Patent ID: 7360167
Filing Date: 2008-04-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodied in a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations to indicate expanded states and collapsed states, in a higher level visual control tool bar, of lower level expander/collapser items in an area of a user interface display separate from the higher level visual control tool bar, the operations comprising: providing a lower level expander/collapser indicator area in the higher level visual control tool bar; displaying a first display in the expander/collapser indicator area when all the lower level expander/collapser items are in a collapsed state; displaying a second different display in the expander/collapser indicator area when all of the lower level expander/collapser items are in an expanded state; and displaying a third different display in the expander/collapser indicator area when at least one of the lower level expander/collapser items is in the collapsed state and at least another one of the lower level expander/collapser items is in the expanded state.