Contextual quick-picks

• US 9,779,168 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2010
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Lieb, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US12/897,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,556 Days
• Field of Search: 707766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Techniques are provided for facilitating the formulation of queries by providing quick-picks to the user based, at least in part, on the context in which the query is being formulated. Quick-picks are items that, when selected, add search criteria items to a query that is being formed. The quick picks that are presented to the user are selected based on the context in which the search is being performed. For example, a user may be presented with (a) a search box for entering keywords for a search, and (b) selectable words extracted from or otherwise related to the content currently being displayed on the device that is being used to formulate the search query. When the user selects one of the selectable words, the selected word is inserted into the search box, thereby obviating the need to separately enter each character of the word.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a local device, while a search query is being formulated by a user in a search box of one or more applications displayed at the local device, automatically displaying, separate from the search query a set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on a current context associated with displayed content in the one or more applications executing on the local device, wherein the displayed content is different and distinct from the search box and the search query;

receiving, at the local device, user input that selects a particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks;

in response to receiving, at the local device, the user input, adding, in the search box displayed at the local device, the particular quick-pick as a separate term to the search query and allowing the search query including the separate term to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device;

displaying a second set of one or more quick-picks in response to the user input that selects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the second set of one or more quick-picks includes at least one additional quick-pick that;

(a) was not in the set of one or more selected quick-picks, and

(b) was selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on an association between the at least one additional quick-pick and the particular quick-pick;

receiving user input that deselects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks; and

in response to the user input that deselects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks, automatically removing the separate term from the search query;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the displayed content on the local device when formulation of the search query was initiated includes an of-interest page; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on content of the of-interest page.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising adding to the search query a word or a phrase that was not present on the of-interest page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on a non-textual item that is part of the current context associated with the one or more applications executing on the local device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the non-textual item is one of:

a digital image, a video, or an audio recording.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the non-textual item is a digital image; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is based on text produced by performing optical character recognition on the digital image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular quick-pick corresponds to a non-textual item and the adding the particular quick-pick as the separate term to the search query includes adding a search criteria item associated with the non-textual item to the search query.

8. A non-transitory storage storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

at a local device, while a search query is being formulated by a user in a search box of one or more applications displayed at the local device, automatically displaying, separate from the search query a set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on a current context associated with displayed content in the one or more applications executing on the local device, wherein the displayed content is different and distinct from the search box and the search query;

receiving, at the local device, user input that selects a particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks;

in response to receiving, at the local device, the user input, adding, in the search box displayed at the local device, the particular quick-pick as a separate term to the search query and allowing the search query including the separate term to continue to be formulated by the user in the search box displayed at the local device;

displaying a second set of one or more quick-picks in response to the user input that selects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks, wherein the second set of one or more quick-picks includes at least one additional quick-pick that;

(a) was not in the set of one or more selected quick-picks, and

(b) was selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on an association between the at least one additional quick-pick and the particular quick-pick;

receiving user input that deselects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks; and

in response to the user input that deselects the particular quick-pick from the set of one or more selected quick-picks, automatically removing the separate term from the search query.

9. The non-transitory storage of claim 8, wherein:

the content on the local device when formulation of the search query was initiated includes an of-interest page; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks is selected based, at least in part, on content of the of-interest page.

10. The non-transitory storage of claim 9, further comprising adding to the search query a word or a phrase that was not present on the of-interest page.

11. The non-transitory storage of claim 8, wherein the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is selected to be a quick-pick based, at least in part, on a non-textual item that is part of the current context associated with the one or more applications executing on the local device.

12. The non-transitory storage of claim 11, wherein the non-textual item is one of:

a digital image, a video, or an audio recording.

13. The non-transitory storage of claim 12, wherein:

the non-textual item is a digital image; and

the set of one or more selected quick-picks includes at least one quick-pick that is based on text produced by performing optical character recognition on the digital image.

14. The non-transitory storage of claim 8, wherein the particular quick-pick corresponds to a non-textual item and the adding the particular quick-pick as the separate term to the search query includes adding a search criteria item associated with the non-textual item to the search query.