INTELLIGENT MAP RESULTS RELATED TO A CHARACTER STREAM

• US 20130073580A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehanna, Lara, Hasan, Shawkat, Vandermolen, Harmannus, Campbell, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user'"'"'s predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.

Claims

1-95. -95. (canceled)

96. A method comprising:

receiving a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user;

sending the character stream to a server;

receiving, from the server, one or more map results relating to at least a portion of the character stream; and

enabling display of the one or more map results prior to input of a completion character by the user.

97. The method as recited in claim 96, further comprising:

receiving one or more additional non-completion characters input by the user;

updating the character stream to include the one or more additional non-completion characters;

sending the updated character stream to the server;

receiving, from the server, one or more updated map results relating to at least a portion of the updated character stream; and

modifying the display of the one or more map results to show the one or more updated map results prior to input of a completion character by the user.

98. The method as recited in claim 96, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

99. The method as recited in claim 96, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters is input by the user into an address line of a web browser.

100. The method as recited in claim 99, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a user interface control of the web browser.

101. The method as recited in claim 100, wherein the user interface control of the web browser is a drop down menu.

102. The method as recited in claim 96, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters is input by the user into a text entry field of a web page loaded by a web browser.

103. The method as recited in claim 102, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a search button of the web page loaded by the web browser.

104. The method as recited in claim 102, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a carriage return input by the user into the text entry field of the web page loaded by the web browser.

105. The method as recited in claim 96, wherein the device is a mobile device.

106. The method as recited in claim 96, wherein the one or more map results comprise one or more overview map results.

107. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user;

sending the character stream to a server;

receiving, from the server, one or more map results relating to at least a portion of the character stream; and

enabling display of the one or more map results prior to input of a completion character by the user.

108. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 107, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the steps of:

receiving one or more additional non-completion characters input by the user;

updating the character stream to include the one or more additional non-completion characters;

sending the updated character stream to the server;

receiving, from the server, one or more updated map results relating to at least a portion of the updated character stream; and

modifying the display of the one or more map results to show the one or more updated map results prior to input of a completion character by the user.

109. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 108, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters is input by the user into an address line of a web browser.

110. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 109, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a user interface control of the web browser.

111. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 110, wherein the user interface control of the web browser is a drop down menu.

112. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 108, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters are input by the user into a text entry field of a web page loaded by a web browser.

113. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 112, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a search button of the web page loaded by the web browser.

114. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 112, wherein displaying the one or more map results occurs prior to receiving a carriage return input by the user into the text entry field of the web page loaded by the web browser.

115. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 108, wherein the device is a mobile device.

116. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 108, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

117. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 108, wherein the one or more map results comprise one or more overview map results.

126. The method as recited in claim 108, wherein the one or more map results comprise one or more overview map results.

118. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user at a device;

generating, using at least one processor, one or more map results relating to at least a portion of the character stream; and

sending the one or more map results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

119. The method as recited in claim 118, further comprising analyzing the character stream to identify map information related to the character stream.

120. The method as recited in claim 119, wherein analyzing the character stream comprises identifying a commonly used address term in the character stream.

121. The method as recited in claim 120, wherein the commonly used address term is a zip code.

122. The method as recited in claim 120, wherein the commonly used address term is a city.

123. The method as recited in claim 120, wherein the commonly used address term is a state.

124. The method as recited in claim 118, further comprising:

receiving one or more additional non-completion characters input by the user at the device;

generating, using the at least one processor, one or more updated map results relating to at least a portion of the character stream and at least a portion of the one or more additional non-completion characters; and

sending the one or more updated map results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

125. The method as recited in claim 118, wherein the device is a mobile device.

127. The method as recited in claim 118, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

128. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a server, a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user at a device;

generating one or more map results relating to at least a portion of the character stream; and

sending the one or more map results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

129. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 128, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the steps of:

receiving an updated character stream comprising one or more additional non-completion characters input by the user at the device;

generating one or more updated map results relating to at least a portion of the updated character stream; and

sending the one or more updated map results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

130. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 129, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of analyzing the character stream to identify map information related to the character stream.

131. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 130, wherein analyzing the character stream comprises identifying a commonly used address term in the character stream.

132. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 131, wherein the commonly used address term is a zip code.

133. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 131, wherein the commonly used address term is a city.

134. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 131, wherein the commonly used address term is a state.

135. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 129, wherein the device is a mobile device.

136. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 129, wherein the one or more map results comprise one or more overview map results.

137. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 129, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.