Patent ID: 7676763

Claim:
A method for providing a menu on a user interface screen, the method being implemented by one or more data processors and comprising: displaying, by at least one data processor, a menu launch option on the user interface screen; displaying a plus-shaped menu on the user interface screen in response to a selection of the menu launch option by a user, wherein the plus-shaped menu includes a center option and four other options each displayed in a left, right, up, and down portion of the plus-shaped menu relative and adjacent to the center option, the up, center, and down portions arranged along a first axis, and the left, center, and right options arranged along a second axis, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis, the center and four other options having rectangular sizes; allowing the user to navigate to a first of the four other options displayed in the plus-shaped menu; receiving user-generated input selecting the first of the four other options; and expanding the plus-shaped menu to include at least one additional option, wherein the at least one additional option is associated with the selected first option and wherein the at least one additional option is displayed on a top layer wholly within one of a left, right, up, and down portion of the expanded plus-shaped menu such that a first section of a bottom layer displaying the corresponding left, right, up, or down portion of the expanded plus-shaped menu is visible around the at least one additional option and a second section of the bottom layer displaying the corresponding left, right, up, or down portion of the expanded plus-shaped menu is visibly obscured by the at least one additional option, the second section of the bottom layer being different than the first section of the bottom layer and including visually distinct graphical elements obscured by the at least one additional option.