Search results injected into client applications

• US 7,676,517 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Murarka, Neel I., Thirumalai-Anandanpillai, Srinivasa V., Hurst-Hiller, Oliver, Gorecki, Marek L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shmatov; Alexey
• Application Number:
  US11/250,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/2, 707/3, 707/203, 707/200, 707/5, 707/6, 707/7, 726/22, 726/26, 726/27, 719/310, 719/331, 719/316, 715/500, 715/505, 715/513, 715/532, 715/716, 715/738, 715/762
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Architecture is provided that transcends a division offered by conventional query architectures by providing a query input box in a client application which provides rich look-ahead query results by integrating results from a network-based service with results from the client application. Realtime network-based search results are injected into the query as the user types the query into a client input box. When a user enters a query character into a query input box of a client application, a search is conducted via an Internet-based index service using the existing query character. In response, the search returns suggested results that are then processed to complete the query as presented for selection by the user in the query input box.

Claims

1. A system embodied in a computer readable storage medium that, when executed by one or more processors, facilitates query processing, the system comprising the following computer executable components:

a query component that facilitates input of a portion of query data into a client application during a query generation process, wherein the query generation process comprises automatic injection of additional query data into the client application;

a search component that executes a query against an indexed network based service in real time to suggest the additional query data in response to receiving the portion of the query data and communicates the additional query data to the query component for presentation to a user;

a trigger component that facilitates the inclusion of one or more additional data elements to affect the query generation process and facilitates one or more of impacting, refining, and filtering the additional query data;

an adaptive component that adapts the query generation process to a skill level of the user, wherein the query generation process is more automated when the user is determined to be more skillful and the query generation process is less automated when the user is determined to be more novice; and

a machine learning and reasoning component that employs a probabilistic or statistical-based analysis, or a combination thereof, to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

2. The system of claim 1, the query component includes a client input box of the client application.

3. The system of claim 1, the query component inputs the suggested additional query data via the client application as a user types one or more characters into the client application.

4. The system of claim 1, the network-based service is an Internet service.

5. The system of claim 1, the query component facilitates input of the suggested additional query data into at least one of a browser search box, a browser navigation box, and a desk bar box, of the client application.

6. The system of claim 1, the query data is a single character that is entered into an input box of the client application.

7. The system of claim 1, the client application is at least one of a word processing application, a browser application, a spreadsheet application, or a presentation application.

8. The system of claim 1, the query data is multiple characters that are entered into an input box of the client application.

9. The system of claim 1, the additional query data is suggested from a cache of results which are stored local to the client application.

10. The system of claim 1, the additional query data is based on personalized search information.

11. The system of claim 1, the additional query data is based on search results that are personalized.

12. A computer-implemented method of processing a query, the method comprising:

employing a processor to execute code instructions stored in a computer readable medium, the code instructions when executed by the processor implement the following acts;

receiving a query character into a query input box of a client application;

searching an Internet-based index service in realtime that returns search results based on the received query character;

suggesting additional query characters in a realtime look-ahead manner, the additional query characters are presented to a user in association with the received query character in response to receiving the search results;

facilitating the inclusion of one or more of the additional query characters and one or more of impacting, refining, and filtering additional query data resulting from the one or more additional query characters;

automatically generating one or more rules to adjust the realtime look-ahead injection of the additional query characters into the query input box of the client application based on user interaction, wherein the realtime look-ahead injection of the additional query characters is more automated when the user interaction indicates the user is more skillful and less automated when the user is indicated to be more novice; and

employing a probabilistic or statistical-based analysis, or a combination thereof, to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising accessing a local cache of most popular queries at least one of in addition to and alternatively to the act of accessing the Internet-based search service.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising at least one of the acts of:

suggesting a refined query based on the search results; and

suggesting a completed query based on the search results before all query characters are entered by the user.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising suggesting spelling corrections of a query spelling based on the search results.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

suggesting a correct spelling of URL query data and correcting URL query data based on URL search results; and

suggesting a URL to the user based on the URL search results.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an answer to the query before the query is submitted.

18. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

at least one processor that executes computer readable instructions stored on at least one computer readable medium to effect the following;

means for receiving query characters into a query input box of a client application during a query generation process, wherein the query generation process comprises automatic injection of additional query data into the client application;

means for executing a query against an Internet-based search service in real time that returns search results based on the received query characters;

means for suggesting additional query characters in a realtime look-ahead manner, the additional query characters are presented to a user in association with the received query characters in response to receiving search results;

means for learning to increase or decrease the number of additional query characters presented to the user in the realtime look-ahead manner based on user interaction, wherein learning includes determining based on the user interaction, when a user is a more skilled user or when a user is a more novice user;

a machine learning and reasoning component that employs a probabilistic or statistical-based analysis, or a combination thereof, to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed;

a means for facilitating the inclusion of one or more additional query characters to affect the query generation process and facilitating one or more of impacting, refining, and filtering additional query data; and

means for generating one or more rules for suggesting additional query characters based on user interactions and utilizing an automatic classifier system to determine one or more of the rules to apply to suggesting additional query characters.