US Patent 7134095 Simulated three-dimensional navigational menu system

A user interface, system, method and software for displaying a simulated three-dimensional display of menu options to a user, thereby maximizing use of a display's real estate by presenting all available options at once while at the same time presenting certain options in a more pronounced manner. The system monitors for running applications, polls the running applications for any available options, and displays the options in the simulated three-dimensional format. With this type of dynamic menu, standard means for bringing focus to a selectable target create complexities, and are thus avoided by designing the system's cursor to duplicate the appearance of the selected target's shape, preferably in a smaller size.