Intelligent messaging label results related to a character stream

• US 8,954,531 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehanna, Lara, Hasan, Shawkat, Vandermolen, Harmannus, Campbell, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US13/614,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user'"'"'s predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user;

determining, using at least one processor, whether the character stream contains a messaging label;

if the character stream contains a messaging label, initiating a search relating to the messaging label; and

enabling display of one or more search results relating to the messaging label prior to input of a completion character by the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters are input by the user into an address line of a web browser.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein enabling display of the one or more search results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a user interface control of the web browser.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the user interface control of the web browser is a drop down menu.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the character stream of non-completion characters are input by the user into a text entry field of a web page loaded by a web browser.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein enabling display of the one or more search results occurs prior to receiving a selection of a search button of the web page loaded by the web browser.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein enabling display of the one or more search results occurs prior to receiving a carriage return input by the user into the text entry field of the web page loaded by the web browser.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the messaging label is a user identifier.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising determining an online status of a user associated with the user identifier.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label comprises identifying an at character in the character stream.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising initiating an electronic messaging communication with a user specified by the one or more search results relating to the messaging label.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an email.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an instant message.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling display of the one or more search results comprises displaying the one or more search results in a drop down menu.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling display of the one or more search results comprises displaying the one or more search results in a user interface separate from a first user interface in which the character stream of non-completion characters was input by the user.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user;

determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label;

if the character stream contains a messaging label, initiating a search relating to the messaging label; and

enabling display of one or more search results relating to the messaging label prior to input of a completion character by the user.

18. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of initiating an electronic messaging communication with a user specified by the one or more search results relating to the messaging label.

19. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label comprises identifying an at character in the character stream.

20. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an email.

21. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the messaging label is a user identifier.

22. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of determining an online status of a user associated with the user identifier.

23. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an instant message.

24. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

25. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user at a device;

determining, using at least one processor, whether the character stream contains a messaging label;

if the character stream contains a messaging label, generating one or more search results relating to the messaging label; and

sending the one or more search results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising enabling the user to initiate an electronic messaging communication with a user specified by the one or more search results relating to the messaging label.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an email.

28. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an instant message.

29. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label comprises identifying a special character in the character stream.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the special character is an at character.

31. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the special character is a number sign character.

32. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the messaging label is a user identifier.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising determining an online status of a user associated with the user identifier.

34. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the device is a mobile device.

35. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a server, a character stream of non-completion characters input by a user at a device;

determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label;

if the character stream contains a messaging label, generating one or more search results relating to the messaging label; and

sending the one or more search results to the device prior to receipt of a completion character input by the user at the device.

37. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 36, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of enabling the user to initiate an electronic messaging communication with a user specified by the one or more search results relating to the messaging label.

38. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 37, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an email.

39. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 38, wherein determining whether the character stream contains a messaging label comprises identifying an at character in the character stream.

40. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 39, wherein the device is a mobile device.

41. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 37, wherein the electronic messaging communication is an instant message.

42. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 41, wherein the messaging label is a user identifier.

43. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 42, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of determining an online status of a user associated with the user identifier.

44. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 43, wherein the completion character is a carriage return.