Patent ID: 7698654

Claim:
A handheld media storage and retrieval device, comprising: a display device displaying a display screen for viewing media content stored on the handheld media storage and retrieval device, the display screen displaying only a hierarchical menu comprising only two hierarchical levels of a plurality of hierarchical levels of the stored media content; a user input mechanism on the handheld media storage and retrieval device, the user input mechanism accepting user commands and information; a first input component for navigating initial headers representing a first one of the plurality of hierarchical levels and organized in a first orientation displayed on the display screen of the handheld media storage and retrieval device, wherein each of said initial headers includes an association with a child list, whereby said initial headers form a band of lists represented by the initial headers; a second input component for navigating a first list of elements representing a second one of the plurality of hierarchical levels and organized in a second orientation different from the first orientation, the first list of elements associated with a currently selected header of the initial headers displayed as a child list for the currently selected header; and a selection component for receiving a selection of one element of the first list of elements, wherein, upon the selection of the one element of the first list of elements, the first list of elements become new headers and at least some of the first list of elements are displayed according to the first orientation as new headers of a new screen, the new headers including the one selected element as a new currently selected header of the new screen and displayed in an order determined by the selection, and a second list of elements representing a third one of the plurality of hierarchical levels is displayed in the second orientation, the second list associated with the new currently selected header as a child list for the new currently selected header, the new screen displaying only the new headers and the second list, and wherein navigating and selecting is repeated until a particular hierarchical level comprising atomic elements is displayed in the second orientation, wherein upon selection of an atomic element of the atomic elements, the display screen displays only the particular hierarchical level in the first orientation with the selected atomic element as an active header and an information display box containing information about the selected atomic element.