3D Genealogical Display with Time-Axis Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current genealogical display methods fail to effectively represent chronological relationships and historical context, as they lack visual representation of age, lifetime, and historical events, making it difficult to appreciate and recognize historical relationship information.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for displaying genealogical information in a virtual three-dimensional space with a time dimension, where individuals are represented as icons with heights scaled by their lifespan and positioned based on birth and death dates, allowing dynamic navigation and interaction to convey chronological relationships and historical context.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional two-dimensional genealogical charts are used to display family relationships, then the structure is simple and easy to understand, but chronological relationships and historical context cannot be effectively represented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional genealogical charts to a three-dimensional display system where the vertical dimension represents time. Individuals are positioned at different heights corresponding to their birth and death dates, allowing chronological relationships to be visually represented without complicating the overall display structure. This dimensional addition enables simultaneous visualization of family relationships and temporal context.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a hierarchical nesting structure where family trees are organized into nested generations, with each individual's timeline nested within the broader family chronology. The three-dimensional display allows nested viewing where users can focus on specific time periods or family branches while maintaining context of the overall genealogical structure, effectively nesting multiple levels of information.
2Loss of information
If visual representation of individual age and lifetime is added to genealogical displays, then chronological relationships become more apparent, but the display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the vertical dimension to represent time, with individuals positioned at heights corresponding to their birth and death dates. The vertical extent of each individual's representation corresponds to their lifespan, providing intuitive visual encoding of age and historical context without adding horizontal clutter or complicating the display structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color coding to differentiate various aspects of the genealogical display, such as using different colors to indicate gender, marital status, or time periods. This visual encoding allows additional historical context to be conveyed through color variations rather than increasing structural complexity, making chronological relationships more apparent through visual differentiation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dynamic three-dimensional display with user navigation is implemented, then interactivity and exploration capability are enhanced, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic three-dimensional display system where users can navigate through time and family relationships by moving along the vertical time axis and horizontal family branches. The display adapts to user navigation, allowing exploration of different time periods, generations, and family branches interactively, enhancing versatility while maintaining intuitive controls for moving through the genealogical data.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for incorporating a time dimension to create a 3D graphics display from genealogical family tree data showing discrete individuals in multiple generations of a genealogical family tree data set, a computerized system for displaying the 3D genealogical family tree data set, and a non-transient medium encoding instructions for implementing the method are described herein. Icons representing individuals of interest in the three-dimensional genealogical family tree data set are displayed within a virtual three-dimensional space employing three orthogonal coordinates wherein the vertical axis (Z axis) represents chronological time extending backward in time from the current date to an earlier time during which specified individuals or generations of individuals lived, and each icon has a height or extent in the Z-dimension representative of the lifespan of the individual represented by the icon and is positioned in the Z-dimension at coordinates corresponding to that lifespan.