METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UNIFIED SEARCHING ACROSS AND WITHIN MULTIPLE DOCUMENTS

• US 20080313174A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veveo, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Veveo, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: BARVE, Rakesh, VENKATARAMAN, Sashikumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A user-interface system and method for searching among multiple documents and searching for subsections within individual documents using a single search interface on an input-constrained user device having a screen and a keypad.

Claims

1. A user-interface method of searching among multiple documents and searching for subsections within individual documents using a single search interface on an input-constrained user device having a screen and a keypad, the method comprising:

a. Displaying, in a first portion of the screen, a user interface text input component operable to receive search query terms entered using the keypad;

b. Receiving a set of search query terms entered into the text input component by a user of the device;

c. Receiving, responsive to the received query terms, a set of document bookmarks, where each document bookmark uniquely identifies a specific point within a document, said document located within a widely-distributed computer network;

d. Receiving, responsive to the received query terms, a set of document pointers, where each pointer uniquely identifies a document located within a widely-distributed computer network.

e. Displaying, in a second portion of the screen, said document bookmarks and document pointers; and

f. Allowing the user to browse through and to select one of said document bookmarks and document pointers, where, if a document bookmark is selected, the identified document, beginning at the identified point within said document, is displayed, and if a document pointer is selected, the beginning of the identified document is displayed, such that a single user interface may be used to simultaneously search within individual documents and among multiple documents for information relevant to the received query terms.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating each of the document bookmarks by retrieving the contents of a document and inferring the structure of said document.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received document bookmarks point to documents that have been previously selected by the user.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating each of the document bookmarks by retrieving the contents of a document and inferring the structure of said document, where said document has been previously selected by the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying indicators adjacent to the displayed document pointers, in order to distinguish the displayed document pointers from the displayed document bookmarks.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the keypad is an overloaded keypad.

7. A system for searching among multiple documents and searching for subsections within individual documents using a single search interface on an input-constrained user device having a screen and a keypad, the system comprising:

a. Logic for displaying, in a first portion of the screen, a user interface text input component operable to receive search query terms entered using the keypad;

b. Logic for receiving a set of search query terms entered into the text input component by a user of the device;

c. Logic for receiving, responsive to the received query terms, a set of document bookmarks, where each document bookmark uniquely identifies a specific point within a document, said document located within a widely-distributed computer network;

d. Logic for receiving, responsive to the received query terms, a set of document pointers, where each pointer uniquely identifies a document located within a widely-distributed computer network.

e. Logic for displaying, in a second portion of the screen, said document bookmarks and document pointers; and

f. Logic for allowing the user to browse through and to select one of said document bookmarks and document pointers, where, if a document bookmark is selected, the identified document, beginning at the identified point within said document, is displayed, and if a document pointer is selected, the beginning of the identified document is displayed, such that a single user interface may be used to simultaneously search within individual documents and among multiple documents for information relevant to the received query terms.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising generating each of the document bookmarks by retrieving the contents of a document and inferring the structure of said document.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the received document bookmarks point to documents that have been previously selected by the user.

10. The system according to claim 7, further comprising generating each of the document bookmarks by retrieving the contents of a document and inferring the structure of said document, where said document has been previously selected by the user.

11. The system according to claim 7, further comprising displaying indicators adjacent to the displayed document pointers, in order to distinguish the displayed document pointers from the displayed document bookmarks.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the keypad is an overloaded keypad.