Operating system program launch menu search

• US 7,890,886 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lerner, Matthew R., Matthews, David A., Stabb, Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta; Soumya
• Application Number:
  US11/465,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 715/809, 715/808, 715/812, 715/813, 715/816, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An operating system program launch menu, such as a Start menu, provides various mechanisms for a user to quickly and efficiently locate and launch desired data items such as programs, data files, storage locations, and the like. A search box within the program launch menu may be used to quickly locate programs, documents, communications, and other data items. An auto-complete feature may be used, e.g., when the user restricts the locations searched for the user-entered search text. A most commonly used program list may include programs based on various criteria including both frequency of use and recent use, thereby always including a most recently used item. An all programs view may display programs and documents in a hosted-tree view within the original confines of the program launch menu, thereby negating the need to open sub-menus on top of a large portion of the desktop displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A method for providing a shortcut for launching an item stored on a computer system, said method comprising steps of:

(a) upon receiving user input to initiate a start menu, displaying a start menu having a search text input box on a display device directly or indirectly connected to the computer system, wherein said displaying the start menu is a single navigation step from the user input, the user input comprising either clicking on a start button using a mouse or pressing a start menu key on a keyboard that is connected to the computer system;

(b) automatically providing an input focus that directs input text to the search text input box within the start menu for the user to enter input text corresponding to the start menu, wherein said search text input box receives said input focus upon displaying the start menu on the display device in response to the detection that the user has initiated the start menu key and without requiring further input from the user, and wherein said automatically providing said input focus includes navigating directly to the search text input box from the start button without further interaction from the user;

(c) displaying search results within a predefined area of the start menu each time text input is received from the user via the search text input box, said search results comprising one or more user-selectable items within an operating system of the computer system, said items matching query input received from the user via the search text input box and wherein the search results comprise at least one valid item comprising at least one launched application stored on the computer system;

(d) automatically providing selection focus to a top search result, wherein the top search result is determined by applying one or more rules to the search results; and

(e) launching a selectable item corresponding to the top search result in response to another user input while the input focus is on the search text input box and while the top search result has selection focus, wherein said selectable item is launched without any further input from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising automatically determining when the user has completed providing query input prior to displaying the search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises automatically displaying new search results within the predefined area of the start menu each time additional query input is received from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving user input from the keyboard connected to the computer system to initiate the start menu.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said user input comprises text input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user-selectable items comprise a file item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user-selectable items comprise a communication item.

8. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions which, when executed, perform a method for displaying search results within a predefined area, said method comprising steps of:

(a) upon receiving user input to initiate a start menu, displaying a start menu having a search text input box on a display device directly or indirectly connected to the computer system, wherein said displaying the start menu is a single navigation step from receiving said user input;

(b) automatically providing an input focus that directs input text to the search text input box within the start menu for a user to enter text corresponding to the start menu, wherein said search text input box receives said input focus upon displaying the start menu on the display device in response to the detection that the user has pressed the start menu key and without requiring any further input from the user such that the user can immediately begin typing text in the search text input box without first providing any input other than providing said user input to initiate said start menu;

(c) displaying search results within a predefined area of the start menu each time text input is received from the user via the search text input box, said search results comprising one or more user-selectable items identifiable by an operating system of the computer system, said user-selectable items matching query input received from the user via the search text input box, and wherein the search results comprise at least one valid item comprising at least one launched application stored on the computer system;

(d) automatically providing selection focus to a top search result, wherein the top search result is determined by applying one or more rules to the search results; and

(e) launching the selectable item corresponding to the top search result in response to another user input while the input focus is on the search text input box and while the top search result has selection focus, wherein said selectable item is launched without any further input from the user.

9. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein said query input comprises text input.

10. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein step (c) comprises identifying the search results based on a comparison of the query input to metadata corresponding to user-selectable items identifiable by the operating system of the computer system.

11. The computer storage media of claim 10, wherein said metadata comprises a name of each user selectable item.

12. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the search results comprise an Internet location.

13. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein step (c) comprises identifying the search results based on a comparison of the query input to content of user-selectable data items identifiable by the operating system of the computer system.

14. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer system, perform a method for providing a keyboard shortcut for launching an item stored on a computer system, said method comprising steps of:

(a) upon detection that a user has pressed a start menu key on a keyboard directly or indirectly connected to the computer system, displaying a start menu having a search text input box on a display device directly or indirectly connected to the computer system, wherein said displaying the start menu is a single navigation step from the start button menu key;

(b) upon displaying the start menu, automatically providing an input focus that directs input text to the search text input box for the user to enter input text within the start menu displayed on the computer display device, wherein said search text input box receives said input focus upon displaying the start menu on the display device, and wherein said automatically providing said input focus includes navigating directly to the search text input box from the start button without further interaction from the user,

(c) displaying search results automatically within a predefined area of the-start menu each time input text is received from the user via the search text input box, wherein the search results comprise selectable items matching input text received from the user via the search text input box;

(d) automatically providing selection focus to a top search result, wherein the top search result is determined by applying one or more rules to the search results; and

(e) launching a selectable item corresponding to the top search result in response to another user input while the input focus is on the search text input box and while the top search result has selection focus, wherein said selectable item is launched without further input from the user.

15. The computer storage media of claim 14, the method further comprising determining when the user has completed providing text input prior to displaying the search results.