Graphical search results system and method

• US 6,567,103 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Verity Incorporated (Healthstream Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chaudhry, Abdul
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Becker, Shawn M.
• Application Number:
  US09/630,449
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 345/730, 345/825, 345/968, 345/776, 345/738, 345/739, 707/3, 707/10, 707/2, 707/5
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

A system and method of creating a graphical presentation, such as a video, based on surfing the results of a web search. The graphical presentation may be constructed from the results of a search wherein each search result represents a URL and each URL is rendered as a graphical image of a web page (a frame) and stored in a file. When the file is viewed, it is displayed in a sequence of rendered frames wherein each frame is displayed for a variable, predetermined amount of time based on the relevance of the particular search result.

Claims

1. A method for visually displaying a graphical presentation of the actual search results based on a search query, the method comprising:

generating, for each search result, a graphical frame representing the search result;

determining, for each search result, a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result;

combining the graphical frames to form a graphical presentation of the search results; and

displaying the graphical presentation of the search results to a user wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the predetermined display time for each frame further comprises determining a default base reading speed corresponding to the speed that a user reads a web page, determining the number of words that appear in the particular frame, determining the score of the search result represented by the frame and combining the base reading speed, the number of words in the frame and the score of the frame to determine the predetermined display time for the frame.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing a search based on a user query wherein executing the search further comprises retrieving the search results based on the query, extracting the web page corresponding to each search result as an image, and storing the images of the web pages and the predetermined display time for each image into a file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the graphical presentation comprises viewing the file using a viewer resident on a client computer of the user, the viewer permitting the user to control the presentation of the file including one or more of forwarding, reversing, pausing and stopping the sequence of frames.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of creating the file comprises storing a URL associated with the web page with each image.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the user clicking on the URL associated with a frame in order to launch a web browser and load the web page associated with the URL.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating, by the user, feedback to adjust the base reading speed of the graphical presentation.

8. A method for generating a graphical presentation of search results based on a search query, the method comprising:

generating, for each search result, a graphical frame representing the search result;

determining, for each search result, a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result; and

combining the graphical frames to form a graphical presentation of the search results, wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the predetermined display time for each frame further comprises determining a default base reading speed corresponding to the speed that a user reads a web page, determining the number of words that appear in the particular frame, determining the score of the search result represented by the frame and combining the base reading speed, the number of words in the frame and the score of the frame to determine the predetermined display time for the frame.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising executing a search based on a user query wherein executing the search further comprises retrieving the search results based on the query, extracting the web page corresponding to each search result as an image, and storing the images of the web pages and the predetermined display time for each image into a file.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of creating the file comprises storing a URL associated with the web page with each image.

12. A method for visually displaying a graphical presentation of the actual search results based on a search query, the method comprising:

downloading a graphical presentation of the search results, the graphical presentation comprising, a graphical frame for each search result representing the search result and a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result; and

displaying the graphical presentation of the search results to a user wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the graphical presentation comprises viewing the file using a viewer resident on a client computer of the user, the viewer permitting the user to control the presentation of the file including one or more of forwarding, reversing, pausing and stopping the sequence of frames.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the user clicking on the URL associated with a frame in order to launch a web browser and load the web page associated with the URL.

15. A system for visually displaying a graphical presentation of the actual search results based on a search query, comprising:

means for generating, for each search result, a graphical frame representing the search result;

means for determining, for each search result, a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result;

means for combining the graphical frames to form a graphical presentation of the search results; and

means for displaying the graphical presentation of the search results to a user wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the predetermined display time for each frame further comprises means for determining a default base reading speed corresponding to the speed that a user reads a web page, means for determining the number of words that appear in the particular frame, means for determining the score of the search result represented by the frame and means for combining the base reading speed, the number of words in the frame and the score of the frame to determine the predetermined display time for the frame.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising means for executing a search based on a user query wherein executing the search further comprises means for retrieving the search results based on the query, means for extracting the web page corresponding to each search result as an image, and means for storing the images of the web pages and the predetermined display time for each image into a file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein displaying the graphical presentation comprises means for viewing the file using a viewer resident on the a client computer of the user, the viewer permitting the user to control the presentation of the file including one or more of forwarding, reversing, pausing and stopping the sequence of frames.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for clicking by the user on the URL associated with a frame in order to launch a web browser and load the web page associated with the URL.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for generating, by the user, feedback to adjust the base reading speed of the graphical presentation.

21. An apparatus for generating a graphical presentation of search results based on a search query, comprising:

means for generating, for each search result, a graphical frame representing the search result;

means for determining, for each search result, a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result; and

means for combining the graphical frames to form a graphical presentation of the search results, wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein determining the predetermined display time for each frame further comprises means for determining a default base reading speed corresponding to the speed that a user reads a web page, means for determining the number of words that appear in the particular frame, means for determining the score of the search result represented by the frame and means for combining the base reading speed, the number of words in the frame and the score of the frame to determine the predetermined display time for the frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising means for executing a search based on a user query wherein executing the search further comprises means for retrieving the search results based on the query, means for extracting the web page corresponding to each search result as an image, and means for storing the images of the web pages and the predetermined display time for each image into a file.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein creating the file comprising means for storing a URL associated with the web page with each image.

25. An apparatus for visually displaying a graphical presentation of the actual search results based on a search query, the apparatus comprising:

means for downloading a graphical presentation of the search results, the graphical presentation comprising, a graphical frame for each search result representing the search result and a predetermined display time during which the graphical frame is to be displayed based on a score associated with the particular search result; and

means for displaying the graphical presentation of the search results to a user wherein each graphical frame of the graphical presentation is displayed to the user for the predetermined display time associated with that graphical frame so that the user sees the more relevant search results for a longer period of time.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein displaying the graphical presentation comprises means for viewing the file using a viewer resident on the a client computer of the user, the viewer permitting the user to control the presentation of the file including one or more of forwarding, reversing, pausing and stopping the sequence of frames.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising means for clicking by the user on the URL associated with a frame in order to launch a web browser and load the web page associated with the URL.