Electronic search interface technology

• US 7,797,635 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shutterstock Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Jason Adam Denise
• Inventors: Denise, Jason Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Application Number:
  US12/767,780
• Time in Patent Office: 141 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/855, 715/779, 715/810, 715762-765, 715/236, 707 3- 7
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Techniques are described for displaying a representation of a list of electronic search results while a user is reviewing content linked to by electronic search results included in the list. While the user is reviewing the search results, the user may jump between content linked to by different search results using the representation of the list of electronic search results displayed. The displayed representation of the list of search results may be updated based on the user'"'"'s browsing activities in reviewing the search results, user input manipulating the list of search results, and supplemental information added to the list of search results by the user.

Claims

1. An electronic search system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

causing display of at least a portion of an interface that includes an input field configured to enable a user to enter one or more terms that define a search query and that includes a search control configured to, when selected based on user input, initiate a search using a search query entered in the input field at a time of selection of the search control;

receiving user input selecting the search control included in the interface at a time when one or more terms have been entered in the input field included in the interface to define a first search query;

in response to the selection of the search control included in the interface at the time when one or more terms have been entered in the input field included in the interface to define the first search query;

accessing the first search query that was entered in the input field included in the interface at a time of selection of the search control;

initiating a search using the first search query that was entered in the input field included in the interface at the time of selection of the search control to identify search results that are responsive to the first search query;

based on the search using the first search query, accessing a first list of search results that are responsive to the first search query, the first list of search results including at least a first search result that is responsive to the first search query and that links to first electronic content; and

causing display of the first list of search results accessed based on the search using the first search query, the display of the first list of search results having a representation of the first search result that includes description information that is descriptive of the first search result and a first link that links to the first electronic content;

after causing display of the first list of search results identified based on performing the search using the first search query, detecting user input selecting the first link of the first search result included in the display of the first list of search results, the selection of the first link of the first search result causing display of the first electronic content linked to by the first link of the first search result; and

in response to the detection of user input selecting the first link of the first search result included in the display of the first list of search results, automatically, by at least one processor and without additional user input after the user input selecting the first link of the first search result, including the first search result in a second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that, when displayed, includes a reformatted representation of the first search result that has reduced description information of the first search result as compared to the description information included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that, when displayed, includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

2. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise causing display of the second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that includes the reformatted representation of the first search result that has reduced description information of the first search result as compared to the description information included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

3. The electronic search system of claim 2, wherein causing display of the second list of search results comprises causing display, concurrently with the first electronic content linked to by the first link of the first search result, of the second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that includes the reformatted representation of the first search result that has reduced description information of the first search result as compared to the description information included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result such that a user is able to add a comment to the first search result included in the second list of search results while the first electronic content linked to by the first link of the first search result is displayed.

4. The electronic search system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise, after selection of a second search result included in the second list of search results that causes display of second electronic content linked to by the second search result, causing display of the second list of search results concurrently with the second electronic content linked to by the second search result in a manner that shows the reformatted representation of the first search result and a comment added to the first search result while the second electronic content linked to by the second search result is being displayed, the second search result being different than the first search result.

5. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results comprises automatically, by at least one processor and without additional user input after the user input selecting the first link of the first search result, including the first search result in the second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that, when displayed, includes a reformatted representation of the first search result that has a reduced title of the first search result as compared to a title of the first search result included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that, when displayed, includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

6. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to receiving user input to remove the first search result from the second list of search results, removing the first search result from the second list of search results by removing the reformatted representation of the first search result from a display of the second list of search results, arranging at least one other search result included in the second list of search results to account for a display area previously occupied by the reformatted representation of the first search result removed from the display of the second list of search results, and storing data to track removal of the first search result from the second list of search results.

7. The electronic search system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise, when the first search result is identified as being responsive to a second search using a second search query that is different than the first search query and that was entered after removal of the first search result from the second list of search results and when the first search result is being added to the second list of search results after the second search using the second search query, accounting for prior removal of the first search result from the second list of search results by detecting prior removal of the first search result from the second list of search results based on the data stored to track removal of the first search result from the second list of search results and updating an interface including the second list of search results in a manner that enables a user to determine that the first search result being added to the second list of search results after the second search using the second search query was previously removed from the second list of search results.

8. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to receiving user input indicating a desire to store information from a current search session included in the second list of search results, storing, in electronic storage, information defining queries executed during the current search session, information defining search results selected for review during the current search session, information defining comments added to search results reviewed during the current search session, and information defining removal and reordering of search results that occurred in the second list of search results during the current search session, the stored information enabling a user to resume the current search session at a later date by recreating the second list of search results at a time of receipt of the user input indicating the desire to store information from the current search session.

9. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, after accessing search results for a second search using a second search query that is different than the first search query and that was entered after automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results, including, after the first search result within the second list of search results, a second search result identified by performing the second search to define a single, combined list of search results that includes the first search result which is responsive to the first search query and the second search result which is responsive to the second search query.

10. The electronic search system of claim 9, wherein including, after the first search result within the second list of search results, the second search result identified by performing the second search to define the single, combined list of search results that includes the first search result which is responsive to the first search query and the second search result which is responsive to the second search query comprises including the second search result identified by performing the second search at an end of the second list of search results immediately following the first search result to define the single, combined list of search results.

11. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise storing the second list of search results with information that identifies a user associated with the second list of search results and an identifier for a search session during which the second list of search results was developed, the stored information that identifies the user associated with the second list of search results and the identifier for the search session being used to later control display of the second list of search results to an appropriate user when resuming the search session.

12. The electronic search system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, when a second search result identified as being responsive to a second search using a second search query that is different than the first search query and that was entered after automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results is being added to the second list of search results, automatically, without human intervention, configuring the second list of second results so that, when displayed, the reformatted representation of the first search result is hidden from display and a reformatted representation of the second search result is displayed.

13. The electronic search system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise, after automatically configuring the second list of second results so that, when displayed, the reformatted representation of the first search result is hidden from display and a reformatted representation of the second search result is displayed, causing display of the second list of second results where the reformatted representation of the first search result is hidden from display, the reformatted representation of the second search result is displayed, and an interface control is displayed that enables the reformatted representation of the first search result to be displayed in the second list of second results.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when a second search result identified as being responsive to a second search using a second search query that is different than the first search query and that was entered after automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results is being added to the second list of search results, automatically, without human intervention, configuring the second list of second results so that, when displayed, the reformatted representation of the first search result is hidden from display and a reformatted representation of the second search result is displayed.

14. A method comprising:

causing display of at least a portion of an interface that includes an input field configured to enable a user to enter one or more terms that define a search query and that includes a search control configured to, when selected based on user input, initiate a search using a search query entered in the input field at a time of selection of the search control;

receiving user input selecting the search control included in the interface at a time when one or more terms have been entered in the input field included in the interface to define a first search query;

in response to the selection of the search control included in the interface at the time when one or more terms have been entered in the input field included in the interface to define the first search query;

accessing the first search query that was entered in the input field included in the interface at a time of selection of the search control;

initiating a search using the first search query that was entered in the input field included in the interface at the time of selection of the search control to identify search results that are responsive to the first search query;

based on the search using the first search query, accessing a first list of search results that are responsive to the first search query, the first list of search results including at least a first search result that is responsive to the first search query and that links to first electronic content; and

causing display of the first list of search results accessed based on the search using the first search query, the display of the first list of search results having a representation of the first search result that includes description information that is descriptive of the first search result and a first link that links to the first electronic content;

after causing display of the first list of search results identified based on performing the search using the first search query, detecting user input selecting the first link of the first search result included in the display of the first list of search results, the selection of the first link of the first search result causing display of the first electronic content linked to by the first link of the first search result; and

in response to the detection of user input selecting the first link of the first search result included in the display of the first list of search results, automatically, by at least one processor and without additional user input after the user input selecting the first link of the first search result, including the first search result in a second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that, when displayed, includes a reformatted representation of the first search result that has reduced description information of the first search result as compared to the description information included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that, when displayed, includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing display of the second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that includes the reformatted representation of the first search result that has reduced description information of the first search result as compared to the description information included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results comprises automatically, by at least one processor and without additional user input after the user input selecting the first link of the first search result, including the first search result in the second list of search results that is different from the first list of search results, that, when displayed, includes a reformatted representation of the first search result that has a reduced title of the first search result as compared to a title of the first search result included in the representation of the first search result in the display of the first list of search results, and that, when displayed, includes at least one interface control that enables a user to add, to the first search result included in the second list of search results, a comment that is displayed in the second list of search results in association with the reformatted representation of the first search result.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in response to receiving user input indicating a desire to store information from a current search session included in the second list of search results, storing, in electronic storage, information defining queries executed during the current search session, information defining search results selected for review during the current search session, information defining comments added to search results reviewed during the current search session, and information defining removal and reordering of search results that occurred in the second list of search results during the current search session, the stored information enabling a user to resume the current search session at a later date by recreating the second list of search results at a time of receipt of the user input indicating the desire to store information from the current search session.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, after accessing search results for a second search using a second search query that is different than the first search query and that was entered after automatically including the first search result in the second list of search results, including, after the first search result within the second list of search results, a second search result identified by performing the second search to define a single, combined list of search results that includes the first search result which is responsive to the first search query and the second search result which is responsive to the second search query.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein including, after the first search result within the second list of search results, the second search result identified by performing the second search to define the single, combined list of search results that includes the first search result which is responsive to the first search query and the second search result which is responsive to the second search query comprises including the second search result identified by performing the second search at an end of the second list of search results immediately following the first search result to define the single, combined list of search results.