Patent ID: 8423912

Claim:
A method of displaying a hierarchy of selectable objects including a plurality of parent menu objects and a plurality of submenu objects associated with at least one of the parent menu objects in a display with a pointing device controlling a position of a cursor in the display associated therewith, the method comprising: displaying the parent menu objects in a parent menu such that each parent menu object of the parent menu occupies a respective object area in the display; displaying the submenu objects associated with one of the parent menu objects in a submenu when the cursor contacts the respective object area of said one of the parent menu objects in the display; providing an activation area in the display which is associated with the submenu in which the activation area spans in a working direction extending between a first end adjacent said one of the parent menu objects which is farthest from the submenu and a second end opposite the first end so as to be adjacent to the submenu associated with said one of the parent menu objects; continuing to display the submenu associated with said one of the parent menu objects while the cursor remains in contact with the associated activation area; and hiding the submenu in the display by performing an override function with the pointing device while the cursor remains in contact with the activation area associated with the submenu by hovering the cursor in a fixed position for a prescribed duration in contact with the object area of a different one of the parent menu objects which is overlapped by the activation area.