Facilitating Interaction with System Level Search User Interface

• US 20120124519A1
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• 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: Uphoff, Brian E., Vaidyanathan, Priya, Averett, Edward Boyle, Ebeling, Rolf A., Gilmore, Michael J., Mishra, Manav, Wei, Xiao
• Granted Patent: US 10,346,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A system level search user interface that includes both a data entry portion and a search identification portion is displayed. Data input by a user as a search term is displayed in the data entry portion, and identifiers of each of one or more scopes on the computing device that can be searched using the search term are displayed in the search identification portion. Search results based on a selected scope are displayed in a search results portion of the system level search user interface. A set of keyboard shortcuts allow users to quickly search using any of the scopes, and see previews of a number of results that each of the scopes return. Additionally, the system level search user interface allow users to easily focus on different search result entries, and efficiently change scopes for searching.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device when a currently active application or component of the computing device does not support character inputs, a character input; and

displaying, in response to the character input, a system level search user interface including a data entry portion displaying the character as a search term.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, the system level search user interface allowing a user to select an application and have displayed, in response to user selection of the application, search results for the selected application based on the search term.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, the system level search user interface having a first portion in which the search term is displayed, and a second portion in which identifiers of one or more scopes that can be searched using the search term are displayed.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.

7. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a search user interface displaying search results generated by a currently active application based on the search term.

8. A method as recited in claim 3, the system level search user interface comprising a search user interface displaying search results generated by a most frequently used application based on the search term.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, the displaying further comprising:

displaying search results based on the search term in a search results portion of the system level search user interface with a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

taking an appropriate action based on the first entry in response to user selection of the first entry without user selection of the search results portion.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, the displaying further comprising:

displaying search results based on the search term in a search results portion of the system level search user interface with a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

changing which of the multiple entries is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the search results portion.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, the system level search user interface having a search identification portion in which one or more identifiers of scopes are displayed and, if no search results are generated based on the search term then changing which of the one or more identifiers of scopes is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the search identification portion.

12. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, at the computing device, a user input that is a keyboard shortcut; and

display, in response to the user input, a system level search user interface having a first portion in which a search term is displayed, and a second portion in which identifiers of one or more scopes that can be searched using the search term are displayed, the one or more scopes including one or more applications that can be searched using the search term.

13. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the system level search user interface comprising an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term.

14. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the system level search user interface comprising a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term.

15. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the system level search user interface comprising a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.

16. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the system level search user interface further including a third portion in which search results are displayed, the search results being based on the search term and which of the identifiers of the one or more scopes in the second portion is focused on.

17. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the system level search user interface further including, for each of the identifiers of one or more scopes, an indication of a number of entries in the search results for the scope based on the search term.

18. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

display, in a third portion of the system level search user interface, search results based on the search term, the third portion having a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

take an appropriate action based on the first entry in response to user selection of the first entry without user selection of the third portion.

19. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

display, in a third portion of the system level search user interface, search results based on the search term, the third portion having a first entry of multiple entries of the search results focused on; and

change which of the multiple entries is focused on in response to user selection of one or more keyboard arrow keys without user selection of the third portion.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a first user input that is a keyboard shortcut;

displaying, in response to the first user input, a system level search user interface;

receiving, at the computing device, a second user input that is a search term; and

the system level search user interface having a first portion in which the search term is displayed, and a second portion in which identifiers of multiple scopes that can be searched using the search term are displayed, the system level search user interface being, dependent on the keyboard shortcut;

an application scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more applications on the computing device that include the search term;

a settings scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more configuration setting controls on the computing device that include the search term;

or

a file scope search user interface displaying search results identifying one or more files on the computing device that include the search term.