Gregory A Hansen

US Patent:

60851872, Jul 4, 2000

Filed:

Nov 24, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/977092

Inventors:

Gary Lee Carter - Woodbridge CT
Steffen Michael Fohn - Raleigh NC
Arthur Reginald Greef - Seattle WA
Gregory Christopher Hansen - Fort Lee NJ

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707 3

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.