BROWSING RELATED IMAGE SEARCH RESULT SETS

• US 20120124036A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: RAMOS, GONZALO A., DRUCKER, STEVEN M., AKBARZADEH, AMIR
• Granted Patent: US 9,384,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/358 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Methods are provided for displaying image results responsive to a search query. In addition to displaying responsive results for a query, responsive results are also provided for related queries. The results are ordered along a plurality of display axes, including at least one axis corresponding to the ordering of the various search queries. The results can be displayed in an aligned or non-aligned manner. The results can then be translated along one or more of the display axes to allow a user to browse the various results.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method for displaying image results comprising:

ordering a plurality of search queries and corresponding responsive image results along a first display axis;

ordering the responsive image results along a second display axis;

displaying at least a portion of the responsive results based on the ordering along the first and second display axes;

identifying an additional query related to at least one of the plurality of search queries and a corresponding plurality of additional responsive image results;

adding the additional query and the corresponding additional responsive image results to the ordering of search queries along the first display axis;

translating the plurality of queries and the corresponding responsive image results along the first display axis, the translation resulting in removing one of the plurality of queries from display; and

displaying the additional query and the corresponding additional responsive image results.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the responsive results are ordered along the second display axis based on a ranking of the results relative to the corresponding query, wherein the responsive results are ordered in a non-aligned manner.

3. The computer storage media of claim 2, wherein the non-aligned responsive results are positioned along the first axis to reflect a ranking relative to an adjacent query.

4. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising

identifying an intermediate query for a pair of queries in the ordered queries along the first display axis, the intermediate query being based on the pair of queries;

obtaining results responsive to the intermediate query; and

displaying the results responsive to the intermediate query between the results for the pair of queries.

5. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising ordering the responsive results along a third display axis based on an image feature.

6. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising storing the plurality of search queries in a query history, and wherein identifying an additional query related to at least one of the plurality of search queries comprises identifying an additional query that is different from the plurality of search queries stored in the query history.

7. The computer storage media of claim 6, wherein the query history retains the ordering of queries along the first display axis for queries in the query history.

8. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising:

translating, after display of the additional query, the currently displayed queries and corresponding responsive results along the first display axis, the translation resulting in removing the additional query from display; and

displaying the plurality of queries and corresponding responsive results.

9. A method for displaying image results comprising:

ordering a plurality of search queries and corresponding responsive image results along a first display axis;

ordering the responsive image results along a second display axis, the second display axis being approximately orthogonal to a viewing plane of a display device;

ordering the responsive results along a third display axis;

displaying at least a portion of the responsive results based on the ordering along the first, second, and third display axes;

translating the responsive results along at least the second display axis, the translation resulting in removing a first plurality of responsive results from display; and

displaying a second plurality of responsive results.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein translating the responsive results along the second display axis comprises automatically translating the responsive results along the second display axis.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the responsive results are ordered in a non-aligned manner along at least two display axes.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein translating the responsive results comprises translating the responsive results along at least the first display axis and the second display axis.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying an additional query related to at least one of the plurality of search queries, the additional query being different from the queries in the query history;

obtaining a plurality of additional image results responsive to the additional query;

adding the additional query and the corresponding additional image results to the ordering of search queries along the first display axis; and

displaying the additional image results based on the translation of the responsive results along the first display axis.

10. The method of 9, wherein the responsive image results are ordered along the second display axis based on a ranking of the results relative to the corresponding query, and wherein the second plurality of responsive results comprise results with a ranking relative to the corresponding query that is lower than the ranking of results in the first plurality of responsive results.

15. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method for displaying image results comprising:

ordering a plurality of search queries and corresponding responsive search results along a first display axis;

ordering image results responsive to the plurality of queries along a second display axis, the second display axis being approximately orthogonal to the first display axis;

ordering the responsive results along a third display axis, the third display axis being approximately orthogonal to the first display axis and the second display axis;

displaying at least a portion of the responsive results based on the ordering along the first, second, and third display axes;

automatically translating the responsive results along one or more of the display axes, the translation resulting in removing a first plurality of results from display; and

displaying a second plurality of responsive results,

wherein the responsive results are ordered in a non-aligned manner along at least two display axes.

16. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the responsive results are ordered along the second display axis based on a ranking of the results relative to the corresponding query, and wherein the second plurality of responsive results comprises results with a ranking relative to the corresponding query that is lower than the ranking of results in the first plurality of responsive results.

17. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein automatically translating the responsive results comprises automatically translating the responsive results along at least the second display axis.

18. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the responsive results are ordered in a non-aligned manner along at least two display axes.

19. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein translating the responsive results comprises translating the responsive results along at least the first display axis and the second display axis.

20. The computer storage media of claim 19, further comprising:

identifying an additional query related to at least one of the plurality of search queries, the additional query being different from the queries in the query history;

obtaining a plurality of additional image results responsive to the additional query;

adding the additional query and the corresponding additional image results to the ordering of search queries along the first display axis; and

displaying the additional image results based on the translation of the responsive results along the first display axis.