Information presenting method relative to character flow basing on intelligent result of host computer, and system thereof

The first information presentation method and system based on the intelligent result of the character stream related to the cross-reference of related applications This application claims the priority of the following applications: filed on November 18, 2002, titled "Start and improve communication on the client computer And functional software" U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/426, 806; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/427, 944 entitled "Keywords and Search Navigation" filed on November 21, 2002; filed in 2003 U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/471, 337 entitled "Smart Box" dated May 19, 2003; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/471, 338 titled "Smart Box" filed on May 19, 2003 ; And the U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/488,400 entitled "Smart Box" filed on July 21, 2003. Each of these applications is incorporated by reference.

Technical Field This document relates to content retrieval and presentation.

Background technique

The Internet enables users to access a large amount of information. Users equipped with web browsers, messaging applications, or other dedicated applications can retrieve information from a large database to access large amounts of information. Handling large amounts of information can be a challenge for some users.

Summary of the Invention Generally speaking, a first application program is used to receive one or more character streams representing unfinished characters that can receive additional characters, and the character streams are exchanged with a host to analyze them to generate a response to the users expected interest. As a result, the result is received, and the result is displayed so that the user can select one of the results to activate the code segment related to the selected result, thereby submitting the information to the user.

For example, a web browser can receive the character stream in the address bar and interact with it.

200380108692.1 The host of the map knot corresponding to the users expected interest changes the character stream. The web browser receives the map knot and displays it together with the overview map so that the user can select one of the overview maps to display more Detailed map information · The implementation may include one or more of the following features. For example, the first application program may receive one or more character stream updates, and may exchange the character stream updates with the host to allow the host to use the updates to analyze the character stream, thereby generating updated results in response to the user's expected interest. The updated results can be received and displayed, so that the user can select one of the updated results to start the code segment related to the selected result.

Exchanging the update may include exchanging all characters in the character stream, or exchanging one or more characters in the character stream that have been received since the previous exchange of the character stream.

Exchanging the character stream may include determining whether there is a sufficient amount of data in the character stream to produce an accurate result, and if so, analyzing the character stream to display the result.

When the amount of data in the character stream is insufficient to produce accurate results, the analysis of the character stream can be delayed. Determining whether there is enough data in the character stream can include waiting until a predetermined number of characters are input, until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the user entered the character last time in the character stream, or unless the last character is entered in the character stream After a predetermined amount of time has passed, wait until a predetermined number of characters are entered.

Analyzing the character stream can include identifying results that are more responsive to the user's expected interest. Displaying the results may include displaying results that are more responsive to the user's expected interest.

The results are displayed so that the user can select one of these results to launch the code segment, which may include enabling the user to launch a second application that is different from the first application that received the character stream. Exchanging character streams with the host may include polling multiple databases to identify results from each of the multiple databases.

The user can configure the first application program to control the running mode of the first application program. For example, you can enable the user to select one or more databases to be accessed, to control the format in which the results will be displayed, or to control the configuration of the drop-down menu used to display the results.

The character stream can be analyzed to determine a user profile, and the user profile can be saved and used to analyze subsequent character streams from the first application. Displaying the result can include displaying a map related to the character stream. Use the first app

200380108692.1 The first received character stream may include analyzing it before exchanging the character stream to determine that the map information is related to the character stream. Analyzing the character stream can include identifying commonly used address terms, such as zip codes, state identifiers, or city identifiers that appear in the character stream.

Using the first application to receive the character stream may include analyzing the character stream before exchanging it to determine that the supplier information is related to the character stream, and instructing the host to return the supplier information in the result. Identifying the supplier information may include identifying yellow page information related to the character stream or the type and position that appears in the character stream.

