Search-centric hierarchichal browser history

• US 8,090,740 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Daniel S., Morris, Meredith, Venolia, Gina
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THU NGUYET T
• Application Number:
  US11/974,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/101, 707/706, 707/769, 707/999.003
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A search-centric hierarchical browser history technique that provides for the creation of a Web search history hierarchy organized according to the search queries that a user has conducted. In one embodiment, search queries occupy the highest level of the search history hierarchy and all Web sites/search results relating to a particular search query that the user accessed are hierarchically organized below that query. In another embodiment, queries may also be optionally grouped into a higher-level hierarchy that reflects search topics.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process for organizing a search-centric history of network searches, comprising:

receiving a first search topic for a network search;

receiving two or more search queries associated with the first search topic, search results accessed by a user associated with each search query, and any site accessed from a trail of one or more links originating from within the accessed search results;

hierarchically organizing the network search by the first search topic at a highest level, each search query of the two or more queries associated with the first search topic at a second highest level, and the search results associated with each search query of the two or more queries that the user accessed and any site accessed from a trail of one or more links originating from within the accessed search results on a third level; and

automatically simultaneously displaying the hierarchically organized network search of the two or more queries such that the first search topic is displayed at the highest level, each search query of the two or more queries is displayed indented on a separate line at a level below the first search topic, and each search result accessed by a user and any site accessed by the user from a trail of one or more links originating from within the accessed search results is displayed twice indented on a separate line below each associated search query of the two or more queries.

2. The computer-implemented process claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an additional search topic;

receiving one or more additional search queries associated with the additional search topic for the network search and additional search results accessed by the user and any site accessed by the user from links within the accessed search results;

hierarchically organizing the network search by topic at a highest level, each query associated with a search topic at the second highest level below the associated search topic, and the search results associated with each query on a search topic that the user accessed and sites accessed from links within the accessed search results on the third level below the associated query; and

automatically displaying the hierarchically organized network search.

3. The computer-implemented process of claim 2 wherein the search queries associated with a search topic are conducted using different search engines.

4. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 further comprising receiving the first topic of the network search from a user.

5. The computer-implemented process of claim 4 further comprising a user defining the first topic of the network search by activating a new topic indicator that indicates the start of a new topic for a network search.

6. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 further comprising a user retroactively defining the network search by selecting previously executed search queries associated with the first search topic and search results associated with each of the previously executed search queries.

7. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 further comprising storing and re-executing one or more of the search queries associated with the first search topic at a later time to find new search results.

8. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 further comprising automatically preparing a summary of the network search for the first search topic.

9. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 further comprising associating the user'"'"'s annotations with the first search topic.

10. A computer-implemented process for organizing search results accessed by a user conducting a search of data available on a computer network, comprising:

receiving a first search query on a first topic;

receiving search results accessed by a user associated with the first search query, and sites accessed by the user from links within the accessed search results, associated with the first search query on the first topic;

receiving a second search query on a first topic;

receiving search results accessed by a user associated with the first second query, and sites accessed by the user from links within the accessed search results, associated with the second search query on the first topic;

and

simultaneously automatically displaying,

first topic on a separate line at a highest level, the first search query associated with the first topic indented on a separate line below the first search topic and search results accessed by the user associated with the first search query and sites accessed by the user from the links within the accessed search results on a separate line indented below the associated first search query that returned the search results; and

the second search query associated with the first topic indented on a separate line below the first search topic, and search results accessed by the user associated with the second search query and sites accessed by the user from the links within the accessed search results on a separate line indented below the second search query.

11. The computer-implemented process of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an additional topic;

receiving one or more additional search queries associated with the additional topic and search results accessed by the user associated with the one or more additional search queries associated with the additional topic;

and

simultaneously displaying the first and additional topic at the highest level on separate lines, each search query associated with the each topic at the second highest level below the associated topic indented on a separate line and the search results associated with each search query that the user accessed and sites the user accessed from within the accessed search results on the lowest level below the associated search query indented and on a separate line.

12. A method for organizing and displaying search queries and associated search result histories on a computer display, comprising:

receiving multiple search queries related to more than one topic being searched from a user and multiple search results associated with each of the multiple search queries accessed by a user and sites accessed by the user via a trail of links within the accessed search results;

automatically, without user action, displaying on the computer display in a hierarchically organized manner each of the more than one search topic at the highest level, each search query of the multiple search queries associated with a search topic indented on a separate line on the second level below the associated topic, and the search results associated with each search query that the user accessed and each site accessed by the user via a trail of links originating from within the accessed search results indented on a separate line below the associated search query that returned the search results.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein more than one search query is received from different search engines that are used to conduct the more than one search query.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying an indicator associated with the name of the search engine used to perform the search query next to each search query.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising displaying a name of the query next to each query, wherein the name of the query is based on search terms used to create the query.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising displaying a name of each search result accessed by the user next to the search result displayed.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising naming each search result accessed by the user with a name of a web site associated with the search result accessed by the user.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising simultaneously displaying a search summary to the user wherein the search summary comprises a topic, each search query associated with a topic and the search results associated with each search query that the user accessed and sites accessed by the user via a trail of links from within the accessed search results.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising the user annotating notes related to the topic which are displayed on the computer display.