User interface and search system for, computer, internet and other applications

• US 7,389,287 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Electronic System & Networks LLC
• Inventors: Burke, Alexander James
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENNEDY, EDWARD JEROME
• Application Number:
  US11/273,653
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 715/201, 707/102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A user interface provides historical and hierarchical search and navigation modes through previously selected and hierarchically linked multimedia applications, documents and directories. The system permits a search for information through hierarchically linked documents accessible via the Internet in which an individual document contains a reference link to a succeeding document. The systems includes an input processor for receiving a user entered search information item identifying an object associated with at least one of the hierarchically linked documents. An Internet processor for searching and identifying a plurality of child documents hierarchically linked to a parent document identified by the object and excluding non-hierarchically associated documents in response to user initiation of a hierarchical search. An output processor processes data identifying the plurality of child documents for communication to a reproduction device.

Claims

1. A system for use in a computer for enabling search for information through multimedia documents, comprising:

in a computer,

an input processor for receiving a user entered search information item;

a data processor for accessing information in at least one local repository in said computer including data identifying a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including a text file type, web page type and email message type;

a user interface enabling a user to access content of said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including text file type, web page type and email message type;

a database processor for generating said information in said at least one local repository including said data identifying said plurality of different types of indexed text searchable multimedia documents including text data files, email messages and web pages, said information in said at least one local repository enabling access to content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents for searching said content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents; and

a search processor for searching said information in said at least one local repository and for searching said content of said text searchable multimedia documents including text data files, email messages and web pages identified using data in said at least one local repository to provide search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents in response to said user entered search information item.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said search processor also acquires results of a search of content of text searchable multimedia documents at a remote information source, remote from said computer, via the Internet to provide search results derived from said remote information source and said at least one local repository.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said user interface enables a user to select at least one of a plurality of different search sources to be searched, said search sources including a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including text file type, web page type and email message type,

said user interface enables a user to select at least one type of indexed multimedia document to search from said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including at least two of, (a) contact information in an address book, (b) files from a file directory and (c) documents representing video and

said user interface enables a user to enter data to limit a search by said search processor to content of indexed multimedia documents from a search source including at least one of, (i) a particular file directory, and (ii) a particular storage directory.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein

said user interface enables a user to enter data to indicate a search is to be performed of all of said plurality of different search sources.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents include previously accessed web pages comprising at least one of, (a) web pages accessed in a historical mode and (b) web pages accessed in a hierarchical mode.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said information in said at least one local repository includes searchable characteristics associated with said indexed multimedia documents including a file type identifier and category information and

said search processor searches said searchable characteristics to provide search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents of said selected at least one type in response to said user entered search information item.

7. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said user interface provides data representing at least one display image enabling a user to select a search of remote information sources, remote from said computer, via the Internet and

said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents comprises previously accessed multimedia documents accessed in at least one of, (a) a historical mode and (b) hierarchical mode.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein

said at least one local repository associates a file type and category information with said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents and

said category information identifies characteristics common to different types of indexed multimedia documents and is searchable by said search processor to provide search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents in response to said user entered search information item.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said category information comprises at least one of, (a) an Internet URL and (b) a filename and

said category information includes sub-category information.

10. A system according to claim 2, wherein

a search processor provides search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents by identifying a plurality of child multimedia documents hierarchically linked to a parent multimedia document, said search results excluding identifying non-hierarchically linked multimedia documents in response to user initiation of a hierarchical search,

said child multimedia documents are hierarchically linked to a parent multimedia document by an Internet URL and

said parent and child multimedia documents are at least one of, (a) HTML and (b) SGML documents.

11. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said search processor uses a MUST NOT FIND function to provide search results excluding multimedia documents containing a user entered exclusionary search information item.

12. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said user interface provides data representing a composite display image including,

a first window showing a historical navigation menu identifying multimedia documents previously accessed in a historical mode and

a second window comprising an application screen area containing contents of one of said identified multimedia documents in said first window associated with a historical navigation menu item.

13. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said user interface provides data representing a composite display image including,

a first window showing a hierarchical navigation menu identifying multimedia documents previously accessed in a hierarchical mode and

a second window comprising an application screen area containing contents of one of said identified multimedia documents in said first window associated with a hierarchical navigation menu item.

14. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said at least one local repository associates said multimedia documents with at least two of, (a) function identification information, (b) a URL and (c) access configuration information,

said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents include web pages comprising at least one of, (a) HTML documents and (b) SGML documents and

a text file type document comprises a word processing application compatible document.

15. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents including web page text content is cached in a local repository and

said content of text searchable multimedia documents at said remote information source comprises web page text content cached in a repository.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein

said indexed text searchable multimedia documents are indexed using an index value comprising a base value enabling indexed addressing of individual records and their sub-elements and

said index value includes a backindex and forwardindex.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said search processor also initiates a search of content of text searchable multimedia documents at remote information sources, remote from said computer, via the Internet to provide search results derived from said remote information sources and said at least one local repository, by identifying a plurality of multimedia documents of a selected at least one file type in response to said user entered search information item and

said at least one local repository includes an index for use in identifying web pages, text data files and email messages.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said search processor searches said at least one local repository to identify a plurality of multimedia documents by searching for specific Internet compatible language tags.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said search processor searches said at least one local repository to identify a plurality of multimedia documents by at least two of a) performing a text/character comparison, b) examining URLs for matching characters and c) performing a text/character comparison for similar subject matter text determined from a text or search subject mapping database and

said plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents also include at least one of, (a) information from a phone directory and (b) information from an address book.

20. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents is cached in a local repository.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents comprises category information comprising multimedia document content text strings.

22. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said indexed text searchable multimedia documents are indexed using an index value comprising a base value enabling indexed addressing of individual records and their sub-elements.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein

said index value includes an upindex and downindex.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said search results identify said plurality of multimedia documents comprising text documents, email messages and web pages and

said text searchable multimedia documents comprise text documents and said computer comprises a multimedia decoder.

25. A system for use in a computer for enabling a search for information through multimedia documents, comprising:

in a computer,

an input processor for receiving a user entered search information item;

a database processor for generating an information structure in at least one local repository in said computer, said information structure including data identifying indexed multimedia documents and including an index, and including data identifying previously accessed web pages, text data files and email messages;

a data processor for accessing information in said at least one local repository in said computer including data identifying a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including a text file type, web page type and email message type; and

a search processor for searching said information in said at least one local repository including searchable characteristics of said indexed multimedia documents including a function identifier and category information of text data files, email messages and web pages to provide search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents including text data files, email messages and web pages, in response to said user entered search information item.

26. A system according to claim 25, including

a user interface enabling a user to select at least one of a plurality of different search sources to be searched, said search sources storing a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including text file type, web page type and email message type wherein

said previously accessed web pages comprise at least one of, (a) web pages accessed in a historical mode and (b) web pages accessed in a hierarchical mode.

27. A system according to claim 25, wherein

said search processor also initiates search of content of text searchable multimedia documents at a remote information source, remote from said computer, via the Internet to provide search results derived from said remote information source.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein

said content of text searchable multimedia documents at a remote information source comprises web page text content cached in a repository.

29. A system according to claim 25, wherein

said function identifier comprises a file type identifier and identifies a document is associated with at least one function of, (a) word processing, (b) email and (c) Internet access,

said category information comprises at least two of, (i) an Email address, (ii) an Internet URL and (iii) a name of a person or corporation or other entity and

said category information also comprises, (i) multimedia document content text strings and (ii) a multimedia document filename.

30. A system according to claim 25, wherein

said searchable characteristics include text content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents comprising at least one of, (a) web page text content cached in a local repository and (b) category information comprising multimedia document content text strings.

31. A system for use in a computer for enabling search for information through multimedia documents, comprising:

in a computer,

an input processor for receiving a user entered search information item;

a data processor for accessing information in at least one local repository in said computer including data identifying a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including a text file type, web page type and email message type and searchable characteristics associated with said indexed multimedia documents including a function identifier and category information;

a data structure in said at least one local repository, incorporating said information including said data identifying said plurality of different types of indexed text searchable multimedia documents including text data files, email messages and web pages; and

a search processor for searching said information in said at least one local repository including searching said searchable characteristics associated with said indexed multimedia documents including a function identifier and category information of text data files, email messages and web pages, to provide search results identifying a plurality of multimedia documents, in response to said user entered search information item.

32. A system according to claim 31, including

a database processor for providing said information in said data structure and

a user interface enabling a user to select at least one of a plurality of different search sources to be searched, said search sources storing a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including text file type and email message type wherein

said function identifier identifies a document is associated with at least one function of, (a) word processing, (b) email and (c) Internet access and

said category information comprises, (i) multimedia document content text strings, (ii) a multimedia document filename.

33. A system according to claim 32, wherein

said searchable characteristics associated with said indexed multimedia documents include at least one of, (a) an Internet address, and (b) a password and (c) a userid,

said function identifier identifies file type and

said category information comprises, (i) an Email address, (ii) an Internet URL and (iii) a name of a person or corporation or other entity.

34. A system according to claim 33, including

a database processor for providing said data identifying a plurality of different types of indexed multimedia documents including a text file type, web page type and email message type in said at least one local repository wherein

said at least one local repository includes data identifying previously accessed web pages comprising at least one of, (a) web pages accessed in a historical mode and (b) web pages accessed in a hierarchical mode and

said search processor searches said at least one local repository to identify a plurality of multimedia documents by searching for specific Internet compatible language tags.

35. A system according to claim 31, wherein

said search processor uses said user entered search information item to derive similar subject matter text determined from a text or search subject mapping database in searching said at least one local repository to provide said search results.

36. A system according to claim 31, wherein

said search processor uses a MUST NOT FIND function to provide search results excluding multimedia documents containing a user entered exclusionary search information item.

37. A system according to claim 31, wherein

said search processor employs a Boolean search function to exclude multimedia documents omitting a user entered Boolean search information item, said Boolean search information item including at least one of, (a) an AND operator and (b) an OR operator.

38. A system according to claim 31, wherein

said search processor also acquires results of a search of content of text searchable multimedia documents at a remote information source, remote from said computer, via the Internet to provide search results derived from said remote information source and from a particular file directory in said least one local repository.

39. A system according to claim 38, wherein

said searchable characteristics include text content of said indexed text searchable multimedia documents comprising web page text content cached in a local repository and

said content of text searchable multimedia documents at a remote information source comprises web page content cached in a repository.

40. A system according to claim 31, wherein

said search results identify said plurality of multimedia documents comprising text documents, email messages and web pages and

said searchable characteristics include category information comprising multimedia document content text strings.