Patent ID: 7565619

Claim:
A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-instructions for instantiating on a display of a computing device a layout including a plurality of items therein, the plurality of items including at least a first item and a second item not specified in location with respect to any other item of said layout, the layout being dynamic in that at least the first and second items and the layout are changeable and may require relocation and/or resizing, each item having a periphery and at least the first item being defined to include a margin exterior to the periphery thereof, the margin comprising a defined distance from the periphery of the first item within which another item cannot reside, wherein: in response to the second item being moved so as to encroach upon the margin of the first item, the first item is relocated away from and in the opposite direction from the second item to clear such encroachment by the second item on the margin of the first item; and when relocating the first item causes a chain reaction of encroachments and relocations of other items in the layout and when any item of the plurality of items is encroached upon at least two times during such chain reaction before a non-encroachment state has been achieved, then one or more items of the plurality of items are permitted to overlap within the layout.