Abstract:
A computer-implemented system ( 10 ) providing a three-dimensional display ( 30 ) includes at least one model ( 12 ) of an environment and at least one engine ( 14 ) operable to generate the display ( 30 ) using information associated with the model ( 12 ). The display ( 30 ) includes a graphical body ( 38 ) conveying a first value corresponding to a value of a variable, the variable value being identified according to an axis. The first value is conveyed according to a height ( 40 ) of the graphical body ( 38 ) at the variable value. The graphical body ( 38 ) conveys a second value corresponding to the variable value, the second value being conveyed according to a depth ( 42 ) of the graphical body ( 38 ) at the variable value. The graphical body ( 38 ) also conveys at least a comparison of the first value to a first comparison value according to an indicia ( 44 ) that is visible on the graphical body ( 38 ) at the variable value, the indicia ( 44 ) specified according to a predetermined scale.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 09/282,912 for a “Three-Dimensional Production Schedule Display for Computer-Implemented Production Management System,” filed Mar. 31, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,509 by G. Terry Ross and Gregg L. Sporar. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of computer-implemented visual displays and, more particularly, to a system and method providing a three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Computer-implemented systems associated with manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, and other resource planning operations are widely available. In general, such systems model appropriate manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, or other environments and provide information to the users of those systems according to particular needs. For example, in a supply chain planning environment in which inventory levels are pertinent, such systems may provide certain inventory level information to users visually through a graphical user interface (GUI). By interpreting the information presented to them visually, users are able to make decisions affecting inventory levels and associated supply chain planning operations. 
     As the economy becomes more distributed and planning environments become increasingly complex, the need to provide manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, or other planning information to users has become increasingly important. The more readily able users are to interpret and act upon the information presented to them, the more associated organizations are able to benefit from the knowledge, skills, and expertise of these users. However, previous systems for displaying such planning information are often inadequate to meet the needs of many users and organizations, particularly in complex environments associated with manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, and other planning operations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a computer-implemented system and method providing a three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values reduces or eliminates problems and disadvantages associated with previous systems for displaying information. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented system providing a three-dimensional display includes at least one model of an environment and at least one engine that is able to generate the display using information associated with the model. The display includes a graphical body conveying a first value corresponding to a value of a variable, the variable value being identified according to an axis. The first value is conveyed according to a height of the graphical body at the variable value. The graphical body conveys a second value corresponding to the variable value, the second value being conveyed according to a depth of the graphical body at the variable value. The graphical body further conveys at least a comparison of the first value to a first comparison value according to an indicia that is visible on the graphical body at the variable value, the indicia being specified according to a predetermined scale. In more particular embodiments, the variable may be time, the environment may be a supply chain planning environment, the engine may be a planning engine, the first and second values may be inventory levels, and the indicia may be color. 
     The system and method of the present invention provide a number of important technical advantages. The present invention provides a three-dimensional display of one or more values relative to suitable comparison values in a visually compelling, spatially efficient, and readily comprehensible manner. By viewing a single display according to the present invention, a user in a supply chain planning or other planning environment can readily achieve a comprehensive understanding of a past history, current situation, or future plan as it relates to inventory or any other suitable information. The display depicts the variation in measures of inventory levels (or other values) over time (or other variable), while also conveying information about interactions among the measures of inventory levels (or other values) that is not readily ascertainable from displays usually associated with prior systems. These features contribute to the ability of the system to convey to users a relatively large quantity of information, on a single computer screen and in a visually compelling and more readily comprehensible fashion. Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Patent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. 
     To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention, and further features and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for displaying information; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values, with color as an indicia; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values, with dot density as an indicia; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values including a difference panel, with color as an indicia; and 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary three-dimensional display of values relative to comparison values including a difference panel, with dot density as an indicia. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system  10  providing a three-dimensional display. Although in one embodiment the displayed information may be associated with manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, or other appropriate planning operations, the present invention contemplates displaying any appropriate information according to particular needs. For example only, and not by way of limitation, it may be desirable in a supply chain planning environment to display to users the variation of inventory levels over time. According to the present invention, one or more inventory levels, whether they be actually measured, derived from other information, projected, or determined in any other appropriate manner, may be presented in a three-dimensional display relative to one or more target, benchmark, or other comparison inventory levels over one or more selected time intervals. Although the present invention is primarily described in relation to such inventory levels, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features and advantages of the present invention are equally applicable to a variety of other types of information, and that the present invention encompasses the display of values relative to comparison values in all such contexts. 
