Method and system for performing a web search

• US 9,619,562 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Wong, Wai Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US12/827,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• Field of Search: 715738, 715850, 715854, 709203, 709218, 709229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for providing to a user rapid access to search resources while interacting with electronic documents by providing for recognition of user initiated search triggers that result in searches being performed with minimal user input or page navigation. The method and system includes generating, by a server computer, a web page, injecting code into the web page, and transmitting the web page to a client computer. The code, when executed on the client computer, detects a search interface trigger occurring during display of the web page, the search interface trigger not associated with an input focus of the web page or of a browser on the client computer, detects a search execution trigger after the detecting of the search interface trigger, and transmits, to a search entity, a request for search results related to content associated with the search interface trigger.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a server computer, a web page;

injecting, by the server computer, software code into the web page, the injected software code comprising instructions for;

checking that the web page is one of a plurality of user predetermined web pages;

when the web page is one of the plurality of user predetermined web pages;

detecting a user-initiated search interface trigger occurring during display of the web page, the user-initiated search interface trigger not associated with an input focus of the web page or an input focus of a browser on a client computer, the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger comprising detecting a user of the client computer selecting text on the web page, the detecting further comprising detecting the user selecting text on the web page and detecting the user completing selection of the web page text,

in direct response to the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger, displaying a search interface that receives as input characters of the selected text,

populating the search interface with content associated with the user-initiated search interface trigger,

detecting a user-initiated search execution trigger, the search execution trigger comprising the detection that the user has completed selection of the web page text,

transmitting, to a search entity, in response to the detecting of the search execution trigger, a request for search results related to the content associated with the populating;

transmitting, by the server computer, the web page with the injected code to the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the software code displays the search interface on the web page after the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the web page further comprises generating a dynamic web page.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting of the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code detecting the user of the client computer releasing a mouse button after selecting text on the web page.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search interface trigger further comprises the software code detecting a selection of an icon displayed along with the web page and associated with the search interface.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, by the server computer to the client computer, search suggestions related to the content during the populating of the search interface with the content.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code detecting selection of a search suggestion in the displayed search suggestions.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search interface trigger further comprises the software code detecting selection of a predetermined function key.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code detecting pressing a predetermined key.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code detecting selecting a search button associated with and displayed with the search interface.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the server computer, a parameter from the client computer, the parameter restricting operation of the software code, the parameter indicating the plurality of user predetermined web pages.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing thereon computer program instructions capable of being executed by a computer processor, the computer program instructions defining the steps of:

generating a web page;

injecting software code into the web page, the injected software code comprising instructions for;

checking that the web page is one of a plurality of user predetermined web pages;

when the web page is one of the plurality of user predetermined web pages;

detecting a user-initiated search interface trigger occurring during display of the web page, the user-initiated search interface trigger not associated with an input focus of the web page or an input focus of a browser, the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger comprising detecting a user of the client computer selecting text on the web page, the detecting further comprising detecting the user selecting text on the web page and detecting the user completing selection of the web page text,

in direct response to the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger, displaying a search interface that receives as input characters of the selected text,

populating the search interface with content associated with the user-initiated search interface trigger, the search interface resulting from the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger,

detecting a user-initiated search execution trigger, the search execution trigger comprising the detection that the user has completed selection of the web page text

transmitting, to a search entity, in response to the detecting of the user-initiated search execution trigger, a request for search results related to content associated with the populating;

and

transmitting the web page with the injected code to the client computer.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the software code displays the search interface on the web page after the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code detecting the user of the client computer releasing a mouse button after selecting text on the web page.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the software code detecting the user-initiated search interface trigger further comprises the software code detecting a selection of a button displayed on the web page and associated with the search interface.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising the step of transmitting search suggestions related to content during the populating of the search interface with the content.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the software code configured to detect the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code being configured to detect selection of a search suggestion in the displayed search suggestions.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the software code configured to detect the user-initiated search execution trigger further comprises the software code being configured to detect pressing a predetermined key.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving a parameter from the client computer, the parameter restricting operation of the software code, the parameter indicating the plurality of user predetermined web pages.

18. A server computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium storing software code comprising

logic to check that a web page is one of a plurality of user predetermined web pages;

logic to, when the web page is one of the plurality of user predetermined web pages, detect a user-initiated search interface trigger occurring during display of the web page, the user-initiated search interface trigger not associated with an input focus of the web page or an input focus of a browser, the logic to detect the user-initiated search interface trigger comprising logic to detect a user of the client computer selecting text on the web page, the logic to detect the user selecting the web page text further comprises logic to detect the user selecting text on the web page and logic to detect the user completing selection of the web page text;

wherein the logic to detect the user-initiated search interface trigger comprises logic to display, in direct response to the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger, a search interface that receives as input characters of the selected text,

logic to populate the search interface with content associated with the user-initiated search interface trigger, the search interface resulting from the detecting of the user-initiated search interface trigger;

logic to detect a user-initiated search execution trigger, the logic to detect the user-initiated search execution trigger comprising the logic to detect the user completing selection of the web page text

logic to transmit, to a search entity, in response to the detecting of the search execution trigger, a request for search results related to content associated with the populating;

the processor generating a web page and injecting the software code into the web page; and

a network interface transmitting the web page to the client computer.

21. The server computer of claim 18, further comprising logic to receive a parameter from the client computer, the parameter restricting operation of the software code, the parameter indicating the plurality of user predetermined web pages.