Patent ID: 7146374

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of automatically labeling a graph that includes time based data comprising: generating a plurality of time labels where each time label in the plurality of time labels corresponds to hierarchical levels of time, by extracting and analyzing time label information from input data comprising informational data and corresponding time data determining whether the time labels in each of the plurality of hierarchical levels of time fit along the time axis based on the informational data; if the time labels of a hierarchical level fit along the time axis, including the time labels in an initial time label set; creating a multi-level data structure; storing the time labels in the initial time label set in the multi-level data structure; processing the multi-level data structure to redefine the time labels; generating multi-level time labels from the time labels that are stored in the multi-level data structure, each multi-level time label comprising a plurality of rows of time labels; and applying the generated multi-level time labels to the time axis of a graph so that the generated multi-level time label serves as a label for that axis.