Patent Document ID: 20040061702
Application ID: 10688588
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for displaying and manipulating data to facilitate identification, trends, correlations or other useful relationships among the data, the method comprising the steps of: providing data items arranged in an n×m matrix, n equaling the number of columns in the matrix and m equaling the number of rows in the matrix, and wherein each column of the matrix relates to a characteristic described by the data items therein, wherein each said data item in the same column represents the same characteristic, although the values of said data items in the same column may differ from one another; converting said data items, to determine graphical representations of said identified data items to be displayed, wherein the graphical representations graphically represent variations in the values of the data items; displaying c×d graphical representations of the identified data items in a c×d matrix, where c&lE;n and d&lE;m, with each graphical representation from the first c×d representations occupying a corresponding cell in the c×d matrix displayed; sorting the order of arrangement of the rows of data in the n×m matrix based on a comparison of the values of a pseudo-data vector with values of the data items, wherein each row of data items is converted to a data vector for comparison with said pseudo-data vector; reordering the order of arrangement of the rows of data in the n×m matrix based on the sort performed; and displaying d rows of the rearranged rows of data in the n×m matrix for observation by a user.