CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION LOOKUP AND NAVIGATION

• US 20150149429A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: CHILAKAMARRI, PRADEEP, KOHLMEIER, BERNHARD S.J., SAAD, KRISTEN M., REYES, LORRISSA, DUONG, CONSTANCE GWENDOLYN, MA, LIN, BAI, ANNIE Y.
• Granted Patent: US 9,754,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• 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 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Techniques and systems for facilitating contextual information lookup and navigation are presented. Contextually relevant information can be presented without requiring a user to switch context or craft a search query. From within an application in which a user may consume or create content, a user may indicate text for further exploration. The application can receive the indication of an initial text selection, determine the intended selection and provide contextual search results to the user. In some implementations, the initial selection and a selection context (that includes at least some of the text surrounding the initial selection) is sent to a contextual search service which provides the intended selection and contextual search results based on the initial selection and selection context. In other implementations, text may be suggested by the contextual search service for selection from within the application.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating contextual information lookup and navigation within an application, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an initial content selection from a user in an application in which the user is consuming or creating content;

in response to receiving the indication of the initial content selection, determining an identified selection and a plurality of contextual search results generated based on the identified selection by using the initial content selection and a selection context; and

displaying the identified selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the initial content selection from the user comprises an inherent or explicit selection of an entire page, document, or view window;

wherein the identified selection comprises entities and topics for attention of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the identified selection and the plurality of contextual search results generated based on the identified selection by using the initial content selection and the selection context comprises:

sending the initial content selection and the selection context to a contextual search service; and

receiving the identified selection and the contextual search results from the contextual search service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the identified selection and the plurality of contextual search results generated based on the identified selection by using the initial content selection and the selection context comprises:

determining the identified selection by using the initial content selection and an expanded portion of text in the application;

sending the identified selection and the selection context to a contextual search service; and

receiving the contextual search results from the contextual search service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual search results are generated by a contextual search service, the method further comprising:

receiving one or more context terms selected by the contextual search service for use in generating the contextual search results; and

displaying the one or more context terms.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying an interface element which allows the user to modify the one or more context terms,

wherein, in response to receiving a modification to the one or more context terms, sending the modification to the contextual search service for use in updating the contextual search results.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an interface element which allows the user to modify the identified term,

wherein, in response to receiving a modification to the identified term, sending the modification to a contextual search service to generate updated contextual search results.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection context comprises one or more of an expanded portion of text in the application, prior search history, and information of an application type of the application or information of a device type on which the application is running.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

organizing the contextual search results into a hierarchy based on source, wherein the source comprises at least one of network location, website, type of application, and type of result;

displaying a preview of the contextual search results; and

in response to receiving an indication of a selection for an expanded view from the preview of the contextual search results, displaying an interactive expanded view from which the user navigates the hierarchy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the preview is displayed in a separate device from that in which the user is consuming or creating the content.

11. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media; and

an application for consuming or creating content including a contextual search component, the application embodied in program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable media that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to render a user interface comprising;

a content view of content being consumed or created by a user, the content view including a contextual search element through which to engage the contextual search component;

a preview view of contextual search results organized in a hierarchy based on source and rendered in response to receiving the contextual search results; and

an interactive expanded view rendered in response to receiving an indication of a selection for an interactive expanded view from the preview view and including interface elements through which the user navigates the hierarchy.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content view surfaces an indication of an identified selection of content in response to receiving an indication of an initial content selection and an indication of an engagement of the contextual search component through the contextual search element.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the indication of the identified selection of content comprises a visual motif selected from a group consisting of highlighting, underlining, bolding, font style, and font color.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the content view further surfaces an interface element which allows the user to modify the identified selection and engage a contextual search service to generate updated contextual search results.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the source comprises at least one of network location, website, type of application, and type of result.

16. A reader apparatus comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media;

an input device; and

;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable media that, when executed by a processing system of the reader apparatus, direct the processing system to at least;

render a document for display;

receive, via the input device, an indication of an initial content selection in the document and a request for contextual search of the initial content selection;

in response to the request for the contextual search, send the initial content selection and a selection context comprising an additional portion of text from the document to a contextual search service;

receive one or more identified selection terms and contextual search results from the contextual search service;

render a visual motif in the document to indicate the one or more identified selection terms;

organize the contextual search results in a hierarchy based on source; and

render an interactive view of the organized contextual search results.

17. The reader apparatus of claim 16, wherein the initial content selection is a point within text.

18. The reader apparatus of claim 16, wherein the initial content selection is a single word of text.

19. The reader apparatus of claim 16, wherein the initial content selection comprises at least one word of text.

20. The reader apparatus of claim 16, wherein the selection context further comprises prior search history.