Method and system for performing search using acronym

• US 7,577,921 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Zink, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Sy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/458,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 715/713, 715/716, 715719-721, 715738-739, 715/773, 715/805, 715/853, 715/825, 707/3
• US Class Current: 715/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/73 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2351 involving encryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating efficient local search using acronym are disclosed. According to one aspect of the techniques, a graphic user interface is provided to accept inputs from a user; letters successively entered as the inputs from the user are received; and titles are then progressively reduced and displayed in accordance with the letters, wherein the titles have words each beginning with one of the letters.

Claims

1. A method, to be performed by one or more processors, for searching a library for one or more titles, the method comprising:

generating a first graphic user interface to receive inputs from a user;

receiving a plurality of inputs, entered in succession, wherein each of the plurality of inputs corresponds to a letter;

searching the library for a set of titles based on the plurality of inputs, wherein each title in the set includes a plurality of words, the number of words in each title being at least equal to the number of inputs received from the user, wherein each of the plurality of inputs matches the first letter of a respective one of the plurality of words in each of the titles, and wherein the number of titles in the set is progressively reduced in response to each successive input; and

displaying the set of titles on the first graphic user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to select one of the titles displayed on the first graphic user interface; and

displaying, on a second graphic user interface, information pertaining to the selected title.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of words do not include articles, if any, in the titles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the library for a set of titles comprises:

in response to receiving one of the plurality of inputs, corresponding to a first letter, searching the set of titles for one or more titles that include at least one word beginning with the first letter; and

removing, from the set, titles that do not include at least one word beginning with the first one letter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the library for a set of titles comprises searching a data structure for the set of titles, wherein the data structure includes data corresponding to a plurality of movies.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising organizing the data based, at least in part, on an alphabetical order of movie titles associated with the data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising organizing the data structure to include a data header portion, wherein the data header portion has an index for locating data corresponding to an individual movie.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data structure comprises an integral number of sectors and wherein organizing the data structure comprises organizing the data such that the sectors are aligned on sector boundaries of a data store that is organized as a sequence of tunable-sized blocks.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data structure is provided on a server configured to analyze data organized in a hierarchical directory.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising organizing the plurality of data in the data structure as pre-computed query results.

11. A system for searching a library for one or more titles, the system comprising:

a device to receive a plurality of inputs from a user, entered in succession, wherein each of the plurality of inputs corresponds to a letter, the device being configured to search the library for a set of titles based on the plurality of inputs, wherein each title in the set includes a plurality of words, the number of words in each title being at least equal to the number of inputs received from the user, wherein each of the plurality of inputs matches the first letter of a respective one of the plurality of words in each of the titles and wherein the number of titles in the set is progressively reduced in response to each successive input; and

a display, coupled to the device, to display the set of titles on a first graphic user interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first graphic user interface enables the user to select one of the titles, and wherein a second graphic user interface displays information pertaining to a selected title.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of words do not include articles, if any, in the titles.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein upon receiving one of the plurality of inputs, corresponding to a first letter, the device is configured to:

(i) search the set of titles for one or more titles that include at least one word beginning with the first letter, and (ii) remove, from the set, titles that do not include at least one word beginning with the first letter.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to search a data structure for the set of titles, wherein the data structure includes data corresponding to a plurality of movies.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data is organized based, at least in part, on an alphabetical order of movie titles associated with the data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data structure is organized to include a data header portion, wherein the data header portion has an index for locating data corresponding to an individual movie.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data structure comprises an integral number of sectors and the data is organized such that the sectors are aligned on sector boundaries in a data store that is organized as a sequence of tunable-sized blocks.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the data structure is provided by a server configured to analyze data organized in a hierarchical directory.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data in the data structure is organized as pre-computed query results.