Browsing or searching user interfaces and other aspects

• US 8,201,096 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Robert, Julien, Bray, Cedric, Goossens, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US11/760,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,830 Days
• Field of Search: 715/713, 715/732, 715/757, 715/767, 715/850
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

User interfaces for browsing and/or searching are described. In one embodiment, a method includes displaying a first display area for display representations of documents matching a search query, the first display area configured to display content of the documents which can have a plurality of different types of content including at least one of text-based content and a folder, and displaying a second display area for selecting a selected document to be displayed in the first display area. Other embodiments are also described, and computer readable media and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing, at a computing device, a search using a search query, wherein the search is through indexed content and metadata associated with a plurality of files in a hierarchical file system;

generating search results;

determining an associated file type for each file in the search results;

using the file type to identify a plug-in capable of processing the content in the file associated with that file type;

using the plug-in for each file to process the content for that file and dynamically generate a preview view entry for that file, wherein the preview view entry includes a display of the content of the file or an icon representing the content of the file;

generating a preview view including one or more preview view entries in a preview view area;

generating a list view including one or more list view entries in a list view area;

linking the list view and the preview view together such that scrolling or sorting within either view area concurrently causes the same scrolling or sorting within the other view area; and

concurrently displaying the same search results in both view areas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an interactive preview view entry is transformable into a non-interactive preview view entry, and wherein a non-interactive preview view entry is transformable into an interactive preview view entry.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each list view entry has a corresponding preview view entry, and wherein when a list view entry in the list view area is selected, the corresponding preview view entry in the preview view area is also selected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each preview view entry has a corresponding list view entry, and wherein when a preview view entry in the preview view area is selected, the corresponding list view entry in the list view area is also selected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list view area and preview area are separate and distinct areas, and wherein when a preview view entry is interactive, the preview view entry includes one or more interactive controls.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein file types include text files, PDF files, picture files, web page files, document files, spreadsheet files, sound files, music files, and movie files.

7. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations, including;

performing a search using a search query, wherein the search is through indexed content and metadata associated with a plurality of files in a hierarchical file system;

generating search results;

determining an associated file type for each file in the search results;

using the file type to identify a plug-in capable of processing the content in the file associated with that file type;

using the plug-in for each file to process the content for that file and dynamically generate a preview view entry for that file, wherein the preview view entry includes a display of the content of the file or an icon representing the content of the file;

generating a preview view including one or more preview view entries in a preview view area;

generating a list view including one or more list view entries in a list view area;

linking the list view and the preview view together such that scrolling or sorting within either view area concurrently causes the same scrolling or sorting within the other view area; and

concurrently displaying the same search results in both view areas.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein an interactive preview view entry is transformable into a non-interactive preview view entry, and wherein a non-interactive preview view entry is transformable into an interactive preview view entry.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each list view entry has a corresponding preview view entry, and wherein when a list view entry in the list view area is selected, the corresponding preview view entry in the preview view area is also selected.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each preview view entry has a corresponding list view entry, and wherein when a preview view entry in the preview view area is selected, the corresponding list view entry in the list view area is also selected.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the list view area and preview area are separate and distinct areas, and wherein when a preview view entry is interactive, the preview view entry includes one or more interactive controls.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein file types include text files, PDF files, picture files, web page files, document files, spreadsheet files, sound files, music files, and movie files.

13. A computer-program product, embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

perform a search using a search query, wherein the search is through indexed content and metadata associated with a plurality of files in a hierarchical file system;

generate search results;

determine an associated file type for each file in the search results;

use the file type to identify a plug-in capable of processing the content in the file associated with that file type;

use the plug-in for each file to process the content for that file and dynamically generate a preview view entry for that file, wherein the preview view entry includes a display of the content of the file or an icon representing the content of the file;

generate a preview view including one or more associated preview view entries in a preview view area;

generate a list view including one or more list view entries in a list view area;

link the list view and the preview view together such that scrolling or sorting within either view area concurrently causes the same scrolling or sorting within the other view area; and

concurrently display the same search results in both view areas.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein an interactive preview view entry is transformable into a non-interactive preview view entry, and wherein a non-interactive preview view entry is transformable into an interactive preview view entry.

15. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein each list view entry has a corresponding preview view entry, and wherein when a list view entry in the list view area is selected, the corresponding preview view entry in the preview view area is also selected.

16. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein each preview view entry has a corresponding list view entry, and wherein when a preview view entry in the preview view area is selected, the corresponding list view entry in the list view area is also selected.

17. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the list view area and preview area are separate and distinct areas, and wherein when a preview view entry is interactive, the preview view entry includes one or more interactive controls.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein file types include text files, PDF files, picture files, web page files, document files, spreadsheet files, sound files, music files, and movie files.