(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0027848A1
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Feb. 1, 2007
`HOWard et al.
`
`US 20070027848A1
`
`(54)
`
`(75)
`
`(73)
`
`(21)
`(22)
`
`SMART SEARCH FOR ACCESSING
`OPTIONS
`
`Inventors: Dane M. Howard, Sammamish, WA
`(US); Lee Chuan Lin, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`Correspondence Address:
`KLARQUIST SPARKMAN LLP
`121 S.W. SALMON STREET
`SUTE 16OO
`PORTLAND, OR 97204 (US)
`
`Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`Appl. No.:
`11/193,297
`
`Filed:
`
`Jul. 29, 2005
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`G06F 7/30
`(52) U.S. Cl. .................................................................. 707/3
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`When a user types in one or more characters from a
`restricted or ambiguous character set, such as numbers from
`a keypad, the characters in the restricted or ambiguous set
`are mapped to a larger set of characters, such as the alphabet.
`Then, the larger mapping set is used to search through
`keywords representing options available on a communica
`tions device, options available through the Internet, and
`possibly options available through paid placements. The set
`of options that are returned are then sorted based on past user
`behavior, on the context the device was in when the search
`was initiated, and optionally, on weightings given to selected
`keywords through paid placement.
`
`RESPONDING TO ANPUT
`SECUENCE USING ARESTRICTED
`CHARACTER SET BEING INPUT 402
`
`MAPPING RESTRICTED CHARACTER SET
`TO FULL CHARACTER SET TO PRODUCE
`EXPANDED LOOKUP SET 4.04
`
`
`
`
`
`USING EXPANDED LOOKUP
`SET TO SEARCHKEYWORD
`DATABASE 406
`
`
`
`
`
`SORTING KEYWORD(S) 408
`
`
`
`
`
`FILTERING KEYWORD(S) 409
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`DISPLAYING
`KEYWORD(S) 410
`
`DISPLAYING CON 412
`
`KEYWORD CHOSEN
`414
`
`LAUNCHING
`FUNCTION 416
`
`1
`
`Comcast, Exhibit-1207
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 1 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`F.G. 1A
`
`
`
`JOHN RAWLS
`ROWS
`ROSE
`ROSEMARY
`
`FIG. 1B
`
`2
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 2 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`200
`
`
`
`Q 1 (617) 555-3180
`HOWard, Dane
`Music
`
`6 --> 6, M, N, O
`
`1 -> Wildcard
`
`7 -> 7, P, Q, R, S
`
`FIG. 3
`
`3
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 3 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`RESPONDING TO ANPUT
`SEOUENCE USING ARESTRICTED
`CHARACTER SET BEING INPUT 402
`
`MAPPING RESTRICTED CHARACTER SET
`TO FULL CHARACTER SET TO PRODUCE
`EXPANDED LOOKUP SET 4.04
`
`USNG EXPANDED LOOKUP
`SET TO SEARCHKEYWORD
`DATABASE 406
`
`SORTING KEYWORD(S) 408
`
`FILTERING KEYWORD(S) 409
`
`
`
`DISPLAYING
`KEYWORD(S) 410
`
`DISPLAYING ICON 412
`
`KEYWORD CHOSEN
`414
`
`LAUNCHING
`FUNCTION 416
`
`FIG. 4
`
`4
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 4 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`ASSOCATING
`KEYWORD(S) 520
`
`DATABASE OF KEYWORDS 500
`
`801-555-1211
`617-555-318O
`503-555-9845
`201-555-0101
`502
`
`JANE AUSTEN
`JO MARCH
`TOM SAWYER
`BRUCE WAYNE
`504
`
`MEDIA
`PHOTOS
`SYNCH
`VIDEO
`506
`
`NETFLIX
`FEDEX
`SHOP
`GPS
`510
`
`TODAY
`TOMORROW
`YESTERDAY
`MONDAY
`514
`
`CLOCK
`BATTERY
`PROFILES
`RINGTONES
`508
`
`123
`CCC
`MOM
`SWEETE
`512
`
`
`
`TRAFFIC
`LOCNEWS
`WEATHER
`MOVIES
`516
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`FIG.5
`
`5
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 5 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`VIVQ QENIGWOO
`
`SEO?H[]OS
`
`ZZ9
`
`909
`
`6
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 6 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`RECEIVE A FIRST
`CHARACTER SET 702
`
`TRANSFORM FIRST
`CHARACTER STRING
`NTO SECOND CHAR
`SET 704
`
`SEARCH DATABASES
`7O6
`
`APPLY A
`FILTER 708
`