The character stream can be analyzed for use in messaging tags that appear in the character stream. Analyzing the character stream for the messaging label and displaying the result may include presenting a messaging code segment that enables the user to communicate with another user. Analyzing the character stream may include determining that a user identifier is present in the character stream. When such a user identifier appears, the online status of the user related to the user identifier can be determined. Determining the online status and displaying the result may include enabling the user to exchange instant messages with the user associated with the user identifier. Analyzing the character stream used for messaging tags may include recognizing that the "@" character appears in the character stream as an indication that email messages will be exchanged.

The results can be saved for subsequent visits. Saving the result includes saving the result of the user's selection. The first application can be used to receive a second stream of one or more incomplete characters indicating that additional characters can be received. The saved result can be accessed and related to the second stream.

When the second stream indicates that the user requires information related to the saved result, the saved result can be displayed. The second stream can be exchanged with the host to analyze the second stream. The result of the second stream can be received and displayed, so that when the saved result does not involve the second stream, the user can select one of the results of the second stream to start the code segment related to the result of the second stream. The previously described operations can be performed in a client or a host system.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from these descriptions and drawings, as well as from the claims.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 shows a character stream that can be used to intelligently give and analyze through the host

200380108692. 1 The communication system related to the results.

Figure 2 is a flowchart showing how the client can use the host to intelligently give results related to the character stream.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing how the client exchanges character streams with the host and receives map information related to the character streams.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing how the client display can be modified according to the update of the character stream. Figure 5-10 is a typical graphical user interface (GUI) showing how the real-time results related to the character stream can be given.

Detailed ways

The Internet can access a large amount of content. The key challenge in providing users with a better access experience is to enable users to spend the least effort to retrieve results and access the information most relevant to their interests.

To help users, an application enables users to enter a stream of characters in an application (such as a web browser). The character stream includes unfinished characters, which are characters typed in an area or table before the user enters a complete character such as a carriage return (such as the Enter" key). The application can exchange the character stream with the host so that the host can analyze the Character stream. The host analyzes the character stream and produces results that are expected to be of interest to the user. For example, when the character stream includes the string "plumbe", the host can generate access to the Yellow Pages database and retrieve the plumber that can be used to support the user. ) List. Note that the results can be recognized without waiting to receive the complete character stream of "plumber" or "plumber (carriage return)".

In another example, the user can input "20005" as a character stream. The host can retrieve maps and business presentations in the Washington, DC area within the postal code 20005. Note that in this example, the user does not recognize the map label or includes the word "zip code" to retrieve the results of the postal code 20005. Instead, the character stream is analyzed so that possible map results can be considered and/or displayed.

In any case, regardless of the result identified in the host, the result is returned to the client, and the client can display all or part of the result. So that the user can select one of these results

200380108692.1 First, start the code segment related to the selected item to display the result. For example, if the displayed results include a list of plumbers available to support the user, selecting one of these items can launch a web page operated by a specific plumber. In another example, a phone call, e-mail message, or instant message can be transmitted to the plumber for the item selected from the result list.

The user can continue to input one or more characters in the character stream, and can modify the result according to the newly received character. For example, when the character stream is initially analyzed after inputting "spring", results related to spring and products using the term "spring" can be returned. When the user types the character "dead", the character "dead" can be transmitted to the host, which in turn produces results related to "springF,". In one example, the previous results related to "spring" are filtered to produce only those related to spring. A new list of related content. In another example, a new query will be run to identify terms related to "spring^."

Regardless of how the query is constructed, the host will identify results related to "spring^, which can include one or more choices related to towns called SpringHeld. A part of the application accessed by the user can give results for multiple towns. In one In this example, the user can be allowed to select one of these results to generate a map related to the selected Springfleld. In another example, the entries "Springfield, MA" and "Springfield, IL^MSubmit to the user. The user can continue to type characters in the character stream. When the user types the character "I" after recognizing "Springfield", the entry "Springfield, MA" can be deleted. Then the user can select the entry "Springfield, IL" to retrieve the map of Springfield, IL.

