System and Method For Asynchronous Retrieval Of Information From A Server To A Client Based On Incremental User Input

• US 20170228443A1
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MasterObjects, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MasterObjects, Inc.
• Inventors: Smit, Mark Hans
• Granted Patent: US 10,311,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• 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: 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A system and method for asynchronously retrieving information over a network based on incremental input. The system comprises a client part, a communication protocol, and a server part. The server part receives incremental text-based input from one or more objects in the client part, and asynchronously returns matching information to the client part depending on server-defined content channels that each query one or more underlying or connected content sources, such as databases or search engines, to return matches for the latest input and for the latest values and state of other content channels.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving from a client, by a server system comprising one or more computers, a string representing an incomplete search query;

matching, by the server system, the string to entries in a cache of query strings and search results based on content queries by multiple users, whereby cached search results contain a subset of data from one or more content sources;

retrieving, by the server system, search result data for the incomplete search query;

asynchronously sending, by the server system to the client prior to completion of the search query at the client, information identifying the incomplete search query and at least a portion of the search result data that identifies the content in a content source.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby the information identifying the incomplete search query is the string.

3. The method of claim 1, whereby the information identifying the incomplete search query is an identifier received with the string from the client.

4. The method of claim 1, whereby the data that identifies the content in a content source is a key, logical link, or Universal Resource Identifier, enabling the client to retrieve additional content data corresponding to the search result.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning updated search results in response to asynchronously receiving, from the client, a string representing an updated version of the incomplete search query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result data is retrieved from the cache.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the search result data is retrieved from the one or more content sources.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein retrieving search result data comprises:

sending one or more content inquiries to one or more respective content sources; and

receiving content data in response to the one or more content inquiries.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in the cache after receiving it from the one or more respective content sources.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a content source is a database, a search and retrieval system, a thesaurus, a reference work, an address book, a control system, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a products database, a quotes library, a stock quote system, a news service, internet advertisements, a catalog, a complex function, a translation engine, a classification scheme, a lookup list, an auto-complete history, an algorithm, a directory, or a search engine.

11. A server system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the server system further comprising computer-executable instructions stored in the at least one memory of the server system which, when executed by the at least one processor of the server system, cause the server system to:

receive from a client, by the server system, a string representing an incomplete search query;

match, by the server system, the string to entries in a cache of query strings and search results based on content queries received from multiple users, whereby cached search results contain a subset of data from one or more content sources;

retrieve, by the server system, search result data for the incomplete search query;

asynchronously send, by the server system to the client prior to completion of the search query at the client, information identifying the incomplete search query and at least a portion of the search result data that identifies the content in a content source.

12. The server system of claim 11, whereby the information identifying the incomplete search query is the string.

13. The server system of claim 11, whereby the information identifying the incomplete search query is an identifier received with the string from the client.

14. The method of claim 11, whereby the data that identifies the content in a content source is a key, logical link, or Universal Resource Identifier, enabling the client to retrieve additional content data corresponding to the search result.

15. The server system of claim 11, further comprising returning updated search results in response to asynchronously receiving, from the client, a string representing an updated version of the incomplete search query.

16. The server system of claim 11, wherein search result data is retrieved from the cache.

17. The server system of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the search result data is retrieved from the one or more content sources.

18. The server system of claim 17, wherein retrieving search result data comprises:

sending one or more content inquiries to one or more respective content sources; and

receiving content data in response to the one or more content inquiries.

19. The server system of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in the cache after receiving it from the one or more respective content sources.

20. The server system of claim 11, wherein a content source is a database, a search and retrieval system, a thesaurus, a reference work, an address book, a control system, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a products database, a quotes library, a stock quote system, a news service, internet advertisements, a catalog, a complex function, a translation engine, a classification scheme, a lookup list, an auto-complete history, an algorithm, a directory, or a search engine.

21. A method, comprising:

detecting, on a client computer, entry of a content search query into a field on a web page by a user;

while the user is entering the content search query, automatically sending a string representing an incomplete search query to a server system comprising one or more computers;

receiving, by the server system, the string;

matching, by the server system, the string to entries in a cache of query strings and search results based on content queries received from multiple users, whereby cached search results contain a subset of data from one or more content sources;

retrieving, by the server system, search result data for the incomplete search query;

sending, by the server system to the client computer prior to completion of the search query at the client, a message containing information identifying the incomplete search query and at least a portion of the search result data that identifies the content in a content source;

asynchronously receiving, on the client computer, without loading another web page and while the user is entering the content search query into the field, the message, and

displaying at least a portion of the search result data on the client computer and enabling the user to retrieve additional content data corresponding to the search result.

22. The method of claim 21 whereby the web page is a screen on a cell phone or a personal organizer and whereby the search result data or content are received and displayed on the client computer while the user is entering the content search query into the field.

23. The method of claim 21 whereby the client displays the portion of the search result data after verifying that the message asynchronously received from the server matches the then-current incomplete search query by testing a string or a message identifier received in the message from the server.