Patent ID: 9411828
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: G02B,G06F,G06Q,G06T,G09G

Claim Text:
1. A method for navigating in a database of a computer product data management (PDM) system, the computer system comprising a graphical user interface, the method comprising steps of: returning results from a query in a product lifecycle management (PLM) database having data related to modeled products, assemblies and product parts; and displaying simultaneously at the graphical user interface after the query and on a single view, all the results returned using several levels of progressive granularity such that, at one time, different ones of the results being displayable at respective different levels of granularity, each of the results being associated with one of the levels, according to the query, the results being thereby simultaneously displayed with different levels of details, wherein most relevant results are displayed with the finest granularity while, simultaneously, less relevant results are displayed with coarser granularity, wherein the step of displaying includes displaying the results associated with the level of finest granularity as respective 3D graphical representations of the related modeled products, assemblies and product parts, wherein at least one unitary 3D graphical representation is used for results associated with a level whose granularity is not the finest granularity, wherein the unitary 3D graphical representation comprises previews of results of the related modeled products, assemblies and product parts in the group, wherein, the results returned are sorted in an ordered sequence, and, at the step of displaying, at least two groups of results are defined based on the ordered sequence and displayed, wherein one of said two groups is associated with a level having the finest granularity; the method further comprising steps of: receiving user selection of one of said two groups; redefining said at least two groups into at least two new groups, wherein: the method further comprising steps of: displaying said at least two new groups using said several levels of granularity, wherein: