The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 04, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 24, 1997
Gary Lee Carter, Woodbridge, CT (US);
Steffen Michael Fohn, Raleigh, NC (US);
Arthur Reginald Greef, Seattle, WA (US);
Gregory Christopher Hansen, Fort Lee, NJ (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for navigating a concept hierarchy that interrelates a hierarchical presentation of the concepts of the hierarchy with a presentation of the declarations and constraints of those concepts is provided. The method includes the use of an additional computer screen presentation in which the presentation of the concepts and their declarations and restraints are interrelated. The user uses the screen to generate either a dictionary of the terms of all the concepts in the hierarchy, or a dictionary of descriptive terms of all the properties associated with those concepts. Means are provided on the screen for a user to then interrogate the generated dictionary for a desired property or concept. In a search of a dictionary of concept terms, once a desired property concept or property has been located and selected, the screen server provides, for use in continuing the search, a list of the properties that define the selected concept. If the search is of a dictionary of property terms, selection of a property produces a list of related concept terms. Irrespective of whether the list is of concept or property terms, the user can then select a term from the created list as an entry point into a tree view of the hierarchy or property presentation of a concept.