Fig. 1 shows a communication system 100 capable of intelligently displaying results related to character streams. Generally, a client 110 uses a network 120 to exchange information about a character stream of unfinished characters with a host 130. The host 130 uses, for example, a database 140 (for example, a yellow pages directory or a map system) to analyze the character stream to generate a result related to the character stream. The host 130 provides one or more results to the client 110, and the client in turn displays the results.

Generally, the client 110 includes a computing device that enables users to exchange information in a communication network. The client 110 may include one or more devices capable of accessing the content in the host 130. The client 110 may also include a process that processes data received or generated from a software application, program, code, device, computer, computer system, or a combination thereof. Command control

200380108692. 1 The first controller (not shown), which independently or collectively guides the operation of the client 110. These instructions can be permanently or temporarily contained in any type of machine, element, device, storage medium, or propagated signal that can be delivered to the client 110 or can reside in the controller of the client 110. The client 110 It can include a general-purpose computer (such as a personal computer (PC)), a workstation, a notebook computer, a PDA ("personal digital assistant"), a wireless phone, a component, Other equipment, or some combination of these items that can respond to and execute instructions.

In one embodiment, the client 110 includes one or more information retrieval software applications capable of receiving one or more data units (for example, a browser, a mail application, an instant messaging client, an Internet service provider). Business client, or an AOLTV or other integrated client). Information retrieval applications can run on a general-purpose operating system and a hardware platform that includes a general-purpose processor and dedicated hardware for graphics, communications, and/or other capabilities. In another embodiment, the client 110 may include a wireless phone that runs a microbrowser application on a reduced general-purpose operating system and hardware dedicated to a mobile environment.

The client 110 includes one or more character stream code segments that analyze the character stream input to the information retrieval application. The character stream code segment receives the stream and exchanges character streams with other software applications in the client 110 and/or the host 130. For example, the character stream code segment can first wait until X numbers are received before sending a transmission to the host 130 Initial character. The character stream code segment can then send an update to the host every Y subsequent characters. Alternatively, the character stream code segment may include a delay feature device that sends an update to the character stream if the user is stationary for Z seconds. In this way, when X is 5 ("five") characters, Y is 2 ("two,,) characters, and Z is 1 ("one") second, the character stream of the user of "DULLES GAS STAT" will be entered The code snippet will require results 1) after "DULLE" and 2) after "DULLES, "DULLES GA", "DULLES GAS, "DULLES GAS ST, and "DULLES GAS STAT". In the same example, if the user types "DULLES GAS S" and (when Z=1 second and the delay feature device is being used) pauses for more than 1 second, the character stream code segment will send the string "DULLES GAS S" to the host for use Yu analysis.

200380108692.1 The first client 110 may include a preliminary analysis code segment to analyze the character stream and issue regular updates. The preliminary analysis code segment filters the character stream to improve the validity of the result generated for the character stream. In one example, the preliminary analysis code segment identifies one or more databases or program segments that may be related to the user's expected interests. In this way, when "20005" is input, the preliminary analysis code segment can send an instruction to the host 130 during transmission to poll the geographic information related to the postal code 20005. Other examples may include preliminary analysis of code segments to identify a service industry (e.g., plumbers), a segment (e.g., online music), or a combination of factors related to user search results (e.g., plumbing in the postcode 20005) Workers). With the initially identified factors, the transmission can be sent to an appropriate database, or the query can be modified as a result of performing a preliminary analysis.

In another example, the preliminary analysis code segment may also associate known information about the user with the character stream. If the client is considered to be working in a specific area (for example, based on the user's billing information), the character stream can be modified to indicate that the host 130 should respond to the user's record address. Similarly, the preliminary analysis code segment can be linked to the cache memory or user history to better identify the user's results. In this way, if the history of user activity indicates that the user is interested in the National Football League sports event, the preliminary analysis code segment can process the result according to the relationship with the result of American football instead of international football (soccer). The preliminary analysis code segment can also retrieve and display the locally saved results before accessing the host 130. The client 110 can include a communication code segment connected to the information retrieval code segment (for example, a browser or a keyword tool) to modify characters Stream the results to reflect the client's network environment. For example, when the client 110 includes a wireless phone with limited bandwidth, the communication code segment can establish a communication exchange to limit the amount of data in the returned result so as not to overwhelm the network 120. This can include filtering Results in order to return no more than a certain number of results. Similarly, the format of the results can be modified to reduce the bandwidth of the results. For example, the results transmitted to the client 110 can remove graphics or images from the application.

