Contextual search by a mobile communications device

• US 8,825,699 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Kruzeniski, Michael J., Apfel, Darren A., Friedman, Jonathan D., Holmes, Kathleen W., Wykes, David Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US12/433,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20100105370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 707/805, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/770
• 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 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 : for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Contextual search by a mobile communications device is described. In an implementation, a search query is a received and a context is detected of a user interface currently being displayed on a display device of a mobile communications device. One or more search results are displayed on a display device of a search performed in the detected context using the search query.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising a display device and one or more modules configured to:

display search results on the display device of a first search performed in a first context that involves a single application based on a search query;

reduce a search query input area on the display device in response to an input to scroll through the search results;

during display of the search results of the first search and responsive to receiving an input via a pan gesture that indicates that a scope of the first search is to be expanded to another application, perform a second search that includes a second context that involves the other application, the second search being performed without manual reentry of the search query; and

responsive to receiving the input via the pan gesture, cause the second search to expand from searching content in a local storage of the mobile communications device to searching content remote from the mobile communications device.

2. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the first search is for content that is local to the mobile communications device and the second search is for content accessible to the mobile communications device via a network connection.

3. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second searches involve telephone numbers.

4. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the first context is user selectable through interaction with a user interface displayed on the display device.

5. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, the one or more modules further configured to output the search results of the first search in a plurality of categories.

6. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, the one or more modules further configured to display search results of the second search on the display device.

7. A method comprising:

displaying search results on a display device of a mobile communications device, the search results of a first search performed in a first context that involves a first application based on a search query;

responsive to receiving a vertical pan gesture on the display device of the mobile communications device, scrolling through the search results of the first search and reducing a search query input area displayed in a user interface of the mobile communications device; and

responsive to receiving a horizontal pan gesture on the display device of the mobile communications device, performing a second search that includes a second context that involves a second application which was not part of the first search, the second search being performed without manual reentry of the search query, the second application being determined based, at least in part, on the horizontal pan gesture.

8. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the horizontal pan gesture causes the search to be expanded past local storage of the mobile communications device to include content available remotely over a network.

9. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the first search is for content that is local to the mobile communications device and the second search is for content that accessible to the mobile communications device via a network connection.

10. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the first and second searches involve at least a portion of a telephone number.

11. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the first context is user selectable through interaction with a user interface displayed on the display device.

12. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising animating a visual representation on the display device of the mobile communications device to indicate the context of the first search.

13. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising initiating another search in a different context responsive to scrolling past the end of the search results of the first search performed in the first context.

14. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the first context and the second context each correspond to an individual application.

15. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising associating content with the first context based on an extension type.

16. One or more computer readable memory devices comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a mobile communications device, causes the mobile communications device to perform operations comprising:

displaying search results on a display device of the mobile communications device, the search results of a first search performed in a first context that involves a single application based on a search query;

reducing a search query input area on the display device in response to an input to scroll through the search results;

if an input is received via a single press of a button of the mobile communications device that indicates that a scope of the first search is to be expanded beyond the first context that involves the single application, performing a second search that includes a second context that involves a plurality of applications stored on the mobile communications device; and

if a subsequent input is received via another single press of the button of the mobile communications device, performing a third search that includes a third context, the third search being performed for content accessible via a network, the second search and the third search being performed without manual reentry of the search query.

17. One or more computer readable memory devices as described in claim 16, wherein the button comprises a back button.

18. One or more computer readable memory devices as described in claim 16, wherein the first search is for content that is local to the mobile communications device and the third search is for content that accessible to the mobile communications device via a network connection.

19. One or more computer readable memory devices as described in claim 16, wherein the first and second searches involve a location.

20. One or more computer readable memory devices as described in claim 16, wherein the first context is user selectable through interaction with a user interface displayed on the display device.