Method and system for previewing search results

• US 10,108,740 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unquery Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Charles J. Reed
• Inventors: Reed, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Susan
• Application Number:
  US15/185,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20160299990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method for providing a search sample without a search being triggered is disclosed. The method includes receiving at least one partial search term in a search box. Probable search terms are determined by comparing the at least one partial search term to a database of common search terms. The probable search terms are displayed in a format that include a link to a sample search of each probable search term and a backslide button. When the link to a sample search of a probable search term is selected in the probable search terms, the sample search is displayed in a format that includes a close link. When the close link is selected in the sample search, the probable search terms are displayed again. When the backslide button is selected, the right most word from the search term is deleted.

Claims

1. A method for fast loading of search results, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a user input captured by a human interface device associated with the client device, wherein the user input includes at least one search term;

generating a first message by the client device and transmitting the first message to a server, wherein the first message contains the user input, and wherein the first message causes the server to determine a plurality of probable search terms by comparing the at least one search term to a database of common search terms, wherein the at least one search term is one of a partial search term, a complete search term, a plurality of search terms, or a combination thereof;

receiving, at the client device, a second message from the server, wherein the second message contains the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the second message causes the client device to display, on a display associated with the client device, the plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button and enables a user to select a selected probable search term of the plurality of probable search terms and enables the user to select between a sample search based on the selected probable search term and a full search based on the selected probable search term, wherein the sample search comprises at least one result of a search using the selected probable search term, and wherein the full search comprises a plurality of results using the selected probable search term;

generating a third message by the client device, in response to a user selection of the sample search based on the selected probable search term, and transmitting, by the client device, the third message to the server, wherein the third message contains a request for the sample search based on the selected probable search term, wherein the third message causes the server to retrieve the sample search based on the selected probable search term, and wherein the at least one result comprises at least one item of web-based content; and

receiving, by the client device, a fourth message from the server, wherein the fourth message contains the sample search based on the selected probable search term, wherein the at least one result comprises at least one item of web-based content, and wherein the fourth message causes the client device to display, on the display associated with the client device, the sample search in a selectable format that enables the user to select a sample search result in the sample search, and wherein selecting the sample search result causes a webpage comprising the sample search result to be loaded and displayed on the display associated with the client device, bypassing the full search of the selected probable search term;

wherein transmission of the first, second, third, and fourth messages, allow for a faster load time, at the client device, than transmission of a full search based on the selected probable search term.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface displayed on the display associated with the client device further includes a search box where the user input is entered and a search button that is associated with the search box, the method further comprising:

on a condition that the search button associated with the search box is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the at least one search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve a full search based on the at least one search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, the full search result list based on the at least one search term.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

on a condition that the a full search based on the selected probable search term is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the selected probable search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve the full search based on the selected probable search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result list based on the selected probable search term.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a server remote from the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a user computing device.

6. A method for conserving bandwidth, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a user input captured by a human interface device associated with the client device, wherein the user input includes a search term, wherein the search term is at least one of a partial search term, a complete search term, a plurality of search terms, or a combination thereof;

generating a first message by the client device and transmitting the first message to a server, wherein the first message contains the user input, and wherein the first message causes the server to determine a plurality of probable search terms by comparing the search term to a database of common search terms;

receiving, at the client device, a second message from the server, wherein the second message contains the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the second message causes the client device to display, on a display associated with the client device, the plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button and enables a user to select a selected probable search term of the plurality of probable search terms and that enables the user to select between a sample search based on the selected probable search term and a full search based on the selected probable search term, wherein the sample search comprises a plurality of top search results of a search using the selected probable search term, wherein each top search result comprises information relating to a web page corresponding to the top search result, and wherein the full search comprises a plurality of results using the selected probable search term;

generating a third message by the client device, in response to a user selection of the sample search based on the selected probable search term, and transmitting, by the client device, the third message to the server, wherein the third message contains a request for a sample search of the selected probable search term, and wherein the third message causes the server to retrieve the sample search based on the selected probable search term; and

receiving, by the client device, a fourth message from the server, wherein the fourth message contains the sample search associated with the selected probable search term, and wherein the fourth message causes the client device to display, on the display associated with the client device, the sample search in a selectable format that enables the user to select a top search result in the sample search, and wherein selecting one of the top search results causes a corresponding web page that comprises the top search result to be loaded, bypassing the full search of the selected probable search term,

wherein transmission of the first, second, third, and fourth messages, in total, requires less bandwidth, at the client device, than transmission of a full search based on the selected probable search term.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a graphical user interface displayed on the display associated with the client device further includes a search box where the user input is entered and a search button that is associated with the search box, the method further comprising:

on a condition that the search button associated with the search box is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve a full search based on the search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result list based on the search term.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

on a condition that the full search based on the selected probable search term is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the selected probable search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve the full search based on the selected probable search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result list based on the selected probable search term.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a server remote from the user.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a user computing device.

11. A method for displaying a sample search without executing a full search, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a user input captured by a human interface device associated with the client device, wherein the user input includes a search term, wherein the search term is at least one of a partial search term, a complete search term, a plurality of search terms, or a combination thereof;

generating a first message by the client device and transmitting the first message to a server, wherein the first message contains the user input, and wherein the first message causes the server to determine a plurality of probable search terms by comparing the search term to a database of common search terms;

receiving, at the client device, a second message from the server, wherein the second message contains the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the second message causes the client device to display, on a display associated with the client device, the plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button associated with each probable search term, wherein the preview link or button enables a user to select a selected probable search term of the plurality of probable search terms and that enables the user to select a sample search based on the selected probable search term without running a full search on the selected probable search term, wherein the sample search comprises at least one search result of a search using the selected probable search term, and wherein the full search comprises a plurality of results using the selected probable search term;

generating a third message by the client device and transmitting, by the client device, the third message to the server, wherein the third message contains a request for a sample search of the selected probable search term, wherein the third message is sent by the client device as a result of a user selection of the preview link or button associated with one of the plurality of probable search terms that is the selected probable search term, wherein the third message causes the server to retrieve the sample search based on the selected probable search term

receiving, by the client device, a fourth message from the server, wherein the fourth message contains the sample search of the selected probable search term, wherein each search result comprises information relating to at least one item of web-based content related to the selected probable search term;

displaying, on the display associated with the client device, the sample search in a selectable format that enables the user to select a search result in the sample search based on the selected probable search term;

receiving a user selection of a search result in the sample search based on the selected probable search term; and

displaying an item of web-based content corresponding to the sample search result on the display associated with the client device, bypassing the full search of the selected probable search term.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a graphical user interface displayed on the display associated with the client device further includes a search box where the user input is entered and a search button that is associated with the search box, the method further comprising:

on a condition that the search button associated with the search box is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve a full search based on the search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result list based on the search term.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

on a condition that the full search based on the selected probable search term is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the selected probable search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve the full search based on the selected probable search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result list based on the selected probable search term.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a server remote from the user.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a user computing device.