Abstract:
An Internet search engine with associated user interface is provided to facilitate use, particularly on devices with limited display size. Each search result is displayed using a graphical image associated with the result, and optionally associated text. Each result may be displayed using a significant portion of the total display area available. The amount of display area used to display a search result may vary depending upon the availability of significant images or relative importance of a search result to the underlying query.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention is in the computer software field, with focus on an improved search engine for Internet searching. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Search engines for Internet searching such as Google, Yahoo and others have made an enormous wealth of information available to computer users and have made and continue to make a huge contribution to science, education, culture, business and general dissemination of human knowledge. Search engines have put great knowledge and information resources at the fingertips of the population regardless of their level of computer skills. Users of search engines include all segments of the population, from highly sophisticated users with advanced computer expertise to millions of users with very limited familiarity with computers and software. 
         [0003]    However, one area with substantial room for improvement is the way the information found by the search engine is communicated to the user. Current search engines rely primarily on text to do that, which can be very tiring to the user who has to go through a very large set of available information. The task is even more difficult if the information is to be displayed on a mobile device with limited display size, such as a phone, PDA or other mobile device. The available display space in a mobile device is so small that the user faces a challenge when trying to read the tiny text that contains the result of his/her search. In many applications, a different approach may be desirable to facilitate the search process and make it practical for users on a variety of devices. 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  shows a typical search engine using Google as an example. The screen is basically divided in three vertical columns:
       column  11  is used for settings and other items of infrequent use or lesser importance;   column  13  is used for advertising;   column  12  is used for the actual search results, which are listed primarily as a text list       
 
         [0008]    In addition, typically there is also a horizontal advertising banner  14  near the top of the screen. 
         [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a typical search using Google, which shows the results as a long text list in the middle of the screen (area  22 ). 
         [0010]      FIG. 3  shows the same search using Yahoo. The way the results are displayed is very similar. 
         [0011]      FIG. 4  shows the same search using bing, the Microsoft search engine. The way the results are displayed is very similar too. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a schematic block diagram of a prior art search engine user interface. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a prior art search engine user interface. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of a further prior art search engine user interface. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of yet another prior art search engine user interface. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram of a search engine user interface, in accordance with a first embodiment described herein. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of a search engine user interface. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a search engine user interface. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a search engine user interface. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a search engine user interface. 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a front elevation of a mobile device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a schematic block diagram of a mobile device search user interface. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of a mobile device search user interface. 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a mobile device search user interface. 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a mobile device search user interface. 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is a front elevation of a further mobile device embodiment having an elongated screen. 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  is a schematic block diagram of a search user interface for a mobile device having an elongated screen. 
           [0028]      FIG. 17  is a schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of a mobile device search user interface. 
           [0029]      FIG. 18  is a schematic block diagram of a prior art system for conducting an Internet search. 
           [0030]      FIG. 19  is a schematic block diagram of a system for conducting a search in accordance with embodiments described herein. 
           [0031]      FIG. 20  is a schematic block diagram of a prior art system for conducting a search using a mobile device. 
           [0032]      FIG. 21  is a schematic block diagram of a system for conducting a search using a mobile device in accordance with embodiments described herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    Embodiments described herein provide alternative approaches to improve the way search results are communicated on desktop computers, laptop computers and especially on mobile devices such as phones. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  illustrates a system and method for displaying search results, in accordance with one embodiment. In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the number of vertical columns has been reduced from 3 to 2. The customary left column (settings and other items) is replaced with a box or link to said functionality (see “settings and other” link  53  near the top right corner of the screen). Eliminating the current left column frees up valuable space on the screen that can be used for a more efficient layout. 
