Search initiation

• US 9,015,616 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick, Sears, Nickolas Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US12/256,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/169, 345173-179, 345/773, 715/773, 715/780, 715/781, 715/802, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A computer-implemented user input method includes sensing a user manipulation of a mobile device to present a keyboard, automatically presenting, in response to the sensed manipulation, a search entry area on a display of the user device, and activating the keyboard to provide input into the search entry area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user input method, comprising:

outputting, by a mobile device, an active application for display;

sensing a user manipulation of the mobile device;

in response to the user manipulation of the mobile device and before receiving typed user input, determining whether the active application is search-associated by identifying whether the active application can provide search results associated with the active application in response to a user-submitted search request, wherein determining whether the active application is search-associated comprises determining which resources in the active application are in use; and

in response to a determination that the active application is search-associated;

outputting, for display, an application-specific search window,

receiving, from a user, a search request in the application-specific search window,

submitting the search request to a specialized search engine, wherein the specialized search engine is adapted to provide search results tailored to the active application, and

outputting, for display in the active application, search results responsive to the search request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving textual user input at a data entry keyboard without a need for the user to navigate to the search entry area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user manipulation comprises sliding a mechanical keyboard from under a front portion of the mobile device, and into an open position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user manipulation comprises rotating the mobile device from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user input on a data entry keyboard and providing the input to a search entry area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning an active cursor in a search entry area upon automatically presenting the search entry area.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, as a result of determining that the active application is search-associated, displaying a search entry area as a pop up box over the active application.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, as a result of determining that the active application is search-associated, changing a display of the active application to reflect the search results.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the search results are obtained from a search set type corresponding to an application type of the active application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the search set type is selected from a group consisting of map search, local search, web search, book search, blog search, and product search.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a data entry keyboard in response to sensing a user manipulation of the mobile device, wherein activation of the data entry keyboard comprises moving a physical keyboard from a user-inaccessible position to a user-accessible position.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the active application is not search-associated;

outputting for display a generic search screen,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the generic search screen, the search request submitted by the user using a data entry keyboard,

submitting the search request to a generalized search engine, and

outputting for display in the generic search screen search results responsive to the search request.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having tangibly recorded and stored thereon instructions that, if executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising:

outputting an active application for display;

determining that a data entry keyboard on a computing device has been manipulated into a mode for receiving user data;

in response to the determining that the data entry keyboard has been manipulated into a mode for receiving user data and before receiving typed user input, determining whether the active application is search-associated by identifying whether the active application can provide search results associated with the active application in response to a user-submitted search request, wherein determining whether the active application is search-associated comprises determining which resources within the active application are in use;

if the active application is search-associated;

outputting for display an application-specific search window,

receiving, from a user, a search request in the application-specific search window,

submitting the search request to a specialized search engine, wherein the specialized search engine is adapted to provide search results tailored to the active application, and

outputting for display in the active application search results responsive to the search request; and

if the active application is not search-associated;

outputting for display a generic search screen,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the generic search screen, the search request submitted by the user using the data entry keyboard,

submitting the search request to a generalized search engine, and

outputting for display in the generic search screen search results responsive to the search request.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions are arranged to perform actions further comprising receiving user input on the data entry keyboard and providing the input to a search entry area.

15. A computer-implemented user input system, comprising:

a concealable keyboard having a first mode in which the keyboard is not accessible to a user, and a second mode in which the keyboard is accessible to the user;

a keyboard monitor to determine when the concealable keyboard transitions from the first mode to the second mode; and

a search application programmed to generate a search entry area automatically when the keyboard monitor determines that the keyboard has moved from the first mode to the second mode, the search application further programmed to;

in response to determining that the keyboard has moved from the first mode to the second mode and before receiving typed user input, determine whether an active application is search-associated by identifying whether the active application can provide search results associated with the active application in response to a user-submitted search request, wherein determining whether the active application is search-associated comprises determining which resources within the active application are in use;

if the active application is search-associated;

outputting for display an application-specific search window,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the application-specific search window,

submitting the search request to a specialized search engine, wherein the specialized search engine is adapted to provide search results tailored to the active application, and

outputting for display in the active application search results responsive to the search request; and

if the active application is not search-associated;

outputting for display a generic search screen,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the generic search screen, the search request submitted by the user using the data entry keyboard,

submitting the search request to a generalized search engine, and

outputting for display in the generic search screen search results responsive to the search request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein text entered on the keyboard after the keyboard transitions from the first mode to the second mode is entered in the search entry area automatically.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the keyboard comprises a mechanical QWERTY slide-out keyboard and the keyboard monitor includes a switch in a slide-out mechanism.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the search application is programmed to automatically position an active cursor in a search entry area upon automatically presenting the search entry area.

19. A computer-implemented user input system, comprising:

a concealable keyboard having a first mode in which the keyboard is not accessible to a user and a second mode in which the keyboard is accessible to the user;

a keyboard monitor to generate a signal when the concealable keyboard transitions from the first mode to the second mode; and

means for presenting a search entry area to a user for entry of a search query using the keyboard, by, in response the keyboard monitor generating a signal when the concealable keyboard transitions from the first mode to the second mode and before receiving typed user input, determining whether an active application is search-associated by identifying whether the active application can provide search results associated with the active application in response to a user-submitted search request, wherein determining whether the active application is search-associated comprises determining which resources within the active application are in use;

if the active application is search-associated;

outputting for display an application-specific search window,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the application-specific search window,

submitting the search request to a specialized search engine, wherein the specialized search engine is adapted to provide search results tailored to the active application, and

outputting for display in the active application search results responsive to the search request; and

if the active application is not search-associated;

outputting for display a generic search screen,

receiving, from the user, a search request in the generic search screen, the search request submitted by the user using the data entry keyboard,

submitting the search request to a generalized search engine, and

outputting for display in the generic search screen search results responsive to the search request.