Multi-category searching

• US 8,341,143 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karls, Jason, Ortega, Ruben E., Manber, Udi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Hexing
• Application Number:
  US10/933,707
• Time in Patent Office: 3,036 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 707/3, 707/203, 707/4, 707/10, 707/102, 707/723, 707/732, 707/736, 707/731, 707/708, 707/771
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for rendering search results are described. In one aspect of the invention, a search request is received from a computerized client. A search is performed based on the search request in at least two different categories of information to obtain search results in the searched categories. Selected search results are returned to the client to facilitate rendering the search results at the client. Search results from different search categories are returned in a manner configured to be presented in different panes of a graphical user interface rendered on the client. In another aspect, what searches to perform can be determined based at least in part upon search results display settings associated with the client, such that searches are performed only in categories of information that are associated with a pane that is in an open state on the client.

Claims

1. A computerized method of rendering search results comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a search request from a computerized client, the search request comprising at least one query term for identifying search results;

determining at least a first search criterion and a second search criterion based at least in part upon one or more search result categories corresponding to the at least one query term, the first search criterion indicating a first type of result and the second search criterion indicating a second type of result to be returned in response to the received search request, the first and second types of result each corresponding to the one or more search result categories;

executing a first search based on the at least one query term and the at least a first search criterion, thereby obtaining a first set of search results of the first type;

executing at least one additional search based on the at least one query term and the at least a second search criterion, thereby obtaining at least one additional set of search results of the second type;

returning the first and the at least one additional set of search results to the computerized client to facilitate rendering the first and the at least one additional set of search results at the client, the first and the at least one additional set of search results being returned in a manner configured to be presented concurrently in different display panes of a graphical user interface rendered on the computerized client, the graphical user interface further including a diary pane, the diary pane configured to enable a targeted search to be executed for a type of result associated with one of the different display panes in response to a content entry being moved from the diary pane into the one of the different display panes, the targeted search using a subject of the content entry as at least one targeted query term;

wherein one or more search criteria are further determined based at least in part on whether the different display panes of the graphical user interface rendered on the computerized client are in an open state or a closed state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search criteria are further capable of being determined at least in part based upon search results display settings for the different display panes to be rendered on the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the search results display settings are based on stored configuration information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the stored configuration information is based on the most recent state of a search results display page, wherein the most recent state information is one of the current state of the search results display page and the last open state of the search results display page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, each of the first and at least one additional set of search results are returned to the client for side-by-side presentation to facilitate side-by-side comparison of different types of search results.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein if a display pane of the search results display page associated with a selected type of search result is in the closed state, an associated search results set is still sent to the client so that it is immediately available to the browser when a user opens the associated display pane.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if a display pane associated with a selected type of search result is in the closed state, another search is executed for items of the selected type of search result and a set of search results are obtained for the selected type of search result are only sent to the client after all of the information required by open display panes of the search results display page has been sent to the client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if a display pane associated with a selected type of result is in the closed state, no search is executed for items of the selected type of result and no set of search results are initially returned to the client for the selected type of result, and if a user newly opens the display pane associated with the selected type of result, the client provides a signal indicating a change in state, the method further comprising:

executing a third search for items of the selected type of result based on the search criteria in response to the change in state signal, thereby obtaining a third set of search results; and

returning the third set of search results of the search of the selected type of result to the client, wherein the third set of search results for the selected type of result are returned in a manner configured to present the third set of search results for the selected type of result in the newly opened display pane adjacent some of the original search results initially returned to the client without requiring updating of the original search.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein searches are performed for at least three different types of result.

