Searching at a user device

• US 8,988,377 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Abate, Umberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Van
• Application Number:
  US13/674,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Method, computer program product and user device for searching implemented at the user device, wherein an input is received from a user via a touch screen of the user device. Without user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive the input, the input is analyzed using character recognition. Responsive to the character recognition recognizing at least one character in said received input, a search mode is invoked in which one or more search results which at least partially match the at least one recognized character are displayed. The user may select one of the displayed search results.

Claims

1. A method of searching implemented at a user device, the method comprising:

receiving a written input from a user via a touch screen of the user device;

without user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive said written input, analysing the written input using character recognition;

responsive to the character recognition recognizing at least one character in said received written input, invoking a search mode;

in said search mode;

displaying one or more search results which at least partially match the at least one recognized character; and

displaying feedback of the written input received from the user overlaid on the displayed search results, the displayed feedback gradually fading over time; and

receiving a user selection of one of the displayed search results.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is used both as an input area for receiving the written input, and as a display for displaying the one or more search results.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one character in the received written input comprises a plurality of characters which are recognized by the character recognition.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the displayed search results are updated each time one of the plurality of characters is recognized by the character recognition.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more search results are retrieved from at least one group of items which may be searched.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one group of items includes at least one of:

contacts, communication events, bookmarks, applications, files, or place names.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the groups of items which are searched are limited by a context of an application executing at the device when the written input is received from the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of search results are displayed and wherein the order of the displayed search results is determined based on at least one of:

how well the search result matches the at least one recognized character, or a context of an application executing at the device when the written input is received from the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected one of the displayed search results is a contact of the user and wherein the method further comprises initiating a communication event with the contact in response to receiving said user selection of the contact.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second written input from the user via a touch screen of the user device;

displaying revised search results which at least partially match characters recognized from the written input and the second written input; and

displaying feedback of the written input and the second written input received from the user overlaid on the displayed revised search results, the displayed feedback of the written input and the second written input gradually fading over time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the feedback for the written input is more faded than the feedback for the second written input.

10. A method of searching implemented at a user device, the method comprising:

receiving a written input from a user via a touch screen of the user device;

displaying feedback on the touch screen showing the written input received from the user, wherein the feedback displayed on the touch screen fades gradually over time;

analysing the received written input using character recognition;

responsive to the character recognition recognizing at least one character in said received written input, displaying on the touch screen one or more search results which at least partially match the at least one recognized character; and

receiving a user selection of one of the displayed search results.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the displayed feedback is overlaid on the displayed search results on the touch screen.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said analysing the received written input is performed without user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive said written input.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive said written input, wherein said analysing the received written input using character recognition is performed only if the temporary character recognition mode has been initiated.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said user initiation of the temporary character recognition mode comprises receiving a predefined input from the user via the touch screen or another input component of the user device.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein said at least one character in the received written input comprises a plurality of characters which are recognized by the character recognition, and wherein the displayed search results are updated each time one of the plurality of characters is recognized by the character recognition.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more search results are retrieved from at least one group of items which may be searched.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one group of items includes at least one of:

contacts, communication events, bookmarks, applications, files, or place names.

18. A computer-readable hardware storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor of a user device to perform operations for searching at the user device, the operations comprising:

receiving a written input from a user via a touch screen of the user device;

without user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive said written input, analysing the written input using character recognition;

responsive to the character recognition recognizing at least one character in said received written input, invoking a search mode;

in said search mode;

displaying one or more search results which at least partially match the at least one recognized character; and

displaying feedback of the written input received from the user overlaid on the displayed search results, the displayed feedback gradually fading over time; and

receiving a user selection of one of the displayed search results.