Patent ID: 8397177

Claim:
A data processing system comprising: memory configured to store a database of elements and attributes of the elements; a display module configured to generate for display a visual representation which includes a plurality of layers of elements that are selected from the database for comparison, wherein each of the elements that is selected is included in a particular said layer of the visual representation and each element that is selected is represented by a given symbol, text, or common image that is given a slot in the particular said layer included in the visual representation, individual slots being designated by one or more of x, y, or z locations representing the element's real or symbolic relationship to other elements or being designated within a grid for the visual representation and each layer included in the visual representation being associated with elements from the database; a control module configured to show or hide subsets of the elements that are selected for inclusion in the visual representation responsive to receipt of an input, wherein the visual representation includes a display control panel with selectors that, in response to system events, call to the database to determine which particular subset of the elements that are selected are to be added to or subtracted from the particular said layer from the visual representation; and wherein the data processing system is further configured to dynamically retrieve a visual representation which includes one or more layers of elements from an other-party database.