Method and system for previewing search results

• US 9,384,279 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unquery Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Charles Reed
• Inventors: Reed, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Susan
• Application Number:
  US14/098,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method for providing a search sample without a search being triggered is disclosed. The method includes receiving at least one partial search term in a search box. Probable search terms are determined by comparing the at least one partial search term to a database of common search terms. The probable search terms are displayed in a format that include a link to a sample search of each probable search term and a backslide button. When the link to a sample search of a probable search term is selected in the probable search terms, the sample search is displayed in a format that includes a close link. When the close link is selected in the sample search, the probable search terms are displayed again. When the backslide button is selected, the right most word from the search term is deleted.

Claims

1. A method for conserving bandwidth, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a user input captured by a human interface device associated with the client device, wherein the user input includes a partial search term comprising at least two words;

generating a first message by the client device and transmitting the first message to a server, wherein the first message contains the user input, wherein the first message causes the server to determine a plurality of probable search terms by comparing the partial search term to a database of common search terms;

receiving, at the client device, a second message from the server, wherein the second message contains the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the second message causes the client device to display, on a display associated with the client device, the plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button associated with each probable search term;

generating a third message by the client device and transmitting, by the client device, the third message to the server, wherein the third message contains a request for a sample search of a selected probable search term, and wherein the third message was sent by the client device as a result of a user selection of the preview link or button associated with one of the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the selected probable search term is the one of the plurality of probable search terms associated with preview link or button that was selected, and wherein the third message causes the server to retrieve the sample search, wherein the sample search comprises at least one top result of a search using the selected probable search term, wherein the at least one top result comprises information relating to at least one web page corresponding to the at least one top result; and

receiving, by the client device, a fourth message from the server, wherein the fourth message contains the sample search associated with the selected probable search term, and wherein the fourth message causes the client device to display, on the display associated with the client device, the sample search results in a selectable format that includes a run search link or button, and wherein selecting one of the sample search results causes a corresponding web page to be loaded,

wherein transmission of the first, second, third, and fourth messages, in total, requires less bandwidth, at the client device, than transmission of a full search based on the selected probable search term.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface displayed on the display associated with the client device further includes a search box where the user input is entered and a search button that is associated with the search box, the method further comprising:

on a condition that the search button associated with the search box is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the partial search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve a full search wherein the full search contains a plurality of results based on the partial search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search based on the partial search term.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a backslide button that is associated with the search box, the method further comprising:

on a condition that the backslide button associated with the search box is selected, removing the last word of the at least one partial search term so that the at least one partial search term becomes a shortened partial search term;

generating a fifth message by the client device and transmitting the fifth message to the server, wherein the fifth message contains updated user input, and wherein the updated user input includes the shortened partial search term comprising one fewer word than the partial search term, and wherein the fifth message causes the server to determine a second plurality of probable search terms by comparing the shortened partial search term to a database of common search terms; and

receiving, by the client device, a sixth message from the server, wherein the sixth message includes the second plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the sixth message causes the client device to display, on the display associated with the client device, the second plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button associated with each probable search term.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

on a condition that the run search link is selected, generating a full search request message by the client device and transmitting the full search request message to the server, wherein the full search request message contains the selected probable search term, wherein the full search request message causes the server to retrieve a full search, wherein the full search contains a plurality of results based on the selected probable search term;

receiving, at the client device, a full search response message from the server, wherein the full search response message includes the plurality of results, and wherein the full search response message causes the client device to display, on the graphical user interface, a full search result based on the selected probable search term.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a server remote from the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining probable search terms occurs on a user computing device.

7. A system for providing a preview search of a probable search term prior to executing a full search while conserving bandwidth, the system comprising:

a client device comprising a display and a human interface device, the client device configured to;

receive a user input captured by a human interface device associated with the client device, wherein the user input includes a partial search term comprising at least two words;

generating a first message by the client device and transmit the first message to a server, wherein the first message contains the user input;

receive a second message, in response to the first message, from the server, wherein the second message contains a plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the second message causes the client device to display, on a display associated with the client device, the plurality of probable search terms in a selectable format that includes a preview link or button associated with each probable search term;

generate a third message, in response to the second message, and transmit the third message to the server, wherein the third message contains a request for a sample search of a selected probable search term, and wherein the third message was sent by the client device as a result of a user selection of the preview link or button associated with one of the plurality of probable search terms, and wherein the selected probable search term is the one of the plurality of probable search terms associated with preview link or button that was selected;

receive a fourth message, in response to the third message, from the server, wherein the fourth message contains a sample search associated with the selected probable search term, and wherein the fourth message causes the client device to display, on the display associated with the client device, the sample search results in a selectable format that includes a run search link or button, and wherein selecting one of the sample search results causes a corresponding web page to be loaded;

a server comprising an electronic circuit configured to;

in response to receiving the first message, determine a plurality of probable search terms by comparing the partial search term to a database of common search terms,

generate and transmit the second message containing the plurality of probable search terms;

in response to receiving the third message, retrieve the sample search, wherein the sample search comprises at least one top result of a search using the selected probable search term, wherein the at least one top result comprises information relating to at least one web page corresponding to the at least one top result,

wherein transmission of the first, second, third, and fourth messages, in total, requires less bandwidth, at the client device, than transmission of a full search based on the selected probable search term.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein a graphical user interface is displayed on the display of the client device, wherein the graphical user interface includes a search button associated with a search box and the client device is further configured to display a full search based on the at least one partial search term on a condition that the search button associated with the search box is selected.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein a backslide button is associated with the search box and the client device is further configured to remove the last word of the partial search term on a condition that the backslide button associated with the search box is selected.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the client device is further configured to display a full search result based on the selected probable search term on a condition that the run search link is selected in the preview search.