Patent Document ID: 6025844
Application ID: 08919425
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for user configurable view management, comprising the steps of: providing at least three views, any of which may act as either or both of a source view and a target view; and establishing one or more view links between two or more of said views; wherein any one or more of the following variables are provided for specifying a view relationship that is expanded across said view links; a dynamic source operation comprising a target view that expands the contents of any object selected in any of a plurality of active views, wherein said source view is defined dynamically, a dynamic target operation comprising a target view that expands the contents of any object selected therein iteratively over a predefined set of views, a history operation comprising a first view wherein the entire contents thereof are expanded into a second view upon selection of any object therein, and wherein said selected object's contents are expanded into said first view, at least one link filter filter, comprising filter functions for either of transforming and interpreting data transferred from a source view to a target view, at least one view set comprising means for saving a group of views, view link visualization means for viewing any view links that may exist in said view link's environment, said view link visualization means comprising any of: a context sensitive menu for a view that lists both views that are targets of a current view, as well as views that are sources for said current view, a modifier key and have arrow overlays which appear on top of a user's windows using a visual syntax/language, and a target pane that is highlighted when the user's mouse passes over a link in the source view, and at least one aspect which comprises a plurality of view link filters associated with each view link, wherein a first filter is used by default, and wherein at any point a user can override said default to set a function to be performed by the active link, and wherein said user can display a set of predefined functions from which to choose.