Enabling a search for both local and remote electronic content

• US 9,069,852 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goel, Surendra, Donaldson, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKS, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/552,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,170 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/174 Redundancy elimination performed by the file system management of the data involved in backup or backup restore using de-duplication of the data G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9014 hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A search for content may be performed. A query may be received from a user who is interacting with a first device. A first collection of content that is stored on the first device may be searched to identify local content that is related to the query. A second collection of content that is stored on a second device may be searched to identify remote content that is related to the query. The second device may be different from the first device and may be accessible through a network. Results that refer to both the identified local content and the identified remote content may be displayed to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, on a client device, a local electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by the client device;

storing, on the client device, a remote electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by one or more remote devices connected to a non-local network;

receiving, at the client device, a single query comprising a search term input by the user at the client device;

responsive to the query, searching, by the client device, the stored local electronic content index and the remote electronic content index based on the search term, including;

comparing the search term against the stored local electronic content index to derive a first result, the first result including an identification of electronic content stored by the client device that corresponds to the search term; and

comparing the search term against the stored remote electronic content index to obtain a second result, the second result including an identification of electronic content stored by the one or more remote devices on the non-local network that corresponds to the search term; and

displaying, by the client device, information associated with the first result and the second result to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises:

combining the first result and the second result into an amalgamated result; and

displaying the amalgamated result to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the amalgamated result comprises:

displaying the amalgamated result without indicating that the amalgamated result was derived from the first result or the second result.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising ranking the first result and the second result within the amalgamated list based on a source of the first result and a source of the second result.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching comprises:

searching the stored local electronic content index and the remote electronic content index in response to a single input action by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the local electronic content index and the remote electronic content index is an inverted index.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching of the stored local electronic content index and the remote electronic content index based on the received search term is performed upon receipt of the single query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the non-local network comprises the Internet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the non-local network comprises a Wide Area Network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device comprises a mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile telephone.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the search term against the stored local electronic content index and comparing the search term against the stored remote electronic content index occurs concurrently.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the search term against the stored local electronic content index and comparing the search term against the stored remote electronic content index occurs simultaneously.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first label in association with the first result; and

displaying a second label in association with the second result.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first label indicates that the first result relates to electronic content stored by the client device and the second label indicates that the second result relates to electronic content stored by the one or more remote devices.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received by way of at least one of a graphical user interface, a touch screen, or a voice command.

17. A method comprising:

storing, on a client device, a local electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by the client device;

storing, on the client device, a remote electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by one or more remote devices connected to a non-local network;

receiving, at the client device, a single query comprising a search term input by the user at the client device;

responsive to the query, searching, by the client device, the stored local electronic content index and the remote electronic content index based on the search term, including;

comparing the search term against the stored local electronic content index to derive a first result, the first result including a first identifier associated with electronic content stored by the client device that corresponds to the search term; and

comparing the search term against the stored remote electronic content index to obtain a second result, the second result including a second identifier associated with electronic content stored by the one or more remote devices on the non-local network that corresponds to the search term; and

displaying, by the client device, the first and second identifiers to the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the non-local network comprises the Internet.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the non-local network comprises a Wide Area Network.

20. A method comprising:

storing, on a client device, a local electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by the client device;

storing, on the client device, a remote electronic content index indexing at least a portion of electronic content stored by one or more remote devices connected to a non-local network;

receiving a query input by the user at the client device;

searching, by the client device using the query, the local electronic content index to identify local electronic content stored by the client device that is related to the query; and

searching, by the client device using the query, the remote electronic content index to identify remote electronic content-stored by the one or more remote devices that is related to the query; and

displaying, by the client device to a user, an amalgamated list of results that refer to both the identified local electronic content and the identified remote electronic content.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

comparing the identified local electronic content with the identified remote electronic content; and

based on the comparison, eliminating duplicate results that occur in both the identified local electronic content and the identified remote electronic content,

wherein displaying the results comprises;

displaying, to the user, results that refer to the identified local electronic content and the identified remote electronic content after eliminating the duplicate results.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

comparing the identified local electronic content with the identified remote electronic content; and

based on the comparison, identifying duplicate results that occur in both the identified local electronic content and the identified remote electronic content,

wherein displaying results comprises;

based on the identification of the duplicate results, displaying the duplicate results and at least one indicator that provides an indication of the duplicate results.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein displaying the results comprises:

determining sources of the identified local electronic content, the identified remote electronic content, or both the identified local electronic content and the identified remote electronic content; and

based on the determination, concurrently displaying the results with indications of the determined sources.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the non-local network comprises the Internet.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the non-local network comprises a Wide Area Network.

26. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a query comprising a search term input by the user at the client device;

generating, by the client device, a local electronic content index based on at least a portion of electronic content stored on the client device;

storing the local electronic content index on the client device;

comparing, by the client device, the search term against the stored local electronic content index to identify a local search result, the local search result identifying electronic content stored on the client device that corresponds to the search term;

generating, by the client device, a remote electronic content index based on at least a portion of electronic content stored by one or more remote devices connected to a non-local network;

storing the remote electronic content index on the client device;

comparing, by the client device, the search term against the stored remote electronic content index to identify a remote search result, the remote search result identifying electronic content stored by the one or more remote devices connected to the non-local network that corresponds to the search term;

generating, by the client device, amalgamated results based on the local search result and the remote search result, the amalgamated results comprising rankings of the local search result and the remote search result; and

enabling display of the amalgamated results to the user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein generating the local electronic content index comprises:

generating the local electronic content index in response to an action of the user of the client device.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the local electronic content index or the remote electronic content index comprises an inverted index.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein generating the amalgamated results comprises:

identifying, based on the local search result and the remote search result, a duplicate result associated with the client device and the remote device.