User interface for searching an electronic document

• US 8,869,061 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bendig, Krista
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US10/652,766
• Time in Patent Office: 4,071 Days
• Field of Search: 715779-783, 715763-764, 715817-820, 715/853, 707/999.004, 707/999.005, 707/999.201
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) capable of presenting a display that indicates that navigation controls can be used for navigating through results of a search using a search engine. The GUI highlights the GUI control that accepts text characters for indicating a search term such that the area contrasts with the display of an adjacent display area in response to entering the search term. Once the search is initiated, such as by actuating a search initiation control, the GUI may change to highlight navigation controls to indicate that those controls can be used to navigate between search result hits. Additional icons or controls may be displayed to further indicate the function of navigation controls and actions that may be taken to further modify the display of controls, such as collapsing some of the controls.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for changing a first function of one or more navigation controls on a user interface to a second function, wherein the one or more navigation controls are located adjacent to one or more search controls, comprising the steps of:

changing a display image of the one or more search controls on the user interface in response to receiving a search term into a search term location;

assigning the second function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing the first function of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the second function comprises navigating between successive hits resulting from a search executed on the received search term, wherein the second function comprises causing the user interface to display at least one of a preceding and a succeeding page of content in an electronic document;

changing a display image of the one or more navigation controls on the user interface in response to the assigning of the second function to the one or more navigation controls; and

changing the depiction of at least one icon associated with the one or more navigation controls by replacing a first depiction associated with a search result to a second depiction indicating that the one or more navigation controls currently support the second function, the second depiction corresponding to a function for performing, in the electronic document the search.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of changing the display image of one or more search controls on the user interface comprises changing the color of the background of the display image of the one or more search controls.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein an electronic document editor comprises the search term location and the second function of the one or more navigation controls comprises changing the user interface to show a portion of an electronic document that contains a result of a user-initiated search using the electronic document editor.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional step of reassigning the first function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing the second function of the one or more navigation controls in response to ending a user-initiated search.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional step of changing a display image of one or more additional controls on the user interface in response to changing the display of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the one or more additional controls are located adjacent to the one or more navigation controls.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more additional controls comprise a control that discontinues displaying the one or more navigation controls on the user interface.

7. A computer-implemented method for changing the display of one or more navigation controls on a user interface of an electronic document editor, comprising the steps of:

changing a display image of the one or more navigation controls on the user interface in response to receiving a search term into a search term location of an electronic document editor, wherein changing the display image of the one or more navigation controls on the user interface comprises changing the color of the background of the display image of one or more search controls;

assigning a second function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing a first function of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the second function comprises navigating between successive hits resulting from a search executed on the received search term, wherein the second function comprises causing the user interface to display at least one of a preceding and a succeeding page of content in an electronic document;

changing a display image of the one or more navigation controls on the user interface in response to conducting a search of the search term with the electronic document editor, wherein the display image of the one or more navigation controls is displayed on the user interface adjacent to the display image of one or more search controls; and

changing the depiction of at least one icon associated with the one or more navigation controls by replacing a first depiction associated with a search result to a second depiction indicating that the one or more navigation controls currently support the second function, the second depiction corresponding to a function for performing, in the electronic document the search.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second function of the one or more navigation controls comprises changing a display to show a portion of the electronic document that contains a result of the search.

9. The method of claim 7 comprising the additional step of reassigning the first function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing the second function of the one or more navigation controls in response to ending the search.

10. The method of claim 7 comprising the additional step of changing a display image of one or more additional controls on the user interface in response to changing the display of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the one or more additional controls are located adjacent to the one or more navigation controls.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more additional controls comprise a control that discontinues displaying the one or more navigation controls on the user interface.

12. A computer-readable storage device storing a set of computer-executable instructions implementing a method for changing a first function of one or more navigation controls on the user interface to a second function, wherein the one or more navigation controls are located adjacent to one or more search controls, comprising the steps of:

changing a display image of the one or more search controls on a user interface display in response to receiving a search term into a search term location of an electronic document editor;

assigning a second function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing the first function of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the second function comprises navigating between successive hits resulting from a search executed on the received search term, wherein the second function comprises causing the user interface to display at least one of a preceding and a succeeding page of content in an electronic document;

changing a display image of the one or more navigation controls on the user interface in response to the assigning of the second function to the one or more navigation controls;

reassigning the first function to the one or more navigation controls while simultaneously discontinuing the second function of the one or more navigation controls in response to ending the user-initiated search; and

changing the depiction of at least one icon associated with the one or more navigation controls by replacing a first depiction associated with a search result to a second depiction indicating that the one or more navigation controls currently support the second function, the second depiction corresponding to a function for performing, in the electronic document the search.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12 wherein the step of changing the display image of one or more search controls on the user interface comprises changing the color of the background of the display image of one or more search controls.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12 wherein the second function of the one or more navigation controls changing a display to show a portion of the electronic document that contains a result of the user-initiated search.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12 comprising the additional step of changing a display image of one or more additional controls on the user interface in response to changing the display of the one or more navigation controls, wherein the one or more additional controls are located adjacent to the one or more navigation controls.