Patent ID: 7752184

Claim:
An information processing method which, when a user searches through a plurality of contents for a desired content, causes a display device to display a plurality of indexes corresponding to said plurality of contents, wherein said plurality of contents includes: (i) a first content which corresponds to a first index; (ii) a second content which corresponds to a second index; and (iii) a third content which corresponds to a third index, said information processing method comprising: selecting said first content; calculating: (i) a first degree of approximation between the selected first content and the second content, and (ii) a second degree of approximation between the selected first content and the third content; and determining: (i) a first layout of the first index of said selected first content, (ii) a second layout of the second index at a first distance from said first index of said selected first content in accordance with said first degree of approximation, (iii) a third layout of the third index at a second distance from said first index of said selected first content in accordance with said second degree of approximation, and (iv) a spring model including a plurality of springs, wherein each of the plurality of indexes displayed on the display device is connected to the first index by one of the plurality of springs, wherein the second index is connected to the first index by a first spring, and the third index is connected to the first index by a second spring, and wherein a first spring constant of the first spring is proportional to the first degree of approximation and a second spring constant of the second spring is proportional to the second degree of approximation; wherein said second index and said third index move according to the spring model in response to said user moving said first index, wherein said second index moves at a higher speed than said third index; and wherein: (i) said first index of said selected first content; (ii) said second index of said second content; and (iii) said third index of said third content are displayed on said display device in a manner laid out in said determining step.