Search controls using sliders and lightboxes

• US 9,418,159 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funded Ventures Inc.
• Original Assignee: Funded Ventures Inc.
• Inventors: Coudron, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz Ditren, Belix M
• Application Number:
  US14/729,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

Code is injected into a web page loaded by an Internet browsing application. A search control to accept Internet search input is presented within an Internet browsing application. The search control visually covers at least a portion of a content display area of the Internet browsing application. A slider search control may be presented by automatically sliding the slider search control into the content display area. The presentation of a lightbox search control may include shading, darkening, dimming, blurring, or opaquing the content display area outside of the lightbox search control. The presentation of the search control may occur in response to a period of user inactivity, an amount of page scrolling, or a percentage of page scrolling. The search control receives input corresponding to a search query, a tracking code is combined with the received input, and the combination is communicated to a search engine.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, configure the computing device to:

cause an Internet browsing application to load web page code which, when executed by the Internet browsing application, causes the Internet browsing application to;

present a search control to accept Internet search input to be communicated to at least one search engine capable of receiving a search request and outputting search results, the search control visually covering at least a portion of a content display area of the Internet browsing application, the content display area being of a first size and the portion being of a second size smaller than the first size, the content display area to provide a view of content retrieved by the Internet browsing application, the content display area having a left edge, a right edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the presentation of the search control performed by automatically sliding the search control into the content display area from at least one of the left edge, the right edge, the bottom edge, and the top edge of the content display area, the presentation of the search control to occur in response to at least one of a period of user inactivity, an amount of page scrolling by the user, and a percentage of page scrolling by the user;

receive input in the search control, the input corresponding to the search request to be communicated to the at least one search engine; and

communicate the search request to the at least one search engine.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search control includes a text box pre-populated with a search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the text box suggests search terms using autocomplete.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search control includes a set of search queries, each search query comprising at least one search term, each search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application, each search query presented as a hyperlink, which, upon being selected, causes a search request associated with the search query to be communicated to the at least one search engine.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the web page code, when executed by the Internet browsing application, further causes the Internet browsing application to:

capture search terms communicated as part of a search query to a search engine, the input of the search terms occurring outside of the search control.

6. A method performed by a computing device, the method comprising:

executing an Internet browsing application to load web page code which, when executed by the Internet browsing application, causes the Internet browsing application to perform operations comprising;

presenting a search control to accept Internet search input to be communicated to at least one search engine capable of receiving a search request and outputting search results, the search control visually covering at least a portion of a content display area of the Internet browsing application, the content display area being of a first size and the portion being of a second size smaller than the first size, the content display area to provide a view of content retrieved by the Internet browsing application, the content display area having a left edge, a right edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the presenting of the search control performed by automatically sliding the search control into the content display area from at least one of the left edge, the right edge, the bottom edge, and the top edge of the content display area, the presenting of the search control occurring in response to at least one of a period of user inactivity, an amount of page scrolling by the user, and a percentage of page scrolling by the user;

receiving input in the search control, the input corresponding to the search request to be communicated to the at least one search engine; and

communicating the search request to the at least one search engine.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the search control includes a text box pre-populated with a search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the text box suggests search terms using autocomplete.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the search control includes a set of search queries, each search query comprising at least one search term, each search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application, each search query presented as a hyperlink, which, upon being selected, causes a search request associated with the search query to be communicated to the at least one search engine.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the web page code, when executed by the Internet browsing application, further causes the Internet browsing application to:

capture search terms communicated as part of a search query to a search engine, the input of the search terms occurring outside of the search control.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor, a memory device, and a network interface device operatively coupled via a bus; and

instructions stored in the memory device and executable by the processor to;

execute an Internet browsing application to load web page code which, when executed by the Internet browsing application, causes the Internet browsing application to;

present a search control to accept Internet search input to be communicated to at least one search engine capable of receiving a search request and outputting search results, the search control visually covering at least a portion of a content display area of the Internet browsing application, the content display area being of a first size and the portion being of a second size smaller than the first size, the content display area to provide a view of content retrieved by the Internet browsing application, the content display area having a left edge, a right edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the presenting of the search control performed by automatically sliding the search control into the content display area from at least one of the left edge, the right edge, the bottom edge, and the top edge of the content display area, the presenting of the search control occurring in response to at least one of a period of user inactivity, an amount of page scrolling by the user, and a percentage of page scrolling by the user;

receive input in the search control, the input corresponding to the search request to be transmitted to the at least one search engine; and

transmit, via the network interface device, the search request to the at least one search engine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the search control includes a text box pre-populated with a search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the text box suggests search terms using autocomplete.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the search control includes a set of search queries, each search query comprising at least one search term, each search term corresponding to at least one of a previous search and content in the content display area of the Internet browsing application, each search query presented as a hyperlink, which, upon being selected, causes a search request associated with the search query to be transmitted to the at least one search engine.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the web page code, when executed by the Internet browsing application, further causes the Internet browsing application to:

capture search terms transmitted as part of a search query to a search engine, the input of the search terms occurring outside of the search control.