System, method, and article of manufacture for seamless integrated searching

• US 7,653,704 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ServStor Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Blue Dolphin Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gould, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US10/635,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,366 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/218, 709/219, 709/245, 345/716, 345/748, 707/3, 707/203, 707/200
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A search system (10) employing a scheme of meta-folders (14) in which conventional objects (18) and search objects (20) may be stored in an intermingling manner. Upon opening a meta-folder (14) the search objects (20) are resolved into conventional static pointers, and thus into conventional objects (18). Optionally, an unresolved meta-folder (14a) may very fleetingly appear while this occurs. A resolved meta-folder (14a) then results, presenting only conventional objects (18). In particular, the search objects (20) may be search criteria which the process of resolving causes to produce only such searched out conventional objects (18) which are currently available. Users (80) of the search system (10) my employ it in large network environments (82), including the Internet (96).

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer system connected to a network are capable of causing the computer system to:

define a meta-folder as a type of graphical element, wherein an instantiation of the meta-folder graphical element type is associable with

     1) one or more search objects having corresponding search criteria and

     2) one or more conventional objects that are unrelated to the search criteria;

display, via a first graphical interface of the computer system, a first graphical representation of a first meta-folder instantiated on the computer system, wherein the first meta-folder statically points to at least one conventional object that is unrelated to the corresponding search criteria for the first meta-folder;

upon selection of the first graphical representation via the first graphical interface;

for any search objects associated with the first meta-folder, initiate searching the computer system and the network for conventional objects that satisfy the corresponding search criteria; and

display, via the first graphical interface, a second graphical representation of the first meta-folder that includes graphical elements representing

     1) any conventional objects located as a result of the searching and

     2) the at least one conventional object statically pointed to by the first meta-folder.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a local area network.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a wide area network.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes the Internet.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a local area network, a wide area network or the Internet and the network includes a collection of storage systems for storing at least some of the conventional objects located as a result of the searching.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a local area network and a wide area network.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a local area network and the Internet.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a wide area network and the Internet.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a local area network, a wide area network and the Internet.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network includes a user server connected to the computer system.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user server stores the first meta-folder.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the user server stores at least some of the conventional objects located as a result of the searching.

13. The computer readable storage medium-of claim 10, wherein the user server is connected to the computer system via a local area network.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user server is connected to the computer system via a wide area network.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user server is connected to the computer system via the Internet.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user server is connected to a content server via the Internet.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the content server is a web-page server, an FTP server or a news server.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user server is connected to a vendor server via the Internet.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the first meta-folder is stored on the vendor server or the user server.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the vendor server includes a search engine or media products.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the vendor server includes media products including books, video tapes, DVDs, CDs and audio cassettes.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to initiate a transfer of the first meta-folder via the network.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the transfer occurs through electronic mail.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein conventional objects include conventional folders, conventional files, electronic mail, notes, contact or address book items, or files containing text, audio or video information.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search criteria include wildcard characters.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first meta-folder includes descriptive text.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the descriptive text describes the search criteria.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to display the second graphical representation of the first meta-folder on a single screen of the user interface.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first meta-folder includes associated objects that correspond to music files.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to initiate playing the music files.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to generate graphical representations that indicate whether the music files are owned or un-owned.

32. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to initiate a purchase of one or more of the music files.

33. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to provide a link from which the user can purchase the music.

34. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1,

wherein any conventional objects that have been associated with the first meta-folder have been associated by being moved into the first meta-folder in response to input received via the first graphical interface;

and

wherein the graphical elements representing

     1) any conventional objects located as a result of the searching and

     2) the at least one conventional object statically pointed to by the first meta-folder are movable out of the first meta-folder in response to input received via the first graphical interface.

35. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer system connected to a network are capable of causing the computer system to:

define a meta-folder graphical element type on the computer system, wherein the meta-folder graphical element type permits the association of

     1) one or more search objects having corresponding search criteria and

     2) one or more conventional objects unrelated to the search criteria with an instantiation of the meta-folder graphical element type on the computer system;

display, via a first graphical interface of the computer system, a first graphical representation of a first meta-folder instantiated on the computer system;

upon selection of the first graphical representation of the first meta-folder via the first graphical interface;

initiate searching the computer system, a local area network, and the Internet for conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria for any search objects associated with the first meta-folder; and

display, via the first graphical interface, a second graphical representation of the first meta-folder that includes graphical elements representing

     1) conventional objects located as a result of the searching and

     2) any conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder, including at least one conventional object unrelated to the search criteria corresponding to the first meta-folder, wherein the first meta-folder statically points to the at least one conventional object.

36. The computer readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to display the graphical elements representing the conventional objects located as a result of the searching and the conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder in an intermingling manner within the second graphical representation of the first meta-folder.

37. The computer readable storage medium of claim 35,

wherein any conventional objects that have been associated with the first meta-folder have been associated by being moved into the first meta-folder in response to input received via the first graphical interface;

and

wherein the graphical elements representing

     1) any conventional objects located as a result of the searching and

     2) any conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder are movable out of the first meta-folder in response to input received via the first graphical interface.