`MODIFY MACHINE
`LEARNING
`ALGORITHM
`722
`
`RETURN
`RESULTS 710
`
`DETERMINE
`KEYWORD SELECTED
`720
`
`SORT BASED ON 1
`CRITERIA 712
`
`
`
`REGISTER KEYWORD
`SELED
`
`
`
`SOLAS 9. 2
`
`ND
`
`DISPLAY RESULTS 716
`
`FIG. 7
`
`7
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 7 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`MODIFYING KEYWORD RESULTS SYSTEM 800
`
`KEYWORD DATABASE 802
`
`KEYWORD DATABASE FILTER 804
`
`USERMONITOR 806
`
`FUNCTION LAUNCHER 807
`
`CONTEXT MONITOR 808
`
`KEYWORD WEIGHTING TRAINER 81
`
`DISPLAYER 812
`
`FIG. 8
`
`8
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 8 of 10
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`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`| | | |
`
`| | | | |
`
`9
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 9 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`PROCESSOR
`
`DISPLAY(S)
`1030
`
`INTERFAC
`1040
`
`INTERFACE
`1070
`
`RADIO
`1080
`
`CME, FA
`
`10
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Feb. 1, 2007 Sheet 10 of 10
`
`US 2007/0027848A1
`
`
`
`12:40 PM
`
`1105
`
`1110
`
`11NAutomotive
`1120
`Dave's Buggin'
`1125 NuRestaurants
`'NDavey Jones
`1135 Nu WebSites
`1140
`
`ACCUMULATOR
`
`CONS
`
`LIST LABEL
`KEYWORD GROUPS
`LINK
`
`SOFTKEYS
`
`FIG 11
`
`11
`
`

`

`US 2007/0027848 A1
`
`Feb. 1, 2007
`
`SMART SEARCH FOR ACCESSING OPTIONS
`
`COPYRIGHT AUTHORIZATION
`0001. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document
`contains material which is subject to copyright protection.
`The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile
`reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it
`appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or
`records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatso
`eVe.
`
`BACKGROUND
`0002 We, as a society, are incorporating mobile elec
`tronic devices into the fabric of our lives. More and more
`options are becoming available, for example, mobile devices
`may now include phone options, a media player, and a
`camera, and may also be connected to the internet, allowing
`for an almost unlimited range of applications, such as the
`phone feature set, games, e-mail access, a web browser, and
`web-based applications, such as downloading music, look
`ing up location-specific information Such as local movie
`times, local traffic reports, local weather, and so on.
`0003. At the same time the number of options on an
`average device has exploded, paradoxically, such devices
`have not increased in size, and in Some cases have become
`smaller, often able to easily fit into a pocket. Often such
`devices have only a restricted keyboard—such as the typical
`twelve-key numeric keypad often found on cell phones—
`and a handful of navigation buttons. Due to Screen size
`restrictions, not much data at a time can be displayed. This
`presents the question of how to easily find some desired
`device functionality. One method involves navigating
`through an ever-expanding series of menus to drill down to
`the application desired. This tends to be both time-consum
`ing and non-intuitive.
`
`SUMMARY
`0004. This summary is provided to introduce a selection
`of concepts in a simplified form that are further described
`below in the Detailed Description section. This summary is
`not intended to identify key features or essential features of
`the claimed Subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as
`an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject
`matter.
`0005. In one embodiment, a method for intelligently
`searching through the myriad of options available on mobile
`electronic devices is presented. Mobile devices are often
`Small enough that they have only a restricted keyboard. Such
`as the numeric keypad found on many cell phones. A user
`can type in a character from that restricted keyboard, and it
`will be mapped to a fuller characterset, such as the alphabet.
