SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING SEARCH RESULTS ON ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20120109923A1
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Pasquero, Jerome, Fyke, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method are provided for displaying search results on an electronic device. The method includes: displaying at least a portion of a first set of search results; capturing one or more images using a camera device of the electronic device, the camera device being directed in a same direction as a display of the electronic device, the image comprising one or more subjects; determining corresponding points of regard in the one or more images for at least one of the one or more subjects, the points of regard being indicative of areas on the display at which a gaze of the corresponding subject is directed; determining one or more search results associated with the points of regard; and displaying further search results based on information associated with the one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

Claims

1. A method of displaying search results on an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying at least a portion of a first set of search results;

capturing one or more images using a camera device of the electronic device, the camera device being directed in a same direction as a display of the electronic device, the image comprising one or more subjects;

determining corresponding points of regard in the one or more images for at least one of the one or more subjects, the points of regard being indicative of areas on the display at which a gaze of the corresponding subject is directed; and

determining one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

2. The method according to claim 21, wherein the further search results comprise one or more further portions of the first set of search results.

3. The method according to claim 21, wherein the further search results comprise a second set of search results.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the one or more search results associated with the points of regards comprises determining points of regard which at least partially overlap the one or more search results as they appear on the display.

5. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first set of search results and the further search results are obtained from a search engine remote to the electronic device.

6. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first set of search results and the further search results are obtained from items stored locally on the electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the items comprise any one or more of the following:

data files, messages, images, audio files, video files, and contacts.

8. The method according to claim 21, wherein the information associated with the one or more search results comprises metadata indicative of one or more common properties of the search results to enable other search results to be correlated thereto.

9. The method according to claim 21, wherein the further search results comprise a filtered set of results obtained from the first set of search results.

10. The method according to claim 21, wherein the further search results comprise a re-ordering of the first set of search results.

21. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying further search results based on information associated with the one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

11. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for displaying search results on an electronic device, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

displaying at least a portion of a first set of search results;

capturing one or more images using a camera device of the electronic device, the camera device being directed in a same direction as a display of the electronic device, the image comprising one or more subjects;

determining corresponding points of regard in the one or more images for at least one of the one or more subjects, the points of regard being indicative of areas on the display at which a gaze of the corresponding subject is directed; and

determining one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

22. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprises instructions for displaying further search results based on information associated with the one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

12. An electronic device comprising a processor, memory, a display, and a camera device, the memory comprising computer executable instructions for causing the processor to display search results on the display, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

displaying at least a portion of a first set of search results;

capturing one or more images using the camera device, the camera device being directed in a same direction as the display, the image comprising one or more subjects;

determining corresponding points of regard in the one or more images for at least one of the one or more subjects, the points of regard being indicative of areas on the display at which a gaze of the corresponding subject is directed; and

determining one or more search results associated with the points of regard.

13. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the further search results comprise one or more further portions of the first set of search results.

14. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the further search results comprise a second set of search results.

15. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein determining the one or more search results associated with the points of regards comprises determining points of regard which at least partially overlap the one or more search results as they appear in on the display.

16. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the first set of search results and the further search results are obtained from a search engine remote to the electronic device.

17. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the first set of search results and the further search results are obtained from items stored locally on the electronic device.

18. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the information associated with the one or more search results comprises metadata indicative of one or more common properties of the search results to enable other search results to be correlated thereto.

19. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the further search results comprise a filtered set of results obtained from the first set of search results.

20. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the further search results comprise a re-ordering of the first set of search results.

23. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprises instructions for displaying further search results based on information associated with the one or more search results associated with the points of regard.