RECEIPT AND PROCESSING OF USER-SPECIFIED QUERIES

• US 20130086029A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hebert, Matthieu
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide techniques for receiving a query from a user of a mobile device, and for conveying to the user not only search results, but also feedback relating to query. For example, the user may be prompted to elicit supplemental information relating to the query, or provided other feedback. The feedback may be conveyed in a manner which minimizes how much of the mobile device'"'"'s display screen is dedicated to presenting the feedback.

Claims

1. A method, performed by at least one computer, comprising acts of:

(A) receiving a query submitted by a user of a mobile device;

(B) causing a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

(C) receiving a supplemental input, submitted by the user to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

(D) causing a representation of the supplemental input received in the act (C) to be submitted to the second search engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (C) comprises receiving the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (D) comprises causing the representation of the supplemental input to be submitted to at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (D) comprises modifying the representation caused to be submitted in the act (B) to incorporate at least a portion of the supplemental input received in the act (D), and causing the modified representation to be submitted to the at least one search engine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (B) comprises causing a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query in the act (A).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of search engines to which the representation of the query is caused to be submitted in the act (B) comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer website.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the query received in the act (A) comprises a voice query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental input received in the act (C) comprises a voice input.

9. A method, performed by a client device, comprising acts of:

(A) receiving a query from a user;

(B) causing to be displayed results, generated based on the query from a plurality of search engines, the plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

(C) receiving supplemental input from the user submitted to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

(D) causing to be displayed results, generated based on the supplemental input, from the second search engine.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the act (C) comprises receiving the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the act (D) comprises causing to be displayed results generated by at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the act (B) comprises causing to be displayed results generated based on the query by a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query in the act (A).

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of search engines comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer website.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the query received in the act (A) comprises a voice query.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the supplemental input received in the act (C) comprises a voice input.

16. At least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions encoded thereon which, when executed, perform a method comprising acts of:

(A) receiving a query submitted by a user of a mobile device;

(B) causing a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

(C) receiving a supplemental input, submitted by the user to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

(D) causing a representation of the supplemental input received in the act (C) to be submitted to the second search engine.

17. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (C) comprises receiving the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

18. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (D) comprises causing the representation of the supplemental input to be submitted to at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

19. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (D) comprises modifying the representation caused to be submitted in the act (B) to incorporate at least a portion of the supplemental input received in the act (D), and causing the modified representation to be submitted to the at least one search engine.

20. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (B) comprises causing a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query in the act (A).

21. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of search engines to which the representation of the query is caused to be submitted in the act (B) comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer website.

22. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the query received in the act (A) comprises a voice query.

23. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the supplemental input received in the act (C) comprises a voice input.

24. At least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions encoded thereon which, when executed by a client device, perform a method comprising acts of:

(A) receiving a query from a user;

(B) causing to be displayed results, generated based on the query from a plurality of search engines, the plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

(C) receiving supplemental input from the user submitted to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

(D) causing to be displayed results, generated based on the supplemental input, from the second search engine.

25. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the act (C) comprises receiving the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

26. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the act (D) comprises causing to be displayed results generated by at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

27. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the act (B) comprises causing to be displayed results generated based on the query by a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query in the act (A).

28. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the plurality of search engines comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer website.

29. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the query received in the act (A) comprises a voice query.

30. The at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the supplemental input received in the act (C) comprises a voice input.

31. At least one computer, comprising:

at least one processor programmed to;

receive a query submitted by a user of a mobile device;

cause a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

receive a supplemental input, submitted by the user to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

cause a representation of the supplemental input to be submitted to the second search engine.

32. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to receive the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

33. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to cause the representation of the supplemental input to be submitted to at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

34. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to modify the representation of the query to incorporate at least a portion of the received supplemental input, and to cause the modified representation to be submitted to the at least one search engine.

35. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to cause a representation of the query to be submitted to a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query.

36. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the plurality of search engines to which the representation of the query is caused to be submitted comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer web site.

37. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the received query comprises a voice query.

38. The at least one computer of claim 31, wherein the received supplemental input comprises a voice input.

39. At least one computer, comprising:

at least one processor programmed to;

receive a query from a user;

cause to be displayed results, generated based on the query from a plurality of search engines, the plurality of search engines comprising a first search engine associated with a first web site and a second search engine associated with a second web site;

receive supplemental input from the user submitted to the first web site, the supplemental input relating to content of the query; and

cause to be displayed results, generated based on the supplemental input, from the second search engine.

40. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to receive the supplemental input in response to prompting the user.

41. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to cause to be displayed results generated by at least one search engine not included in the plurality of search engines.

42. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to cause to be displayed results generated based on the query by a plurality of search engines identified in response to receiving the query.

43. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the plurality of search engines comprises at least one search engine provided by a retailer website.

44. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the received query comprises a voice query.

45. The at least one computer of claim 39, wherein the received supplemental input comprises a voice input.