Contextual browser frame and entry box placement

• US 10,551,990 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kapadia, Ritika, Patten, Michael John, Lyndersay, Sean Obafemi, Kerr, Melissa S., Nordberg, Sean Gary, Hall, Marty Joseph, Yalovsky, Mark, Chuchro, Paula J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tank, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US15/634,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20170293400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Various embodiments utilize context positioning of an input mechanism to convey at least one action associated with the input mechanism. At times, the input mechanism is associated with multiple actions. Input received via at the input mechanism can be analyzed to determine which action of the multiple actions to perform. In some embodiments, the input mechanism can be physically and/or visually moved to a different location based upon the determined action.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer-readable memory or storage devices storing instructions which, upon execution by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

displaying a user interface associated with a computing device, the user interface comprising at least one input mechanism associated with multiple actions;

displaying the at least one input mechanism at a first location associated with a first action of the multiple actions;

receiving input via the at least one input mechanism;

determining an input type associated with the received input; and

upon determining that the input type is associated with a second action of the multiple actions and a second location rather than being associated with the first action and the first location, directing the at least one input mechanism to the second location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location provides a visual cue that the at least one input mechanism is configured to receive input associated with the first action, and wherein the second location provides a visual cue that that the at least one input mechanism is configured to receive input associated with the second action.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input mechanism comprises an input text box.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the input type comprises analyzing a received input text string.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first action comprises a searching function.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a visual indicator configured to convey at least one action of the multiple actions associated with the application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise responsive to receiving the input, displaying at least one suggested input for each respective action of the multiple actions, each suggested input based, at least in part, on the received input.

8. One or more tangible computer-readable memory or storage devices storing instructions which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display device, the user interface comprising at least one input mechanism associated with multiple actions, wherein the at least one input mechanism is presented at a first location associated with a first action of the multiple actions, and wherein the first location is effective to give a visual cue that the at least one input mechanism is configured to receive input associated with the first action;

receiving input via the at least one input mechanism;

analyzing the received input to determine an input type associated with the received input; and

after determining that the input type is associated with a second action of the multiple actions and a second location, directing the at least one input mechanism to the second location, wherein the second location is effective to give a visual cue that the at least one input mechanism is configured to receive input associated with the second action.

9. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 8, wherein the directing comprises moving the at least one input mechanism to the second location using an animation that moves the at least one input mechanism from the first location to the second location.

10. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 9, wherein the animation is implemented, at least in part, using Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML).

11. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 8, wherein:

the first action comprises a searching functionality associated with a web based search engine; and

the second action comprises a navigation functionality.

12. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the input:

presenting at least one key word search input suggestion associated with the received input; and

presenting at least one navigation suggestion associated with the received input.

13. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a first visual indicator configured to convey the first action when the at least one input mechanism is displayed at the first location; and

presenting a second visual indicator configured to convey the second action when the at least one input mechanism is displayed at the second location.

14. The computer-readable memory or storage devices of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing the received input for one or more identifiers associated with an input data type.

15. A method, comprising:

displaying a user interface associated with an application, the user interface comprising an input text box configured to;

receive input that causes a web browser application to perform a search functionality; and

receive input that causes the web browser application to navigate to an address;

displaying the input text box at a first location indicating navigation, the first location effective to give a visual cue that the input text box is configured to receive a navigation input;

receiving an input string via the input text box;

analyzing the input string to determine whether the input string is associated with a keyword search input or a navigation input; and

based on a determination that the input string is associated with a keyword search input rather than a navigation input, moving the input string from the first location indicating navigation to a second location indicating search functionality, wherein the second location is effective to give a visual cue that the input string was determined to be associated with search functionality.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein moving the input string comprises moving the input text box using an animation that moves the input text box from the first location to the second location.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the input text box is displayed with additional content in the user interface to give a visual appearance that the input text box and additional content are part of a same surface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the additional content comprises selectable links to historically frequented web sites.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising analyzing the input string each time a character of the input string is entered.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the input text box is positioned at the first location when a new tab associated with the web browser application is opened.