`In an exemplary embodiment, the numbers on the keypad
`will be mapped to the letters listed on the face of the keypad
`buttons, such that “2 maps to “A,”“B,” and “C.”“3’ maps
`to “D,”“E.” and “F” and so on. Therefore, to look up
`“DAD, a user would type in “323”.
`0006 The fuller mapping is then used to search at least a
`subset of options available on the device, the options rep
`resented by keywords. Such options might be a device
`features, media application options, phone application
`options, calendaring options, and so forth. Other options
`
`Such as useful programs available on the Internet, user
`defined options, and, in some embodiments, keywords rep
`resenting paid placements can also be accessed through the
`search. Once the search results are returned, they are sorted
`based on past user behavior and based on the context the
`device was in when the search was initiated. For example, if
`the device was in a phone state when the search was
`initiated, phone-type options (such as phone numbers and
`contacts) will appear higher within the search list. Keywords
`may also be given greater weight (resulting in a sort location
`easier for a user to find) based on the time a search occurs,
`the physical location of the device, and paid weightings. The
`Sorted options are then displayed.
`0007 Additional features and advantages will become
`apparent from the following detailed description of illus
`trated embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the
`accompanying figures.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
`0008 FIG. 1A is a diagram of a standard numeric keypad.
`0009 FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary sample mapping
`between spoken input and reasonable guesses as to the input.
`0010 FIG. 2 illustrates an example display for perform
`ing a Smart search.
`0011 FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary sample mapping
`between a restricted character set and a full character set.
`0012 FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a
`method for using a keypad to filter a keyword search on a
`portable electronic device in conjunction with which
`described embodiments may be implemented.
`0013 FIG. 5 is a continuation of the operational flow
`diagram shown in FIG. 4.
`0014 FIG. 6 is a diagram used to illuminate some of the
`methods shown in FIG. 7.
`0015 FIG. 7 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a
`method to intelligently search for options on a portable
`media device in conjunction with which described embodi
`ments may be implemented.
`0016 FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating an
`example system for modifying keyword search results in
`conjunction with which described embodiments may be
`implemented.
`0017 FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a suitable computing
`environment in conjunction with which described embodi
`ments may be implemented.
`0018 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a suitable commu
`nication device in conjunction with which described
`embodiments may be implemented.
`0019 FIG. 11 illustrates a sample display for displaying
`keyword search results.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`I. Overview
`0020 Systems and methods are presented herein for
`locating information quickly on a device with ambiguous
`input by mapping the ambiguous input onto a best guess set
`of keywords and then using the best guess perform a
`
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`US 2007/0027848 A1
`
`Feb. 1, 2007
`
`keyword search, where the keywords represent both contacts
`and other types of information, applications, and services
`available on the device. An exemplary embodiment com
`prises a restricted character set—the numbers 1-0 mapped
`onto a full character set, the letters of the alphabet and the
`original numbers.
`0021. With reference to FIG. 1A, a restricted characterset
`input device 100 is shown a standard 12-key keypad,
`traditionally used for input on Small portable devices. Such
`as those incorporating cell phones. However, it should be
`understood that any input method—such as those with no
`keyboard, i.e., touching a touch screen, choosing items from
`a menu, and so forth; and those that use keyboards with
`different numbers of keys—may be used for character input.
`The number keys 2-9 maps onto the letters of the alphabet
`shown on a given key. So, key “4'105 maps to the number
`4 and the letters G, H, and I 110; while the key “9-115 maps
`to the letters W, X, Y, Z 120, and the number 9. The number
`1 is a wildcard representing any character.
`0022. The user types a string of numbers into the device,
`and in response, the device displays a variety of keywords
`associated with the device, based in part, upon the characters
`typed, the context in which the user initially began inputting
`the character string, and upon the past behavior of the user.
`So, referring to FIG. 2, if the user typed “617202 on the
`device home screen, at least a subset of all possible keyword
`matches would be located, and then sorted. In the example
`shown in FIG. 2, the phone number “617-555-3180210 is
`matched directly, the name “Dane Howard’215 is also
`returned as a match as the phone number “617-555
`3.180210 is his number. The Music application 220 comes
`up as well, as the number “6” maps to the letter M, “1” maps
`to all letters, as a wildcard, and “7” maps to “S”, as shown
`in FIG. 3, producing “MUS”.
