Automatically generating a search result in a separate window for a displayed symbol that is selected with a drag and drop control

• US 7,827,503 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jang, Jeong Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLAND, SARA M
• Application Number:
  US11/190,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20070028184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/703, 707/3, 707/4, 707/760, 704/8
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A system and method are directed towards using an icon, animation, or other indicator to search for content associated with one or more words, language characters, or other symbols on a display. A pointing device, such as a mouse, is used to drag and drop the indicator onto a displayed symbol. Display data near the drop location of the indicator are evaluated to determine one or more words or other symbols. A determined symbol is submitted to a search system to access a definition, a translation, an encyclopedia entry, an audio clip, an image, and/or other content associated with the determined symbol. The indicator may be controlled on a client device which initiates the search by submitting a search request over a network to a server. Resulting content is displayed in a separate result window, which may also include tabs, buttons, and/or other elements for selecting other content.

Claims

1. A method for searching, comprising:

detecting a drag and drop operation of a selection indicator with a pointing device in a display area, wherein the selection indicator is a predefined indicator that is selectively dropped at a user-selected drop location within the display area and is set to be positioned at the user-selected drop location, the display area having content in a first language;

upon detecting a drop of the selection indicator onto the drop location, determining a symbol previously within the display area at the drop location of the selection indicator, the symbol being different from the selection indicator, and wherein the selection indicator is persistently pinned to the determined symbol during scrolling of the display area having the symbol;

initiating a search for a plurality of predefined types of content based on the determined symbol that the drop of the selection indicator is performed on; and

associating each of the plurality of the predefined types of content with at least one of a plurality of selection elements to be displayed in one of a plurality of result windows, the result windows having content predominantly in a second language that is different from the first language.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the search of content based on the determined symbol; and

displaying a result of the search in a result window in the display area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the search comprises:

communicating the determined symbol to a remote search module with a request to perform a search on the determined symbol; and

receiving the result of the search from the remote search module.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the result comprises at least one of the following:

a definition of the symbol, a translation of the symbol, an encyclopedia entry associated with the symbol, audio data of a sound of the symbol, and an image associated with the symbol.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the result window includes at least one selection element, which if selected causes alternate content associated with the determined symbol to be displayed in the result window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection indicator comprises at least one of the following;

an icon, a graphic, an animation, and a locating indicator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection indicator performs one of the following;

a blinking operation, a rotating operation, and an animation operation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

activating an input field in which a user may enter a search term, wherein the input field is activated upon detecting a user input activation action associated with the selection indicator; and

activating a menu from which a user may select at least one of the following;

an operation to be performed and a setting associated with the selection indicator, wherein the menu is activated upon detecting a menu activation action associated with the selection indicator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbol comprises one of the following;

a word, a set of words, a language character, a set of language characters, and an image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the symbol comprises one of the following:

evaluating data rendered to the display to identify the symbol; and

evaluating a source of the data rendered to the display to identify the symbol.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a drag and drop operation on a second selection indicator with the pointing device in the display area, wherein the second selection indicator comprises a second one of a plurality of separate selection indicators;

determining a second symbol in the display area at a location of the second selection indicator; and

initiating a second search of content based on the determined second symbol.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a second result of the second search in a second result window in the display area.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is executed by a mobile terminal.

14. A computer readable medium, comprising executable instructions for performing actions of claim 1.

15. A client for searching, comprising:

a pointing device;

a display;

a memory for storing instructions; and

a processor in communication with the pointing device, with the display, and with the memory, wherein the processor performs actions based at least in part on the stored instructions, including;

detecting a drag and drop operation of a selection indicator with a pointing device in a display area, wherein the selection indicator is a predefined indicator that is selectively dropped at a user-selected drop location within the display area and is set to be positioned at the user-selected drop location, the display area having content in a first language;

upon detecting a drop of the selection indicator onto the drop location, determining a symbol previously within the display area at the drop location of the selection indicatorthe symbol being different from the selection indicator, and wherein the selection indicator is persistently pinned to the determined symbol during scrolling of the display area with the symbol;

initiating a search for a plurality of predefined types of content based on the determined symbol that the drop of the selection indicator is performed on; and

associating each of the plurality of the predefined types of content with at least one of a plurality of selection elements to be displayed in one of a plurality of result windows, the result windows having content predominantly in a second language that is different from the first language.

16. The client of claim 15, wherein the processor further performs the actions of:

performing the search of content based on the determined symbol; and

displaying a result of the search in a result window in the display area.

17. The client of claim 15, further comprising a communication interface in communication with the processor and with a remote computing device, and wherein the processor further performs the actions of:

communicating the determined symbol to the remote computing device with a request to perform a search on the determined symbol; and

receiving a result of the search from the remote computing device.

18. A method for providing a search result, comprising:

receiving a request to perform a search for content associated with a symbol determined within a display area at a user-selected drop location of a selection indicator, the selection indicator being detected as dragged and dropped to the user-selected drop location, the display area having content in a first language, the symbol being other than the selection indicator, wherein the selection indicator is a predefined indicator and is set to be positioned at the user-selected drop location, and wherein the selection indicator is persistently pinned to the determined symbol during scrolling;

performing the search for a plurality of predefined types of content based on the determined symbol that the drop of the selection indicator is performed on; and

providing a result for display in a window of the display area, wherein each of the plurality of the predefined types of content is associated with at least one of a plurality of selection elements to be displayed in one of a plurality of result windows, the result windows having content predominantly in a second language that is different from the first language.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method is executed by a server in communication with a client that determines the symbol and submits the request.