The client can include a display code segment that processes the results for a display device (for example, a monitor or LCD ("liquid crystal display")). The display code segment can manage the appearance of results so that only the most likely results are given. The display code segment can be connected to the host 130 in order to

200380108692.1 The number of results does not exceed the capacity of the client's memory or display. In one example, the display code segment can instruct the host 130 to send no more than a certain number of results. In another example, the display code segment may instruct the host 130 not to return any result items larger than a certain size. The client 110 may include one or more media applications. For example, the client terminal 110 may include a software application that enables the client terminal 110 to receive and display audio or video data streams. The media application may include controls that enable the user to configure the user's media environment. For example, if a media application is receiving Internet radio stations, then the media application can include, for example, the control that enables the user to select an Internet radio station by using a "preset" icon that indicates the station type (for example, country) or preference.

The network 120 may include hardware and/or software capable of initiating direct or indirect communication between the client 110 and the host 130. Likewise, the network 120 may include a direct link between the client 110 and the host 130, or it may include one or more networks or subnets (not shown) between them. Each network or subnet may include, for example, a wired or wireless data channel capable of transmitting and receiving data. Examples of networks include the Internet, World Wide Web, WAN ("Wide Area Network"), LAN (⁴Local area network"), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks, radio, television, cable, satellite and/or any other transmission device used to transmit data.

The host 130 passband can execute instructions under the command of a host controller (not shown). The host 130 may include one or more hardware elements and/or software elements. An example of the host 130 is a general-purpose computer (for example, a server or a host computer) that can respond to and execute instructions in a prescribed manner. Other examples include dedicated computers, workstations, PCs, devices, components, other physical or virtual devices, or some combination of them capable of responding to and executing instructions.

The controller is a software application loaded on the host 130 to command and direct communication with the client 110. Other examples include programs, codes, instructions, devices, computers, computer systems, or combinations thereof, to independently or collectively instruct the client 110 or the host 130 to interact and work as described. The host 130 can be permanently or permanently Temporarily contained in any type of inquiring machine, component, physical or virtual device, storage medium, or able to send to the client

200380108692.1 Section

110 or the host 130 provides instructions in the propagated signal.

The controller may include one or more information-providing application programs to support the information retrieval request sent from the client 110. The information-providing application program may include a code segment that receives a character stream from the client 110 and generates a result in response to the expected interest of a single user. In this way, the result code segment can be exchanged based on the character stream received from the client 110 Produce one or more results.

The result code segment may also receive the character stream modifier received from the preliminary analysis code segment, the communication code segment, the display code segment, and/or other code segments of the character stream transmitted from the modification client. The resulting code segment can process the character stream in accordance with these modifiers. The host 130 can also operate and execute code segments similar to the operation of the preliminary analysis code segment, the communication code segment, and the feature setting in the display code segment. The host-oriented version of these code segments can be linked with the result code segments to modify the analysis performed and/or the results returned. For example, the host 130 may first access a cache of content previously requested by the user. Before performing additional analysis or polling additional systems, the previously returned results can be analyzed for relevance.

The host 130 can be connected to the database 140 to analyze the character stream. Generally, the database 140 includes storage for large amounts of data and a processing engine that enables the data to be saved, searched, and analyzed. The database can be organized according to functional standards. For example, the map database can be organized according to geographic regions, and the yellow pages database can be organized according to commercial and geographic standards. In one example, a database can be constructed to perform a more detailed analysis of the character stream provided by the host 130. For example, the host 130 can receive the character stream from the client and redirect the query to one or more databases 140. Each redirected query can be modified to further improve the redirected query. For example, a query that redirects to the Yellow Pages directory may have a postal code added as a selection criterion. Similarly, a query for a database that provides stock quotes can include reference materials describing which stocks the user is interested in (for example, the stocks held by the user).

Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart 200 shows how the client 110 can use the host to intelligently give results related to the character stream of unfinished characters. Generally, the system in the flowchart 200 is related to the system described in Figure 1. The flowchart 200 shows how the client 110 receives the character stream (step 210) and exchanges the character stream with the host (step 220). The host 130 receives the character stream.

200380108692.1 The first character stream (step 230), analyze the character stream (step 240), and exchange with the client 110 (step 250). The client 110 receives the result (step 260), displays the result (step 270), receives the user's selection (step 280), and starts the code segment related to the selected result (step 290).

First, the client 110 receives a character stream of one or more unfinished characters (step 210). Generally, receiving a character stream of one or more unfinished characters includes receiving and organizing the keystrokes of the user who entered the user application. For example, The user can type an entry in the address bar of the web browser, or type in a keyword entry area in the keyword tool. Receiving the character stream may include structuring the character stream into a transmission to be exchanged with the host 130. For example, after entering a predetermined number of characters, the client application can organize the transmission into a first message. After entering a predetermined number of additional characters or after a predetermined time has elapsed between the characters entered by the user, the client application may be configured to generate an additional message. The unfinished label indicates that the user has not indicated that the character entry processing has been completed. In other words, a character stream with unfinished characters indicates that additional characters can be received to modify the search results displayed in response to the user's expected interest. In contrast, the carriage return or "Enter" key is often used as a completion character, which enables the user to explicitly produce a result based on the completed character stream. In addition, the carriage return is the completion character, because the extra character does not cause the result to be modified.

No matter how the transmission between the client 110 and the host 130 is constructed, the client 110 sends a character stream to the host (step 220), and the host receives the character stream (step 230). Then, the host 130 analyzes the character stream (step 240). Generally, analyzing the character stream includes correlating the received character stream with one or more results that are responsive to the user's expected interest. In one example, the character stream can be used with metadata describing the content accessible by the host 130 Compare the labels. For example, when the character stream includes «NashvilP, the host 130 can expect that "Nashvill" will eventually become "Nashville, TN", and recognize that the web page is characterized as Nashville, TN and/or pass metadata with "Nashville, TN" The tag summarizes the web page. However, the host 130 does not need to find the exact same character match. For example, the host 130 may predict that the user input "Nashvill" is a precursor to interest in country music. Therefore, when the host 130 analyzes the result, the host 130 can also identify the result related to country music, even if the result is not related to Nashville, TN. In another representation how supplements can be used

200380108692.1 In the example of analyzing the character stream with the first information, only when the host determines that the user is not from Tennessee, the result can be converted to include country music.

Analyzing the character stream can include the relative degree of relevance of the sorted results. For example, compared to URLs that include personal blogs ("blogs") of Nashville residents, widely-visited Nashville URLs (for example, the Nashville Travel Board) are considered to be comparable to non-Nashville Residents are more relevant. Results can be produced in such a way that more relevant results are returned before less relevant ones.

Using the analyzed character stream and the recognized result, the host 130 exchanges the result with the client 110. The results can be controlled to obey the display constraints of the network or the client. For example, if the network has limited bandwidth or the client has limited display capabilities, the host 130 can construct transmissions to avoid network congestion or can modify the results to provide more appropriate results (eg, by deleting images from the returned results).

