Method and apparatus for displaying data element axes

Abstract

An aspect of the invention hereby presented provides a means to display a first set of, for instance, documents in conjunction with a second set of documents when the second set of documents would not necessarily fit in the query used to select the documents of the first set of documents and/or would not necessarily fit the collation of the first set of documents. The second set of documents so located in relationship with the first set of documents having a beneficial effect for the understanding of the first set of documents. A system and a GUI thereof is also hereby presented.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations for displaying an axis of user-selectable elements on a display, the operations comprising:
 displaying a first set of user-selectable elements in a substantially rectilinear direction along an axis thereof on a viewing area of the display, the set of user-selectable elements being ordered in accordance with a first collation function, a user-selectable element from the first set of user-selectable elements being associated with a second set of user-selectable elements;   selecting the user-selectable elements associated with the second set of user-selectable elements; and   displaying the second set of user-selectable elements in the substantially rectilinear direction along the axis thereof on the viewing area of the display, the second set of user-selectable elements being ordered in accordance with the second collation function, wherein the second collation function is displaying the second set of user-selectable elements in discrepancy with the first collation function.   
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first collation function is a chronological order. 
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second collation function is a chronological order. 
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first set of user-selectable elements are displayed in accordance with a time-based order including a timeline, the timeline including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time not being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the axis of the subset of documents. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 24 , wherein the second set of user-selectable elements are displayed in accordance with a time-based order including a timeline, the timeline including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time not being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the axis of the subset of documents. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein, prior to selecting the at least one user-selectable elements, the second set of user-selectable elements is stacked on the viewing area. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein a user-selectable element from the first set of user-selectable elements is expandable along the axis. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first collation function is adapted to be manually ordered. 
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein at least some of the user-selectable elements from the first set of user-selectable elements is associated with a computer program. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first collation function is not an unchronological order. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second collation function is not an unchronological order. 
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the axis of user-selectable elements is displayed vertically on the display. 
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the axis of user-selectable elements is axially scrollable. 
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein user-selectable elements from the first set of user-selectable elements are substantially overlapped. 
     
     
         35 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , further comprising adding an additional user-selectable element in the first set of user-selectable elements, the additional user-selectable element including an additional subset of overlapped user-selectable elements therein. 
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the computer system is a mobile phone. 
     
     
         37 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the axis of user-selectable elements includes a displayed portion thereof displaying user-selectable elements in a substantially rectilinear direction on a viewing area of the display, and includes a non-displayed portion of the axis of user-selectable elements virtually extending outside the viewing area of the display and accessible through scrolling thereof, the user-selectable elements being disposed along the axis of user-selectable elements in accordance with a time-based order including a timeline. 
     
     
         38 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein user-selectable elements includes pictures. 
     
     
         39 . A computerized system configured to read computer-executable instructions adapted to enable a program enabling an interface adapted to order and display user-selectable elements on an axis thereof, the computerized system comprising:
 a processing unit configured to process the computer executable instructions; and   a display configured to display the interface;
 the program, when executed, being operative for: 
   displaying a first set of user-selectable elements in a substantially rectilinear direction along an axis thereof on a viewing area of the display, the set of user-selectable elements being ordered in accordance with a first collation function, a user-selectable element from the first set of user-selectable elements being associated with a second set of user-selectable elements;   selecting the user-selectable elements associated with the second set of user-selectable elements; and   displaying the second set of user-selectable elements in the substantially rectilinear direction along the axis thereof on the viewing area of the display, the second set of user-selectable elements being ordered in accordance with the second collation function, wherein the second collation function is displaying the second set of user-selectable elements in discrepancy with the first collation function.   
     
     
         40 . The computerized system of  claim 21 , wherein the first set of user-selectable elements are displayed in accordance with a time-based order including a timeline, the timeline including a non-linear timescale and a time distribution that is substantially variable, with equal lengths of time not being visually represented with equal lengths of distance along the axis of the subset of documents.