FLICK-BASED IN SITU SEARCH FROM INK, TEXT, OR AN EMPTY SELECTION REGION

• US 20090058820A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P.
• Application Number:
  US11/849,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1456 based on user interactions

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates in situ searching of data. An interface can receive a flick gesture from an input device. An in situ search component can employ an in situ search triggered by the flick gesture, wherein the in situ search is executed on at least one of a portion of data selected on the input device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that facilitates in situ searching of data, comprising:

an interface component that receives a flick gesture from an input device; and

an in situ search component that employs an in situ search triggered by the flick gesture, the in situ search is executed on a portion of data related to the input device.

2. The system of claim 1, the flick gesture is a quick, linear movement associated with a scrolling action and includes at least one of a high speed characteristic or a high degree of straightness.

3. The system of claim 1, the input device is at least one of a tablet, a touch screen, a mouse, a touch pad, a trackball, or a stylus and input screen.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an evaluation component that monitors the flick gesture to ascertain at least one of a direction of the flick gesture, a speed of the flick gesture, a location of the flick gesture, an area of flick gesture, or a data selection from an input device.

5. The system of claim 4, the in situ search component performs a type of search based upon the direction of the flick gesture identified by the evaluation component.

6. The system of claim 5, the type of search is at least one of a local search, a remote search, a file type based search, a web site search, an email search, a document search, an audio file search, an application-based search, a search within a directory, a search within a storage volume, or a search within an operating system construct.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conversion component that employs at least one of a digital conversion of selected data or a handwriting conversion of selected data.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphic component that generates, upon detection of the flick gesture, at least one of a persistent and embeddable graphical object or a search query box.

9. The system of claim 8, the persistent and embeddable graphical object is displayed and populated with at least one of a word, a phrase, a search result, a previous search, a portion of historic data, or a preference in relation to the in situ search.

10. The system of claim 8, the search query box is implemented upon detection of a flick gesture and an empty selection of data to receive at least one of a user-defined query, handwriting data, typed data, or an image.

11. The system of claim 1, the in situ search component is seeded with a portion of data that falls under a pointer location at a start of a flick gesture, wherein the portion of data can be changed by a user prior to search.

12. The system of claim 1, the in situ search component performs the search as at least one of a background process or a foreground process.

13. The system of claim 1, the input device selects a portion of data to perform the in situ search with at least one of a highlight, a circle, a lasso, an underline, a color, a box, or an ellipse.

14. The system of claim 13, the in situ search component provides at least one of the following:

a pre-fetch and display of a search result for the selected portion of data;

or a pre-fetch upon detection of the selected portion of data.

15. The system of claim 13, the portion of data is at least one of a portion of handwriting, a portion of text, a portion of characters, a word, a phrase, a keyword, a sentence, a portion of an image, a graphic, a bitmap, or a portion of an icon.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application that incorporates the flick gesture as a trigger to execute an in situ search on a portion of data.

17. A computer-implemented method that facilitates querying data in a seamless manner, comprising:

identifying a flick gesture from an input device, the flick gesture is performed while displaying a portion of data; and

utilizing the flick gesture to initiate an in situ search within the display of the portion of data.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining if a portion of data is selected by a user;

executing an in situ search on the portion of selected data;

providing a search result based on the in situ search for the portion of selected data.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

performing the flick gesture without a portion of data selected;

displaying a search query box;

collecting a query from the search query box;

executing an in situ search on the query; and

providing a search result.

20. A computer-implemented system that facilitates in situ searching of data, comprising:

means for receiving a flick gesture from an input device;

means for employing an in situ search triggered by the flick gesture; and

means for executing the in situ search on a portion of data related to the input device.