Contextual quick-picks

• US 10,303,732 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Lieb, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US15/649,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20170316104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Formulation of queries by providing quick-picks to the user is based, at least in part, on the context in which the query is being formulated. Quick-picks are items that, when selected, add search criteria items to a query that is being formed. The quick picks that are presented to the user are selected based on the context in which the search is being performed. For example, a user may be presented with (a) a search box for entering keywords for a search, and (b) selectable words extracted from or otherwise related to the content currently being displayed on the device that is being used to formulate the search query. When the user selects one of the selectable words, the selected word is inserted into the search box, thereby obviating the need to separately enter each character of the word.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a local device, while a search query is being formulated by a user in a search box displayed at the local device, automatically displaying, separate from the search query, a set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes one or more images and is selected based, at least in part, on a current context associated with displayed content in one or more applications executing on the local device;

receiving, at the local device, user input that selects a particular image from the one or more images;

in response to receiving, at the local device, the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images, adding as one or more separate terms to the search query in the search box displayed at the local device, one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, and allowing the search query, including the one or more separate terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing;

receiving, at the local device, additional user input that deselects the particular image from the set of one or more selected quick-picks; and

in response to receiving, at the local device, the additional user input that deselects the particular image, automatically removing, from the search query being formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device, the one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image, and allowing the search query to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second set of one or more quick-picks in response to the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images included in the set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the second set of one or more quick-picks includes at least one additional image that;

(a) was not in the one or more images, and

(b) was selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part on an association between the at least one additional image and the particular image selected by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the displayed content on the local device when formulation of the search query was initiated includes an of-interest page; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on content of the of-interest page.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising adding to the search query a word or a phrase that was not present on the of-interest page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick pick that is selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on a non-textual item that is part of the current context associated with the one or more applications executing on the local device, wherein the non-textual item is one or more of:

a digital image, a video, or an audio recording.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the non-textual item is the digital image; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is based on text produced by performing optical character recognition on the digital image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user are one or more text-based search terms.

8. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

at a local device, while a search query is being formulated by a user in a search box displayed at the local device, automatically displaying, separate from the search query, a set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes one or more images and is selected based, at least in part, on a current context associated with displayed content in one or more applications executing on the local device;

receiving, at the local device, user input that selects a particular image from the one or more images;

in response to receiving, at the local device, the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images, adding as one or more separate terms to the search query in the search box displayed at the local device, one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, and allowing the search query, including the one or more separate terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing;

receiving, at the local device, additional user input that deselects the particular image from the set of one or more selected quick-picks; and

in response to receiving, at the local device, the additional user input that deselects the particular image, automatically removing, from the search query being formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device, the one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image, and allowing the search query to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing.

9. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

displaying a second set of one or more quick-picks in response to the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images included in the set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the second set of one or more quick-picks includes at least one additional image that;

(a) was not in the one or more images, and

(b) was selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part on an association between the at least one additional image and the particular image selected by the user.

10. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 8, wherein:

the displayed content on the local device when formulation of the search query was initiated includes an of-interest page; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on content of the of-interest page.

11. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 10, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause adding to the search query a word or a phrase that was not present on the of-interest page.

12. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 8, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick pick that is selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on a non-textual item that is part of the current context associated with the one or more applications executing on the local device, wherein the non-textual item is one of:

a digital image, a video, or an audio recording.

13. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 12, wherein:

the non-textual item is the digital image; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is based on text produced by performing optical character recognition on the digital image.

14. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 8, wherein the one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user are one or more text-based search terms.

15. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors, and

one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processor and storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause;

at a local device, while a search query is being formulated by a user in a search box displayed at the local device, automatically displaying, separate from the search query, a set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes one or more images and is selected based, at least in part, on a current context associated with displayed content in one or more applications executing on the local device;

receiving, at the local device, user input that selects a particular image from the one or more images;

in response to receiving, at the local device, the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images, adding as one or more separate terms to the search query in the search box displayed at the local device, one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, and allowing the search query, including the one or more separate terms that correspond to the particular image selected by the user, to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing;

receiving, at the local device, additional user input that deselects the particular image from the set of one or more selected quick-picks; and

in response to receiving, at the local device, the additional user input that deselects the particular image, automatically removing, from the search query being formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device, the one or more search terms that correspond to the particular image, and allowing the search query to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device prior to the search query being submitted for processing.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

displaying a second set of one or more quick-picks in response to the user input that selects the particular image from the one or more images included in the set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the second set of one or more quick-picks includes at least one additional image that;

(a) was not in the one or more images, and

(b) was selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part on an association between the at least one additional image and the particular image selected by the user.

17. The apparatus of method of claim 15, wherein:

the displayed content on the local device when formulation of the search query was initiated includes an of-interest page; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on content of the of-interest page.