Web site navigation under a hierarchical menu structure

A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein for enabling a user of a linked web-page system to navigate through the linked web-page system in accordance with a hierarchical menu structure, said hierarchical menu structure comprising:

• an uppermost top-level;
• I top-level categories denoted as T(1), T(2), . . . , T(I), wherein I≧2, and wherein the uppermost top-level is divided into the I top level categories;
• Ji sub-level categories associated with top-level category T(i), wherein Ji is a function of i, wherein Ji≧1, and wherein the Ji sub-level categories are denoted as S(i,1), S(i,2), . . . , S(i,Ji), for i=1, 2, . . . , I;
• and
• Kij menu items held by sub-level category S(i,j), wherein Kij is a function of i and j, wherein Kij≧1, wherein the Kij menu items are denoted as M(i,j,1), M(i,j,2), . . . , M(i,j,Kij), and wherein the menu item M(i,j,k) is linked to a web page W(i,j,k), for i=1, 2, . . . , I and j=1, 2, . . . , Ji and k=1, 2, . . . , Kij, said computer code comprising an algorithm adapted to generate, on a display screen of a computer display device, a display of a navigational state (α,β,γ) of the hierarchical menu structure, said display comprising a simultaneous depiction of:
• (T(1), T(2), . . . , T(I)), (S(α,β), (M(α,β,γ), γ=1, 2, . . . , Kαβ), β=1, 2, . . . , Jα), and W(α, β,γ),
• wherein α is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and I,
• wherein β is selected fiom the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and Jα, and
• wherein γ selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and Kαβ,
• wherein the display comprises a top-level area, a sub-level area, and a web-page area,
• wherein the top-level area comprises the depiction of (T(1), T(2), . . . , T(I)),
• wherein the sub-level area comprises the depiction of (S(α,β), (M(α,β,γ), γ=1, 2, . . . , Kαβ), β=1, 2, . . . , Jα),
• wherein the web-page area comprises the depiction of W(α,β,γ), and
• wherein if the user selects a next top-level category α1 such that α1 differs from α but does not select a next menu item, then the algorithm is adapted to:
• select a web page W(α1,_, _) in accordance with navigational persistence, wherein the underscore string _,_ appearing in W(α1, _, _) denotes that a sub-level category and menu item have not yet been selected following selection of the next top-level category α1;
• and
• refresh the web-page area with the web page W(α1,_, _).