Search in application launcher

• US 9,311,069 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Murphy, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US13/802,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and machine-implemented method for facilitating an application launcher providing direct access to one or more items, the method including identifying one or more items maintained at one or more sources accessible by the user at the computing device meeting search criteria specified by a user, determining an application associated with each of the one or more items facilitating access to the item, generating an instance of each of the one or more items facilitating direct user interaction with the item, where the user is able to interact with the item directly from the instance of the item and providing the instance of each of the one or more items for display to the user at the computing device in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user with access to an item, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a search request from a user at a computing device, the search request including one or more search criteria;

identifying one or more items maintained at one or more sources accessible by the user at the computing device meeting the search criteria, wherein at least one identified item is not locally available;

determining an application associated with each of the one or more items, wherein an application is associated with an item when the application facilitates access to the item;

generating an instance of each of the one or more items; and

providing the instance of each of the one or more items for display to the user at the computing device in response to the search request,

wherein the provided instance of each of the one or more items facilitates user interaction with the item with at least partial functionality directly from the provided instance of the item without accessing the application associated with the item,

wherein the item is provided for downloading when the item is not locally available, and

wherein the application associated with the item is provided for downloading to provide additional functionality when the application associated with the item is not locally available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first item of the one or more items comprises one or more of an uninstalled application not yet installed at the computing device or data accessible through an uninstalled application not yet installed at the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the application associated with the first item comprises an application store maintaining one or more third party applications available for installing at the user computer including the uninstalled application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating an instance of the first item comprises accessing the uninstalled application within the application store, and installing the uninstalled application, such that the user is able to interact with the first item through the instance of the first item.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating an instance of the first item comprises providing a link for display to the user along with the instance of the item such that the user is able to install the uninstalled application directly through the link without having to be redirected to the application store.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user to install the uninstalled application;

installing the application and enabling the user to directly interact with the first item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items comprise one or more of one or more applications or one or more data available through one or more applications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sources accessible by the user comprise one or more of one or more applications locally installed at the computing device of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application associated with each of the one or more items comprises one of an application locally stored at the computing device or an application not yet locally stored at the computing device but accessible for installation at the computing device through a second application locally stored at the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an application icon corresponding to the application associated with the item to the user, wherein the user is able to select the application icon to be redirected to the application to further interact with the item.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing each of the one or more items at the determined application associated with the item, and retrieving the item from the application.

12. A system for facilitating an application launcher providing direct access to one or more items, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving one or more search criteria provided by a user at a computing device;

identifying one or more items maintained at one or more sources accessible by the user at the computing device meeting the one or more search criteria, wherein at least one identified item is not locally available;

generating an instance of each of the one or more items, the instance of the item facilitating direct user interaction with the item; and

providing the instance of each of the one or more items for display to the user in response to the search request, wherein the item or an application associated with the item is downloaded to provide additional functionality when the item or the application associated with the item is not locally available, and wherein the user is able to interact with the item with at least partial functionality directly from the provided instance of the item being displayed without being redirected to the application associated with the item.

13. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

accessing each of the one or more items at an application associated with each of the one or more items, wherein an application is associated with an item when the application facilitates access to the item.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein providing the one or more items for display comprises:

displaying one or more of the instance of each of the one or more items and an application icon representing the application associated with each of the one or more items to the user in a graphical user interface.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein providing the one or more items for display comprises:

displaying a link for installing at least one application corresponding to at least one of the one or more items or providing access to the at least one of the one or more items, where the at least one application is not locally installed at the computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user to install the at least one application through the link; and

installing the application and enabling the user to directly interact with the at least one item through the displayed instance of the at least one item.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more search criteria provided by a user at a computing device;

identifying one or more items accessible through one or more applications accessible by the user at the computing device meeting the one or more search criteria, wherein at least one identified item is not locally available;

identifying an application associated with each of the one or more items;

generating an instance of each of the one or more items, the instance of the item facilitating direct user interaction with the item; and

providing the instance of each of the one or more items for display to the user in response to the search request, wherein the item or the application associated with the item is downloaded to provide additional functionality when the item or the application associated with the item is not locally available, and wherein the user is able to interact with the item with at least partial functionality directly from the provided instance of the item being displayed without being redirected to the application associated with the item.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

accessing each of the one or more items at the application associated with each of the one or more items, wherein an application is associated with an item when the application facilitates access to the item and retrieving the item from the application.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more sources accessible by the user comprise one or more of one or more applications locally installed at the computing device of the user.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the application associated with each of the one or more items comprises one of an application locally stored at the computing device or an application not yet locally stored at the computing device but accessible for installation at the computing device through a second application locally stored at the computing device.