Patent ID: 7389296

Claim:
A computer implemented method of displaying a logical structure, comprising: examining a set of data items to identify a predefined pattern, wherein the predefined pattern represents data items arranged in a certain order within a hierarchical tree; adding particular nodes to a list, wherein each node corresponds to the set of data items represented by the predefined pattern; and generating a logical structure of nodes for display based on the list, wherein the logical structure depicts relationships between data items, and wherein hierarchical descendants of the particular nodes in the list will be automatically displayed in the logical structure only a single time, wherein the predefined pattern comprises a recursiveness among the hierarchical descendants in an initial logical structure of nodes, wherein the adding and modifying of the initial logical structure of nodes prevent recursive hierarchical descendants of the particular nodes from being automatically displayed multiple times, wherein the automatically modifying comprises either automatically expanding or automatically contracting an initial logical structure of nodes for display based on the list, wherein the hierarchical descendants of the particular nodes in the list are displayed only a single time; and wherein the hierarchical descendants of the nodes in the list are automatically displayed multiple times if a quantity of the set of data items is below a predetermined threshold.