Lightweight list collection

• US 20090006334A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, MacLaurin, Matthew B., Turski, Andrzej, Harris, Stacey Ellan
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Described is a collection of search-related references authored from a set of search results, in which the collection may be persisted. Search results may be obtained via a federated search of multiple data sources (e.g., local files, the Internet, a corporate network/database). Search results may be presented as individual reference items or grouped into dynamic collection query reference sets, which may be added to the collection. A collection may also embed one or more other collections. Upon opening a collection, search results may be automatically updated by re-running any dynamic collection queries. The user authors the collection by selecting items from a search results interface and dropping or pasting the item reference into a collection interface, and/or by activating an item collection affordance associated with the item. Manual or automatic layout of collection item references is provided, such as to provide a tabular layout or a two-dimensional layout.

Claims

1. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

presenting search results to a user;

providing an interface with which the user interacts with the search results to author a collection with references corresponding to selected search results; and

persisting the collection.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, performing a federated search of multiple data sources to obtain the search results.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the user interacts with the search results to author the collection including by activating a collection affordance associated with a search result item.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, determining whether the collection is open, and if not, automatically creating and opening a collection upon the activating of the collection affordance.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein presenting the search results comprises grouping results into dynamic collection queries, and wherein the user interacts with the search results to author the collection including by selecting a selected a dynamic collection query for inclusion as a reference set in the collection.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, re-opening the collection after it is persisted, and automatically updating search results corresponding to the collection by re-running the dynamic collection query against at least one data source.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection, including by dropping or pasting the selected dynamic collection query reference set into the collection interface.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection, including by choosing a visualization for the dynamic collection query.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection, including automatically laying out item references in the collection.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection, including to edit the layout of item references in the collection.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, providing a collection interface by which the user interacts with the collection, including to view item references in the collection in a tabular arrangement or a two-dimensional arrangement.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein persisting the collection comprises generating a compound query document corresponding to a static collection, including by embedding into the compound query document one or more single data item references, one or more dynamic collection query reference sets, or one or more other static collections, or any combination of one or more single data item references, one or more dynamic collection query reference sets, or one or more other static collections.

14. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a static collection with which a user interacts to view search-related items, the static collection including one or more single data item references, one or more dynamic collection query reference sets, or one or more other static collections, or any combination of one or more single data item references, one or more dynamic collection query reference sets, or one or more other static collections; and

an interface set including;

a) a search results interface with which the user interacts to select single items or dynamic collection queries, or both single items and dynamic collection queries for inclusion of corresponding references in the static collection, and

b) a collection interface with which the user interacts to view items in the collection.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the search results interface comprises a unified display interface coupled to a data integration layer to obtain search results from a federated search of a plurality of sources, including a network source, a local machine source or an Internet source, or any combination of network, local machine or Internet sources.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the search results interface includes an item collection affordance for each of at least some of the items that can be included into the collection, and wherein activation of the item collection affordance automatically adds its corresponding item reference to the collection, including creating and opening the collection if not already open.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the collection interface includes means for editing a layout of the item references in the collection, means for automatically laying out the item references in the collection, means for adding another static collection to the collection, means for adjusting the visualization of a dynamic collection query, or means for viewing the layout in a tabular arrangement or two-dimensional arrangement, or any combination of means for editing a layout of the item references in the collection, means for automatically laying out the item references in the collection, means for adding another static collection to the collection, means for adjusting the visualization of a dynamic collection query, or means for viewing the layout in a tabular arrangement or two-dimensional arrangement.

18. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

integrating search results from a plurality of sources and presenting the search results as a set of item references on a search results user interface;

receiving selection input with respect to an item reference on the search results user interface;

adding a reference to the item corresponding to the selection input to a collection; and

receiving user interaction input with the collection via a collection user interface.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving the selection input and adding the reference to the item corresponding to the selection input to the collection comprises, detecting activation of an item collection affordance associated with the item, or dragging the item reference from the search results user interface and dropping the item reference into the collection user interface, or cutting the item reference from the search results user interface and pasting the item reference into the collection user interface.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving the user interaction input includes receiving input for editing a layout of item references in the collection, receiving input directed to automatically laying out the item references in the collection, receiving input for adding another static collection to the collection, receiving input for adjusting the visualization of a dynamic collection query, or receiving input for viewing the layout in a tabular arrangement or two-dimensional arrangement.