Patent ID: 7631255

Claim:
An electronic interface being displayed on a display device permitting a user to explore at least a portion of a collection of data, said collection including at least a plurality of nodes and a plurality of directional references forming interrelations between said nodes, the interface including at least one display region which visualizes at least a portion of said collection by providing at least two arrangement modes, each of said arrangement modes visualizing interrelations of a particular direction of said references and at least two levels of said interrelations, the first of said arrangement modes visualizing interrelations by arranging all nodes with outgoing references to a given node above said given node, the second of said arrangement modes visualizing interrelations by arranging all nodes with incoming references from a given node below said given node, said first arrangement mode comprising: excluding from being displayed a first node having exactly one incoming reference from a second node, and displaying said second node instead of said first node.