Contextual application launch via search query

• US 20120179706A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Hobbs, Jeffrey, Tam, Terry
• Granted Patent: US 9,858,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Systems and methods for contextually launching a target application are disclosed. A method for contextually launching a target application includes communicating data from the target application to a search application. The data can be registered in a search registrar associated with the search application. Input can be received from a user using the search application. The input from the user can be compared with the data in the search registrar to obtain a result. The target application can be launched within the context of the input from the user based on the result.

Claims

1. A method for contextually launching a target application, comprising:

communicating data from the target application to a search application;

registering the data in a search registrar associated with the search application;

receiving input from a user using the search application;

comparing the input from the user with the data in the search registrar to obtain a result; and

launching the target application within the context of the input from the user based on the result.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the target application comprises one of a plurality of target applications, the method further comprising displaying the plurality of target applications to the user on a display device based on the result and receiving user selection of one of the plurality of target applications before launching the target application.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein communicating data comprises proactively communicating unsolicited data from the target application to the search application.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data comprises a list of objects in a data store of the target application.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data comprises access data for the search application to access a data store of the target application.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the data store comprises a list of objects.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data comprises a list of actions representing operations for the target application.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data comprises access data for the search application to access a data store of the target application which comprises a list of nouns and a list of verbs representing operations for the application, and wherein the verbs are stored in the search registrar and the nouns are not stored in the search registrar.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the input comprises a verb representing an operation for the target application and the input further comprises a noun representing a record managed by the target application, and wherein launching the target application with the context further comprises launching the operation for the target application in the context of the record.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the input comprises an action representing an operation for the target application and wherein launching the target application with the context further comprises launching the operation for the target application.

11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the input comprises an object representing a record managed by the target application, the method further comprising retrieving and displaying a list of operations performable on the record by the target application or by another application.

12. A method as in claim 1, wherein the input comprises a noun or verb not registered in the registrar and the method further comprises referencing an electronic dictionary or electronic thesaurus, identifying a similar noun or verb, and comparing the similar noun or verb to the data in the search registrar.

13. A method as in claim 1, wherein obtaining the input and comparing the input further comprises:

determining whether the input comprises a range operation;

identifying the target application to launch using the search application based on the input;

identifying a range of results to process with the target application using the search application and based on the input; and

wherein launching the target application further comprises separately displaying the results within the range in the context of the target application.

14. A system for contextually launching a target application within a consolidated enterprise support system, comprising:

a search client for receiving a user search query;

a search server for performing a search for the target application or target application data based on the user search query;

a plurality of target applications, each comprising different target application data and being managed by the consolidated enterprise support system, wherein each of the plurality of target applications comprise computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the target application to transmit the target application data to the search server without solicitation and before the search client receives the user search query;

a search registrar associated with the search server for registering the target application data; and

an application launcher for launching at least one of the plurality of target applications within the context of the user search query based on a result of the search.

15. A system as in claim 14, further comprising a range operation module configured to determine whether the user search query comprises a range operation and comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the search server to transmit the range operation to the at least one of the plurality of target applications when the at least one of the plurality of target applications natively supports range operations and to launch the at least one of the plurality of target applications using the search server to separately display the a plurality of results of the search based on the range operation in the context of the at least one of the plurality of target applications when the at least one of the plurality of target applications does not natively support range operations.

16. A system as in claim 14, further comprising a shortcut manager configured to create a generic shortcut for an in-context search based on a specify search query.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein the shortcut manager further comprises an auto-suggest shortcut module configured to automatically suggest creation of a shortcut when the user search query comprises a same search query used a predetermined number of times.

18. A system as in claim 14, further comprising a macro module configured to record and play back a plurality of user search queries as a single macro.

19. A system as in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of target applications and a registration manager in communication with the plurality of target applications and the search registrar, the registration manager being configured to add metadata to the search registrar based on the target application data.

20. A method for in-context search and launch of a target application, comprising:

communicating registration data from the target application to a registration manager, the registration data including at least one action defining an operation of the target application and access to a data store comprising at least one data object;

adding metadata representing the registration data to a search registrar;

receiving a search query from a user via a search application, the search query comprising at least one of;

the at least one action, the at least one data object, and a reference to the at least one action or the at least one data object;

comparing the search query to the metadata in the search registrar;

displaying a suggested search string to the user based on the comparison of the search query to the metadata, the search query comprising at least one of the at least one action and the at least one data object;

receiving user selection of the suggested search string; and

launching the target application in the context of the suggested search string.