Interface including graphic representation of relationships between search results
A multi-dimensional graphic user interface displays selected types of information regarding items included in one or more databases or returned by a search in accordance with locations on a two-dimensional display area or projection of a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional area and provides for selective display of information about respective items in a database (e.g. metadata) as additional dimensions of the display which may be suppressed and/or selectively introduced to avoid user distraction or obscuring information or for comparison between screens which may indicate to a user the degree to which a particular item may or may not be germane to an issue or particular subject matter of interest. The graphic user interface thus provides an effective tool for evaluating search results and organizing detailed review thereof.
1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions operative to cause the machine to perform a method of displaying different types of information about a set of items, the method corresponding to the instructions comprising:
generating an image based on a plurality of dimensions for displaying the image;
displaying the image and the plurality of dimensions, wherein the displaying further comprises:
depicting a plurality of axes, wherein each of the plurality of axes corresponds to one of the plurality of dimensions, and wherein each of the plurality of axes represent one or more types of information associated with individual items in the set of items and which are reflective of content of, or relationships between, the individual items; and
selectively suppressing display of at least one of the one or more types of information,
wherein the instructions further comprise selectively suppressing display of at least one of the plurality of dimensions.
2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more types of information is selected by a user.
3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the displaying the image further comprises:
depicting, on at least one of the plurality of dimensions, indicia representing individual ones from the set of items, wherein each item represents either a physical object or data representing a physical object.
4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3 , wherein the indicia comprise a plurality of concentric shapes, and wherein different ones of the plurality of concentric shapes are reflective of different types of content of, or different relationships between, the individual ones from the set of items.