Searching electronic content in instant-messaging applications
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of searching electronic content in an instant-messaging application, the method comprising:
- obtaining input that specifies a search criterion and that further identifies a first set of users, wherein the search criterion indicates an event that the users in the first set may attend and each user in the first set has stored electronic content that provides information about that user including indicating an event that the user is attending;
searching the stored electronic content associated with each user in the first set;
identifying a second set of users that includes users in the first set with stored electronic content that satisfies the specified search criterion including stored electronic content that indicates the event indicated by the search criterion; and
providing an indication of the identified users within the second set.
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Abstract
Searching electronic content in an instant-messaging application includes obtaining input that specifies a search criterion and that further identifies a first set of users. Each user in the first set has stored electronic content that provides information about that user. The stored electronic content associated with each user in the first set is searched, and a second set of users that includes users in the first set with stored electronic content that satisfies the specified search criterion is identified. An indication of the identified users within the second set is provided.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method of searching electronic content in an instant-messaging application, the method comprising:
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obtaining input that specifies a search criterion and that further identifies a first set of users, wherein the search criterion indicates an event that the users in the first set may attend and each user in the first set has stored electronic content that provides information about that user including indicating an event that the user is attending; searching the stored electronic content associated with each user in the first set; identifying a second set of users that includes users in the first set with stored electronic content that satisfies the specified search criterion including stored electronic content that indicates the event indicated by the search criterion; and providing an indication of the identified users within the second set.
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2. A method of searching electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for one or more users of an instant messaging system, the method comprising:
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obtaining input that specifies a search criterion that indicates one or more of an event that users may attend, an activity in which users may participate, a characteristic with which users may be associated, and a location at which users may be located; obtaining input that specifies a first set of users of an instant messaging system for which stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information is to be searched; for each of one or more individual users in the first set of users; accessing stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user, and searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user for information that satisfies the specified search criterion that indicates one or more of the event that users may attend, the activity in which users may participate, the characteristic with which users may be associated, and the location at which users may be located; based on results of searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each individual user, identifying a second set of users that includes one or more individual users in the first set of users for which the stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each of the individual users of the second set of users includes information that satisfies the specified search criterion that indicates one or more of an event that users may attend, an activity in which users may participate, a characteristic with which users may be associated, and a location at which users may be located; and providing an indication of the identified second set of users. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A tangible computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program that includes instructions that, when executed, result in a computer performing operations for searching electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for one or more users of an instant-messaging system, comprising:
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obtaining input that specifies a search criterion; identifying a first set of users of an instant messaging system for which stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information is to be searched; for each of one or more individual users in the first set of users; accessing stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user, and searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user for information that satisfies the specified search criterion; based on results of searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each individual user, identifying a second user set that includes one or more individual users in the first set of users for which the stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each of the individual users of the second set of users includes information that satisfies the specified search criterion; and providing an indication of the identified second set of users. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A system comprising:
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means for obtaining input that specifies a search criterion; means for identifying a first set of users of an instant messaging system for which stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information is to be searched; means for accessing, for each of one or more individual users in the first set of users, stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user; means for searching, for each individual user, the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user for information that satisfies the specified search criterion; means for identifying a second user set that includes one or more individual users in the first set of users for which the stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each of the individual users of the second set of users includes information that satisfies the specified search based on results of searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each individual user; and means for providing an indication of the identified second set of users. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A method of searching electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for one or more users of an instant messaging system, the method comprising:
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obtaining input that specifies a search criterion; identifying a first set of users of an instant messaging system for which stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information is to be searched; for each of one or more individual users in the first set of users; accessing stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user, and searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for the individual user for information that satisfies the specified search criterion; based on results of searching the accessed stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each individual user, identifying a second user set that includes one or more individual users in the first set of users for which the stored electronic content that is designated as revealing present status information for each of the individual users of the second user set includes information that satisfies the specified search criterion; and providing an indication of the identified second set of users. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification