Persistent contextual searches

• US 8,326,831 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Aguera y Arcas, Blaise H., Lawler, Stephen, Fynn, Scott V.
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, FARHAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/316,554
• Time in Patent Office: 359 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A badge may be assigned to a person, where the badge represents a characteristic or recurrent behavior of the person. A query may be associated with a badge, and the query may be continually used in a search request in combination with the person'"'"'s context, thereby allowing the person to be continually provided with fresh results that may be relevant to the person'"'"'s durable characteristics and current context. In one example, the person carries a handheld device, and the results are presented to the user on the user'"'"'s desktop or lock screen. The act of providing the results may be triggered in various ways, such as movement of the person who carries the device, or the availability of sufficiently high-quality results.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having executable instructions to show search results based on a badge, the executable instructions, when executed by a device, causing the device to perform acts comprising:

requesting a search based on a query associated with said badge and also based on a context that exists at a time at which said search is requested, said badge having been earned by a user of said device based on behavior of said user, said badge having been assigned to said user based on having been earned by said user, said badge being shared, by said user, with users other than said user, said search being requested automatically based on said query associated with said badge, said request being initiated without intervention from said user;

receiving, from a search provider, results based on said search;

determining that display of said results has been triggered; and

displaying said results on said device, said displaying being triggered either by movement of said device, availability of a high quality result, location of friends of said user, or passage of time, said results being displayed with an indication of said badge.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said device having a lock screen that prevents access to functions of said device until said lock screen is unlocked, said results being displayed with said badge on said lock screen.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said device having a lock screen that prevents access to functions of said device until said lock screen is unlocked, said device having a desktop beneath said lock screen that is viewable after said lock screen is unlocked, said results being displayed with said badge on said desktop.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said device being at a geographic location, said context comprising said geographic location.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said determining that display of said results has been triggered comprising:

determining that said device has moved, triggering of display of said results being based on movement of said device.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said determining that display of said results has been triggered comprising:

determining that results received in response to said search request are of a high quality, triggering of display of said results being based on quality of said results.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said badge being assigned to said users other than said user, said results being based on choices of said users, said users being associated with said badge.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, said acts further comprising:

receiving, from said user, a request to customize said search request associated with said badge by modifying said query.

9. A method of showing search results based on a badge, the method comprising:

using a processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving a search request, said search request being based on a query associated with said badge and also being based on a context that exists at a device from which said search request is received at a time at which said search is requested, said badge having been earned by a user of said device based on behavior of said user, said badge having been assigned to said user based on having been earned by said user, said badge not being usable by said user to save a search without having been earned by said user, said badge being shared, by said user, with users other than said user, said search having been requested automatically based on said query associated with said badge, said request being initiated without intervention from said user; and

providing search results based on said search request to a device that displays said search results with said badge when said device determines that display of said search results has been triggered, display of said search results being triggered either by movement of said device, availability of a high quality result, location of friends of said user, or passage of time.

10. The method of claim 9, said device having a lock screen that prevents access to functions of said device until said lock screen is unlocked, said results being displayed with said badge on said lock screen.

11. The method of claim 9, said device having a lock screen that prevents access to functions of said device until said lock screen is unlocked, said device having a desktop beneath said lock screen that is viewable after said lock screen is unlocked, said results being displayed with said badge on said desktop.

12. The method of claim 9, said device being at a geographic location, said context comprising said geographic location.

13. The method of claim 9, said device determining that display of said results has been triggered by determining that said device has moved, triggering of display of said results being based on movement of said device.

14. The method of claim 9, said device determining that display of said results has been triggered by determining that results received in response to said search request are of a high quality, triggering of display of said results being based on quality of said results.

15. The method of claim 9, said badge being assigned to said users other than said user, said results being based on choices of said users, said users being associated with said badge.

16. The method of claim 9, said search request being customized by said user'"'"'s modifying said query associated with said badge.

17. A device that provides search results based on a badge, the device comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a display;

a badge that is stored in said memory and that is earned by a user of said device based on said user'"'"'s behavior, said badge having been assigned to said user based on having been earned by said user, said badge being shared, by said user, with users other than said user; and

a search component that is stored in said memory and that executes on said processor, that makes a search request based on a query that is associated with said badge and also based on a context that exists at said device at a time at which said request is made, that receives results in response to said search request, that determines whether display of said results have been triggered, and that displays said results when display of said results has been triggered, said device making said request automatically based on said query associated with said badge, said request being initiated without intervention from said user, said device showing said results with said badge and either on a desktop of said device or on a lock screen of said device, display of said results being triggered either by movement of said device, availability of a high quality result, location of friends of said user, or passage of time.

18. The device of claim 17, said device being at a geographic location, said context comprising said geographic location.

19. The device of claim 17, said device determining that display of said results has been triggered by determining that results received in response to said search request are of a high quality, triggering of display of said results being based on quality of said results.

20. The device of claim 17, said badge being assigned to said users other than said user, said results being based on choices of said users, said users being associated with said badge.