`0023 The ambiguous input can also be voice input, as
`shown in FIG. 1B. A user speaks the sound “ROSE' into a
`device, and the device maps the words shown John Rawls,
`Rose, Floral Shop (sells roses) and Rosemary—onto the
`Sound representation.
`0024 Handwriting recognition pads also produce
`ambiguous inputs—the written shapes may suggest a num
`ber of possible letters. In an exemplary embodiment, the
`shapes generated from a handwriting recognition pad may
`be used as the first ambiguous set, with the best guesses from
`the device mapped to precise options during the keyword
`search.
`0.025 The current use state of a device is also given
`weight as to how the keyword matches are displayed. If the
`user had begun typing from a music application, then
`musical matches would be given more weight in the final
`sort than matches of other types. Information learned from
`past user behavior, such as the frequency that a given Song
`had been played, may also go into the final sort of the
`matches. Similarly, the type of input used keyboard, Voice
`recognition, handwriting stylus, etc., may also be used to
`determine which matches will be considered more relevant.
`For example, if a voice recognition system is used for input,
`then options which utilize Voice recognition may be sorted
`nearer the top.
`0026.
`Filters may also be applied, using the same criteria,
`to reduce the total number of matched keywords.
`
`II. Exemplary Method for Smart Searching Applications and
`Systems
`0027 FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a
`process for using a keypad to filter a keyword search on a
`portable electronic device. The process begins at process
`block 402 where a portable electronic device responds to an
`input sequence of key activations associated with a restricted
`character set being input. In an exemplary embodiment, this
`restricted character set is the numbers 1-0 as found on the
`standard numeric keypad 100 as shown in FIG. 1. Other
`restricted character sets are envisioned, however. For
`example, certain character-based languages such as Chinese
`have systems where complex characters can be assembled
`using a series of predefined strokes—this “stroke alphabet”
`could be the restricted character set. A user may enter the
`character set using a touch-pad, by pressing a button, by
`writing on a tablet, by toggling a Switch, and so on.
`0028. At process block 404, the restricted character set is
`mapped to a fuller character set. In the example given, the
`numbers on a keypad are mapped to the standard alphabet.
`Other alphabets may be used, such as the Cyrillic alphabet,
`or the Arabic alphabet, or something entirely different than
`an alphabet may be mapped. Such as a list of commands, or
`a list of mathematical formulas. Some characters in the
`restricted character set may have special functions, such as
`a specific character may represent a wildcard. In an exem
`plary mapping, the wildcard is the number '1', which maps
`to all 26 letters. In other mappings, the wildcard may map to
`all numbers as well as the letters, or may map to some
`restricted character sets. In some embodiments, there may be
`multiple wildcard characters.
`0029. This mapping produces an expanded lookup set
`404. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary mapping. The user input
`“6” is mapped to the number 6, and the letters M, N, and O.
`The user input 1 is a wildcard which maps (in this case) to
`all 26 letters of the alphabet, and the user input “7” maps to
`P, Q, R, and S. In this exemplary embodiment, the number
`“6”, and the letters M, N, and O in the first position is
`mapped to each character in the full character set in the
`middle position, and to the characters 7, P, Q, R, and S in the
`third position giving the possible combinations “6 17”, “6
`27, “63 7, ... “697, ... “MAP, “MB P”, “MCP,
`. . . 'MZ P'... “NAP, “N B P”, “N CP, ... “N Z P'.
`... to “OZ P'. It should be understood that three characters
`are input here simply for illustrative purposes; any number
`of characters can be input to be used within the mapping.
`The longer the character string, the fewer matches can be
`expected to be retrieved.
`0030. At process block 406, the expanded lookup set is
`used to search a database. This database may itself comprise
`many separate sub-databases. With reference to FIG. 2, an
`exemplary database has a number stored in the contacts
`database that begins with the digits “617” “617-555
`3180205. That contact number has a name associated with
`it, “Dane Howard’210. This name also appears in the
`database search results. The keyword “Music.” which rep
`resents a music player application, also is returned as a result
`215, as “6” maps to 'M', 1 maps to anything and “7” maps
`to “S”. If the keyword “Music'215 is selected, then the
`Music Player application will immediately be launched.