         [0035]    Furthermore, in the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the number of hits displayed at one time has been limited. The objective is to have a small number of total entries in the screen (preferably 4 or less) to make it possible to increase the size of the text used to make the text readable, even on a mobile device. In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , a maximum of 3 in the search results is displayed at one time in panel  51  and one in the top banner  54 . Alternatively there could be two entries in each of the two panels, with the same total of 4 entries, thereby avoiding reduction of text size to the point of making the search results more difficult to read. This approach also makes increased use of images for every entry possible, so that the user can largely rely on easy to see and easy to recognize images rather than having to read a massive amount of text. This approach does not need to sacrifice ad revenue, because the ad areas  54  and  52  can be preserved. Additionally the banner and the right hand side advertising panel can be refreshed with new ads (or even the same depending on the ad pricing scheme adopted) as the user navigates through subsequent screens. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  illustrates a further embodiment, in which the number of search result hits per page is now limited to just one. Search result navigation controls  63  enable a user to cycle through search results, whereby the user can click on First, Prior, Next or Last to navigate to other search result hits. Large text can now be used for display of search hits within results pane  61 , which for many users is a great benefit, especially (but not only) when using a mobile device. 
         [0037]    A variation of the approach shown in  FIG. 6  is to choose a dynamically variable maximum number of hits displayed per view. For instance if no images are available for some of the hits, or if the amount of information available for some of the hits is very small, or if a hit is judged by the search engine to be less important or less relevant, a smaller amount of space may be allocated to that hit, and in that case the search engine may choose to display a larger number of hits in one view, such as possibly 2 or 3 (or potentially even higher in some cases) instead of just one hit per view. 
         [0038]    In accordance with another embodiment,  FIG. 7  shows that the hit display area  71  includes an image area  77  and a text area  78 . Image area  77  displays a graphical image associated with the current search result hit, while text area  78  displays text content associated with the current search result hit. This approach is very friendly on the eyes of the user, (especially but not only) when the user is using a mobile device. In accordance with one method of use, the user can initially focus on the images and read the text only after screening the hit based on the image. The images in many cases can be company or product logos (when applicable), which are often instantly recognized even without reading the accompanying text. This approach in many cases allows for a more efficient processing of information, depending on the type of information displayed. 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  shows that the user can now move forward or backward in the hits list by clicking on the navigation arrows  85  and  86  (instead of reading the text “Prior” and “Next”, selecting one of them and then clicking on it). The less the user is required to read, the better (especially on a mobile device). 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  is a slight variation of  FIG. 8 . Two more navigation buttons have been added to allow the user to quickly jump to the top of the results list or to the bottom of it (fast forward and fast backward). 
         [0041]      FIG. 10  shows that despite the small size of the display  101  of a typical mobile device  100  (such as a Blackberry device), the present invention enables the user to conduct an Internet search and actually see the results of the search in a convenient and readable way, which in many cases today is virtually impossible. 
         [0042]      FIG. 11  shows an expanded view of the screen  101  of mobile device  100  ( FIG. 10 ). Most of the area of the screen  101  has been assigned to one hit, in this case hit 3 of the list. The area assigned to hit 3 includes an image area  112  and a text area  113 . The area  114  has been assigned to advertising. 
         [0043]    Using the current approach in search engines, it would be very hard to squeeze a list of search results and also an advertising area into the screen of a mobile device, and still keep the text size large enough to make everything readable. Typically the compromise has been to reduce the text size to a level that it readable only with great difficulty. Embodiments described herein can help resolve that issue for many users. 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  shows a further embodiment of the search result display, in which the ad area at the top is divided into an image area  121  and a text area  122 , following the same approach used to show the hits (panels  123  and  124 ). The relative size between image and text for all the four panels can be dynamically adjusted if necessary. 
         [0045]      FIG. 13  shows a further embodiment of a method and user interface for display of search results, which is particularly useful for mobile devices. The whole display consists of basically two horizontal panels: panel  132  for the hits and panel  131  for advertising. Each one of the two panels consists primarily of images with an optional short caption. This method enables basically a graphical search of the results displayed on the screen. If an interesting hit is found by looking at the image (and caption), the user can click on the “ . . . more” text tag  133  to display detailed information about that hit. 
         [0046]      FIG. 14  shows a further embodiment of a method and user interface for display of search results, which is particularly useful for mobile devices. The whole display consists of basically two vertical panels: panel  142  for the hits and panel  141  for advertising. Each one of the two panels consists primarily of images with an optional short caption. This method enables basically a graphical search of the results displayed on the screen. If an interesting hit is found by looking at the image (and caption), the user can click on the “ . . . more” tag  143  to display detailed information about that hit. 
