System and method for providing an improved graphical user interface for search

• US 7,337,185 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crakow, Jennifer, Wodtke, Christina, Ellis, Kevin, Lu, Qi
• Primary Examiner(s): MAHMOUDI, HASSAN
• Application Number:
  US10/783,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/200, 709/206, 709/219, 709/228, 705/1, 705/50, 715/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

There is provided a system for visually associating a search region containing search criteria with a search category from which the results of a search are found. The system contains a search region containing a user'"'"'s search criteria, a result region comprising indicia of several search categories, and a connection indicator establishing a visual connection between the search term contained in a search region and a selected one of search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search term was found in the particular search category indicated by the connection indicator.

Claims

1. A method for providing a graphical user interface for search comprising:

obtaining a search term;

performing a search for said search term;

obtaining a plurality of results pertaining to said search term;

displaying indicia of a plurality of search categories; and

visually associating a search region containing said search term with one of said indicia of search categories using a connection indicator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said connection indicator is a pointer having a first end and a second end, said first end being visually associated with said search term and said second end being visually associated with one of said indicia of search categories.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said indicia of search category is labeled “

Yellow Pages”

.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein said indicia of search category is labeled “

Web”

.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein visually associating said search region further comprises visually associating said search region with a default indicia of a search category.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein said default search category indicia is labeled “

Yellow Pages”

.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein said default search category indicia is labeled “

Web”

.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying a plurality of alternate search category indicia and visually associating said search region with one of said plurality of alternate search category indicia using an alternate connection indicator.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein said alternate connection indicator is disposed at the bottom of a web page.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting one of said search category indicia; and

visually associating said search region with said selected search category indicia using said connection indicator.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

displaying said search terms and a search button in the search region wherein said search region is located adjacent to said indicia of the plurality of search categories.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting one of said plurality of search categories;

performing a new search for said search term corresponding to said selected search category;

obtaining a new plurality of results pertaining to said search term in response to said new search;

displaying indicia of a plurality of search categories; and

visually associating the search region containing said search term with the indicia of said selected search category using a connection indicator.

13. A system for providing a graphical user interface for search comprising:

a search region which displays a user'"'"'s search criteria;

a result region which displays search results, said result region comprising indicia of a plurality of search categories; and

a connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said search region and a selected one of said search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search criteria was found in the particular search category indicated by said connection indicator.

14. The system according to claim 13 wherein said connection indicator is a pointer having a first end and a second end, said first end is wider than the second end and visually associated with the search region while said second end is visually associated with said selected one of search category indicia.

15. The system according to claim 13 wherein said connection indicator establishes a visual connection between said search region and a default search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search criteria was found in the particular default search category indicated by said connection indicator.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein said default search category indicia is labeled “

Web”

.

17. The system according to claim 15 wherein said default search category indicia is labeled “

News”

.

18. The system according to claim 15 wherein said default search category indicia is labeled “

Yellow Pages”

.

19. The system according to claim 13, further comprising:

an alternate search region which displays a user s search criteria;

an alternate result region which displays search results, said alternate result region comprising indicia of a plurality of alternate search categories, said alternate search region and said alternate result region being disposed at the bottom of a web page; and

an alternate connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said alternate search region and said selected one of said alternate search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search criteria was found in the particular alternate search category indicated by said alternate connection indicator.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein said alternate connection indicator is a pointer having a first end and a second end, said first end is wider than said second end and visually associated with said alternate search region while said second end is visually associated with said selected one of said alternate search category indicia.

21. The system according to claim 19 wherein said alternate connection indicator establishes a visual connection between said alternate search region and a default alternate search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search criteria was found in the particular default alternate search category indicated by said alternate connection indicator.

22. The system according to claim 13 wherein said search region further comprises a search button.

23. The system according to claim 22 wherein said search region is disposed adjacent to said result region.

24. A system comprising:

at least one processor to;

define a graphical user interface comprising a search region containing a user'"'"'s search criteria, and a result region comprising indicia of a plurality of search categories; and

define, via said graphical user interface, a visible connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said search region and a selected one of search category indicia so as to enable a user to make a cognitive connection indicating that the user'"'"'s search criteria was found in the particular search category indicated by said connection indicator.

25. A graphical user interface for search, comprising:

a search region which displays an area for containing user search criteria;

a result region which displays search results, said result region comprising plural indicia representing a plurality of search categories within which user search criteria may be searched, at least one of said plurality of said search category indicia selected from a group of search category indicia consisting of a web category indicia and a yellow pages category indicia; and

a connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said search region and a selected one of said search category indicia that indicates the search category within which a search for said search criteria is performed, said connection indicator indicating that a search for said user search criteria has been performed in the search category indicated by said connection indicator, said connection indicator comprising a pointer that points from a region proximate said search region to a region proximate said selected one search category indicia.

26. The user interface of claim 25 wherein said search region comprises a search term text entry area.

27. The user interface of claim 26 wherein the each of the plural search category indicia comprises a text region and a surrounding graphics region, the two aforementioned regions so configured as to resemble a labeled index tab on a file folder.

28. The user interface of claim 26 wherein the connection indicator resembles an arrowhead.

29. A method for providing a graphical user interface for search, the method comprising:

defining a graphical user interface to be displayed at a user computer, the graphical user interface comprising a search region containing an area for containing user search criteria and a result region comprising plural indicia representing a plurality of search categories within which user search criteria may be searched, at least one of said plurality of said search category indicia selected from a group of search category indicia consisting of a web category indicia and a yellow pages category indicia; and

defining, in the graphical user interface, a connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said search region and a selected one of said search category indicia that indicates the search category within which a search for said search criteria is performed, said connection indicator indicating that a search for said user search criteria has been performed in the search category indicated by said connection indicator, said connection indicator comprising a pointer that points from a region proximate said search region to a region proximate said selected one search category indicia.

30. A computer-readable medium in which computer-executable code is stored, the code, when executed, providing a graphical user interface for search, comprising:

defining a graphical user interface to be displayed at a user computer, the graphical user interface comprising a search region containing an area for containing user search criteria and a result region comprising plural indicia representing a plurality of search categories within which user search criteria may be searched, at least one of said plurality of said search category indicia selected from a group of search category indicia consisting of a web category indicia and a yellow pages category indicia; and

defining, in the graphical user interface, a connection indicator establishing a visual connection between said search region and a selected one of said search category indicia that indicates the search category within which a search for said search criteria is performed, said connection indicator indicating that a search for said user search criteria has been performed in the search category indicated by said connection indicator, said connection indicator comprising a pointer that points from a region proximate said search region to a region proximate said selected one search category indicia.