The client 110 receives the result (step 260). The client 110 may perform additional processing to check the results to increase the effectiveness of the display. For example, the client 110 may correlate the returned results with the user profile, and process the results to be displayed accordingly. In another example, the client can analyze the results to better display the user profile and interests, so as to increase the effectiveness of subsequent character stream operations. Regardless of whether the result is subjected to intermediate processing, the client 110 displays the result (step 270). The results are displayed so that the user can select one of the results instead of completing their predetermined character sequence. For example, when the user types an entry in a related word search application, a drop-down window can appear in the list with one or more possible results. This keyword is retrieved in the application. As the user continues to type, the results appearing in the drop-down window are processed to reflect the latest analysis of the character stream. When the user sees the result of interest, the user can select the result (step 280). The selection of the result causes the application to launch the code segment related to the selected result (step 290). For example, when the user selects the result that describes the area map , You can start a web browser that accesses the map URL to display a map related to the input character stream.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart 300, which shows how the client 110 exchanges character streams with the host 130 to retrieve map information in the database 140. Generally, the system and operations described in FIG. 3 are related to the system operations described previously in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2. however,

200380108692.1 Figure 3 shows how the host 130 can connect to the database 140 to retrieve the results of the client 110. The client 110 and the host 130 exchange character streams. In turn, the host uses the database 140 in its analysis of the character stream to produce results. The host provides the result to the client 110, and in turn, the client 110 gives the result when the user selects the result of interest and starts the appropriate code segment.

First, the user of the client 110 inputs the character stream "Dulles" (step 305). The client exchanges the character stream with the host 130 (step 310), and it receives the character stream "Dulles" (step 315). The host 130 analyzes the character stream "Dulles" (step 320). The host 130 can perform a local analysis of the character stream to compare the character stream with popular results cached in the host 130, and at the same time assign a customized query to a dedicated database to identify results with greater relevance. For example, in flowchart 300, analyzing the character stream includes polling and «Dulles⁵The map database of Xiangguan (step 325). Although the flowchart 300 depicts one database 140 to be accessed, multiple databases can be polled. Examples of other databases that can be polled include, but are not limited to, message databases, directory services, yellow pages, and financial databases.

The database 140 receives the «Dulles⁵Polling (step 330). Then analyze "Dulles" (step 335), and retrieve the results. For example, multiple maps related to Dulles, Virginia may be identified and/or retrieved. This may include a map of Dulles Town, directions to Dulles International Airport, and directions to various corporate offices in Dulles, Virginia. Then the result is returned to the host 130 (step 340).

According to the received result (step 345), the host 130 exchanges the result of "Dulles" with the client (step 350). The result of exchanging the result with the client may include synchronizing the results received from multiple databases and identifying the result with the greatest degree of relevance. For example, multiple databases can be polled to analyze character streams. The total number of results returned from the client 110 may also be large for the client 110 to process and/or display. Accordingly, the host 130 can filter and identify only those results related to the host. In one example, the most relevant results are returned to the client 110, and the resulting library can still be used for analysis based on the subsequently received characters in the character stream. In another example, the results from the database are received at different times. For example, a query that accurately expands and then matches the demographics of the user may take longer than a query that compares the results to the most commonly retrieved results. The exchange result can include giving the most

200380108692.1 is the result of the usual search, and then when a longer query result is available, then a longer query result is given.

The client receives the results of "Dulles" (step 355) and displays them (step 360). As shown in the figure, when the client 110 receives the user's selection to start the map application related to "Dulles" (step 365) When, the client 110 starts the map application for the selected "Dulles" result (step 370).

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart 400, which shows how to modify the display of the client according to the update of the character stream. Generally, the system and operations shown in FIG. 4 are related to the systems and operations previously described according to FIGS. 1-3. However, the flowchart 400 shows how the update of the character stream can produce different results with which the user can interact. In particular, subsequently received characters in the character stream can produce a different set of results displayed by the client. In this way, the user can modify the character stream and observe the new results in real time based on the modification.

First, the client receives the character stream "Spring" (step 405), and exchanges the character stream 410 with the host 130 (step 410). The host 130 receives the character stream "Spring" (step 415), and analyzes the character stream "Spring" ( Step 420). The host 130 and/or the database 140 recognize the map results of the character stream "Spring" (step 425), and return these results to the client 110 (step 430). The client receives the results related to "Spring" (step 435) and displays them (step 440).

