Method of improving a search

• US 9,454,529 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2011
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, TIONNA M
• Application Number:
  US13/304,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 715/253
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/2205 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/241 Annotation, e.g. comment data, footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30 Information retrievalDatabase structures therefor ; File system structures therefor data processing systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial managerial, supervisory or forecasting purposes G06Q
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30011 Document retrieval systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer-readable medium including computer-readable information thereon including instructions that provides a method for refining a search, the method comprising displaying results elements with attributes associated therewith. The search being adapted to be modified on a basis of an identification of the most relevant attributes. A computer system and an graphical interface for providing same is also hereby provided.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programs including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

receive a first search criteria;

display, based on the first search criteria, a first set of search results along a first array including a first plurality of information elements, wherein at least two information elements of the first plurality of information elements are displayed concurrently, and wherein to display the first set of search results, the one or more programs include instructions which cause the electronic device to;

identify one or more attributes associated with individual information elements in the first plurality of information elements from the first set of search results; and

display a visual indication of the one or more attributes associated with each individual information element;

receive an indication of a selection of at least one attribute from the visual indication of the one or more attributes; and

while displaying the first set of search results, concurrently display a second set of search results along a second array on a basis of the selected at least one attribute, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array include a common information element, wherein the second set of search results includes at least one information element not in the first set of search results, and wherein the second set of search results include a second plurality of information elements having the selected at least one attribute.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein to display the visual indication, the one or more programs include instructions which cause the electronic device to display the visual indication of the at least one attribute associated with the first set of search results as a part of the individual information elements.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selection of at least one attribute corresponds to a selection by a user to provide a user input to the first search criteria.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute associated with an information element is a metadata associated with a search result from the first set of search results.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions which cause the electronic device to generate the second set of search results on a basis of a combination of the selected at least one attribute and the first search criteria.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute is one of a keyword found in one of a domain name, an internet page title tag or a description meta tag.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first set of search results are displayed along a substantially rectilinear arrangement.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the substantially rectilinear arrangement is substantially horizontal.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more programs include instructions which cause the electronic device to:

receive a second indication of a selection of a second attribute from the second set of search results; and

generate a third set of search results on a basis of the selected second attribute.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second set of search results intersects the first set of search results and is displayed at a ninety degree angle with respect to the first set of search results.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second set of search results is displayed parallel with the first set of search results.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second set of search results is displayed non-parallel with the first set of search results.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the individual information elements are displayed in a unified format including an image of a document and information related to the document.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the one or more attributes associated with each individual information element includes at least one attribute that is different from the first search criteria.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the attributes associated with each individual information element are presented in a sub-area of the individual information elements.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the attributes associated with each individual information element includes at least two attributes specific to each of the individual information elements.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array intersect at the common information element.

18. A method of refining a search comprising:

receiving a first search criteria;

displaying, based on the first search criteria, a first set of search results along a first array including a first plurality of information elements, wherein at least two information elements of the first plurality of information elements are displayed concurrently, and wherein displaying the first set of search results includes;

identifying one or more attributes associated with individual information elements in the plurality of information elements from the first set of search results; and

displaying a visual indication of the one or more attributes associated with each individual information element;

receiving an indication of a selection of at least one attribute from the visual indication of the one or more attributes; and

while displaying the first set of search results, concurrently displaying a second set of search results along a second array on a basis of the selected at least one attribute, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array include a common information element, wherein the second set of search results includes at least one information element not in the first set of search results, and wherein the second set of search results include a second plurality of information elements having the selected at least one attribute.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the visual indication includes displaying the visual indication of at least one attribute associated with the at least one information element from the first set of search results as a part of the individual information elements and wherein the selection of at least one attribute corresponds to a selection a user to provide a user input to the first search criteria.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one attribute associated with an information element from the first set of search results is a metadata associated with a search result from the first set of search results.

21. The method of claim 18, the second set of search results on a basis of a combination of the selected at least one attribute and the first search criteria.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one attribute is one of a keyword in one of a domain name, an internet page title tag or a description meta tag.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a second indication of a selection of a second attribute from the second set of search results; and

generating a third set of search results on a basis of the selected second attribute.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the second set of results are displayed with respective user selectable elements along a substantially rectilinear arrangement.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the individual information elements are displayed in a unified format including an image of a document and information related to the document.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the visual indication of the at least one attribute associated with each individual information element are presented in a sub-area of the individual information elements.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the visual indication of the attributes associated with each individual information element includes at least two attributes specific to each of the individual information elements.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array intersect at the common information element.

29. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

a display coupled to the one or more processors and the memory; and

,

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving a first search criteria;

displaying, based on the first search criteria, a first set of search results along a first array including a first plurality of information elements, wherein at least two information elements of the first plurality of information elements are displayed concurrently, and wherein displaying the first set of search results includes;

identifying one or more attributes associated with individual information elements in the plurality of information elements from the first set of search results; and

displaying a visual indication of the one or more attributes associated with each individual information element;

receiving an indication of a selection of at least one attribute from the visual indication of the one or more attributes; and

while displaying the first set of search results, concurrently displaying a second set of search results along a second array on a basis of the selected at least one attribute, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array include a common information element, wherein the second set of search results includes at least one information element not in the first set of search results, and wherein the second set of search results include a second plurality of information elements having the selected at least one attribute.

30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the individual information elements are displayed in a unified format including an image of a document and information related to the document.

31. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the first set of search results displayed in the first array and the second set of search results displayed in the second array intersect at the common information element.