Method, article and apparatus for organizing information

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein (b) comprises, for each of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, initializing a respective sequence for considering its respective child items in the depth-first search sequence of the tree, and wherein (j) comprises, for at least one of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, modifying the respective sequence for considering its respective child items to modify the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein (i) comprises repeating (d) to (f) for each subsequent item in the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating (j) to determine a plurality of values associated with at least half of all possible depth-first search sequences of the tree.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a sum of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on an average of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a product of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 further comprising: (l) outputting a signal to display a planar depiction of the tree in which the items are ordered according to the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 further comprising: (l) outputting a signal to display a plurality of regions to visibly represent the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent regions.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 further comprising: (l) outputting a signal to provide a plurality of user-selectable regions associated with the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent user-selectable regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent user-selectable regions.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 wherein the items comprise a search expression and results of a search based on the search expression.

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 wherein the items comprise a plurality of computer-readable items.

Claim 14

The method of claim 1 further comprising: (l) providing a browsing sequence for the items based on the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value associated therewith.

Claim 15

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to: (a) provide a tree which relates a plurality of items, the items consisting of a plurality of internal items and a plurality of leaf items; (b) provide a depth-first search sequence for considering items in the tree; (c) provide a plurality of variables in a memory which is to indicate, for each level number from one to a height of the tree, a last-considered item associated with the level number; (d) consider a current item in the depth-first search sequence of the tree; (e) use a similarity value between the current item and the last-considered item associated with a level number of the current item to determine a value associated with the depth-first search sequence if at least one of the leaf items had been previously considered in the depth-first search sequence and the current item is one of the internal items; (f) use each similarity value between the current item and each unique last-considered item associated with level numbers from the level number of the current item to the height of tree to determine the value associated with the depth-first search sequence if at least one of the leaf items had been previously considered in the depth-first search sequence and the current item is one of the leaf items; (g) indicate the current item as the last considered item associated with the level number of the current item if the current item is one of the internal items; (h) indicate the current item as the last considered item associated with each level number from the level number of the current item to the height of tree if the current item is one of the leaf items; (i) repeat (d) to (h) for at least one subsequent item in the depth-first search sequence; (j) modify the depth-first search sequence for considering the items in the tree and repeat (d) to (i); and (k) determine which depth-first search sequence has an optimum value associated therewith.

Claim 16

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to: (a) provide a tree which relates a plurality of items, the items consisting of a plurality of internal items and a plurality of leaf items; (b) provide a depth-first search sequence for considering items in the tree; (c) provide a plurality of variables in a memory which is to indicate, for each level number from one to a height of the tree, a last-considered item associated with the level number; (d) consider a current item in the depth-first search sequence of the tree; (e) use a similarity value between the current item and the last-considered item associated with a level number of the current item to determine a value associated with the depth-first search sequence if at least one of the leaf items had been previously considered in the depth-first search sequence and the current item is one of the internal items; (f) use each similarity value between the current item and each unique last-considered item associated with level numbers from the level number of the current item to the height of tree to determine the value associated with the depth-first search sequence if at least one of the leaf items had been previously considered in the depth-first search sequence and the current item is one of the leaf items; (g) indicate the current item as the last considered item associated with the level number of the current item if the current item is one of the internal items; (h) indicate the current item as the last considered item associated with each level number from the level number of the current item to the height of tree if the current item is one of the leaf items; (i) repeat (d) to (h) for at least one subsequent item in the depth-first search sequence; (j) modify the depth-first search sequence for considering the items in the tree and repeat (d) to (i); and (k) determine which depth-first search sequence has an optimum value associated therewith.

Claim 17

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein (b) comprises, for each of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, initializing a respective sequence for considering its respective child items in the depth-first search sequence of the tree, and wherein (j) comprises, for at least one of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, modifying the respective sequence for considering its respective child items to modify the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 18

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein (i) comprises repeating (d) to (f) for each subsequent item in the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 19

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents further cause the computer system to repeat (j) to determine a plurality of values associated with at least half of all possible depth-first search sequences of the tree.

Claim 20

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a sum of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 21

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on an average of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 22

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a product of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 23

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents further cause the computer system to: (l) output a signal to display a planar depiction of the tree in which the items are ordered according to the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value.

Claim 24

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents further cause the computer system to: (l) output a signal to display a plurality of regions to visibly represent the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent regions.

Claim 25

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents further cause the computer system to: (l) output a signal to provide a plurality of user-selectable regions associated with the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent user-selectable regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent user-selectable regions.

Claim 26

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the items comprise a search expression and results of a search based on the search expression.

Claim 27

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the items comprise a plurality of computer-readable items.

Claim 28

The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents further cause the computer system to: (l) provide a browsing sequence for the items based on the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value associated therewith.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein (b) comprises, for each of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, initializing a respective sequence for considering its respective child items in the depth-first search sequence of the tree, and wherein (j) comprises, for at least one of the internal items having at least two child items in the tree, modifying the respective sequence for considering its respective child items to modify the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 32

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein (i) comprises repeating (d) to (f) for each subsequent item in the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the computer system is further programmed to repeat (j) to determine a plurality of values associated with at least half of all possible depth-first search sequences of the tree.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a sum of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on an average of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the value associated with the depth-first search sequence is based on a product of a plurality of similarity values identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the computer system is further programmed to: (l) output a signal to display a planar depiction of the tree in which the items are ordered according to the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the computer system is further programmed to: (l) output a signal to display a plurality of regions to visibly represent the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent regions.

Claim 39

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the computer system is further programmed to: (l) output a signal to provide a plurality of user-selectable regions associated with the items, wherein adjacent items in the tree are represented by radially-adjacent user-selectable regions, and wherein pairs of items identified in (e) and (f) for the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value are represented by angularly-adjacent user-selectable regions.

Claim 40

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the items comprise a search expression and results of a search based on the search expression.

Claim 41

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the items comprise a plurality of computer-readable items.

Claim 42

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the computer system is further programmed to: (l) provide a browsing sequence for the items based on the depth-first search sequence having the optimum value associated therewith.