`0031 Turning to FIG. 5, the database 500 may itself
`contain keywords from a number of Sources. As seen pre
`
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`

`US 2007/0027848 A1
`
`Feb. 1, 2007
`
`viously, the database may contain contact numbers 502, that
`is, numbers that have been input into the contact database.
`There may also be a name database 504 which may or may
`not be connected to the contacts database. Assuming that at
`least Some of the contacts have associated names, inputting
`characters that represent the contact number should retrieve
`the name, and Vice-versa. So, in the example shown in FIG.
`2, inputting “469 (HOW) or “32 63” (DANE) should
`bring up both Dane Howard's name and his contact number.
`0032. The features available on the media device may
`also have keywords associated with certain device applica
`tions 506; such keywords, for example, being “Music'
`which may bring up a music player on Some devices, as
`discussed above. Other keywords in this group may be such
`words as “Photos” (to view stored photos) “Synch' (to
`synch this device with another device) “Camera' (to start a
`camera function), "Calendar (to start a calendaring appli
`cation) and “Video' (to start a video application), to name a
`few. In an exemplary embodiment, when a keyword repre
`senting Such a device application is chosen, the application
`is launched.
`0033. Device functions 508 may also have associated
`keywords. For example, rather than having to access several
`levels of menus to access the clock function, the keyword
`“Clock', when chosen, could automatically allow a user to
`modify the device clock. A given application can have
`multiple keywords associated with it. For example, the clock
`could also be accessed by the following keywords: “time'.
`“timeZone', and “date', if all are attributes of the device
`clock. Other device functions. Such as messages, the call log,
`battery information, profiles, and changing ringtones, to
`name a few, could have keywords associated with them that
`allowed easy access to them.
`0034 Commercial services may also have associated
`keywords 510. For example, a music download site, YOUR
`DOWNLOAD, could have the keyword “DOWNL' associ
`ated with it. In an exemplary embodiment, a commercial
`service could pay to have a keyword associated with its
`service 520 installed upon at least one device. So, for
`example, a major internet cataloger could purchase the word
`“SHOP such that when device users selected that keyword,
`an application takes the user's device by, for example, an
`internet connection, to the cataloger's site. Similarly, a paid
`placement for “local traffic' may lead to a specific informa
`tion or site. Furthermore, the specific site that the keyword
`leads to may be controlled by the device access carrier, so
`that the site (or information) that the keyword leads to can
`be modified without a user's input.
`0035) Users can also input their own keywords, 512 and
`connect them with a desired functionality; this allows a user
`to personalize a device. Users may choose to associate
`keywords with favorite internet sites, with email applica
`tions, with specific people, and so on.
`0036) A special class of keywords associated with time
`514 can also be part of the database. For example, the word
`“Monday” could represent the relative concept “next Mon
`day' and could pull up all calendar events occurring on that
`day. Other such relative time concepts such as “yesterday”.
`“today', “tomorrow”“next week”, “last Tuesday', etc.,
`could also be included.
`0037 Keywords representing the physical location of the
`device 516 can also be present. For example, such a physical
`
`location-dependent keyword could be “Traffic'. When
`“Traffic' is pulled up out of the database and then selected,
`the state of traffic in some geographic area around the device
`could be displayed. The concept of local could be dependent
`on the actual device location or could be input by a user.
`Other location keywords might be “Movies’ (pull up movies
`within 5 miles of the user's home), “Sushi Bars” (pull up
`sushi bars within the user's city), “Weather, etc.
`0038 Keywords can be installed from a remote location
`using, for example, a wireless network convention. A phone
`company could install keywords for new services available,
`or a company Information Technology administrator may
`install keywords to allow employees to quickly access
`company Information Technology services.
`0039 Keywords may be associated with a paid adver
`tiser. Advertisers may pay money to have a keyword asso
`ciated with them, and with an advertisement that is on the
`device. When the user chooses a keyword associated with a
`specific advertiser, an advertisement associated with the
`advertiser will be displayed on the device. The advertise
`ment may be kept in a database of advertisements 634, and
`there may also be an associated ad filter 632. If so, the
`advertisement may be associated with a keyword. The
`keyword and advertisement may be present on the device
`initially, may be downloaded by the user, may be down
`loaded by the user for a payment to the user, or may be
`downloaded without the users knowledge using a network,
`Such as a wireless network.
