Hypertext browser assistant

• US 8,560,564 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoelzle, Urs, Henzinger, Monika H., Page, Lawrence E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US12/178,748
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707/723, 707/725, 707/727, 707/706, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24542 Plan optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system facilitates a search by a user. The system detects selection of one or more words in a document currently accessed by the user, generates a search query using the selected word(s), and retrieves a document based on the search query. When the document includes one or more links corresponding to a linked document, the system analyzes each of the links, prefetches the linked documents corresponding to a number of the links, and presents the document to the user. The system receives selection of one of the links and retrieves the linked document corresponding to the selected link. The system identifies one or more pieces of information in the retrieved document, determines a link to a related document for each of the identified pieces of information, and provides the determined links with the related document to the user.

Claims

1. A method performed by a device, the method comprising:

detecting, by the device, selection of one or more groups of characters in a paragraph in a document, while the document is currently being accessed by the device;

determining, by the device, one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document;

generating, by the device and based on determining the one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document, a search query using the determined one or more textual concepts;

transmitting, by the device and over a network, the search query to a search engine;

obtaining, by the device and from the search engine, search results based on the search query; and

presenting, by the device, the search results.

2. The method of claim 1, where the detecting selection of one or more groups of characters in the paragraph in the document include:

detecting that the one or more groups of characters have been highlighted in the document.

3. The method of claim 1, where the one or more groups of characters include a phrase in the document.

4. The method of claim 3, where the generating a search query includes:

using the phrase as a single search term for the search query.

5. The method of claim 3, where the generating a search query includes:

identifying a plurality of words in the selected phrase, and

creating the search query by combining at least some of the words in the identified plurality of words.

6. The method of claim 1, where the determining one or more textual concepts includes:

using one of a summarization technique or a vector space model to identify the one or more textual concepts.

7. A device comprising:

a memory to store instructions to implement;

a browser to retrieve a document and present the document, and

a browser assistant to;

detect selection of one or more groups of characters in a paragraph in the document,

determine one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document,

generate a search query from the determined one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document,

transmit the generated search query to another device,

receive, based on transmitting the generated search query, a list of links to documents from the other device, and

present the list of links to documents; and

a processor to execute the instructions.

8. The device of claim 7, where when detecting selection of one or more groups of characters, the browser assistant is to:

detect the one or more groups of characters based on the one or more groups of characters being highlighted in the document.

9. The device of claim 7, where the one or more groups of characters include a phrase in the document, and

where when generating the search query, the browser assistant is to:

use the phrase as a single search term for the search query.

10. The device of claim 9, where when generating the search query, the browser assistant is to:

identify a plurality of words in the selected phrase, and

create the search query by combining at least a portion of the identified plurality of words.

11. The device of claim 7, where when determining one or more textual concepts, the browser assistant is to:

use one of a summarization technique or a vector space model to identify the one or more textual concepts.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to detect, based on one or more groups of characters being highlighted in a paragraph in a document, selection of the one or more groups of characters;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to generate, based on determining the one or more textual concepts in the selected one or more groups of characters in the document, a search query using the determined one or more textual concepts;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to transmit the generated search query, over a network, to a search engine;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to receive search results, based on the search query, from the search engine; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to present the search results.

13. The computer-readable memory device of claim 12, where the one or more groups of characters include a phrase in the document, and

where the one or more instructions to generate a search query include:

one or more instructions to use the phrase as a single search term for the search query.

14. The computer-readable memory device of claim 13, where the one or more instructions to generate a search query include:

one or more instructions to identify a plurality of words in the selected phrase, and

one or more instructions to create the search query by combining one or more words of the identified plurality of words.

15. The computer-readable memory device of claim 12, where the one or more instructions to determine one or more textual concepts include:

one or more instructions to use one of a summarization technique or a vector space model to identify the one or more textual concepts.