38. The computer readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to initiate a transfer of the first meta-folder via the network.

39. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing program instructions that are computer executable by the processor to;

cause the display of a first meta-folder associated with a first search object, wherein a meta-folder is a graphical element type associable with search objects and conventional objects, each search object having corresponding search criteria;

receive a command to open the first meta-folder;

in response to receiving the command to open the first meta-folder;

initiate searching the network and the apparatus for conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria corresponding to search objects in the first meta-folder, including search criteria corresponding to the first search object; and

cause the display of graphical representations of the conventional objects that result from the searching and any conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder, including at least one conventional object that the first meta-folder statically points to, wherein the at least one conventional object is unrelated to the corresponding search criteria of the first search object.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the apparatus is a personal digital assistant.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the personal digital assistant to display, within the displayed first meta-folder, the graphical representations of the conventional objects that result from the searching and the graphical representations of conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder in an intermingling manner on a user interface of the personal digital assistant.

42. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the apparatus is a web-access enabled portable telephone.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the web-access enabled portable telephone to display, within the displayed first meta-folder, the graphical representations of the conventional objects that result from the searching and the graphical representations of conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder in an intermingling manner on a user interface of the portable telephone.

44. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the apparatus is an audio player.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the audio player to display, within the displayed first meta-folder, the graphical representations of the conventional objects that result from the searching and the graphical representations of conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder in an intermingling manner on a user interface of the audio player.

46. The apparatus of claim 39,

wherein any conventional objects that have been associated with the first meta-folder have been associated by being moved into the first meta-folder in response to received input;

and

wherein

     1) the graphical representations representing any conventional objects located as a result of the searching and

     2) graphical representations representing any conventional objects otherwise associated with the first meta-folder are movable out of the first meta-folder in response to received input.

47. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the program instructions are further executable to initiate a transfer of the first meta-folder via the network.

48. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer system are capable of causing the computer system to:

display at least one meta-folder, wherein the meta-folder is a graphical element type that permits association with objects including search objects having corresponding search criteria upon opening the meta-folder;

search for conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria; and

display conventional objects resulting from the search; and

display together with the conventional objects resulting from the search at least one conventional object to which the meta-folder statically points, wherein the at least one conventional object is unrelated to the search.

49. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the instructions permit representations of search objects and the at least one conventional objects to be dragged and dropped into and out of the meta-folder.

50. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer system to initiate a transfer of the meta-folder via a network coupled to the computer system.

51. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a display unit;

wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor to;

cause the display of a representation of an instantiation of a first graphical element type associated with a search object and a first set of conventional objects;

wherein the search object has corresponding search criteria, and wherein the first set of conventional objects are unrelated to the search criteria, and wherein the first set of conventional objects includes at least one conventional object to which the instantiation of the first graphical element type statically points;

upon selection of the instantiation of the first graphical element type;

initiate resolution of the search object by searching for conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria; and

cause icons representing the first set of conventional objects along with icons representing the conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria to be displayed within the representation of the instantiation of the first graphical element type.

52. The system of claim 51,

wherein the first set of conventional objects have been associated by being moved into the instantiation in response to received input;

and

wherein the icons representing the first set of conventional objects and any conventional objects located as a result of the searching are movable out of the instantiation in response to user input.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to transfer the instantiation of the first graphical element type via a network coupled to the system.

54. A method, comprising:

causing a representation of a meta-folder to be displayed by a device, wherein the meta-folder is an instantiation of a graphical element type and is associated with one or more search objects and one or more conventional objects that are not related to the one or more search objects, including at least one conventional object to which the meta-folder statically points, wherein the one or more search objects have corresponding search criteria;

receiving a command to open the meta-folder;

in response to receiving the command to open the meta-folder;

initiating searching the device and a network coupled to the device for conventional objects that satisfy the search criteria corresponding to the one or more search objects; and

causing the display of icons representing the conventional objects that result from the searching and the one or more conventional objects that are associated with the meta-folder but that are not related to the one or more search objects.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the network includes a local area network, a wide area network or the Internet and the network includes a collection of storage systems storing one or more conventional objects.

56. The method of claim 54, further comprising transferring the meta-folder via the network.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the transfer occurs through electronic mail.

58. The method of claim 54, wherein the conventional objects that result from the searching include conventional folders, conventional files, electronic mail, notes, contact or address book items or files containing text, audio or video information.

59. The method of claim 54,

wherein the one or more conventional objects that are not related to the one or more search objects have been associated with the meta-folder by being moved into the first meta-folder in response to input received via a first graphical interface;

and

wherein

     1) the icons representing the conventional objects that result from the searching and

     2) the icons representing the one or more conventional objects that are not related to the one or more search objects are movable out of the meta-folder in response to user input.

60. The method of claim 54, further comprising transferring the first meta-folder from the device to another device via the network.