Method of displaying an axis of user-selectable elements with adjacent additional element

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method and an apparatus adapted to carry out a mechanism for managing navigation among information elements displayed on axes thereof when information elements are not displayed on a display area, the method generally comprising displaying an array, or an axis, of information elements adapted to receive thereon information elements, the array of information elements virtually extending outside a viewing area, the array of information elements including a portion thereof having no information elements thereon, and displaying an indicator of a non-displayed information element present on the axis of information elements outside the viewing area.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations for displaying an axis of information elements on a mobile device, the operations comprising:
 providing a displayed portion of the axis of information elements on a viewing area of the mobile device, and providing a non-displayed portion of the axis of information elements virtually extending outside the viewing area of the mobile device and accessible through scrolling thereof, the information elements being disposed along the axis of information elements in accordance with a collation function, the information elements being located along the axis of information elements in respect with collation units on the axis of information elements;   displaying, in a first axial direction on the viewing area, a first axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements;   displacing the display area along the first axis of information elements; and   displaying, in a second axial direction substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction on the viewing area, a second axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated with a second common attribute, the second axis of information elements locating the information elements displayed thereon along a time-based order including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the second axis of documents, the second axis of documents including a plurality of time units wherein each time unit is representing a duration of time along the second axis, the time units being disposed at a substantially constant axial length along the second axis of documents, the time units displaying the information elements along the second axis of documents at substantially constant intervals of distance between adjacent information elements; and   displaying an additional information adjacent to an axial side of a subject information element displayed on the second axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional adjacent information element on the axial side of the second axis when there is an additional information element to be viewed on the axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis.   
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , wherein the additional information can be completely displayed upon scrolling the second axis. 
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , wherein some of the information elements include images. 
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , wherein the collation function is time-based. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , wherein the first axis includes a non-linear timeline. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are sharing a logical connector. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , further comprising displaying another additional information adjacent to another axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional document on the another axial side of the second axis when there is another additional adjacent information element to be viewed on the another axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 21 , further comprising
 displaying, in the second axial direction substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction on the viewing area, a third axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated with a third common attribute, the third axis of information elements locating the information elements displayed thereon along a collated order including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the third axis of information elements, the third axis of documents including a plurality of time units wherein each time unit is representing a duration of time along the third axis, the time units being disposed at a substantially constant axial length along the third axis of information elements, the time units displaying the information elements along the third axis of information elements at substantially constant intervals of distance between adjacent information elements; and   displaying an additional information adjacent to an axial side of a subject information element displayed on the third axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional adjacent information element on the axial side of the third axis when there is an additional information element to be viewed on the axial side of the subject information element displayed on the third axis.   
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 28 , wherein the third axis is scrollable independently from the second axis. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer-readable of  claim 28 , wherein the first axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated a common first attribute. 
     
     
         31 . A computerized system configured to read computer-executable instructions adapted to enable a program enabling an interface adapted to order and display user-selectable elements in axes thereof, the computerized system comprising:
 a processing unit configured to process the computer executable instructions; and   a display configured to display the interface;
 the program, when executed, being operative for: 
   providing a displayed portion of the axis of information elements on a viewing area of the mobile device, and providing a non-displayed portion of the axis of information elements virtually extending outside the viewing area of the mobile device and accessible through scrolling thereof, the information elements being disposed along the axis of information elements in accordance with a collation function, the information elements being located along the axis of information elements in respect with collation units on the axis of information elements;   displaying, in a first axial direction on the viewing area, a first axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements;   displacing the display area along the first axis of information elements; and   displaying, in a second axial direction substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction on the viewing area, a second axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated with a second common attribute, the second axis of information elements locating the information elements displayed thereon along a time-based order including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the second axis of documents, the second axis of documents including a plurality of time units wherein each time unit is representing a duration of time along the second axis, the time units being disposed at a substantially constant axial length along the second axis of documents, the time units displaying the information elements along the second axis of documents at substantially constant intervals of distance between adjacent information elements; and   displaying an additional information adjacent to an axial side of a subject information element displayed on the second axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional adjacent information element on the axial side of the second axis when there is an additional information element to be viewed on the axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis.   
     
     
         32 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , wherein the additional information can be completely displayed upon scrolling the second axis. 
     
     
         33 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , wherein some of the information elements include images. 
     
     
         34 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , wherein the collation function is time-based. 
     
     
         35 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , wherein the first axis includes a non-linear timeline. 
     
     
         36 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are sharing a logical connector. 
     
     
         37 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , further comprising displaying another additional information adjacent to another axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional document on the another axial side of the second axis when there is another additional adjacent information element to be viewed on the another axial side of the subject information element displayed on the second axis. 
     
     
         38 . The computerized system of  claim 31 , further comprising
 displaying, in the second axial direction substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction on the viewing area, a third axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated with a third common attribute, the third axis of information elements locating the information elements displayed thereon along a collated order including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the third axis of information elements, the third axis of documents including a plurality of time units wherein each time unit is representing a duration of time along the third axis, the time units being disposed at a substantially constant axial length along the third axis of information elements, the time units displaying the information elements along the third axis of information elements at substantially constant intervals of distance between adjacent information elements; and   displaying an additional information adjacent to an axial side of a subject information element displayed on the third axis in the display area for notifying a viewer there is at least one additional adjacent information element on the axial side of the third axis when there is an additional information element to be viewed on the axial side of the subject information element displayed on the third axis.   
     
     
         39 . The computerized system of  claim 38 , wherein the third axis is scrollable independently from the second axis. 
     
     
         40 . The computerized system of  claim 38 , wherein the first axis of information elements including a plurality of information elements associated a common first attribute.