System, methods and applications for embedded internet searching and result display

• US 8,725,729 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Search Perfect LLC
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey C. Konicek, Steven G. Lisa
• Inventors: Lisa, Steven G., Konicek, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Hexing
• Application Number:
  US11/397,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,962 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3328 using graphical result space presentation or visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Systems and methods allow a user of a text or graphics editor to quickly create multiple robust internet search queries by selecting and ranking groups or individual key words from a document. A user who is composing or reading a document can identify and link multiple sets of key words into separate search queries by highlighting and assigning either unique search numbers, colors or other readily ascertained indicators of their logical relation. Each individual search query is routed to selected internet search engines, and the results are returned to the user in the same viewed document. The user may select the form in which the results are displayed. For example, results may be listed within the document by way footnotes, endnotes, or separate hover or pull-down windows accessible from the search terms. In addition, the user can browse, sort, rank, edit or eliminate portions of the results.

Claims

1. A method that generates an internet search phrase and conducts an internet search from within a viewed document comprising the acts of:

(a) selecting a first search phrase from within the viewed document by selecting at least two spaced apart search terms;

(b) selecting, from within the viewed document, a second search phrase by selecting at least two spaced apart search terms, the second search phrase spaced apart from the first search phrase by unselected words, while the first search phrase remains selected;

(c) transmitting the first and second search phrases to an internet searching program;

(d) conducting a first search on the internet based upon the first search phrase;

(e) conducting a second search on the internet, contemporaneously with the first search, based upon the second search phrase; and

(f) receiving the results of the first internet search within the viewed document in a format linked to the first search phrase; and

(g) receiving the results of the second internet search, contemporaneously with receiving the results of the first internet search, within the viewed document in a format linked to the second search phrase.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the search results in the form of footnotes in the viewed document linked to any of the search phrases.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the search results in the form of endnotes in the viewed document linked to any of the search phrases.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the search results in the form of hover notes in the viewed document linked to any of the search phrases.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the search results in the form of pull down menus in the viewed document linked to any of the search phrases.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the search results in the form of comment notes in the viewed document linked to any of the search phrases.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the search results include data defining the address of an internet web site found as a result of one or more of the internet searches.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein displaying the search results to the viewed document includes displaying a portion of the text of the internet web site indicated in the search results.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein displaying the search results to the viewed document includes displaying a summary of the content of the internet web site indicated in the search results.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the search results are displayed in the viewed document in the same format as the document.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising analyzing the results from the search for relevancy to the search phrases, scoring the results in accordance to the determined relevancy, displaying a user-defined number of results in the viewed document in order of highest relevancy first.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising reviewing the results displayed in the viewed document, deleting an unwanted result from the displayed results, and re-populating the results by automatically displaying another relevant result from the search.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first search phrase comprises a word, a graphic, a picture or a sound.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewed document is either a word processing document, spreadsheet, presentation document, email, web or internet page, drawing or pdf document.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying approximately the number of words separating the two search phrases in the viewed document as a proximity limiter in the internet search.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the search phrases comprises manually highlighting each search term with a computer input device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the manual input device is either a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touch sensitive screen, eye gaze tracker, or speech synthesis device.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising operating the manual input device to highlight the selected search term, activate a pull down menu, and assign a first search indicator to the search term.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of many possible search engines or search programs to perform the search.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising

(a) generating a third search phrase, from within the viewed document, that is different from the first and second search phrases;

(b) transmitting the third search phrase to an internet searching program;

(c) conducting a search on the internet based upon the third search phrase; and

(d) receiving the search results for the third search phrase.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the third search phrase comprises a single term different from the search terms used for the first and second search phrase.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the third search phrase comprises two terms spaced apart from each other by unselected words, and different from at least one of the terms of the first search phrase.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the third search phrase comprises two terms spaced apart by unselected words, and different from each of the terms of the first search phrase.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising highlighting the terms of the first search phrase in a first color.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising highlighting the terms of the second search phrase in a different color from the terms of the first search phrase.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising associating the search results for the first search phrase with the first color and associating the search results for the second search phrase with the different color.

27. The method of claim 1 further comprising spell checking the search phrases before conducting the internet searches.

28. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the number of individual search results to display with the search results.

29. A method for generating multiple internet search phrases and conducting an internet search from within a viewed document comprising:

(a) selecting, from within a viewed document, a first search phrase comprising at least spaced apart search terms;

(b) selecting, from within the viewed document, a second search phrase comprising at least two spaced apart search terms that are spaced apart from the first search phrase by unselected words, while the first search phrase remains selected;

(c) transmitting the first search phrase and the second search phrase to an internet searching program;

(d) conducting a search on the internet based upon the first phrase and a search on the internet based upon the second search phrase contemporaneously; and

(e) contemporaneously receiving the results of both internet searches, wherein the search results for the first search phrase are displayed in a format linked to the first search phrase and the search results for the second search phrase are displayed in a format linked to the second search phrase.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising editing the search results.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising displaying the search results in the viewed document in a format that includes links to launch a web browser and review a corresponding web site.

32. A method that generates internet search phrases and conducts internet searches from within a viewed document comprising the acts of:

(a) selecting a first search term from within the viewed document;

(b) selecting, from within the viewed document, a second search term spaced apart from the first search term by unselected words while the first search term remains selected;

(c) selecting a third search term from within the viewed document;

(d) selecting, from within the viewed document, a fourth search term spaced apart from the third search term by unselected words while the third search term remains selected;

(e) transmitting the first and second search terms to an internet searching program together as a first search phrase;

(f) transmitting the third and fourth search terms to an internet searching program together as a second search phrase;

(g) conducting a first search on the internet based upon the first search phrase;

(h) conducting, contemporaneously with the first search, a second search on the internet based upon the second search phrase; and

(i) receiving search results for both search phrases contemporaneously, wherein the results of the first internet search are displayed within the viewed document in a format that associates them with the first search phrase, and the results of the second internet search are displayed within the viewed document in a format that associates them with the second search phrase.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the second search phrase includes either the first or the second search term from the first search phrase.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising reviewing the results of the internet searches, deleting an unwanted result, and re-populating the results by automatically displaying another relevant result from the searches.

35. A method that generates internet search phrases and conducts internet searches from within a viewed document comprising the acts of:

(a) manually indicating that a word within the viewed document is a first search term;

(b) manually indicating that another word, spaced apart from the first word by at least one unselected word, is a second search term;

(c) manually indicating that another word, spaced apart from the first word by at least one unselected word and the second word by at least one unselected word, within the viewed document is a third search term;

(d) manually indicating that another word, spaced apart from the first word by at least one unselected word, the second word by at least one unselected word, and the third word by at least one unselected word within the viewed document is a fourth search term;

(e) transmitting the first and second search terms to an internet searching program together as a first search phrase;

(f) transmitting the third and fourth search terms to an internet searching program together as a second search phrase;

(g) conducting a first search on the internet based upon the first search phrase;

(h) conducting, contemporaneously with the first search, a second search on the internet based upon the second search phrase; and

(i) receiving the results of the two internet searches contemporaneously, wherein the results of the first internet search are displayed within the viewed document in a format that associates them with the first search phrase, and the results of the second internet search are displayed within the viewed document in a format that associates them with the second search phrase.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the results of the first internet search are displayed within the viewed document in a format that associates them with the first search phrase and the format that associates them with the first search phrase is selected from the group consisting of:

footnotes, endnotes, comment notes, hover notes, color coding, and animation.