Patent ID: 7836402

Claim:
A method of displaying all direct connections between a subject node and outside nodes not displayed on a map currently presented on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a communication network, wherein each of said outside nodes is associated with at least one of a plurality of outside node groups, the method comprising: bundling, for each of said plurality of outside node groups, said direct connections between said subject node and said outside nodes belonging to said outside node group to create an outside link bundle; grouping said outside link bundles into a multiple link connector (MLC) object and associating an interactive connector icon with said MLC object; displaying said interactive connector icon on said map, wherein said interactive connector icon is attached to said subject node; and displaying, responsive to selecting said interactive connector icon, a pop-up window showing a multiple link connector (MLC) list wherein each row in said MLC list shows an association between one of the outside link bundles and a corresponding one of the outside node groups, each outside link bundle comprising one or more direct connections.