Patent ID: 8464176

Claim:
A method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising steps of: displaying a plurality of visual items as a stack; receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the stack; responsive to the first user selection, determining whether sufficient room exists for displaying all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items: responsive to determining that sufficient room exists, altering the size or shape of the first region and displaying the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items or overlapping any of the plurality of visual items, and responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, altering the size or shape of the first region and displaying a bottom-most one of the visual items in the stack at a left-most area and at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items; receiving a second user selection of a second region having the altered size or shape of the first region and surrounding the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items are not stacked; responsive to the second user selection, again displaying the plurality of visual items as a stack.