Registration for system level search user interface

• US 10,073,927 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaidyanathan, Priya, Uphoff, Brian E., Paddock, Brandon H., Monk, Stephanie M., Sarkar, Dona, Chen, Wentao, Averett, Edward Boyle, Mishra, Manav, Gebhard, Derek S., White, Richard Jacob, Liu, Yin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorney, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Christy Y
• Application Number:
  US12/947,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,856 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A system level search module receives system level search user interface registration information for an application of the computing device. The registration information includes an indication of how the system level search module can launch the application. The registration information is added to a registration store, and the application is included as one of one or more applications that can be searched using the system level search user interface.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions of a system level search module that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, for each one of multiple applications of the computing device, system level search user interface registration information that includes an indication of how a search term is to be provided to the application for the application to perform a search and whether the application requires an Internet connection to perform the search, the indication identifying one or more application programming interfaces of the application to be invoked when providing the search term to the application;

add, for each of the multiple applications, the system level search user interface registration information to a registration store;

generate a ranking for each of the multiple applications;

include at least two of the multiple applications as applications that can be searched using a system level search user interface;

display identifiers of the at least two of the multiple applications, based on the ranking, in an order from a highest ranking to a lowest ranking; and

provide a subsequently submitted search term to the one or more of the at least two of the multiple applications based on the respective one or more indications included in the system level search user interface registration.

2. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the multiple instructions further cause the one or more processors to select which of the multiple applications are to be included in the at least two of the multiple applications that can be searched using the system level search user interface based on the generated rankings.

3. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on metadata included as part of the registration information of the application.

4. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on data regarding usage of the application.

5. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on where a web domain of the application appears in search results returned from an Internet search engine searching for a particular search term.

6. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the system level search user interface registration information further includes an indication of how the application is to be launched, by the system level search module, to display search results in response to a search term entered by a user via the system level search user interface.

7. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the system level search user interface registration information further includes a name to be displayed to identify the application in the system level search user interface.

8. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the system level search user interface registration information further includes an icon to be displayed to identify the application in the system level search user interface.

9. A computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein to receive the system level search user interface registration information is to receive the system level search user registration information from an installer application on behalf of the application.

10. One or more computer storage memories having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, for each one of multiple applications of the computing device, system level search user interface registration information that includes an indication of how a search term is to be provided to the application for the application to perform a search and whether the application requires an Internet connection to perform the search, the indication identifying one or more application programming interfaces of the application to be invoked when providing the search term to the application;

add, for each of the multiple applications, the system level search user interface registration information to a registration store;

generate a ranking for each of the multiple applications;

include at least two of the multiple applications as applications that can be searched using a system level search user interface;

display identifiers of the at least two of the multiple applications, based on the ranking, in an order from a highest ranking to a lowest ranking; and

provide a subsequently submitted search term to the one or more of the at least two of the multiple applications based on the respective one or more indications included in the system level search user interface registration.

11. The one or more computer storage memories as recited in claim 10, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on metadata included as part of the registration information of the application.

12. The one or more computer storage memories as recited in claim 10, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on data regarding usage of the application.

13. The one or more computer storage memories as recited in claim 10, wherein to generate the ranking is to generate the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on where a web domain of the application appears in search results returned from an Internet search engine searching for a particular search term.

14. The one or more computer storage memories as recited in claim 10, wherein the system level search user interface registration information further includes a name to be displayed as one of the identifiers to be displayed to identify the application in the system level search user interface.

15. The one or more computer storage memories as recited in claim 10, wherein the system level search user interface registration information further includes an icon to be displayed to identify the application in the system level search user interface.

16. A method in a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, for each one of multiple applications of the computing device, system level search user interface registration information that includes an indication of how a search term is to be provided to the application for the application to perform a search and whether the application requires an Internet connection to perform the search, the indication identifying one or more application programming interfaces of the application to be invoked when providing the search term to the application;

adding, for each of the multiple applications, the system level search user interface registration information to a registration store;

generating a ranking for each of the multiple applications;

including at least two of the multiple applications as applications that can be searched using a system level search user interface;

displaying identifiers of the at least two of the multiple applications, based on the ranking, in an order from a highest ranking to a lowest ranking; and

providing a subsequently submitted search term to the one or more of the at least two of the multiple applications based on the respective one or more indications included in the system level search user interface registration.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein generating the ranking comprises generating the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on metadata included as part of the registration information of the application.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein generating the ranking comprises generating the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on data regarding usage of the application.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein generating the ranking comprises generating the ranking for each of the multiple applications based on where a web domain of the application appears in search results returned from an Internet search engine searching for a particular search term.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising selecting which of the multiple applications are to be included in the at least two of the multiple applications that can be searched using the system level search user interface based on the generated rankings.