     System  10  includes one or more models  12  of manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, or other planning environments, or portions thereof, to which the displayed information is pertinent. One or more engines  14  use one or more suitable models  12  to generate corresponding information to be displayed visually to users of system  10 , using graphical user interface (GUI)  16 , in the manner described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     System  10  operates on one or more computers  18 , each of which may include a suitable input device  20 , such as a keypad, mouse, touch screen, microphone, or other device to input information. An output device  22  conveys three-dimensional displays associated with the operation of system  10  to users according to the present invention. Computer  18  may include suitable fixed or removable storage media, such as magnetic computer disks, CD-ROM, or other suitable media to receive output from and provide input to system  10 . Computer  18  may include a processor  24  and associated volatile or non-volatile memory at one or more locations to execute instructions and manipulate information according to the operation of system  10 . Although only a single computer  18  is shown, components of system  10  may each operate on separate computers  18  or on one or more shared computers  18  without department from the intended scope of the present invention. Such computers  18  may be distributed across a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a global computer network such as the Internet, or any other suitable communications network, sharing database and other resources as appropriate. 
     The inventory level of an item at a particular point in time, or over a particular time interval, is typically quantified in terms of a countable number of units of the item. The inventory level often changes over time as supplies add units and demands subtract units. The inventory level, whether it be actually measured, derived from one or more other sources of information, or projected into the future, can be compared to a target, benchmark, or other comparison level. For example only, and not by way of limitation, the comparison inventory level at a particular time, or during a particular time interval, might be the inventory target—that is, the quantity of inventory desired at that time or during that interval. The inventory level of an item may also be quantified in terms of “time supply” (also known as “period of cover”). Time supply measures the length of time that available inventory will last before it is consumed by forecasted demand. For example, an inventory level corresponding to a time supply of 3.5 days implies that the inventory level is sufficient to satisfy demand for the following 3.5 days. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary three-dimensional display  30 , presented to users of system  10 , of values relative to comparison values. In the particular example illustrated, the values and comparison values are inventory levels within a supply chain planning environment, although as discussed above the present invention contemplates displaying any appropriate information. In one embodiment, display  30  simultaneously depicts inventory levels in terms of countable units at particular times, inventory levels in terms of time supply at these times, and the relation of countable units to at least one set of comparison inventory levels (also in terms of countable units) at these times. In this embodiment, time is represented on horizontal axis  32  (generally from left to right within the page), the inventory level in terms of countable units is depicted on vertical axis  34  (generally out of the page), and the inventory level in terms of time supply is represented on horizontal axis  36  (generally front to back within the page). Display  30  may incorporate other arrangements of axes  32 ,  34 , and  36  without departing from the intended scope of the present invention. Display  30  may depict the relation of time supply to at least one set of comparison inventory levels (also in terms of time supply) instead of or in addition to depicting the relation of countable units to corresponding comparison inventory levels. Although axis  32  is described as a time axis, axis  32  may represent a variable other than time, according to particular needs and the nature of the information being conveyed using display  30 . 
     Graphical body  38  conveys the inventory information according to the present invention. Higher inventory levels in countable units increase the height  40  of body  38  along axis  34 . Similarly, higher inventory levels in terms of time supply increase the depth  42  of body  38  along axis  36 . Thus, at any point in time, the height  40  and depth  42  of body  38  in three-dimensional display  30  simultaneously convey two measures of inventory level to users of system  10 . As discussed more fully below with reference to FIG. 4, inventory shortages or overages in relation to one or more specified target levels may also be conveyed using display  30 . According to the present invention, variations in color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  characterize inventory levels (in countable units, time supply, or both) relative to corresponding comparison levels, allowing users to readily identify relatively low, relatively high, or otherwise relatively pertinent levels. Thus, system  10  may provide to its users a three-dimensional display  30  that simultaneously depicts up to five measures of inventory level associated with a particular time or time interval—three quantitative (countable units, time supply, and shortage or overage) and two semi-qualitative (countable units and time supply relative to one or more comparison levels for each). As a result, system  10  provides important technical advantages over previous systems for displaying information. 
     In the particular example illustrated in FIG. 2, variations in color indicate how the inventory levels compare over time to predefined target levels according to the following semi-qualitative scale: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Red 
                 Inventory insufficient to satisfy demand 
               
