Search in application launcher

• US 10,025,577 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Murphy, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US15/091,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20160216954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and machine-implemented method for facilitating an application launcher providing direct access to one or more items, the method including identifying one or more items maintained at one or more sources accessible by the user at the computing device meeting search criteria specified by a user, determining an application associated with each of the one or more items facilitating access to the item, generating an instance of each of the one or more items facilitating direct user interaction with the item, where the user is able to interact with the item directly from the instance of the item and providing the instance of each of the one or more items for display to the user at the computing device in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user search request via a search box included in an application launcher on a computing device;

identifying a plurality of items maintained at a plurality of sources accessible by the computing device satisfying the user search request;

determining that a respective application corresponding to an identified item of the plurality of items is not installed on the computing device in response to the user search request;

installing the respective application in response to the user search request and the respective application not being installed on the computing device; and

providing a representation of each of the plurality of items for display at the application launcher in response to the user search request,

wherein each representation facilitates user interaction with a respective instance of a plurality of instances corresponding to the plurality of items from the application launcher, and wherein a user interaction with an instance corresponding to the identified item is facilitated by the installed respective application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first item of the plurality of items comprises an application not yet installed at the computing device or data accessible through the application not yet installed at the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the respective application in an application store maintaining one or more third party applications available for installing at the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein installing the respective application comprises accessing, within the application store, and downloading the respective application to the computing device from the application store.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the representation of the identified item comprises a link for display at the application launcher for the instance corresponding to the identified item, wherein the link enables installation the respective application not yet installed at the computing device directly through the link without having to be redirected to the application store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sources comprise one or more applications locally installed at the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective application corresponding to the identified item comprises one of an application locally stored at the computing device or an application not yet locally stored at the computing device but accessible for installation at the computing device through a second application locally stored at the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a representation of each of the plurality of items comprises:

providing an application icon corresponding to the respective application, wherein selecting the application icon launches the respective application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing each of the plurality of items using an application associated with the item, and retrieving an instance of the item from the application associated with the item.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the provided representation of each instance of the each of the plurality of items enables launching an application associated with the item to perform additional functions with respect to the instance.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a user search request via a search box included in an application launcher on a computing device;

identifying a plurality of items maintained at a plurality of sources accessible by the computing device satisfying the user search request;

determining that a respective application corresponding to an identified item of the plurality of items is not installed on the computing device in response to the user search request;

installing the respective application in response to the user search request and the respective application not being installed on the computing device; and

providing a representation of each of the plurality of items for display at the application launcher in response to the user search request,

wherein each representation facilitates user interaction with a respective instance of a plurality of instances corresponding to the plurality of items from the application launcher, and wherein a user interaction with an instance corresponding to the identified item is facilitated by the installed respective application.

11. The system of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

accessing each of the plurality of items with a respective application associated with each of the plurality of items, wherein an application is associated with an item when the application facilitates access to the item.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein providing the representation of each of the plurality of items for display comprises:

displaying an application icon representing an respective application associated with each of the items in the application launcher.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein providing the representation of each of the plurality of items for display comprises:

displaying a link for installing at least one application corresponding to at least one of the plurality of items or providing access to the at least one of the plurality of items, where the at least one application is not locally installed at the computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection to install the at least one application through the link; and

installing the at least one application to enable direct interaction with the at least one item.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the provided representation of each instance of the each of the plurality of items enables launching an application associated with the item to perform additional functions with respect to the instance.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user search request via a search box included in an application launcher on a computing device;

identifying a plurality of items maintained at a plurality of sources accessible by the computing device satisfying the user search request;

determining that a respective application corresponding to an identified item of the plurality of items is not installed on the computing device in response to the user search request;

installing the respective application in response to the user search request and the respective application not being installed on the computing device; and

providing a representation of each of the plurality of items for display at the application launcher in response to the user search request,

wherein each representation facilitates user interaction with a respective instance of a plurality of instances corresponding to the plurality of items from the application launcher, and wherein a user interaction with an instance corresponding to the identified item is facilitated by the installed respective application.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

accessing an item with an application associated with the item, wherein the application facilitates access to the item; and

retrieving the item from the application.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sources accessible by the computing device comprise one or more applications locally installed at the computing device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the respective application corresponding to the identified item comprises one of an application locally stored at the computing device or an application not yet locally stored at the computing device but accessible for installation at the computing device through a second application locally stored at the computing device.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the provided representation of each instance of the each of the plurality of items enables launching an application associated with the item to perform additional functions with respect to the instance.