Searching method and apparatus

• US 8,108,781 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Laansoo, Erik, Zilmer, Priidu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao “Kevin”
• Application Number:
  US12/220,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 715715-717, 715851-853, 715763-765, 715/780, 715748-751, 715839-841
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method of searching for a data item in a stored chronological sequence of communication events relating to a user of a user terminal is provided. The method comprises: querying a communication event database comprising individually accessible records of each of the communication events, each record being associated with an event time at which the communication event occurred, wherein the step of querying locates a target event comprising the data item and having an event time earlier than a predetermined first time instance; loading the target event into a storage means; displaying the contents of the target event to the user in a user interface; and loading communication events occurring in a time period between the event time and the first time instance of the target event into the storage means and updating the display to include the contents of the communication events occurring in the time period.

Claims

1. A method of searching for a data item in a chronological sequence of communication events relating to a user of a user terminal, said communication events stored in a communication event database comprising individually accessible records of each of the communication events, each record being associated with an event time at which the communication event occurred, the method comprising:

loading a first portion of the stored chronological sequence of communication events from the database into a storage means, the first portion representing communication events occurring since a first time instance;

displaying the contents of the first portion to the user in a user interface;

searching for the data item in the first portion in the storage means; and

in the case that the data item is not located in the first portion,

querying the database to locate a target event comprising the data item and having an event time earlier than a predetermined first time instance;

loading the target event into the storage means;

displaying the contents of the target event to the user in the user interface; and

loading communication events occurring in a time period between the event time of the target event and the first time instance into the storage means and updating the display to include the contents of the communication events occurring in the time period, wherein the step of querying the communication event database is performed in the case that the data item is not located in the first portion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of displaying the contents of the target event and loading communication events are performed concurrently.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of loading communication events and updating the display is performed in a sequence starting with the communication events occurring at the event time and ending with the first time instance.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving the data item from the user of the user terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data item comprises at least one character.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a value for the first time instance from the user of the user terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the value for the first time instance is selected by the user from a range displayed in the user interface.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the contents of the target event comprises scrolling the display to show the contents of the target event in the user interface and highlighting the data item in the target event.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of, subsequent to loading the target event into the storage means, searching the target event in the storage means to apply additional search constraints of the data item.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the additional search constraints are not found in the target event, performing a further query on the communication event database to locate a further target event comprising the data item and having an event time earlier than the target event.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication events comprise at least one of:

instant messages, short message service messages, file transfers, voice call records, video call records, and voicemail records.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is a computer memory of the user terminal.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication event database is stored on a hard disk drive of the user terminal.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal is connected to a packet-based communication network.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal is connected to a peer-to-peer communication network.

16. A computer program product comprising program code means which, when executed by a computer implement the steps according to the method of claim 1.

17. A user terminal arranged to search for a data item in a stored chronological sequence of communication events relating to a user of the user terminal, in comprising:

a communication event database comprising individually accessible records of each of the communication events, each record being associated with an event time at which the communication event occurred;

a storage means;

a user interface means arranged to display information to the user of the user terminal; and

processing means arranged to execute a communication client, wherein the communication client is arranged to query the communication event database to locate a target event comprising the data item and having an event time earlier than a predetermined first time instance, load the target event into the storage means, display the contents of the target event to the user in the user interface, and load communication events occurring in a time period between the event time and the first time instance of the target event into the storage means and update the display to include the contents of the communication events occurring in the time period, wherein the communication client is further arranged to, prior to querying the communication event database, load a first portion of the stored chronological sequence of communication events into the storage means, the first portion representing communication events occurring since the first time instance, display the contents of the first portion to the user in a user interface, and search for the data item in the first portion in the storage means, wherein the query of the communication event database is performed in the case that the data item is not located in the first portion.

18. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication client is arranged to display the contents of the target event and load communication events concurrently.

19. The user terminal according to claim 18, wherein the communication client is arranged to load communication events and update the display in a sequence starting with the communication events occurring at the event time and ending with the first time instance.

20. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication client is further arranged to receive the data item from the user of the user terminal.

21. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the data item comprises at least one character.

22. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication client is further arranged to receive a value for the first time instance from the user of the user terminal.

23. The user terminal according to claim 22, wherein the value for the first time instance is selected by the user from a range displayed in the user interface.

24. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication client is arranged to displaying the contents of the target event by scrolling the display to show the contents of the target event in the user interface and highlighting the data item in the target event.

25. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication client is further arranged to search the target event in the storage means to apply additional search constraints of the data item, subsequent to loading the target event into the storage means.

26. The user terminal according to claim 25, wherein, if the additional search constraints are not found in the target event, the communication client is arranged to perform a further query on the communication event database to locate a further target event comprising the data item and having an event time earlier than the target event.

27. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication events comprise at least one of:

instant messages, short message service messages, file transfers, voice call records, video call records, and voicemail records.

28. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the storage means is a computer memory of the user terminal.

29. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the communication event database is stored on a hard disk drive of the user terminal.

30. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the user terminal is connected to a packet-based communication network.

31. The user terminal according to claim 17, wherein the user terminal is connected to a peer-to-peer communication network.