Facilitating interaction with system level search user interface

• US 10,346,479 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• 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: Uphoff, Brian E., Wei, Xiao, Vaidyanathan, Priya, Averett, Edward Boyle, Ebeling, Rolf A., Gilmore, Michael J., Mishra, Manav
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Application Number:
  US13/229,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,860 Days
• Field of Search: 707705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• 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 user interface that includes both a data entry portion and a search identification portion is displayed. Data input by a user as a search term is displayed in the data entry portion, and identifiers of each of one or more scopes on the computing device that can be searched using the search term are displayed in the search identification portion. Search results based on a selected scope are displayed in a search results portion of the system level search user interface. A set of keyboard shortcuts allow users to quickly search using any of the scopes, and see previews of a number of results that each of the scopes return. Additionally, the system level search user interface allow users to easily focus on different search result entries, and efficiently change scopes for searching.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device when a currently active application is running in a foreground of the computing device, a character input, the currently active application supporting user interaction via non-character input keys but supporting no character inputs;

determining that the currently active application supports no character inputs; and

displaying, in response to determining the currently active application supports no character input, a system level search user interface treats the character input received as an universal search user interface request, wherein the system level search user interface having both a data entry portion displaying the character as a search term, and a search identification portion in which one or more identifiers of scopes are displayed and, if no search results are generated based on the search term then changing which of the one or more identifiers of scopes is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the search identification.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, the system level search user interface allowing a user to select an application and have displayed, in response to user selection of the application, search results for the selected application based on the search term.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, the system level search user interface having a first portion in which the search term is displayed, and a second portion in which identifiers of one or more scopes searchable using the search term are displayed.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.

7. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a search user interface displaying search results generated by the currently active application based on the search term.

8. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a search user interface displaying search results generated by a most frequently used application based on the search term.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, the displaying further comprising:

displaying search results based on the search term in a search results portion of the system level search user interface with a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

bringing focus to the search results portion in response to user selection of the first entry without user selection of the search results portion.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, the displaying further comprising:

displaying search results based on the search term in a search results portion of the system level search user interface with a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

changing which of the multiple entries is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the search results portion.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, at the computing device, a user input that is a keyboard shortcut; and

display, in response to the user input, a system level search user interface having a first portion in which a search term is displayed and a second portion in which multiple user-selectable identifiers are displayed, each of the multiple user-selectable identifiers identifying one of multiple scopes searchable using the search term, the multiple scopes including one or more applications searchable using the search term, the system level search user interface being displayed in response to the keyboard shortcut being a particular key sequence or group of keys unique to one of the multiple user-selectable identifiers displayed in the system level search user interface.

12. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the system level search user interface comprising an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term.

13. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the system level search user interface comprising a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term.

14. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the system level search user interface comprising a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.

15. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the system level search user interface further including a third portion in which search results are displayed, the search results being based on the search term and which of the multiple user-selectable identifiers in the second portion is focused on.

16. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the system level search user interface further including, for each of the multiple user-selectable identifiers, an indication of a number of entries in the search results for the identified one of the multiple scopes based on the search term.

17. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

display, in a third portion of the system level search user interface, search results based on the search term, the third portion having a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

bringing focus to the search results portion in response to user selection of the first entry without user selection of the third portion.

18. The computing device as recited in claim 11, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

display, in a third portion of the system level search user interface, search results based on the search term, the third portion having a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

change which of the multiple entries is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the third portion.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a first user input that is a keyboard shortcut;

displaying, in response to the first user input, a system level search user interface;

receiving, at the computing device, a second user input that is a search term; and

the system level search user interface having a first portion in which the search term is displayed, and a second portion in which multiple user-selectable identifiers are displayed, each of the multiple user-selectable identifiers identifying one of multiple scopes searchable using the search term, the system level search user interface being, in response to the keyboard shortcut being a particular key sequence or group of keys unique to one of the multiple user-selectable identifiers displayed in the system level search user interface;

an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term;

a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term;

or

a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.