               
                   
                 Orange 
                 Inventory considerably below target 
               
               
                   
                 Yellow 
                 Inventory below target 
               
               
                   
                 Green 
                 Inventory on target 
               
               
                   
                 Blue 
                 Inventory above target 
               
               
                   
                 Purple 
                 Inventory considerably above target 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other appropriate color scales may be used. Although body  38  is shown being substantially continuous between time intervals, the present invention contemplates body  38  being in the form of multiple spikes or other non-continuous portions, each associated with a particular time or sub-interval. In one embodiment, where body  38  is substantially continuous between two times, colors of body  38  may transition in any suitable manner over the interval between the times to emphasize changes taking place in the inventory level relative to the comparison level over that interval. Instead of or in addition to such smooth transitions, body  38  and its associated indicia  44  may have steps or transitions that are not smooth, as appropriate for the information being displayed and particular needs. 
     Additionally, variations in shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  according to an appropriate scale may be used to convey this information, instead of or in addition to color. For example, and not by way of limitation, shading may be employed according to the following semi-qualitative scale: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 White 
                 Inventory insufficient to satisfy demand 
               
               
                   
                 Very light 
                 Inventory considerably below target 
               
               
                   
                 Light 
                 Inventory below target 
               
               
                   
                 Medium 
                 Inventory on target 
               
               
                   
                 Dark 
                 Inventory above target 
               
               
                   
                 Very dark 
                 Inventory considerably above target 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Similarly, for example only and not by way of limitation, dot density may be employed according to the following semi-qualitative scale: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 None 
                 Inventory insufficient to satisfy demand 
               
               
                   
                 Very light 
                 Inventory considerably below target 
               
               
                   
                 Light 
                 Inventory below target 
               
               
                   
                 Medium 
                 Inventory on target 
               
               
                   
                 Heavy 
                 Inventory above target 
               
               
                   
