Providing search results for mobile computing devices

• US 8,112,404 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huynh, Tuan, Kobayashi, Hiromi, Tanaka, Takeshi, Sawada, Hirokazu, Kagoshima, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MERILYN P
• Application Number:
  US12/116,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/706, 707/722, 707/723, 707/731, 707/709, 707/710
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Search results are provided for mobile computing devices. Search results are retrieved based on a search term. Each of the search results is assigned to one or more categories. The categories and the assigned search results are provided to the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device is adapted to display each of the categories and a partial list of the search results for each of the categories.

Claims

1. A method for providing search results to a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a search server computer, a user-provided search term from the mobile computing device via a communications network;

retrieving, by the search server computer, search results based on the user-provided search term received from the mobile computing device;

assigning, by the search server computer, each of the search results to one or more categories; and

upon assigning each of the search results to the one or more categories, providing the one or more categories and the search results from the search server computer to the mobile computing device via the communications network, the mobile computing device being adapted to display each of the one or more categories, a partial list of the search results for each of the one or more categories received from the search server computer, and a link for each of the one or more categories, the link being selectable to display a full list of search results for each of the one or more categories, wherein the mobile computing device is adapted to display three search results for each of the one or more categories.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the user-provided search term from a search interface on the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving search results based on the user-provided search term comprises retrieving the search results from a local database based on the user-provided search term.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving search results based on the user-provided search term comprises retrieving the search results from a remote database based on the search term.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving search results based on the user-provided search term comprises transmitting a standard query language (SQL) query based on the user-provided search term to a database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more categories comprise one or more predefined categories created and managed by a search engine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the search results comprise documents stored on an intranet-accessible server, and wherein the one or more categories comprise document types associated with the documents.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more categories comprise a word processing document file type, a spreadsheet document file type, and a presentation document file type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the search results comprise contact information for multiple people, and wherein the one or more categories comprise a name, a phone number, and an address associated with each of the multiple people.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more categories comprise a separate external database from which the search results are retrieved.

11. A system for providing search results to a mobile computing device, comprising:

a processing unit; and

a memory having program modules executable on the processing unit stored thereon, the program modules comprising

a web server application enabling communication with the mobile computing device over a network, and

a search engine adapted to receive a user-provided search term from the mobile computing device via the web server application, retrieve search results from a database based on the user-provided search term, assign each of the search results to one or more predefined categories, and transmit the predefined categories and the assigned search results to the mobile computing device via the web server application, the mobile computing device being adapted to display the one or more predefined categories, a partial list of the search results for each of the one or more predefined categories received from the search engine, and a link for each of the one or more categories, the link being selectable to display a full list of search results for each of the one or more categories, wherein the mobile computing device is adapted to display three search results for each of the one or more categories.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the web server application comprises an intranet web server application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the database comprises a local database coupled to the search engine.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the database comprises a remote database coupled to the search engine via the web server application.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the database comprises a plurality of remote databases coupled to the search engine via the web server application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more predefined categories comprises a separate predefined category associated with each of the plurality of remote databases.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile computing device comprises one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

18. A computer-readable storage medium not including a signal having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive, at a search server computer, a user-provided search term from a search interface provided on a mobile computing device via a communications network;

retrieve, by the search server computer, search results by querying one or more databases based on the user-provided search term;

assign, by the search server computer, each of the search results to one of a plurality of predefined categories, the plurality of predefined categories comprising multiple file types;

transmit the plurality of predefined categories and the assigned search results from the search server computer to the mobile computing device via the communications network, the mobile computing device being adapted to display the plurality of predefined categories, a partial list of the assigned search results for each of the plurality of predefined categories, and a link for each of the predefined categories, the link being selectable to display a full list of the assigned search results for each of the predefined categories, wherein the mobile computing device is adapted to display three search results for each of the one or more categories.