System and method for navigating in a digital information environment

Abstract

The present system and method is directed to an interactive navigation system and method for exploring or browsing digital content data that can be spatially structured such that content pages can be located relative to one another. Once a page arrangement layout is completed, a navigation bar in conjunction with an underlying scrolling engine allow fast access to any section of the information space while maintaining an intuitively correct spatial metaphor. Thus, as the user manipulates the navigation bar, the scrolling engine moves the user to the new information content area in a visually intuitive manner while the intermediate content is displayed on a screen.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for navigating an information space that includes a plurality of content pages for display on a screen, said method comprising: 
 displaying a graphical object comprising a plurality of first-level items, each first-level item associated with a respective first-level page and at least one first-level item comprising a plurality of second-level items associated with a plurality of second-level pages;    selecting a first-level item of said graphical object such that a first-level page associated with said first-level item is displayed on said display screen; and    moving from said first-level item to another first-level item of said graphical object such that another first-level page associated with said another first-level item is displayed on said display screen and such that said graphical object remains displayed on said display screen.