Patent ID: 7457772
Filing Date: 2008-11-25
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: providing, via a display, a plurality of user-alterable graphic user interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of user-alterable graphic user interface elements corresponds to at least one alterable selection criteria, such that the plurality of user-alterable graphic user interface elements serve to illustrate current weighting values as correspond to such alterable selection criteria and wherein the aggregate sum of the current weighting values as correspond to all of the plurality of user-alterable graphic user interface elements comprises a particular value; detecting direct user alteration of a given one of the user-alterable graphic user interface elements, which alteration causes a change in the weighting value that corresponds to the given one of the user-alterable graphic user interface elements; storing relative value information regarding present relative weighting values of non-directly-adjusted user-alterable graphic user interface elements to provide stored relative value information; providing adjusted current weighting values by automatically adjusting the current weighting values as correspond to the non-directly-adjusted user-alterable graphic user interface elements as a function, at least in part, of the direct user alteration and the stored relative value information to ensure that the aggregate sum of the current weighting values as correspond to all of the user-alterable graphic user interface elements continues to comprise the particular value while further ensuring, to an extent reasonably possible, that the current weighting values for each of the non-directly-adjusted user-alterable graphic user interface elements continue to maintain their relative values vis-à-vis one another; illustrating the adjusted current weighting values by automatically modifying corresponding user-alterable graphic user interface elements; such that the method will remember and attempt to persist relative differences between automatically adjusted current weight values for non-directly adjusted user-alterable graphic user interface elements after previous automatic adjustment of these current weighting values to a minimum identical value.