Spatial search and selection feature

• US 20060136406A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Reponen, Erika
• Application Number:
  US11/016,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for searching content from a computer storage means by means of a visual user interface. The search is carried out by a search command, and search results that can be more than one, are displayed in their actual locations in said user interface. The invention also relates to a device, to a displaying unit and to a computer program product.

Claims

1. A method for searching content in a spatial user interface, wherein

at least one search target in the spatial user interface is defined for the search, for which at least one target of the search is done, so that after at least one result for the content is found

at least one result item containing the searched content is highlighted on the user interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the search action is displayed dynamically by a search cursor moving from a searched item to the next unsearched item until the search is completed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each result item is highlighted in its actual location in the user interface.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein each result item is highlighted by a visual element.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a search target is defined by marking a search area in the user interface.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the search target is defined by pointing to the target in the user interface.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the search target is defined by typing the target into a search bar in the user interface.

8. A device comprising a search robot for searching content in a spatial user interface displayed by a displaying means to which displaying means the device is connected, said device further comprising means for defining at least one search target in the spatial user interface for which search target the search robot is configured to make the search, so that after at least one result for the content is found, the device is capable of highlighting on the user interface at least one result item containing the searched content.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is configured to show the movement of a search cursor during search action from a searched item to a next unsearched item until the search is completed.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is configured to highlight each result item in its actual location in the user interface.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device is configured to highlight the result item by means of a visual element.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the user interface further comprises a search bar comprising one or more fields for inputting search command and outputting results.

13. The device according to claim 8, comprising the displaying means.

14. The device according to claim 8, further comprising communication means.

15. A computer program product for searching content in a spatial user interface, said computer program product comprising computer readable instructions stored on a readable medium and for execution on a processor, the computer readable instructions instructions for defining at least one search target in the spatial user interface for which search target the computer program product is capable of making the search, and so that after at least one result for the content is found, the computer program product comprises instructions for highlighting on the user interface at least one result item containing the searched content.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable instructions for showing search action dynamically by controlling a search cursor to move from a searched item to a next unsearched item until the search is completed.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, being arranged into a device from the following group:

a mobile terminal, a communicator, a personal computer, and a laptop.