Method for providing selectable alternate menu views

Abstract

In a method for providing a menu display, in response to a menu item selection, the method may determine whether a menu map selection event or a cascading menu selection has occurred, may display a plurality of menus including those that are of a hierarchical level below and not immediately following the hierarchical level of the menu item upon a condition that the menu map selection event occurred, and may display a plurality of menus including a submenu of the menu item that is of an hierarchical level immediately below and not further below that of the menu item if the cascading menu selection has occurred.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented menu display method comprising:
 responsive to a first selection, displaying, by a processor and in a display device, a menu item; and   responsive to selection of the displayed menu item:
 displaying, by the processor and in the display device, a menu in a menu map view if the first selection was performed via a first selection event; and 
 displaying, by the processor and in the display device, a menu in a cascading view if the first selection was performed via a second selection event. 
   
     
     
         18 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 in response to a selection, by a first selection event associated with a menu map display, of a menu item selectable via the first selection event and via a second selection event associated with a cascading menu display, displaying a menu, by a processor and in a display device, according to the menu map display;   wherein all submenus of the selected menu item are displayed in response to the selection irrespective of the submenus' hierarchical levels, and a menu, that is not a submenu of the selected menu item and that includes menu items other than the selected menu item and that are of the same or a higher hierarchical level as that of the selected menu item, is displayed, the display of said menu that is not a submenu of the menu item being conditional upon that said menu that is not a submenu of the menu item one of (a) includes the selected menu item, and (b) includes a menu item that is a parent of the selected menu item.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the selection of the menu item occurs while the menu item is displayed in the cascading menu display in each of whose menus there is listed: (a) the menu item, (b) at least one menu item that is a direct parent of the selected menu item, or (c) at least one menu item that is an indirect parent of the selected menu item.   
     
     
         20 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 in response to a selection of a menu item selectable via a first selection event and via a second selection event:
 determining, by a processor, by which of the first selection event and the second selection event the selection has occurred, whichever one of the first and second selection events determined in the determining step as being that by which the selection has occurred thereby being a determined selection event; 
 displaying, by the processor and in a display device, a menu in a menu map view responsive to determining that the first selection event has occurred; and 
 displaying, by the processor and in the display device, a menu in a cascading view responsive to determining that the second selection event has occurred; 
 wherein the determining step is performed in response to the selection via the first or second selection event conditional upon that the menu item is not selected from a display generated in response to a previous occurrence of the first selection event. 
   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein, if a menu listing is selected from the display generated in response to the previous occurrence of the first selection event, the display generated in response to the previous occurrence of the first selection event is modified to remove all menus from the display generated in response to the previous occurrence of the first selection event, other than (a) a submenu of the menu listing, (b) a menu that includes the menu listing, and (c) a menu that includes a menu item that is a parent of the selected menu item. 
     
     
         22 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 displaying, by a processor and in a display device, a menu listing that is indicated in memory as belonging to a predefined category in a cascading map in each of whose menus there is at least one menu item that is a direct parent of the menu listing, an indirect parent of the menu listing, a direct child of the menu listing, or an indirect child of the menu listing; and   responsive to a selection of the menu listing, replacing, by the processor, the cascading map with a menu map, the menu map including at least one menu, each of whose listings is not a direct parent of the menu listing, is not an indirect parent of the menu listing, is not a direct child of the menu listing, and is not an indirect child of the menu listing;   wherein a menu item is included in the menu map conditional upon that the menu item is indicated in memory as belonging to the predefined category.   
     
     
         23 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 displaying, by a processor and in a display device, a particular menu listing in a menu of a menu map view, which menu map view includes at least one menu, each of whose listings is not a direct parent of the particular menu listing, is not an indirect parent of the particular menu listing, is not a direct child of the particular menu listing, and is not an indirect child of the particular menu listing;   responsive to selection of the particular menu listing, replacing, by the processor, the menu map view with a cascading menu view, a menu being displayed in the cascading menu view conditional upon that the menu includes at least one of (a) a direct parent of the particular menu listing, (b) an indirect parent of the particular menu listing, (c) the particular menu listing, and (d) a direct child of the particular menu listing.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein:
 in the menu map view, a submenu is displayed within a same column as, and immediately below, its direct parent menu item, and another menu item of a menu that includes the direct parent menu item is displayed immediately below the submenu; and   in the cascading menu view, the another menu item is displayed immediately below the direct parent menu item, and the submenu is displayed in a different column than a column in which the direct parent menu item.   
     
     
         25 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 displaying, by a processor and in a menu map view:
 a submenu within a same column as, and immediately below, a direct parent menu item of the submenu; and 
 another menu item of a menu that includes the direct parent menu item immediately below the submenu; and 
   in response to selection of the direct parent menu item, displaying, by the processor and in a cascading menu view:
 the another menu item immediately below the direct parent menu item; and 
 the submenu in a different column than a column in which the direct parent menu item is displayed. 
   
     
     
         26 . A computer-implemented menu display method, comprising:
 displaying a menu category bar including selectable category listings; and   for each of the selectable category listings, in response to selection of the respective category listing, displaying a menu map of all menu items identified in memory as belonging to the respective category listing, in which menu map no menu item that is not identified as belonging to the respective category listing is displayed.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the menu category bar is displayed across a top region of a display frame in which the menu map is displayed. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the selectable category listings are displayed in a single row in the menu category bar. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein, in response to a selection of a first one of the category listings while menu items identified in memory as belonging to a second one of the category listings are displayed, removing from display the menu items identified in memory as belonging to the second one of the category listings and displaying menu items identified in memory as belonging to the first one of the category listings. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the menu bar includes further includes an all-category icon, in response to selection of which the processor displays in the menu map, for each of the category listings, all menu items identified in memory as belonging to the respective category listing. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the menu bar includes further includes a portion not assigned to any menu category, in response to selection of which the processor displays in the menu map, for each of the category listings, all menu items identified in memory as belonging to the respective category listing. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the menu bar includes further includes an all-category icon, in response to selection of which the processor displays in the menu map, for each of the category listings, all menu items identified in memory as belonging to the respective category listing. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the menu bar includes further includes a portion not assigned to any menu category, in response to selection of which the processor displays in the menu map, for each of the category listings, all menu items identified in memory as belonging to the respective category listing.