresponding to a series of chronologically orderable events.
For example, one way to organize the relationships between objects in the invention is to place relationships in chronological order.
The visualization of the relationships between the two objects can be further improved by collapsing the relationships on a single line.
When the relationships in
As noted above and as shown in the above figures, collapsed relationships are labeled on the single line according to an ordering of the relationships types within the relationship class. The ordering may be determined automatically or specified manually by a user. When relationships are ordered automatically, the ordering may be explicitly chronological and determined based on a timestamp associated with the relationship.
In another embodiment, the ordering of edges that are collapsed onto a single line is specified manually. For example, a user manually orders the labels along a single line by clicking and dragging the labels along the line with a mouse or other pointing device. Alternatively, the ordering of the relationships is entered in a text form. Orderings for future collapse operations may also be specified by the user. For example, the user can modify or extend the logical orderings for a class described above. In one embodiment, the ordering specified for a class need not be the only mechanism for ordering objects. If the types within a class are partially ordered, the edges are collapsed and the labels ordered in conformance with the partial ordering, optionally allowing the remaining labels to be adjusted by the user.
In one embodiment, the spacing of labels along the single line is uniform. Alternatively, in the case of explicitly chronologically ordered labels, the spacing is proportional to the time elapsed between the labels.
The user can toggle off the co lapsed rendering of the relationships to restore a visualization in which separate relationships are each assigned a separate edge. For example, a user expands the single line into its component edges by using a mouse to double-click or right-click along the single line.
A user can delete or remove individual labels from the single line. In one embodiment, the user grabs an associated handle and drags it off the end of the single line to either remove the labels from the single line or delete the relationship entirely. If the label is removed from the single line, a single edge for the removed label is restored.
Flow Diagram
The system 110 receives (805) a request to generate a graph that displays at least one relationship between at least two objects. The system 110 transforms (810) each object into a node. The system 110 transforms (815) each relationship between the two objects into an edge. Each edge is labeled with the relationship type. The system 110 transforms (820) each object that is associated with only one of the requested objects into nodes that are arranged in an outer edge of the GUI. The system 110 collapses (825) at least two edges onto a single line. The system 110 expands (830) a single line into individual edges. The system 110 receives (835) information about a new object or a new relationship from a user. The system 110 updates (840) the GUI to display the new object as a node or the new relationship as an edge.
As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, instead of using celebrities as objects, the graphical user interface could depict other types of relationships, such as the relationships between diseases and treatments for the diseases. Likewise, the particular naming and division of the members, features, attributes, and other aspects are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the invention or its features may have different names, divisions and/or formats. Accordingly, the disclosure of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following Claims.
Claims
1. A system for visualizing relationships between objects, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to receive a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects; retrieve the at least two objects from the memory; transform the objects into nodes; transform a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge; label the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship; transform a second of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a second edge; label the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship; collapse the first and second edges onto a single line; apply a label to the single line for each edge that was collapsed onto the single line; order each label applied to the single line along the single line according to any of an ordering of the relationship types, or instructions received from a user; and generate a graph that displays a visualization of the single line and the ordered labels.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the relationships are selectable from a preloaded list.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to receive the request via a client device.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to generate the graph for display via a client device.
5. A system for visualizing relationships between objects, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to: receive a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects; retrieve the at least two objects from the memory; transform the objects into nodes; transform a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge; label the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship; transform a second of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a second edge; label the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship; collapse the first and second edges onto a single line; apply a label to the single line for each edge that was collapsed onto the single line; group each of the relationship types within a relationship class; collapse all edges with the same relationship class onto a single line; order each label applied to the single line along the single line according to an ordering of the relationship types within the relationship class; and generate a graph that displays a visualization of the single line and the ordered labels.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the relationships are selectable from a preloaded list.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is configured to receive the request via a client device.
8. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is configured to generate the graph for display via a client device.
9. A system for visualizing relationships between objects, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to: receive a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects; retrieve the at least two objects from the memory; transform the objects into nodes; transform a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge; label the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship; transform a second of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a second edge; label the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship; order the first and second edges according to any of an ordering of the relationship types, or instructions received from a user; and generate a graph that displays a visualization of the ordered edges.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the ordering of the relationship types is an ordering within a relationship class.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the relationships are selectable from a preloaded list.
12. The system of Cairn 9, wherein the system is configured to receive the request via a client device.
13. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to generate the graph for display via a client device.
14. A system for visualizing relationships between objects, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to: receive a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects; retrieve the at least two objects from the memory; transforming the objects into nodes; transform a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge; label the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship; transform a second of the relationships connecting the two of the nodes into a second edge; label the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship; collapse the first and second edges onto a single line; apply a label to the single line for each of the edges that was collapsed onto the single line; and generate a graph that displays a visualization of the single line and the applied labels.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the relationships are selectable from a preloaded list.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is configured to receive the request via a client device.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is configured to generate the graph for display via a client device.
18. A method for visualizing relationships between objects, implemented by a computer including a memory and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor performs the method comprising:
- receiving a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects;
- retrieving the at least two objects from the memory;
- transforming the objects into nodes;
- transforming a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge;
- labeling the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship;
- transforming a second of the relationships connecting the two of the nodes into a second edge;
- labeling the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship;
- collapsing the first and second edges onto a single line;
- applying a label to the single line for each of the edges that was collapsed onto the single line; and
- generating a graph that displays a visualization of the single line and the applied labels.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the relationships are selected by a user from a preloaded list.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the request is received via a client device.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the processor generates the graph for display via a client device.
22. A system for visualizing relationships between objects, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to: receive a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects; retrieve the at least two objects from the memory; transforming the objects into nodes; transform a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge; label the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship; transform a second of the relationships connecting the two of the nodes into a second edge; label the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship; order the first and second edges; and generate a graph that displays a visualization of the ordered edges.
23. The system of Cairn 22, wherein the relationships are selectable from a preloaded list.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to receive the request via a client device.
25. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to generate the graph for display via a client device.
26. A method for visualizing relationships between objects, implemented by a computer including a memory and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor performs the method comprising:
- receiving a request to generate a graph that displays at least two relationships between at least two objects;
- retrieving the at least two objects from the memory;
- transforming the objects into nodes;
- transforming a first of the relationships connecting two of the nodes into a first edge;
- labeling the first edge with a relationship type of the first relationship;
- transforming a second of the relationships connecting the two of the nodes into a second edge;
- labeling the second edge with a relationship type of the second relationship;
- ordering the first and second edges; and
- generating a graph that displays a visualization of the ordered edges.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the relationships are selected by a user from a preloaded list.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein the request is received via a client device.
29. The method of claim 26, wherein the processor generates the graph for display via a client device.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 13, 2014
Publication Date: Mar 12, 2015
Inventors: W. Daniel HILLIS (Encino, CA), Fred GRAVER (New York, NY)
Application Number: 14/540,823