Providing suggestions during formation of a search query

• US 8,667,004 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sharif, Tariq, Stevens, Warren G, Zimmermann, Sebastien, Lyndersay, Sean, Placzkiewicz, Amy Adams, Vera, Eric A, Gass, Jonathan A, Truelove, Benjamin N, Cohen, Sharon, Pell, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US11/947,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/751, 707/705, 707752-757, 707722-727, 707765-776, 715/226, 715/225, 715/223, 715/231, 715/275
• US Class Current: 707/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions

Abstract

Various embodiments enable information, in addition to textual information, to be presented to a user when the user enters a search query in a search box forming part of a user interface of an application. In one or more embodiments, a Web browser provides a search box in which a user can enter a search query. While the user is entering a search query, the Web browser can communicate with a third-party search provider to receive information, such as non-textual information, which can be presented to the user to assist in formulating their search query. The non-textual information can include images and other visual information of a non-textual nature.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, via a search box comprising a native part of a Web browser, a text string associated with a user'"'"'s search query, the search box not provided by a separately-installed mechanism;

communicating the text string to a search provider;

receiving information communicated from the search provider, wherein said information includes at least non-textual information;

rendering said information in a search box drop down menu associated with said search box, wherein rendering includes rendering in the search box drop down menu at least some locally acquired information, wherein the locally acquired information comprises links associated with the user'"'"'s search query;

receiving a text string that the user has entered in a third-party search provider search box;

replicating the text string entered in the third-party search provider search box in the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser; and

providing, via the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser, one or more suggestions associated with said replicated text string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text string received via the search box comprising a native part of the Web browser includes less than an entire portion of a user'"'"'s search query.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating is performed by communicating the text string received via the search box comprising a native part of the Web browser to the search provider via the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating includes communicating information that identifies a particular user or client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said non-textual information includes one or more images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said non-textual information includes information to provide an indication to the user that a search query term may be misspelled.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said information to provide an indication to the user that a search query term may be misspelled comprises color-coded information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said information includes textual information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the locally acquired information is user-associated information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user-associated information includes user history items associated with the search query.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the user-associated information is configured to include user-favorites items associated with the search query.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the user-associated information is configured to include user history and user-favorites items associated with the search query.

9. One or more computer-readable non-volatile storage embodying computer-readable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to:

receive, via a search box comprising a native part of a Web browser, a text string associated with a user'"'"'s search query, the search box not provided by a separately-installed tool bar mechanism;

communicate the text string to a search provider via the Internet;

receive, from the search provider, a response file that includes one or more parameters that describe information to be displayed in a search box drop down menu, the one or more parameters describing one or more of;

sections to display, labels for a particular section, or an order of sections;

process the response file and render the information in the search box drop down menu, wherein the computer-executable instructions to render are further configured to render in the search drop down menu at least some locally acquired information, wherein the locally acquired information comprises links associated with the user'"'"'s search query;

receive a text string entered in a third-party search provider search box;

replicate the text string entered in a third-party search provider search box in the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser; and

provide, via the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser, one or more suggestions associated with said replicated text string.

10. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the response file comprises an XML file.

11. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the text string received via the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser includes less than an entire portion of a search query.

12. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a parameter associated with a misspelled search query.

13. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 12, wherein the parameter associated with a misspelled search query comprises color-coded information.

14. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a parameter associated with an image that can be displayed in the search box drop down menu.

15. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a parameter associated with an URL that can be displayed in the search box drop down menu.

22. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 9, wherein the locally acquired information is user-associated information.

23. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 22, wherein the user-associated information includes user history items associated with the search query.

24. The one or more computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 22, wherein the user-associated information is configured to include user-favorites items associated with the search query.

16. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage memories;

computer-readable instructions embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage memories, the instructions providing a Web browser configured to;

ascertain that a user has conducted a search and is on a search provider results page;

track, locally, which links the user navigates to from the search provider results page;

receive, via a search box comprising a native part of the Web browser, a text string associated with a user'"'"'s search query, the search box not provided by a separately-installed mechanism;

recommend, locally, one or more links based on locally tracked links to which the user has navigated in the past using the search provider results page;

receive a text string that the user has entered in a third-party search provider search box;

replicate the text string in the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser; and

provide, via the search box comprising the native part of the Web browser, one or more suggestions associated with a replicated text string.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the Web browser is configured to ascertain that a user has conducted a search by recognizing that portions of an URL associated with a search provider'"'"'s results page match portions of an URL associated with a user-installed search provider.