Method and apparatus for contextual search and query refinement on consumer electronics devices
First Claim
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1. A method for automatically obtaining relevant search results from a search engine for a user who is using an electronic device, though a keyboard is not used to manually input search terms, the method comprising:
- facilitating communication between a first electronic device, which is a movie player or a music player, with one or more other devices in a local home network;
obtaining a media name from one of the devices in the local home network that helps identify a particular song, music group, album or movie that has been played on the first electronic device wherein the media name is at least one selected from the group consisting of a movie title, a song title, a music album name and a music group name;
performing two linked searches, a first search and a linked second search, to obtain additional information for the user that relates to media played on the first electronic device, wherein the two linked searches do not involve search terms that are directly inputted by the user and wherein the two linked searches include;
automatically performing a first search of the Internet using one or more search terms that include at least a part of the media name;
identifying a plurality of web pages using the first search;
receiving web page text contained in the plurality of web pages identified in the first search;
automatically analyzing the web page text to determine that some of the web page text provides additional contextual information relating to the media name;
automatically selecting at least some of the web page text to use as one or more search terms in the second search;
automatically performing the second search on an external network using the selected web page text as one or more search terms in the second search;
receiving a search result in response to the second search; and
displaying information to the user based on the search result from the second search.
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Abstract
A method and a system for searching for information using an electronic device, such as a consumer electronic device, that can be connected to a network. Such searching for information involves determining a context for a search for information, forming a search query based on the context of search for information, and performing a contextual search based on the search query. Performing the contextual search further includes performing a query refinement.
195 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for automatically obtaining relevant search results from a search engine for a user who is using an electronic device, though a keyboard is not used to manually input search terms, the method comprising:
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facilitating communication between a first electronic device, which is a movie player or a music player, with one or more other devices in a local home network; obtaining a media name from one of the devices in the local home network that helps identify a particular song, music group, album or movie that has been played on the first electronic device wherein the media name is at least one selected from the group consisting of a movie title, a song title, a music album name and a music group name; performing two linked searches, a first search and a linked second search, to obtain additional information for the user that relates to media played on the first electronic device, wherein the two linked searches do not involve search terms that are directly inputted by the user and wherein the two linked searches include; automatically performing a first search of the Internet using one or more search terms that include at least a part of the media name; identifying a plurality of web pages using the first search; receiving web page text contained in the plurality of web pages identified in the first search; automatically analyzing the web page text to determine that some of the web page text provides additional contextual information relating to the media name; automatically selecting at least some of the web page text to use as one or more search terms in the second search; automatically performing the second search on an external network using the selected web page text as one or more search terms in the second search; receiving a search result in response to the second search; and displaying information to the user based on the search result from the second search. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computing system suitable for automatically obtaining relevant search results from a search engine for a user who is using an electronic device, though a keyboard is not used to manually input search terms, comprising:
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at least one processor; at least one memory that stores computer readable instructions, which when executed by the computing system cause the computing system to; facilitate communication between a first electronic device, which is a movie player or a music player, with one or more other devices in a local home network; obtain a media name from one of the devices in the local home network that helps identify a particular song, music group, album or movie that has been played on the first electronic device wherein the media name is at least one selected from the group consisting of a movie title, a song title, a music album name and a music group name; perform two linked searches, a first search and a linked second search, to obtain additional information for the user that relates to media played on the first electronic device, wherein the two linked searches do not involve search terms that are directly inputted by the user; automatically perform the first search wherein the first search is of the Internet and uses one or more search terms that include at least a part of the media name; identify a plurality of web pages using the first search; receive web page text contained in the plurality of web pages identified in the first search; automatically analyze the web page text to determine that some of the web page text provides additional contextual information relating to the media name; automatically select at least some of the web page text to use as one or more search terms in the second search; automatically perform the second search on an external network using the selected web page text as one or more search terms in the second search second search query, which is based on the first and second sets of search terms; receive a search result in response to the second search; and display information to the user based on the search result from the second search. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An electronic device that automatically obtains relevant search results from a search engine for a user, though a keyboard is not used to manually input search terms, wherein the electronic device includes:
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executable code operable to facilitate communication between a electronic device, which is a movie player or a music player, with one or more other devices in a local home network; executable code operable to obtain a media name from one of the devices in the local home network that helps identify a particular song, music group, album or movie that has been played on the electronic device wherein the media name is at least one selected from the group consisting of a movie title, a song title, a music album name and a music group name; executable code operable to perform two linked searches, a first search and a linked second search, to obtain additional information for the user that relates to media played on the electronic device, wherein the two linked searches do not involve search terms that are directly inputted by the user; executable code operable to automatically perform the first search of the Internet using one or more search terms that include at least a part of the media name; executable code operable to identify a plurality of web pages using the first search; executable code operable to receive web page text contained in the plurality of web pages identified in the first search; executable code operable to automatically analyze the web page text to determine that some of the web page text provides additional contextual information relating to the media name; executable code operable to automatically select at least some of the web page text to use as one or more search terms in the second search; executable code operable to automatically perform the second search on an external network using the selected web page text as one or more search terms in the second search; executable code operable to receive a search result in response to the second search; and executable code operable to display information to the user based on the search result from the second search. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A method for automatically obtaining more accurate and relevant information relating to music that a user is playing on an electronic device, the method comprising:
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facilitating communication between a first electronic device, which is a music player, with one or more other devices in a local home network; determining that the first electronic device is currently playing music; performing three searches, a first local search, a second Internet search and a third search, to obtain additional information for the user that relates to the music played on the first electronic device, wherein the three searches do not involve search terms that are directly inputted by the user and wherein the three searches involve; automatically performing the first search of the one or more networked devices in the local home network to find out more information relating to the music that is being played on the first electronic device; automatically performing the second search of the Internet to find out more information relating to the music that is being played on the first electronic device; receiving preliminary search results in response to the first and second searches; determining from the preliminary search results a media name that helps describe the music played on the first electronic device, the media name being one selected from the group consisting of a name of an album that contains the played music, a name of a music group that performs the played music and a name of an artist that performs the played music; forming a search query using the media name as one or more search terms; adding one or more additional search terms to the search query that indicate an interest in additional background information for the media name, the background information being at least one selected from the group consisting of lyrics of the played song and biographical information about the artist that performs the played music; after the additional terms have been added to the search query, performing the third search of the Internet using the search query; receiving search results in response to the third search that contains said background information; and displaying information to the user based on the search results received in response to the third search. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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Specification