System and method for interaction of graphical objects on a computer controlled system

Abstract

A user interface method and system for performing sensemaking tasks using visual information objects. The present invention provides techniques for the system to perform operations for creating, rearranging visual information objects, reallocating display space and scaling user input automatically so that users need not interrupt their creative activities. Such operations are intuitive and non-intrusive. Certain of the behavior results of the operations are specified in contracts associated with each visual information object.

1 . A computer controlled free form sensemaking system for user creation and user control of visual information objects, the visual information objects being automatically responsive to user interactions involving objects or the information in them, the system behavior for automatic responses being governed by parameterized contracts, and the system comprising a repair element for enabling a finished interaction to be replayed differently resulting in a different automatic system behavior according to selection of a different value in a parameter in a contract wherein the repair element further comprises:
 a) a recording element for recording interactions amongst said visual information objects;   b) an undo element for undoing an automatic interaction behavior;   c) a contract parameter selection element to enable selection of different values for one or more contract parameters, and   d) a replay element that carries out the user interactions under the different selected contract parameters resulting in a different automatic system behavior without requiring the interactions to be recorded again.   
     
     
         2 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter selected is for an object with which the user has directly interacted. 
     
     
         3 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter selected is for an object other than an object with which the user has directly interacted. 
     
     
         4 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the selectable parameters govern behavior involving one or more of automatic alignment, occlusion, clipping, growth, scaling, shading, object arrangement, aspect ratio, panning, peripheral awareness indicators, or representation of detail. 
     
     
         5 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 4 , wherein the scaling parameter controls objects that are moved into a nested space of objects. 
     
     
         6 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 4 , wherein the shading parameter controls shading of objects that are visually nested inside other objects. 
     
     
         7 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein when user interaction with an object increases the amount of information in the object then the parameter selection governs the automatic behavior of the object for growing the object in its containing object by at least one of altering the scale used for information inside the object, clipping information inside the object, moving information in the populated space to a space outside of the viewed space, or automatic panning to keep the interacting objects in view. 
     
     
         8 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameters that govern the behavior of text objects select between line wrapping or horizontal growth. 
     
     
         9 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameters that govern the behavior of text object select between bumping versus zoom-anti-zoom. 
     
     
         10 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameters that govern the behavior of text objects select between preservation of aspect ratio or font scaling. 
     
     
         11 . The computer controlled free form sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameters that govern scaling allow selection of scaling parameters for each type of information object contained within an object. 
     
     
         12 . The computer controlled free form, sensemaking system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said visual information objects is an instance of one of a plurality of visual information object types, said plurality of information object types including one or more of:
 a space object type for indicating a content based relationship amongst visual information objects;   a text object type for representing textual information having textual behaviors; or   a structure object type for representing sets of visual information objects having a predetermined structure.   
     
     
         13 . The computer controlled free form, sensemaking system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said predetermined structure of said structure object type is a list structure. 
     
     
         14 . The computer controlled free form, sensemaking system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said space object type is displayed as a view area of a larger populated area wherein information objects are positioned. 
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a computer controlled free form sensemaking system comprising the steps of:
 a) generating and displaying user perceptible representations of a plurality of visual information objects in a viewed space that is contained within a populated space during user free form sensemaking wherein each user perceptible representation of the plurality of visual information objects has one or more associated contracts for defining automatic behavior responsive to an interaction with other visual information objects;   b) recording interactions amongst said visual information objects;   c) undoing an automatic interaction behavior;   d) detecting a user input indicating a selection of different values for one or more contract parameters; and   e) replaying the interactions under the different selected contract parameters resulting in a different automatic system behavior without requiring the interactions to be recorded again.