User distributed search results

• US 20070198340A1
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Collison, Derek, Sjogreen, Carl, Lucovsky, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

A universal distributed search system allows users to find and distribute search results (possibly including advertisements) to those with whom they communicate. The search results can be easily distributed by the user via a simple interface that allows the search results to be easily added to the user'"'"'s content. In one implementation, a content creation application includes a first interface configured to facilitate composition of a message by a user and a second interface configured to receive a search query from the user, display search results relating to the search query, and receive selections of the search results from the user. The messaging application automatically incorporates, in response to the selections, the selected ones of the search results into the message in the first interface.

Claims

1. A content creation application comprising:

a first interface configured to facilitate composition of a message by a user; and

a second interface configured to receive a search query, display search results relating to the search query, and to receive selections of the search results from the user, the content creation application automatically incorporating, in response to the selections, the selected ones of the search results into the message in the first interface.

2. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the received selections of the search results consist of, for each of the selected search results, a single mouse click.

3. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the first interface and the second interface are simultaneously displayed near one another.

4. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the content creation application includes an email application, an instant messaging application, a blog post creation application, an application for posting messages to Internet message boards, or a web site creation application.

5. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the search results include one or more search result types.

6. The content creation application of claim 5, wherein the search result types include web search results, image search results, video search results, local search results, geographic search results, product search results, listing search results, email search results, blog search results, message group search results, news search results, digitized content search results, desktop search results, or advertisements.

7. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to facilitate annotation of the selected ones of the search results by the user.

8. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to facilitate placement of the selected ones of the search results in locations in the first interface selected by the user.

9. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the selected search result includes a map.

10. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the selected search results that are automatically incorporated into the message include text that summarizes the search results.

11. The content creation application of claim 10, wherein the text that summarizes the search results includes text in context with the search query.

12. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the selected search results that are automatically incorporated into the message include an image, an address, a phone number, or a price of a product.

13. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the search query is automatically generated based on content in the first interface.

14. The content creation application of claim 1, wherein the received selections of the search results consist of, for each of the selected search results, a drag and drop operation.

15. A method comprising:

providing a message interface configured to facilitate composition of a message by a user;

receiving a search query;

initiating a search based on the search query;

receiving results of the search;

displaying the results of the search in an interface associated with the message interface, the displayed results of the search each including a selection object;

receiving selections of the selection objects from the user; and

associating the results of the search that correspond to the selected ones of the selection objects with the message in the message interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface associated with the message interface includes a sidebar displayed in the message interface.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein associating results of the search that correspond to the selected ones of the selection objects with the message further includes:

automatically incorporating the results of the search that correspond to the selected ones of the selection objects into the message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the selections of the selection objects by the user each consist of a single mouse click or a single drag and drop operation relating to one of the selection objects.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein initiating the search includes transmitting the search query to a plurality of search services, the plurality of search services returning one or more search result types.

20. The content creation application of claim 19, wherein the search result types include web search results, image search results, video search results, local search results, geographic search results, product search results, listing search results, email search results, blog search results, message group search results, news search results, digitized content search results, desktop search results, or advertisements.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of search services to which the search query is transmitted are selectable by the user.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the message interface configured to facilitate composition of a message by the user includes one of an email interface, an instant messaging interface, a blog post interface, an interface for an application for posting messages to Internet message boards, or a web site creation interface.

23. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for execution by one or more processing devices, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving a search query;

instructions for initiating a search based on the search query;

instructions for receiving results of the search;

instructions for displaying the results of the search to the user, the displayed results of the search each including a first graphical object;

instructions for receiving selections of the results of the search based on selections of the first graphical objects; and

instructions for automatically incorporating results of the search into a content creation application based on the selections of the results of the search.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein automatically incorporating results of the search into the content creation application based on the selections of the results of the search includes copying, into an active document in the content creation application, a result of the search when the first graphical object corresponding the result of the search is selected by the user.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the selections of the first graphical objects each consist of a single mouse click or a drag and drop operation relating to one of the first graphical objects.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions for initiating the search based on the search query additionally include instructions for transmitting the search query to a plurality of search services, the search services returning one or more search result types.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the search result types include web search results, image search results, video search results, local search results, geographic search results, product search results, listing search results, email search results, blog search results, message group search results, news search results, digitized content search results, desktop search results, or advertisements.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the search services to which the search query is transmitted are selectable by the user.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the content creation application includes one of an email application, an instant messaging application, a blog posting application, an application for posting messages to Internet message boards, or a web site creation application.

30. A system comprising:

a plurality of search services, each of the search services operable to

receive a search request,

execute a search based on the search request to generate search results,

transmit the search results; and

a programming object operable to

receive a search request from a user;

invoke one or more of the search services to execute the search request;

receive the search results transmitted from the plurality of search services;

display one or more of the search results to the user;

receive a selection of the one or more of the search results; and

incorporate, in response to the received selection, the selected one or more of the search results into a message that is being composed by the user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the programmable object implements an application programming interface (API) that is useable by a plurality of content creation applications.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the plurality of content creation applications are configured to display a content creation interface and to call the programming object through the API when displaying the content creation interface.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the content creation application includes an email application, an instant messaging application, a blog post creation application, an application for posting messages to Internet message boards, or a web site creation application.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein receiving the selection of the one or more of the search results consists of receiving a single mouse click or drag and drop operation for each of the selected search results.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the search results include web search results, image search results, video search results, local search results, geographic search results, product search results, listing search results, email search results, blog search results, message group search results, news search results, digitized content search results, local network search results, or advertisements.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the selected search result includes a map.

37. A content creation application comprising:

a first interface portion configured to facilitate composition of a message by a user of the content creation application; and

a second interface portion configured to display search results retrieved from a remote search service in response to a request from the user and to automatically incorporate, in response to selection of a search result by the user, the selected search result into the first interface portion.

38. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the first interface portion and the second interface portion are concurrently displayed in a browser window to the user.

39. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the selection of the search results consists of a single mouse click or drag and drop operation.

40. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the first interface is configured to facilitate annotation of the selected search result by the user.

41. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the selected search result that is automatically incorporated includes a text that summarizes the search result.

42. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the selected search result includes a link to a web page that includes a map or an image of a map.

43. The content creation application of claim 37, wherein the selected search results include an image, an address, a phone number, or a price of a product.

44. A method comprising:

displaying a first interface configured to facilitate composition of a message by a user of a content creation application; and

displaying a second interface configured to display search results retrieved from a remote search service in response to a request and to automatically incorporate, in response to selection of a search result by the user, the selected search result into the first interface portion.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the first interface and the second interface are simultaneously displayed within a browser at a client device.