System and method for dynamically generating a selectable search extension

• US 8,239,381 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anthony, Colin R., Banks, Richard M., Watson, Marieke I., Van Dok, Cornelis K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khakhar, Nirav K
• Application Number:
  US13/237,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 707/729, 707/765
• US Class Current: 707/729
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system and related techniques accept user-inputted search terms, for example to perform a search for files or other data or objects. According to embodiments, an extension of a search to different levels or points in the file system hierarchy may be automatically generated and presented to the user as a selectable search box. That box may be highlighted to the user for easy selection. When the user selects the selectable search box, the user'"'"'s search for files of type or extension “.doc” or “.memo”, may be seamlessly extended to other files, folders, trees or other points or levels in the file system hierarchy. Search results may be continuously or dynamically updated as the user enters more characters or other data.

Claims

1. A method for automatically presenting a search interface facility on a display comprising:

receiving a search criteria;

determining that a first amount of files within the file location have file content that matches the search criteria, wherein the file content is the subject matter of a file;

determining that a plurality of attributes associated with one or more files have a file attribute value that matches the search criteria, wherein a file attribute is a characteristic of the file;

for each of the plurality of attributes, determining how many files contain an attribute value that matches the search criteria; and

outputting for display a search box having a first panel and a second panel, wherein the first panel displays each of the plurality of attributes with an indication adjacent to each of the plurality of attributes, wherein the indication communicates how many times an attribute displayed adjacent to the indication has an attribute value for a file that matches the search criteria, and wherein the second panel displays the first amount of files that have file content that matches the search criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search box includes a third panel showing a graphical representation of a folder hierarchy, and wherein the graphical representation may be dynamically selected by a user to specify a file location to be searched.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is a file type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the search results are received through a graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a new search criteria; and

dynamically updating the first panel and the second panel upon receiving the new search criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving indication of a new hierarchical level in the file system to be searched using the new search criteria.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further includes:

determining that a second amount of files within the new hierarchical level in the file system have file content that matches the search criteria;

determining that a plurality of attributes associated with one or more files in the new hierarchical level in the file system have a file attribute value that matches the search criteria;

for each of the plurality of attributes, determining how many files in the new hierarchical level in the file system contain an attribute value that matches the search criteria; and

outputting for display a search box having the first panel and the second panel, wherein the first panel displays each of the plurality of attributes with an indication adjacent to each of the plurality of attributes, wherein the indication communicates how many times an adjacent attribute has an attribute value for a file in the new hierarchical level in the file system that matches the search criteria, and wherein the second panel displays the first amount of files within the new hierarchical level in the file system that have file content that matches the search criteria.

8. A method of generating and displaying search results comprising:

receiving a first input symbol;

searching a set of files in a file system to generate a first plurality of files that have one or more file attribute values that match the first input symbol and a second plurality of files that have file content that matches the first input symbol;

outputting for display a first interface that displays one or more file attributes that are associated with the one or more file attributes values from the first plurality of files and at least how many files in the second plurality of files are associated with each attribute that has an attribute value that matches the first input symbol and a second interface that displays how many files are in the second plurality of files;

receiving a second input symbol;

searching the set of files to update the first plurality of files to include files that have one or more file attribute values that match the first input symbol and the second input symbol and the second plurality of files to include the files that have file content that matches the first input symbol and the second input symbol; and

updating the first interface based on the updated first plurality of files and the second interface based on the updated second plurality of files.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the receiving of the first and second input symbols comprises receiving the first and second input symbols via a graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises receiving indication of a new file location to be searched using the new search criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

searching the new file location to generate a third plurality files that have one or more file attribute values that match the first input symbol and the second input symbol;

searching the new file location to generate a fourth plurality files that have file content that matches the first input symbol and the second input symbol; and

updating the first interface based on the third plurality of files and the second interface based on the fourth plurality of files.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the file attribute is a file type.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the file attribute indicates the file type is a music file.

14. One or more computer-storage media with computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device performs a method for automatically presenting a search interface facility on a display, the method comprising:

outputting for display an input interface to sequentially receive a first input symbol and a second input symbols;

searching file content and file attribute values associated with a set of files in a file system;

outputting for display an interface in response to receiving the first input symbol with a first panel showing first results based on results of matching the first input symbol to file attributes of files in the file system, wherein the first panel displays each of the file attributes with an indication adjacent to each of the file attributes, wherein the indication communicates how many times a file attribute displayed adjacent to the indication has an attribute value that matches the first input symbol; and

outputting for display a second panel on the interface with first results of matching the first input symbol to content of the files in the file system.

15. The computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises outputting for display a graphical representation of a folder hierarchy that is selectable by a user to designate the file system to be searched.

16. The computer-storage media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving a selection of a new file system to search.

17. The computer-storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises updating the first results to include only files in the new file system.

18. The computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein the file attribute value indicates a file is a music file.

19. The computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein the file attribute value indicates a file is a video file.

20. The computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein the file attribute value indicates a file is an email file.