Contextual search by a mobile communications device

• US 9,172,789 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Kruzeniski, Michael J., Apfel, Darren A., Friedman, Jonathan D., Wykes, David Henry, Holmes, Kathleen W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US14/339,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 : for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Contextual search by a mobile communications device is described. In an implementation, a search query is a received and a context is detected of a user interface currently being displayed on a display device of a mobile communication device. One or more search results are displayed on a display device of a search performed in the detected context using the search query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating for display a first portion of search results of a first search based on a search query performed in a first context that involves a first application;

in response to a command from a user to scroll past the first portion of the search results, generating for display a second portion of the search results of the first search, wherein the second portion of the search results of the first search comprises an end of the search results of the first search;

determining that the user has scrolled past the end of the search results of the first search; and

in response to a user scrolling past the end of the search results of the first search, performing a second search in a second context that involves a second application which was not part of the first search, the second search being performed without manual reentry of the search query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first search is for content that is local to a mobile communications device and the second search is for content that accessible to the mobile communications device via a network connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scrolling past the end of the search results of the first search causes the second search to expand past a local storage to include content available remotely over a network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second searches involves at least a portion of a telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context is user selectable through interaction with a user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the search results of the first search comprises generating for display the search results of the first search in a plurality of categories.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context and the second context each correspond to a respective application stored in storage, further comprising:

retrieving, from the storage, data associated with the second application;

cross-referencing the retrieved data with the search query;

determining, based on the cross-referencing, a subset of the data associated with the second application that matches the search query; and

generating for display a representation of the subset of the data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating content with the first context based on an extension type.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating for display search results of the second search on the display.

10. A system comprising:

hardware circuitry configured to;

generate for display a portion of search results of a first search based on a search query performed in a first context that involves a first application;

in response to a command from a user to scroll past the first portion of the search results, generate for display a second portion of the search results of the first search, wherein the second portion of the search results of the first search comprises an end of the search results of the first search;

determine that the user has scrolled past the end of the search results of the first search; and

in response to a user scrolling past the end of the search results of the first search, perform a second search in a second context that involves a second application which was not part of the first search, the second search being performed without manual reentry of the search query.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first search is for content that is local to a mobile communications device and the second search is for content that accessible to the mobile communications device via a network connection.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein scrolling past the end of the search results of the first search causes the second search to expand past a local storage to include content available remotely over a network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first and the second searches involves at least a portion of a telephone number.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first context is user selectable through interaction with a user interface.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware circuitry is configured to generate for display the search results of the first search by generating for display the search results of the first search in a plurality of categories.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first context and the second context each correspond to a respective application stored in storage, and wherein the hardware circuitry is further configured to:

retrieve, from the storage, data associated with the second application;

cross-reference the retrieved data with the search query;

determine, based on the cross-referencing, a subset of the data associated with the second application that matches the search query; and

generate for display a representation of the subset of the data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware circuitry is further configured to associate content with the first context based on an extension type.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware circuitry is further configured to generate for display search results of the second search on the display.