Context-sensitive query enrichment

• US 20130135332A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lowell L. Wood Jr
• Inventors: Davis, Marc E., Dyor, Matthew G., Gates, William, Huang, Xuedong, Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K.Y., Kare, Jordin T., Levien, Royce A., Lu, Qi, Malamud, Mark A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Nadella, Satya, Reed, Daniel, Shum, Harry, Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 10,169,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for facilitating a search partly based on a movement status of a search-capable device or on a position of a person'"'"'s limb or on an association with another search-capable device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

circuitry for obtaining a first parameter from a first search task initiated at a first interface device;

circuitry for obtaining a second parameter from a second interface device; and

circuitry for causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on an association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wearable device supporting the circuitry for obtaining the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device and supporting the circuitry for obtaining the second parameter from the second interface device and supporting the circuitry for causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on the association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for determining from key press input from a user whether the user has apparently corroborated a configuration feature via the key press input, the configuration feature being the second parameter.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for determining from auditory data whether a user has apparently corroborated a configuration feature via the auditory data, the configuration feature being the second parameter.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for determining from optical data whether a user has apparently corroborated a configuration feature, the configuration feature being the first parameter.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for associating a first device used by a first user with a second device used by a second user in response to an association request from the first user, the first interface device being either one of the first and second devices, the second interface device being the other of the first and second devices.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for associating a first device with a second device by recording an identification of the first device in a memory of the second device, the first interface device being either one of the first and second devices, the second interface device being the other of the first and second devices.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for generating a first coordinate and a second coordinate that jointly characterize a position of a portion of an appendage of a user at the second interface device, the second parameter including the first coordinate and the second coordinate.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for determining whether a user has apparently assented to a structured dialog at the second interface device, the structured dialog including the second interface device indicating the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the second parameter manifesting whether the user has apparently assented to the structured dialog at the second interface device.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for responding to an indication of a symbol adjacent an edge of a region of an image by adjusting a size of the region of the image, the second parameter including the symbol adjacent the edge of the region of the image.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for comparing a local time with temporal data in a first cached document and with temporal data in a second cached document, the first cached document and the second cached document residing in the second interface device, the local time being the second parameter from the second interface device.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for initiating a search using a character obtained from a photograph at the second interface device, the second parameter from the second interface device being an informational element in the photograph, the informational element including the character.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for displaying a search expression that includes a character sequence obtained from a photograph, the photograph having been taken via the first interface device, the character sequence obtained from the photograph being the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the search expression including the second parameter from the second interface device.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for expressing a search term at a first interface that includes a character sequence obtained from a second interface, the first interface device including the second interface, the second interface device including the first interface, the character sequence obtained from the second interface being the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for highlighting an areal portion of an image selectively in response to a position of a depiction of an appendage in the image, the areal portion of the image including an informational element, the informational element being the second parameter from the second interface device.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for recognizing a literal expression of a time signifying when a specific time interval begins, the first parameter being a text string defining the specific time interval, the second interface device including a timing module, the second parameter from the second interface device being a temporal expression from the timing module.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for obtaining a boolean expression indicative of whether content includes a geographic identifier, the content being a search result from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the second parameter being the geographic identifier.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for ranking a first component of a search result in relation to a second component of the search result partly based on a digital expression of a time of day and partly based on whether a confirmation of a search criterion has been received, the confirmation of the search criterion being the second parameter, the search result being a result of the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the first component of the search result including the first parameter.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for causing a first search term and a second search term to be transmitted to a mobile device after initiating a first search using the first search term and after initiating a second search using the second search term, the mobile device being the second interface device, the first search being a component of the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the first search term including the first parameter.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving a result of a search from an Internet search engine into a memory of a mobile device, the mobile device being the second interface device, the search being a component of the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the result of the search from the Internet search engine including the first parameter.

27. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for triggering an anticipatory search task by transmitting a search expression to a remote search engine in response to detecting a component of the search expression in a component of a visual image without first detecting a confirmation of the search expression, the anticipatory search task including the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the search expression including the first parameter.

28. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for highlighting a first portion of an image without highlighting a remainder of the image, the first portion having a location that depends upon whether the image depicts an appendage of a user, the first portion of the image including the first parameter.

30. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for responding to a detection of a depiction of an appendage by discarding a major portion of a photographic image without discarding a remainder of the photographic image, the remainder of the photographic image having a rectangular shape, the major portion of the photographic image encompassing more than 50% of an area of the depiction of the appendage and more than 50% of an area of the photographic image, the remainder of the photographic image including the first parameter.

31. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for responding to a depiction of an appendage in a data file representative of a graphic image by discarding a first informational element in the data file without discarding a second informational element in the data file, the second informational element being the first parameter.

144. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for determining from auditory or optical data whether a user has apparently corroborated a configuration feature, the configuration feature being the first parameter;

circuitry for associating a first device used by a first user with a second device used by a second user in response to an association request from the first user, the first interface device being either one of the first and second devices, the second interface device being the other of the first and second devices;

circuitry for responding to an indication of a symbol adjacent an edge of a region of a photographic image by adjusting a size of the region of the photographic image, the second parameter including the symbol adjacent the edge of the region of the photographic image;

circuitry for displaying a search expression that includes a character sequence obtained from the photographic image, the photographic image having been taken via the first interface device, the character sequence obtained from the photographic image being the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the search expression including the second parameter from the second interface device;

circuitry for highlighting an areal portion of the photographic image selectively in response to a position of a depiction of an appendage in the photographic image, the areal portion of the photographic image including an informational element, the informational element being the second parameter from the second interface device;

circuitry for comparing a local time with temporal data in a first cached document and with temporal data in a second cached document, the first cached document and the second cached document residing in the second interface device, the local time being the second parameter from the second interface device;

circuitry for expressing a search term at a first interface that includes a character sequence obtained from a second interface, the first interface device including the second interface, the second interface device including the first interface, the character sequence obtained from the second interface being the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device;

circuitry for obtaining a boolean expression indicative of whether content includes a geographic identifier, the content being a search result from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the second parameter being the geographic identifier; and

circuitry for causing a first search term and a second search term to be transmitted to a mobile device after initiating a first search using the first search term and after initiating a second search using the second search term, the mobile device being the second interface device, the first search being a component of the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the first search term including the first parameter.

145. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wearable device supporting the circuitry for obtaining the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device and supporting the circuitry for obtaining the second parameter from the second interface device and supporting the circuitry for causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on the association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device;

circuitry for determining from key press input from a user whether the user has apparently corroborated a configuration feature via the key press input, the configuration feature being the second parameter;

circuitry for triggering an anticipatory search task by transmitting a search expression to a remote search engine in response to detecting a component of the search expression in a component of a first photographic image without first detecting a confirmation of the search expression, the anticipatory search task including the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the search expression including the first parameter;

circuitry for determining whether the user has apparently assented to a structured dialog at the second interface device, the structured dialog including the second interface device indicating the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the second parameter manifesting whether the user has apparently assented to the structured dialog at the second interface device;

circuitry for initiating a search using a character obtained from a second photographic image at the second interface device, the second parameter from the second interface device being an informational element in the second photographic image, the informational element including the character;

circuitry for generating a first coordinate and a second coordinate that jointly characterize a position of a portion of an appendage at the second interface device, the second parameter including the first coordinate and the second coordinate; and

circuitry for ranking a first component of a search result in relation to a second component of the search result partly based on a digital expression of a time of day and partly based on whether a confirmation of a search criterion has been received, the confirmation of the search criterion being the second parameter, the search result being a result of the first search task initiated at the first interface device, the first component of the search result including the first parameter.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

32. A method comprising:

obtaining a first parameter from a first search task initiated at a first interface device;

obtaining a second parameter from a second interface device; and

invoking circuitry for causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on an association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device.

33-59. -59. (canceled)

60. A system comprising:

means for obtaining a first parameter from a first search task initiated at a first interface device;

means for obtaining a second parameter from a second interface device; and

means for causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on an association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device.

61-87. -87. (canceled)

88. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more physical media configured to bear a device-detectable implementation of a method including at least

obtaining a first parameter from a first search task initiated at a first interface device;

obtaining a second parameter from a second interface device; and

causing the second interface device to indicate the first parameter from the first search task initiated at the first interface device partly based on an association between the second interface device and the first interface device and partly based on the second parameter from the second interface device.

89-143. -143. (canceled)