                 Very heavy 
                 Inventory considerably above target 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Use of dot density as indicia  44  is illustrated in FIG.  3 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other suitable indicia  44 , including numbers or other symbols for example, could also be employed along with an appropriate scale, depending on the information being displayed and particular needs. 
     In one embodiment, display  30  includes color, shading, dot density, or another indicia  44  on front  46  of body  38  to qualitatively represent inventory levels in terms of countable units relative to comparison values, and includes color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  on top  48  of body  38  to qualitatively represent inventory levels in terms of time supply relative to comparison values. Although providing indicia  44  for both measures of inventory levels may be desired, the present invention contemplates system  10  providing color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  for both measures, only one measure (on front  46  or top  48  of body  38  as appropriate), or neither measure. Indicia  44  may be different for different measures. Where indicia  44  for only a single measure is desired, as illustrated in FIG. 2 the color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  may be the same on both front  46  and top  48  of body  38  at a certain time, as if body  38  was uniform in cross-section (in the plane of axes  34  and  36 ) at that time as to color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44 . Furthermore, even in the particular embodiment in which display  30  conveys inventory information, display  30  may have color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  44  on front  46 , top  48 , or both front  46  and top  48  of body  38  to convey inventory information other than the inventory levels that specify the shape of body  38 . The present invention contemplates the use of indicia  44  to convey any appropriate information relating to the purposes for which display  30  is provided. 
     When display  30  is viewable in a three-dimensional environment in which the user can change his perspective in relation to display  30 , the user can more readily focus on a selected measure of interest. For example, when display  30  is viewed generally from the front  46  of body  38 , display  30  focuses the user&#39;s attention on inventory levels in terms of countable units. Alternatively, when display  30  is viewed generally from the top  48  of body  38 , display  30  focuses the user&#39;s attention on inventory levels in terms of time supply. Thus, in this embodiment, display  30  allows users to examine inventory levels in terms of countable units individually, in terms of time supply individually, or in terms of both measures simultaneously. The present invention contemplates display  30  being viewable from any perspective to emphasize one measure relative to another measure to any suitable degree. 
     In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when a specified criteria has been met for a particular time or time interval, inventory insufficient to satisfy demand for example, system  10  generates a panel  50  indicating the additional amount of inventory needed to satisfy demand or otherwise match a specified comparison level. The height  52  of panel  50  equals or otherwise corresponds to the amount of demand in countable units that was not satisfied (inventory shortage) or was exceeded (inventory overage). Panel  50  may reflect an inventory shortage or overage of zero. Panel  50  may have any appropriate color, shading, dot density, or other indicia  54 . For example only and not by way of limitation, panel  50  may have a color specified according to the color scale set forth above. If the criteria met was that inventory is “insufficient to satisfy demand,” panel  50  might be red (according to the scale) as shown in FIG. 4 for the “11/6/99” time or time interval. If the criteria met was instead that inventory was “considerably below target,” panel  50  might be orange (according to the scale) for that time or time interval. Moreover, if the criteria met was instead that inventory was “above target,” panel  50  might be blue (according to the scale) for that time or time interval. Use of dot density as indicia  54  is illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
     System  10  may generate multiple panels  50  for the same time or time interval, each corresponding to a different comparison level. For example, a first panel  50  may indicate the minimum additional inventory necessary to satisfy demand and a second panel  50  may indicate the additional inventory needed to reach some other specified target level. Panel  50  may substantially replace body  38  for the associated time or time interval, or may be positioned on top or otherwise cooperate with body  38  for that time or time interval. For example, to cooperate with body  38 , one or more panels  50  may exist only in the vertical space (along axis  34 ) between body  38  and the corresponding target level heights. Although panel  50  associated with inventory levels in countable units is discussed, display  30  may include, instead or in addition, one or more panels associated with inventory levels in terms of time supply. In that case, the depth of the panel would equal or otherwise correspond to the inventory shortage or overage with respect to time supply. 
     Referring again to FIG. 2, display  30  also depicts the variation in measures of inventory levels (or any other appropriate information) over time, providing another important technical advantage. For example, 1000 countable units of inventory at one time might represent four days of time supply. At a different time, 1000 countable units might represent only two days of time supply. Thus, the portions of body  38  for those two times would have the same height (along axis  34 ) but different depths (along axis  36 ). Moreover, the portions of body  38  for those two times two might have different colors, indicting that the same 1000 countable units may have a different qualitative relationship to a target, benchmark, or other comparison level depending on the time or time interval concerned. As discussed above, body  38  and associated indicia  44  may transition smoothly or otherwise between two times to further reflect the time variation of the information being displayed. 
     Display  30  also depicts the interactions among the measures of inventory levels (or other appropriate information), providing yet another important technical advantage over previous systems. Because countable units, time supply, inventory shortages or overages, and the relationships of these measures to one or more comparison levels may not be correlated, the fact that body  38  is tall, deep, and green at one time, versus short, thin, and blue at another time, conveys information about the interactions between them that is not readily ascertainable from displays associated with previous systems. The shape of body  38 , separate from or in cooperation with indicia  44 , also provides a basis for evaluating the values that body  38  represents. For example only, and not by way of limitation, the expected or target shape of body  38  at a particular time or time interval might be tall and deep, with indicia  44  being green. If body  38  is instead short and thin, with indicia  44  being blue, display  30  allows a user to readily perceive the difference. These features contribute to the ability of system  10  to convey to users a larger quantity of information, on a single computer screen and in a visually compelling and readily comprehensible fashion, than would be feasible with previous systems. 
     According to the present invention, users of system  10  are provided inventory level information, through display  30 , in a spatially efficient and readily interpretable manner. By viewing a single display  30 , a user in a supply chain planning environment, or any other environment in which inventory information is pertinent, can readily achieve a comprehensive understanding of a past history, current situation, or future plan as it relates to inventory. As discussed above, however, the present invention is not limited to inventory information, as those skilled in the art will appreciate. System  10  may be used in a variety of manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, enterprise, or other planning environments, according to particular needs. Even more broadly, system  10  may be used in environments unrelated to planning. For example only and not by way of limitation, the present invention is equally applicable to physiological measures such as body height and body weight over time, weather measures such as temperature and precipitation over time, and other appropriate measures. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention encompasses all such scenarios. 
     Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments, a plethora of changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention encompass all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.