`0040. The user may disable this function, so that no ads
`are displayed, or that only specifically opted-in ads are
`viewed. Some ads may be location-dependent, that is
`depending upon the physical location of the device, a
`different ad may be displayed. As an example, a pizza chain
`may display an ad with the address of the pizza restaurant
`closest to the physical device location.
`0041. The advertisement may be displayed on a screen
`prior to any other content associated with the keyword, may
`be displayed after the user exits the content associated with
`the keyword, may be displayed by playing an ad or a musical
`selection, or may be displayed in some other fashion.
`0042. When an advertisement is displayed, an indication
`reflecting that the ad has been viewed will be communicated
`to the advertiser, and the advertiser may have to pay a fee.
`This communication may be stored on the device or may be
`sent immediately to an offsite location. Alternatively, a
`certain number of ad view information may be stored and
`then sent, or the ad view information may be sent only at
`certain times. If the ad view is associated with a fee it may
`be paid to a wireless communication provider, an advertising
`service, or some other service.
`0043. When information is sent back to the advertiser
`concerning the viewing, it may contain personally identifi
`able information reflecting the specific device or the specific
`user. Some embodiments also include the option allowing
`the user to disable this function so that the user is not
`identified to outside sources. In other embodiments, the
`function is, by default, disabled, and a user must specifically
`opt-in for identification to be passed to outside sources. This
`opt-in option may be accompanied by a fee paid to the user
`for choosing that function.
`0044) Users can further personalize their keyword
`searches by disabling chosen aspects. For example, a user
`
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`US 2007/0027848 A1
`
`Feb. 1, 2007
`
`could instruct the device to not return any keywords asso
`ciated with internet sites, not return any keywords associated
`with a specific device function, Such as turning off all
`keywords associated with contacts, and so on.
`0045 With reference to FIG. 4, at optional process block
`408, the keywords that were selected from the database are
`sorted. These keywords may be sorted alphabetically, or
`they may be sorted based on past device activity history, or
`some other combination. For example, if the numbers “617'
`were typed in as the character search string there might be
`20 phone numbers that started with that prefix. However,
`one of them might have been dialed 20 times in the last
`month, and 10 might have not been called for the last four
`months. The device may therefore sort the numbers by the
`frequency of use, with later uses being given more weight
`than those that happened further in the past. With such a sort,
`the number most frequently dialed should appear first (or
`near the top) of the list.
`0046) The state the device was in when the keyword
`search was initiated may also influence the sort order of the
`returned keywords, or may influence which keywords are
`chosen. For example, if the device was in a listening to
`music state, then Song titles and/or song lists that matched
`the input string might be favored, similarly, if the device was
`in a looking at pictures state, then picture titles might be
`sorted closer to the top.
`0047 Keywords can also be filtered, as shown at optional
`process block 409. For example, a filter may filter out all
`keywords which are not applicable to the current device
`state. In another embodiment, a Subset of keywords may be
`filtered out, with a core set of keywords always available.
`Time may also be used for a filter, with events occurring
`prior to a certain date being filtered out. So, for example,
`appointments whose date is in the past may be filtered out.
`Similarly, phone calls that were made over a year ago may
`not be displayed. Physical device location may also be used
`as a filter, with keywords that represent services within a
`geographic area sorted for.
`0.048. At process block 410, the keywords are displayed
`in Such a way that a user can select one of them. A screen
`on a portable device may be too small to show the entire list
`of keywords returned from the search, especially if the
`search String was Small, and the database of keywords is
`large. Therefore, there should be an associated scroll func
`tion to easily allow a user to view the entire list.
