Causing display of search results

• US 9,582,146 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Plaisant, Nicola
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US13/482,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 715784-787, 715/830, 715/861, 715/864, 715/839
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Apparatus has at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-readable code stored thereon which when executed controls the at least one processor:

• • to cause a list of search results to be displayed, each of the search results being caused to be displayed with a number of elements of associated information, wherein the number is greater than or equal to zero;
  • after a predetermined time period in which no user input is received, to cause the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased; and
  • to respond to a user initiated scroll command after the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each of plural ones of the search results has been increased by causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be decreased.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a list of search results to be displayed, each of the search results being caused to be displayed with a number of elements of associated information comprising data items, data files, or datasets, wherein the number is greater than or equal to zero, wherein each of the search results in the list is associated with a search result category, wherein a first search result is associated with a first search result category, and wherein a second search result is associated with a second search result category, different from the first search result category, wherein the first search result category comprises a contact, wherein the second search result category comprises a location name;

after a predetermined time period in which no user input is received, causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased in response to the number of elements of associated information displayed for each of the plural ones of the search results not reaching a maximum number of elements of information for the associated search result category for each respective one of the plural ones of the search results, wherein causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be increased comprises determining the elements of associated information for each of the search results based on the associated search result category, wherein a first information element associated with the first search result category is an email address or a phone number, and wherein a first information element associated with the second search result category is a location address; and

in response to a user initiated scroll command after the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each of plural ones of the search results has been increased, causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be decreased.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising, after causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased, responding to expiry of a second predetermined time period in which no user input is received by causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be further increased.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first search result in the list of search results is a contact name and a first element of associated information for the first item in the list is a primary phone number of the contact.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein another element of associated information of the first search result is an email address of the contact.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

the second search result in the list of search results is a location;

an element of associated information is an address of the location; and

wherein

the method comprises responding to user selection of the first element to open a map application and to indicate the location on the map.

6. A method according claim 1, comprising responding to user selection of an element of associated information displayed in the list of search results by activating a corresponding function.

7. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

causing a search field for receiving a search string to be displayed on a same display area as the list of search results;

causing a soft keypad for entering the search string to be displayed on the same display area as the list of search results; and

causing removal of the soft keypad in response to a user initiated scroll command.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user input comprises the user initiated scroll command, and wherein causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased occurs after the predetermined time period in which no user initiated scroll command is received.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to a user input received of a first input type, restarting a time period after which the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of the plural ones of the search results are increased, and in response to a user input received of a second input type, failing to restart a time period after which the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of the plural ones of the search results are to be increased.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the first input type comprises an input received within the displayed search results, wherein the second input type comprises an input received outside of the displayed search results.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of elements of information is different between the first search result category and the second search result category.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable code, which, when executed by a computing apparatus, causes the computing apparatus to perform a method comprising:

causing a list of search results to be displayed, each of the search results being caused to be displayed with a number of elements of associated information comprising data items, data files, or datasets wherein the number is greater than or equal to zero, wherein each of the search results in the list is associated with a search result category, wherein a first search result is associated with a first search result category, and wherein a second search result is associated with a second search result category, different from the first search result category, wherein the first search result category comprises a contact, wherein the second search result category comprises a location name;

after a predetermined time period in which no user input is received, causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased in response to the number of elements of associated information displayed for each of the plural one of the search results not reaching a maximum number of elements of information for the associated search result category for each respective one of the plural ones of the search results, wherein causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be increased comprises determining the elements of associated information for each of the search results based on the associated search result category, wherein a first information element associated with the first search result category is an email address or a phone number, and wherein a first information element associated with the second search result category is a location address; and

in response to a user initiated scroll command after the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each of plural ones of the search results has been increased, causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be decreased.

13. Apparatus, the apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-readable code stored thereon which when executed controls the at least one processor:

to cause a list of search results to be displayed, each of the search results being caused to be displayed with a number of elements of associated information comprising data items, data files, or datasets, wherein the number is greater than or equal to zero, wherein each of the search results in the list is associated with a search result category, wherein a first search result is associated with a first search result category, and wherein a second search result is associated with a second search result category, different from the first search result category, wherein the first search result category comprises a contact, wherein the second search result category comprises a location name;

after a predetermined time period in which no user input is received, to cause the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased in response to the number of elements of associated information displayed for each of the plural ones of the search results not reaching a maximum number of elements of information for the associated search result category for each respective one of the plural ones of the search results, wherein causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be increased comprises determining the elements of associated information for each of the search results based on the associated search result category, wherein a first information element associated with the first search result category is an email address or a phone number, and wherein a first information element associated with the second search result category is a location address; and

to respond to a user initiated scroll command after the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each of plural ones of the search results has been increased by causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed to be decreased.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor, after causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be increased, to respond to expiry of a second predetermined time period in which no user input is received by causing the number of elements of associated information that are displayed for each of plural ones of the search results to be further increased.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first search result in the list of search results is a contact name and a first element of associated information for the first item in the list is a primary phone number of the contact.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein another element of associated information of the first search result is an email address of the contact.

17. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor to respond to user selection of an element of associated information displayed in the list of search results by activating a corresponding function.

18. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an element of associated information is an address of a location and wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor to respond to user selection of the first element to open a map application and to indicate the location on the map.

19. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor:

to cause a search field for receiving a search string to be displayed on a same display area as the list of search results;

to cause a soft keypad for entering the search string to be displayed on the same display area as the list of search results; and

to cause removal of the soft keypad in response to a user initiated scroll command.

20. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor:

to respond to a user initiated zoom-in command by increasing the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each search result.

21. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor:

to respond to a user initiated zoom-out command by decreasing the number of elements of associated information that are caused to be displayed for each search result.

22. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code when executed controls the at least one processor:

to respond to user selection of a function key adjacent each search result to cause a primary function associated with each respective search result to be executed.