Search application and web browser interaction

• US 8,745,018 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Singleton, David P., Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Tse, Alastair
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, JOHNESE T
• Application Number:
  US12/501,111
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a computer-implemented search method including receiving, at a non-browser application on a computing device, part or all of a user search query. The method further includes displaying search results responsive to receiving the search query in the non-browser application. The method further includes receiving a user selection of one of the search results. The method further includes automatically displaying, in response to the user selection of the one of the search results, a landing page for the one of the search results in a web browser on the computing device. The method further includes receiving from the user a selection of a first back button in the web browser and, in response to the user selection of the first back button, activating the non-browser application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a native search application on a mobile computing device, one or more characters of a user search query entered at a search entry screen of the native search application;

displaying, in a native search results display of the native search application, native search results, the native search results being responsive to the user search query and based at least in part on data stored at the mobile computing device;

receiving a user selection of one of the native search results;

transmitting, by the native search application, a request to a browser application on the mobile computing device, wherein the request includes (i) data that references the user selection of one of the native search results and (ii) data that references a bouncer page, wherein the bouncer page includes code that instructs the browser application to access a landing page associated with the user selection of one of the native search results responsive to the bouncer page being initially loaded by the browser application, and to call the native search application responsive to the bouncer page being subsequently loaded by the browser application; and

replicating and displaying the native search results display in the web browser application in response to receiving the call from the bouncer page.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application and displaying, in response to a user selection of the back button, the search entry screen of the native search application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bouncer page is stored locally on the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data that references the bouncer page includes a state counter parameter that has a value that controls whether the bouncer page directs a user to the native search application or to the web browser application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the web browser application, a modification of the user search query and displaying, upon receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application, the search entry screen of the native search application including the modification of the user search query.

6. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a native search application on a mobile computing device, one or more characters of a user search query entered at a search entry screen of the native search application;

displaying, in a native search results display of the native search application, native search results, the native search results being responsive to the user search query and based at least in part on data stored at the mobile computing device;

receiving a user selection of one of the native search results;

transmitting, by the native search application, a request to a browser application on the mobile computing device, wherein the request includes (i) data that references the user selection of one of the native search results and (ii) data that references a bouncer page, wherein the bouncer page includes code that instructs the browser application to access a landing page associated with the user selection of one or the native search results responsive to the bouncer page being initially loaded by the browser application, and to call the native search application responsive to the bouncer page being subsequently loaded by the browser application; and

replicating and displaying the native search results display in the web browser application in response to receiving the call from the bouncer page.

7. The medium of claim 6, further comprising operations of receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application and displaying, in response to a user selection of the back button, the search entry screen of the native search application.

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the bouncer page is stored locally on the mobile computing device.

9. The medium of claim 6, wherein the data that references the bouncer page includes a state counter parameter that has a value that controls whether the bouncer page directs a user to the native search application or to the web browser application.

10. The medium of claim 6, further comprising operations of receiving, at the web browser application, a modification of the user search query and displaying, upon receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application, the search entry screen of the native search application including the modification of the user search query.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a native search application on a mobile computing device, one or more characters of a user search query entered at a search entry screen of the native search application;

displaying, in a native search results display of the native search application, native search results, the native search results being responsive to the user search query and based at least in part on data stored at the mobile computing device;

receiving a user selection of one of the native search results;

transmitting, by the native search application, a request to a browser application on the mobile computing device, wherein the request includes (i) data that references the user selection of one of the native search results and (ii) data that references a bouncer page, wherein the bouncer page includes code that instructs the browser application to access a landing page associated with the user selection of one of the native search results responsive to the bouncer page being initially loaded by the browser application, and to call the native search application responsive to the bouncer page being subsequently loaded by the browser application; and

replicating and displaying the native search results display in the web browser application in response to receiving the call from the bouncer page.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising actions of receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application and displaying, in response to a user selection of the back button, the search entry screen of the native search application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the bouncer page is stored locally on the mobile computing device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the data that references the bouncer page includes a state counter parameter that has a value that controls whether the bouncer page directs a user to the native search application or to the web browser application.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising operations of receiving, at the web browser application, a modification of the user search query and displaying, upon receiving a user section of a back button in the replicated display of the native search results display of the web browser application, the search entry screen of the native search application including the modification of the user search query.