`0049 Additionally, interface elements may be introduced
`to allow a user to “pivot (horizontally or vertically) to
`additional contexts while maintaining the original search
`text. For example, a user may type “7 2 3 46' (radio) and
`get radio settings (a device setting) as a choice. The GUI
`(graphical user interface) may include an ability to “pivot
`to other types of media allowing the user using a “pivot
`widget to search for music, photos, and so on, depending
`upon which pivot category (optionally represented by icons)
`is selected. An example of Such a pivot widget can be seen
`in FIG. 11. Data is entered in an “accumulator'1105. As the
`user enters data, the icons 1110 for data types with matches
`may change State, by getting bigger, by changing color, by
`having a label that indicates that the icon contains matches,
`and so on. As the character string gets longer and matches
`are eliminated, an icon whose category is now empty reverts
`
`to its initial, non-match state. Alternatively, a match may be
`indicated by populating the pivot widget with only those
`icons that contain matches.
`0050 Returning to the “radio’ example, if the user were
`to pivot to the music library icon, the search might return
`"Radiohead', the name of a rock band inside the device
`library. In another embodiment, various search categories
`may be displayed simultaneously, as is shown in FIG. 11,
`where the categories Automotive 1115, Restaurants 1125,
`and Websites 1135 are all displayed, along with the key
`words 1120, 1130, 1140 that match the character string
`(3283) in the accumulator 1105. Each keyword begins with
`"DAVE', and has an associated function, the function being
`launched when the keyword is chosen. For example, if
`Dave's TVReviews.com 1140 is chosen by a user, the device
`preferably will launch an internet application that will
`connect the device with the TVReviews website.
`0051. At optional process block 412, an icon is displayed.
`Examples of such icons can be seen in FIG. 2 at 220, 222,
`and 224. Sometimes, a given icon is associated with a class
`of keywords, such that all contact phone numbers have the
`same icon 220, all people have the same icon 222, and so on.
`This gives the users a visual clue as to what category a given
`keyword fits in. This can be seen as especially useful when
`someone is confronting a keyword they've never seen
`before, because it was added by an application or by a
`commercial service.
`0.052 At optional process block 416, a function associ
`ated with a specific keyword may be launched. Some
`keywords, such as application keywords and commercial
`services keywords may have functions associated with them,
`and these functions may be immediately activated when the
`appropriate keyword is chosen.
`0053. In an exemplary embodiment, this restricted char
`acter set is the numbers 1-0 as found on the standard numeric
`keypad 100 as shown in FIG. 1. A user may enter the
`character set using a touch-pad, by pressing a button, by
`writing on a tablet, by toggling a Switch, and so on.
`III. Exemplary Method to Intelligently Search for Options
`on a Media Device
`0054 FIG. 7 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a
`process for using a keypad to filter a keyword search on a
`portable electronic device to intelligently search for options
`on a media device. The process begins at process block 702
`where the device receives a first character string, the string
`having a context. The character string can be a single
`character, Such as the character “6”, or can be a much longer
`string, such as the string “467743. The context of the string
`is, in an exemplary embodiment, the state the portable
`electronic device was in when the search was initiated. For
`example, the context could be a phone application, a media
`application, a camera application, an email application, a
`text-messaging application, a calendaring application, or a
`commercial service, etc. The state could also refer to the
`specific portion of an application that was being referenced,
`Such as within a video streaming application within the
`media application, within the address field of an email
`application, viewing photos within a camera application, at
`the call log within the phone application, and so forth. The
`process continues at process block 704.
`0055. At process block 704, a first character string is
`transformed into a second character string. For example, as
`
`15
`
`

`

`US 2007/0027848 A1
`
`Feb. 1, 2007
`
`previously discussed with reference to FIG. 1, a limited
`character set is transformed by being mapped to a larger
`character set. In Such a case, the number “4” maps to the
`letters G, H, and I. In an alternate embodiment, the trans
`formation maps two roughly equal character sets. In Such a
`case, the English alphabet may be mapped onto the French
`alphabet, with each English letter (the first character string)
`transformed into the corresponding set of French letters
`including those with diacritical marks. So, the “E” would
`map to “E”. cr", cÉ", and “E”. The process continues at
`process block 706.
`0056. At process block 706, the second character string is
`used to search at least three databases by applying a filter
`708. With reference to FIG. 6, a number of databases and
`filters are shown that can be used with this embodiment.
`Although each filter, in an exemplary embodiment, is based
`on the second character string, each database has at least the
`potential to have its own filter. These database-filter sets
`include a call history database 602, composed of both dial