Integrated business information system and method

摘要

A system and method for the integration of business information programs are disclosed. The system and method allow a user to jump between different business information programs (e.g., programs concerning patents and the compositions they cover, programs concerning what commercial products are covered by patents, and programs concerning the companies that produce the commercial products), that is, to jump from a first program to a second program, so that the user automatically executes the second program (the program to which the jump is made) at a hierarchical level (state) that is similar to the hierarchical level (state) at which the user was executing the first program (the program from which the jump is made). Various techniques may be used to make the jump and to insure that the user executes the second program at the hierarchically similar level (state). The system may further employ visualization techniques to display the data, such as hyperbolic trees, as well as querying and analysis techniques.