         [0047]      FIG. 15  illustrates an embodiment implemented on a device with different form factors from the one shown in  FIG. 10 .  FIG. 15  shows a touchscreen phone such as the iPhone, which has a larger and more elongated screen available because of the lack of keyboard. This Figure shows that the image-oriented display methodology of this invention is very well-suited for this type of device too, providing excellent visibility and readability to the user. 
         [0048]      FIG. 16  shows an expanded view of the screen of  FIG. 15 , with an advertising panel  161  and a results panel  162 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 17  shows that because of the larger screen available in the device of  FIG. 15 , it is also conceivable to display more than one hit (possibly 2 or 3) inside the results panel. This Figure shows two display panels  162  and  163  for hits. 
         [0050]      FIG. 18  (prior art) is used to describe how a typical Internet search is conducted using a PC  181 . The user enters a query  180  (a search target), which is sent over the Internet  182  to the Search Engine Provider&#39;s (SEP) computer  184  to get processed by the Search Engine (SE)  186 , which searches the Internet  182  as well as typically also its own database  187 , generating a list of results  188  (the “hit list”). The hit list is sent back through the Internet  182  to the computer  181  that originated the search, which then displays the hits list on its screen, primarily as a text list. 
         [0051]      FIG. 19  describes the a search engine process using a computer to conduct the search. The user enters a query  190  (a search target), which is sent over the Internet  191  to the Search Engine Provider&#39;s (SEP) computer  192  to get processed by the Search Engine (SE)  193 , which searches the Internet  191  as well as typically also its own database  194 , generating a hit list  195 . The hit list  195  is sent back through the Internet  191  to the computer  196  that originated the search. The computer  196  saves the hit list in a data base  197  or as a data buffer in its internal memory and/or on the hard disk, from which a subset (preferably one hit at a time) is extracted to be displayed on the screen, as the user navigates through the list. The screen display is graphics oriented, consisting primarily of images with captions. The hits database or buffer  197  may contain more than one hit list in order to allow the user to almost instantly view any hit related to his/her search (i.e. while the user is inspecting the hit list, other hit lists are downloaded from the search engine and loaded into the data base). 
         [0052]      FIG. 20  (prior art) is used to describe how a typical Internet search is conducted using a mobile device such as a smart phone. The user enters a query (a search target), which is sent over the phone network to the Search Engine Provider&#39;s (SEP) computer to get processed by the Search Engine (SE), which searches the Internet as well as typically also its own database, generating a list of results (the “hit list”). The hit list is sent back through the phone network to the phone that originated the search, which then displays the hits list on its screen, primarily as a text list. 
         [0053]      FIG. 21  describes a new search engine process using a smart phone to conduct the search. The user enters a query (a search target), which is sent over the phone network to the Search Engine Provider&#39;s (SEP) computer to get processed by the Search Engine (SE), which searches the Internet as well as typically also its own database, generating a hit list. The hit list is sent back through the phone network to the phone that originated the search. The phone saves the hit list in a data base or as a data buffer in its internal memory, from which a subset (preferably one hit at a time) is extracted to be displayed on the phone screen, as the user navigates through the list. The screen display is graphics oriented, consisting primarily of images with captions. The hits database or buffer may contain more than one hit list in order to allow the user to almost instantly view any hit related to his/her search (i.e. while the user is inspecting the hit list, other hit lists are downloaded from the search engine and loaded into the data base). 
         [0054]    The above described embodiments can enable a transition from list-oriented display of searches (hit lists) with its inherent visibility and readability problems to object-oriented display, typically one hit at a time. 
         [0055]    The invention also marks the transition from primarily text-oriented search results display to primarily image-oriented search results display, which is important in any device but particularly critical and enabling for mobile devices. 
         [0056]    The above descriptions are examples of possible embodiments. The mention of Google, Yahoo, Apple, Blackberry, iPhone and other trade and product names is just for descriptive purposes, and the present invention is not limited to or specific to those products only. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.