System and method for displaying both multimedia events search results and internet search results

• US 9,084,025 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, Richard Carl III, Zhang, Lucy Congyun, Patel, Manish Gordhan, Scott, Maricia, Tull, Alice, Taylor, Thomas H., Sahami, Mehran, Bauer, Marisa Belen Louick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US11/834,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,899 Days
• Field of Search: 725/53, 725/56
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

A system and method for presenting search results, including receiving a set of search results corresponding to a search query. The search results include: first results and second results. The first result corresponds to one or more time-bounded events, scheduled for showing on one or more television channels, that match the search query, and include links to an online application for accessing additional information about the one or more time-bounded events. The second results correspond to Internet accessible documents that satisfy the search query, and include links to the Internet accessible documents that satisfy the search query. The method also includes presenting the first and second results in a single web browser window.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors to perform the method, performing the operations of;

responsive to a user search query for one or more electronic documents, wherein the user search query includes a search keyword

(A) obtaining a first set of time-bounded event results in accordance with a determination that the search keyword corresponds to one or more time-bounded events scheduled for showing on one or more television channels, including;

invoking a first search query having the search keyword against a time-bounded event database, wherein the first set of time-bounded event results corresponds to the one or more time-bounded events; and

(B) obtaining a second set of electronic document results, including;

independent from invoking the first search query,

invoking using a web search engine a second search query having the search keyword against an electronic document database distinct and separate from the time-bounded event database, wherein the second set of results corresponds to Internet accessible documents that satisfy the second search query; and

presenting concurrently

(i) the first set of time-bounded event results,

(ii) the second set of electronic document results, in a single web browser window, including;

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in a contiguous sub-region of the web browser window and

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in manner that is visually distinguished from the second set of electronic document results, and

(iii) in the contiguous sub-region of the web browser window in which the first set of time-bounded event results is displayed, a user-selectable option enabling a user to record a respective time-bounded event of the first set of time-bounded event results on a media content recording device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of electronic document results is displayed in a second region of the web browser window that excludes the contiguous sub-region of the web browser window in which the first set of time-bounded event results is displayed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second sets of results are displayed in a list, and wherein the first set of time-bounded event results are displayed above the second set of electronic document results on the list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting concurrently with the (i) the first set of time-bounded event results, and (ii) the second set of electronic document results,

(iii) an option enabling a user to add a calendar reminder corresponding to an time-bounded event in the one or more time-bounded events.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting scheduling information for a respective time-bounded events in the one or more time-bounded events in a grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of time-bounded event results is selected in accordance with a geographic location and a television showings provider associated with a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein (i) the first set of time-bounded event results is obtained automatically without user intervention, responsive to the user search query for the one or more electronic documents.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first set of time-bounded event results includes one or more television program titles comprising a word matching the search keyword.

9. A system for presenting search results, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more programs stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

responsive to a user search query for one or more electronic documents, wherein the user search query includes a search keyword

(A) obtaining a first set of time-bounded event results in accordance with a determination that the search keyword corresponds to one or more time-bounded events scheduled for showing on one or more television channels, including;

invoking a first search query having the search keyword against a time-bounded event database, wherein the first set of results corresponds to the one or more time-bounded events; and

(B) obtaining a second set of electronic document results, including;

independent from invoking the first search query,

 

invoking using a web search engine a second search query having the search keyword against an electronic document database distinct and separate from the time-bounded event database, wherein the second set of results corresponds to Internet accessible documents that satisfy the second search query; and

presenting concurrently

(i) the first set of time-bounded event results,

(ii) the second set of electronic document results, in a single web browser window, including;

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in a contiguous sub-region of the web browser window and

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in manner that is visually distinguished from the second set of electronic document results, and

(iii) in the contiguous sub-region of the web browser window in which the first set of time-bounded event results is displayed, a user-selectable option enabling a user to record a respective time-bounded event of the first set of time-bounded event results on a media content recording device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

responsive to a user search query for one or more electronic documents, wherein the user search query includes a search keyword

(A) obtaining a first set of time-bounded event results in accordance with a determination that the search keyword corresponds to one or more time-bounded events scheduled for showing on one or more television channels, including;

invoking a first search query having the search keyword against a time-bounded event database, wherein the first set of results corresponds to the one or more time-bounded events; and

(B) obtaining a second set of electronic document results, including;

independent from invoking the first search query,

invoking using a web search engine a second search query having the search keyword against an electronic document database distinct and separate from the time-bounded event database, wherein the second set of results corresponds to Internet accessible documents that satisfy the second search query; and

presenting concurrently

(i) the first set of time-bounded event results,

(ii) the second set of electronic document results, in a single web browser window, including;

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in a contiguous sub-region of the web browser window and

presenting the first set of time-bounded event results in manner that is visually distinguished from the second set of electronic document results, and

(iii) in the contiguous sub-region of the web browser window in which the first set of time-bounded event results is displayed, a user-selectable option enabling a user to record a respective time-bounded event of the first set of time-bounded event results on a media content recording device.