Patent US 5,602,985

A display request for displaying a virtual plane from an input section is interpreted by an input request processing section and sent to a display request processing section. This section searches the concerned node from node data stored in a node/link data storage section and displays such a node on a display section. Simultaneously therewith, the display request processing section sends link data included in the displayed node to the input request processing section for storage. Further, the input request processing section makes a reference of a relevant node display request from the input section to the stored link data by the input request processing section, and a link ID that identifies the concerned link is sent to a relevant node search processing section. This section searches link data within the node/link data storage section to find an ID of a relevant node and searches the node data from the ID and finds a display position on the virtual plane to display the relevant node. The currently displayed position and a display position to be displayed next for displaying the relevant node are sent to a gradual display request preparing section. This section prepares a display request based on gradual display preparing rules and sends the prepared display request to the display request processing section. This section searches the concerned node data within the node link data storage section in accordance with the display request and displays the searched node data on the display section.