Patent ID: 7565374
Filing Date: 2009-07-21
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for providing visualization of entries of a database for browsing, comprising: providing meta data types and associating meta data of each type with each database entry, the meta data types describing different properties of the respective database entries including one or more of time, place, topic and confidentiality; selecting three meta data types and using a processor to map each of the selected meta data types onto a different one of three axes spanning a three dimensional space; displaying database entries in the three dimensional space by a scatter plot at coordinates given by the respective meta data of the three selected meta data types; grouping related database entries generally in proximity to each other and unrelated database entries generally spaced apart such that the database entries that are related in time, place, topic and confidentiality are grouped generally in proximity to each other, the related database entries each forming at least one entity of database entries that is displayed as a graphical entity within the three dimensional space; selecting a fourth meta data type and using the processor to map the fourth meta data type as a graphical property to indicate a relative age of the database entries; enabling browsing of the displayed database entries in the three dimensional space for selection of one or more of the database entries; enabling viewing of a database entry in response to a selection of one of the displayed database entries; and enabling selection and viewing of one or more additional database entries based on a visually inferred relatedness of the database entries from the groupings of the database entries.