Patent Document ID: 5590250
Application ID: 08306043
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method comprising: obtaining layout data; the layout data indicating positions in a layout space for parts of a node-link structure; the layout space being a space with negative curvature; the node-link structure including nodes and links, each link relating at least two of the nodes; the layout data indicating positions in the layout space for a set of the nodes; the set of nodes forming a branch that includes two or more levels of nodes including a top level and at least one lower level, the top level including a top level node and the lower levels including lower level nodes, each node at each lower level having a parent node at a next higher level to which the node is related through one link; for each of a set of two or more parent nodes, the layout data indicating: a parent position in the layout space for the parent node; and child positions that lie approximately along a circle in the layout space for a number of lower level nodes that share the parent node, the parent position being approximately at the center of the circle; the number of lower level nodes being two or more; adjacent child positions along the circle being separated by approximately a base spacing; the circles having radii that, together, approximate a function that increases slowly with number of lower level nodes such that the radii and spacings between adjacent child positions along circles are all approximately uniform within the branch; using the layout data to present a first representation of the node-link structure on a display; receiving a signal from a user; the signal indicating a change from a first display position to a second display position; the first representation including a first feature near the first display position, the first feature representing a first part of the node-link structure; and in response to the signal, presenting a second representation of the node-link structure on the display; the second representation including a second feature representing the first part of the node-link structure, the second feature being presented near the second display position; the second representation being perceptible as a changed continuation of the first representation.