Apparatus and methods for locating data

• US 8,019,741 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X1 Discovery, Inc.
• Original Assignee: X1 Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Gross, William, Colwell, Steven Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/350,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

The present invention provides for quick and efficient searches. In one embodiment, a search system, comprises an email search interface having at least a first email-specific attribute search field, a file search interface having at least a first file-specific attribute search field, a Web history search interface having at least a first Web-specific attribute search field, and an apparatus configured to perform incremental searching as the user enters characters into one or more attribute search fields.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein that are configured for execution by a computing device, the instructions comprising:

instructions configured to generate a plurality of user selectable search mode interfaces, including at least;

an email search mode interface having email-specific attribute search fields including at least a date field, a from field, and a sender field;

a file search mode interface having file-specific attribute search fields including one or more of a file name field, a file type field, a date field, a file size field, and a path field;

an email attachment search mode interface including one or more of a name field, a date field, a size field, and an extension field;

wherein each of the email search mode interface, the file search mode interface, and the email attachment search mode interface further comprises a list pane, used to display a list of search result items, and a view pane, used to display the contents of a selected search result item;

an index module that, when executed by the computing device, generates at least an email index, a file index, and an email attachment index; and

a search module that, when executed by the computing device, performs incremental searching of at least one of the email index, the file index, and the email attachment index in response to the user entering characters into at least one search mode interface field.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the search module is configured to update the list of search result items after each character is received in one of the search mode interface fields without further input from the user.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the email search mode interface, the file search mode interface, and the email attachment search mode interface are alternatively viewable within a single search interface configured for display on a display device.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the single search interface comprises tabs that are selectable by the user in order to initiate display of a respectively associated search mode interfaces, the tabs comprising at least an email search mode interface tab, a file search mode interface tab, and an email attachment search mode interface tab, wherein each of the tabs is displayed in the single search interface regardless of which of the email search mode interfaces is currently selected for display.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the search module is configured to automatically display in the view pane at least a portion of the contents of a first search result item in the list of search result items.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein in response to the first of the list of search result items changing in response to updating of the list of search result items after a character is received in one of the search mode interface fields, the search module is configured to automatically update the view pane to display at least a portion of the contents of a new first search result item in the changed list of search result items.

7. The search apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein

the email index comprises email attributes including one or more of sender information, addressee information, date information, folder path information, client information, cc information, and bcc information;

the file index includes file attributes including one or more of file name information, file type information, date information, file size information, and path information.

8. A search apparatus, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium storing software modules for execution by the search apparatus, the software modules comprising;

an interface module configured to selectively generate a plurality of user selectable search mode interfaces having attribute fields, including at least;

an email search mode interface having email-specific attribute search fields including one or more of a date field, a from field, and a sender field;

a file search mode interface having file-specific attribute search fields including one or more of a file name field, a file type field, a date field, a file size field, and a path field;

an email attachment search mode interface including one or more of a name field, a date field, a size field, and an extension field;

wherein each of the email search mode interface, the file search mode interface, and the email attachment search mode interface further comprises a list pane, used to display a list of search result items, and a view pane, used to display the contents of a selected search result item;

an index module configured to generate at least a first index, including one or more indexes of emails and files;

one or more memories configured to store the first index, including one or more indexes of emails and files; and

a search module configured to perform incremental searching of the first index as the user enters characters into at least a first attribute search field such that a list of search results is updated with one or more of matching emails and matching files after each character of one or more search strings is received from a user in one of the attribute search fields.

9. The search apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email search mode interface and the file search mode interface each further comprise a list area used to display the list of search result items that is updated as each character of the one or more search strings is received from the user.

10. The search apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email search mode interface further comprises a search field used to search across a plurality of the attribute fields.

11. The search apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email search mode interface and the file search mode interface are alternatively viewable within a single search interface configured for display on a display device.

12. The search apparatus of claim 11, wherein the single search interface comprises areas that are selectable by the user in order to initiate display of a search mode interface corresponding to the respective selected area, the user-selectable areas comprising at least an email search mode interface area and a file search mode interface area, wherein each of the user-selectable areas are displayed in the single search interface regardless of which of the search mode interfaces is currently selected for display.