Patent ID: 7370288

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for selecting and unselecting page objects displayed in an electronic document on a display device, comprising the steps of: classifying and storing the page objects in memory according to a hierarchy that includes a plurality of levels, the plurality of levels including a first level of page objects and a second level of page objects associated with one or more pages of the electronic document, wherein the first and second level of page objects in the hierarchy include at least one node, the at least one node comprising at least one node element comprising text; receiving an execution of a first command to select the first level of page objects displayed in the electronic document in a current selection state, wherein the current selection state comprises a highlight region for selecting at least the at least one node element in the first level of page objects, wherein subsequent executions of the first command increases the size of the highlight region to a maximum, the maximum highlight region selecting at least the first level of page objects, the second level of page objects associated with the one or more pages of the electronic document, and additional objects displayed on the one or more pages of the electronic document which are not within the first and second levels of page objects, wherein the execution of the first command after the highlight region is at a maximum contracts the size of the highlight region from the maximum to a region selecting less than at least the first level of page objects, the second level of page objects associated with the one or more pages of the electronic document, and additional objects displayed on the one or more pages of the electronic document which are not within the first and second levels of page objects; and receiving an execution of a second command to select at least the first level of page objects displayed in the electronic document in a current selection state, wherein subsequent executions of the second command decreases the size of the highlight region to a minimum, the minimum highlight region selecting only a node element in the first level of page objects, wherein the execution of the second command after the highlight region is at the minimum increases the highlight region to the maximum highlight region selecting at least the first level of page objects, the second level of page objects associated with the one or more pages of the electronic document, and additional objects displayed on the one or more pages of the electronic document which are not within the first and second levels of page objects.