Search tool using multiple different search engine types across different data sets

• US 9,323,867 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Matthews, David A., Lerner, Matthew R, De Vorchik, David G., Sechrest, Stuart, Zou, Song, Anderson, Bret P
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Susan
• Application Number:
  US11/462,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,554 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a search tool that utilizes multiple different search engines. The individual search engines are configured to conduct searches in different ways across a search space that includes different types of data sets. In at least some embodiments, the type of search engine that is utilized is a function of characteristics of the data set(s) that is (are) to be searched. In search spaces that include different types of data sets, combining and mixing different search engines to collectively search the search space can provide a desirably fast and robust user experience.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method implemented on a computing device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the computing device to perform acts comprising:

receiving, a search input;

determining a size of a data set to be searched;

selecting a first search engine configured to conduct a first type of search or a second search engine configured to conduct a second type of search to search the data set, wherein the first search engine is selected to search the data set when the data set is determined to be equal to or below a defined size threshold and the second search engine is selected to search the data set when the data set is above the defined size threshold;

using the selected search engine to conduct a search for the search input; and

causing a display of results of the search.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first search engine configured to conduct the first type of search comprises a search engine configured to conduct a linear search.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second search engine configured to conduct the second type of search comprises a search engine configured to conduct an index search.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of using and causing display is performed on a letter-by-letter basis.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the selected search engine when the size of that data set changes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting is further based at least in part on a query string length.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting the first search engine if the query string length is two letters or less, and selecting the second search engine if the query string length is three letters or more.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of causing display comprises displaying the results of the search in defined groups.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the defined groups include programs, web-related items, files, and communications.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first search engine is configured to conduct a linear search that linearly searches a collection of items in the data set and the second search engine is configured to conduct an index search that searches an index which indexes content in the data set.

11. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable medium; and

an interface to utilize multiple different search engines, individual ones of which being configured to be selected and used to conduct different types of searches across different types of data sets,

wherein if a data set size is equal to or below a defined size threshold then the computing device selects a first one of the multiple different search engines and if the data set size exceeds the defined size threshold then the computing device selects a second one of the multiple different search engines.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is configured to cause display of search results on a letter-by-letter basis.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is configured to receive a search input on a start menu user interface, wherein the start menu user interface comprises functionality to search for a program to launch;

search for documents, pictures, or music; and

access a control panel.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein a first one of the multiple different search engines comprises a search engine configured to conduct a linear search by linearly searching a collection of items across one or more data sets and a second one of the multiple different search engines comprises a search engine configured to conduct an index search by searching an index which indexes content across one or more data sets.

15. A computer-implemented method implemented on a computing device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the computing device to perform acts comprising:

selecting a first one of multiple different search engines to conduct a first type of search across a first data set comprising part of a search space, the selecting based at least in part on the first data set having a size that is equal to or below a defined size threshold;

selecting a second one of the multiple different search engines to conduct a second type of search across a second type of data set comprising part of the search space, the selecting based at least in part on the second data set having a size that exceeds the defined size threshold;

using the first of the multiple different search engines to generate a first search result by conducting the first type of search across the first data set; and

using the second of the multiple different search engines to generate a second search result by conducting the second type of search across the second data set.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first type of search comprises a linear search and the second type of search comprises an index search.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a search input in a start menu user interface, wherein the start menu user interface comprises functionality to search for a program to launch;

search for documents, pictures, or music; and

access a control panel.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising causing display of both the first search result and the second search result.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first search result and the second search result are displayed together with individual ones of the search results separated into a plurality of defined groups.