10. A computerized method of searching in a system configured to facilitate searching multiple types of information, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a search request comprising search criteria for identifying search results, wherein the search request is received from a computerized client;

obtaining search results display settings associated with the client, the search results display settings indicating a plurality of display panes of a graphical user interface rendered on the computerized client, each display pane defining a different and independent type of a search result category and having an open state and a closed state, the search results display settings further indicating whether selected panes associated with specific types of search result categories are in the closed state, the graphical user interface further including a diary pane, the diary pane configured to enable a targeted search to be executed for the search result category associated with one of the plurality of display panes by a content entry being moved from the diary pane into the one of the plurality of display panes, the targeted search using a subject of the content entry as at least one targeted query term;

for at least each search result category defined by a display pane in the open state, executing a search according to the search criteria of the search request and according to the type of a search result category defined by the display pane, wherein each executed search yields a corresponding set of search results and the search criteria is further determined based at least in part on whether the display pane is in the open state or the closed state;

returning the search results to the client to facilitate rendering the search results, wherein each set of search results obtained from an executed search according to the search criteria of the search request and according to the type of a search result category defined by the display pane are configured to be presented concurrently in different panes of a search results display window rendered on the client.

11. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving from the client information indicating a change in state of a selected display pane from the closed state to the open state;

executing a search according to the search criteria of the search request and according to the type of a search result category defined by the selected display pane, wherein each executed search yields a corresponding additional set of search results; and

returning the additional set of search results to the client, wherein the additional set of search results is returned in a manner configured to present the additional set of search results in the newly opened display pane adjacent at least some of the original search results initially returned to the client without requiring updating of the original search.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein searches are executed at least three different times according to the search criteria and a corresponding at least three different types of search result categories.

13. A computerized method of rendering search related information using a graphical user interface including a window having a plurality of concurrently-displayed display panes, each of the display panes configurable to display independent search related information corresponding to different search result categories defined by each of the display panes, each display pane having an open state and a closed state, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a search request from a user, the search request comprising search criteria for identifying search results;

obtaining a plurality of search results sets, at least each of the plurality of search results sets corresponding to one of the plurality of display panes in the open state, each search results set comprising the search results of a search executed in response to the search request according to the search criteria and the search result category defined by the corresponding display pane, the search criteria further determined based at least in part on whether the corresponding display pane is in the open state or in the closed state;

opening a particular display pane, that is in the closed state, in response to an open display pane command; and

resizing at least one currently open display pane to make room for displaying all open display panes including the particular display pane without changing the overall width of the window in which the open display panes are displayed,

wherein a user is able to control the types of search results that are concurrently displayed for the search request by adjusting which display panes are open in the window and the graphical user interface further includes a diary pane, the diary pane configured to enable a targeted search to be executed for a search result category corresponding to one of the plurality of concurrently-displayed display panes by a content entry being moved from the diary pane into the one of the plurality of concurrently-displayed display panes, the targeted search using a subject of the content entry as at least one query term.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

when the particular display pane is opened, the particular display pane is opened having a width that is a pre-designated percentage of a total width allocated to displaying the open display panes; and

wherein the currently open display panes are proportionally resized so that the total width of the window allocated to displaying the open display panes is not changed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the pre-designated width is in the range of 30 to 45 percent of the total width allocated to displaying the open display panes when at least two other display panes are currently open; and

wherein the pre-designated width is at least approximately 50% of the total width allocated to displaying the open display panes if only one other display pane is currently open.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein if another display pane is subsequently opened, making a total number of open display panes above a designated threshold that is at least three, the method further comprises:

opening the another display pane at a designated percentage of the total width allocated to displaying the open display panes;

closing at least one of the currently open display panes not including the newly opened another display pane; and

resizing the open display panes so that the total width allocated to displaying the open display panes is not changed.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after resizing the open display panes to make room for displaying all open display panes:

determining whether any of the open display panes has a width that is below a designated percentage of a total width allocated to displaying the open display panes; and

if it is determined that any of the open display panes has a width that is below the designated percentage, closing at least one open display pane not including the newly-opened particular display pane and resizing the open display panes including the newly-opened particular display pane, so that the total width allocated to displaying the open display panes does not change.