Methods and systems for search indexing

• US 8,856,093 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X1 Discovery, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Future Search Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Gross, William, Colwell, Steven Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, JOHNESE T
• Application Number:
  US11/972,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9035 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

The present invention provides for quick and efficient searching. One embodiment includes a first instruction configured to read at least a first search string and a second search string entered into a same first search field, and a second instruction configured to incrementally filter search results to locate at least a first document that has a least a first word that begins with the first string and a second word that begins with the second string.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

providing, by a computing device having one or more processors, a user interface comprising a first field;

in response to receiving each character of a first string from a user-controlled input device in the first field;

determining, by the computing device, if the first string comprises a command by comparing the received characters of the first string to one or more predetermined command strings;

in response to determining that the received characters of the first string comprise a command, determining an executable software application associated with the command and launching the determined software application without user interaction; and

in response to determining that the first string does not comprise a command, initiating an incremental search configured to update a list of documents selected from a plurality of documents that each comprise the first string, wherein the list is updated as each character of the first string is received from the user-controlled input device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second string in the first field, wherein the first and second strings are separated by a string separator character in the first field.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said incremental search includes:

incrementally locating a first group of documents that has at least a first word that begins with the first string; and

incrementally locating a second group of documents that has at least a second word that begins with the second string and identifying one or more documents that are included in each of the first and second groups of documents;

wherein the list of documents comprises only the one or more identified documents that are included in each of the first and second groups of documents.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first string comprises a command and the second string comprises a command argument.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the software application is selected from the group comprising:

an email application, a word processing application, and a web browser.

6. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises one or more of:

creating an email using the second string to determine an addressee of the email;

finding a lowest online price for a product indicated in the second string;

finding a book at a Web site indicated in the second string;

finding a listing of movie show times;

launching a browser and opening a URL indicated in the second string;

converting data indicated in the second string from one set of units or currency to another;

launching a word processing application and opening a document indicated in the second string in the word processing application;

launching the word processing application and creating a new document in the word processing application;

launching a software application indicated in the second string;

searching an email index for one or more emails comprising at least a portion of the second string; and

searching a files index for one or more files comprising at least a portion of the second string.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining if the first string comprises a command comprises:

comparing at least a portion of the first string to a set of command strings each associated with a respective command; and

determining if the at least a portion of the first string corresponds to a command string in the set of command strings.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein selectively launching the software application comprises executing a command file edited by an end user.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein selectively launching the software application comprises executing a search application command.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining if a second string and a third string entered into the first field are command arguments, and if so, determining if there is an HTML violation.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if there is an ambiguity with respect to at least a first command entered by a user; and

presenting a list of user selectable options in order to resolve the ambiguity.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of documents comprises a plurality of email documents.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions that causes a computer to perform the process comprising:

providing a user interface comprising a first field;

receiving characters of a first string entered in the first field with a user-controlled input device;

after entry of each individual characters in the first field;

determining if the first string comprises a command;

in response to determining that the first string does comprise a command, selectively launching a software application associated with the command; and

in response to determining that the first string does not comprise a command, selectively initiating an incremental search of a plurality of documents in order to locate documents that each comprises the first string.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the set of instructions further causes the computer to perform the process comprising:

receiving a second string in the first field, wherein the first and second strings are separated by a string separator character in the first field.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first string comprises a command and the second string comprises a command argument.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the software application is selected from the group comprising:

an email application, a word processing application, and a web browser.

17. A computerized system for alternatively executing a command or performing a search in response to a first string received from a user-controlled input device in a first text entry field, the system comprising:

means for providing a user interface comprising a first text entry field;

means for receiving characters of a first string from a user-controlled input device in the first text entry field;

means for initiating an incremental search of a plurality of documents as characters of the first string are received from the user-controlled input device;

means for determining if the first string comprises a command as characters of the first string are received from the user-controlled input device; and

means for selectively launching a software application in response to determining that the first string comprises a command

means for selectively initiating an incremental search of a plurality of documents in response to determining that the first string is not a command, wherein the incremental search updates search results as characters of the first string are received from the user-controlled input device.

18. A computerized method of selectively executing a command, the method comprising:

receiving characters of a first string from a user-controlled input device in a text entry field;

initiating an incremental search of a plurality of documents in order to locate documents that each comprise received characters of the first string;

comparing the first string to each of a plurality of command strings that are associated with respective of a plurality of commands; and

in response to determining that the first string comprises a particular command strings, launching a software application that is associated with the particular command string

in response to determining that the first string does not comprise any of the command strings, initiating an incremental search of a plurality of documents in order to locate documents that each comprise the first string.

19. The computerized method of claim 18, wherein a first command comprises opening or launching an email application, a second command comprises opening or launching a word processing application, and third command comprises opening or launching a web browser.