Then, the client receives and exchanges additional characters in the character stream (step 445). For example, although the string "Spring" may identify some information related to Spring Held, the user can enter additional information to confirm that Spring Held is what the user is considering. And identifying Springfield is of interest to users. In this way, the user can enter the field "I" as the next character to express interest in Springfield, Illinois. The host 130 and/or the database 140 receive and analyze the additional characters (step 450). The host 130 and/or the database 140 generates a set of new results related to the update, and exchanges the update with the client 110 (step 455). In the case of using Springfield) Illinois decoration example, you can exchange maps and maps related to the town of Springfield>Illinois. Yellow pages information.

The client 110 receives the update (step 460), and initiates the user's interaction based on the update (step 465). For example, it can display locations related to Springfield, Illinois

200380108692.1 Picture, list of services and other information.

Referring to FIG. 5, typical results related to character streams with unfinished characters are displayed in GUI 500. Generally, the GUI 500 described in FIG. 1 based on the operations described in FIGS. 2-4 can be displayed on the client 110. The GUI 500 represents the code that can be called in the result page when the character stream enters the user application, such as a web browser. segment. In particular, the text input area 510 receives the character stream "aol" without a carriage return, which is indicated by the cursor. The GUI 500 includes the result 520 that enables the search for the string "aol" to be activated, the result 530 that enables the code segment of the AOL keyword "aol" to be activated, and the result 540 that enables the code segment to retrieve the stock quotation of "AOL" , Which stated that it traded at $15.32 on the stock market exchange.

Referring to Fig. 6, a typical result of the character stream "Arlington, VA 22209" is shown in the GUI 600. Generally, the GUI 600 is related to the system, operation, and display described previously according to Figs. 1-5. However, the GUI 600 represents a user application Different databases and/or applications that can be accessed. For example, when «Arlington, VA 22209" is inserted in the text input area 610, the result 620 can be used to start the search code segment, and the result 630 can be used to start the map code segment.

In one example, the display related to the results 620 and 630 has been obtained through the client 110. Alternatively, it may be necessary to download the content in the display related to the results 620 and 630 (for example from the host 130 and/or the database 140).

Fig. 7 shows a GUI 700 related to the character stream "dentist". Generally, the GUI 700 is related to the system, operation, and display previously described according to Figs. 1-6. However, the GUI 700 indicates how the character stream can be analyzed to identify yellow page entries related to the character stream.

The GUI 700 includes a result 710 that enables the user to initiate a code segment to search the character stream "dentist". Note that although the character stream in the GUI 700 includes the complete text of the dentist, shorter strings such as "dentis" or "deuti" can also be analyzed and used to generate a result that initiates a search for the string "denti" or "dentist". The result 720 enables the user to launch the code segment so that the client can "turn to" the AOL keyword "Dentist".

The result 730 enables the user to initiate a code snippet to search the AOL Yellow Pages about "Dentist." Note that although the feature of result 730 is to start a yellow page search for "dentist", other

200380108692. 1

The GUI may include a list of available dentists. For example, if the user's location is known, a list of dentists classified and introduced by specialty within the user's zip code range can be given. The results from the GUI can be selected to launch a dentists web page, launch a messaging application to exchange communications with the dentist, or launch a calendar application to create a dentists appointment. See Figures 8 and 9, GUI 800 and 900 represent How can I change the display result when the extra characters in the character stream are received? Generally, the GUI 800 and 900 are related to the system, operation, and display previously described with reference to Figs. However, GUI 800 and 900 are different from the previous display because the result is not displayed in the drop-down window as shown in Figure 5-7. Moreover, the GUI 800 and 900 indicate how a part of the expected character stream can be used to generate and display the result, and how the update of the character stream does not need to follow the previous character stream to accurately form the string of interest. The GUI 800 represents a plurality of results 820 available after "Spring" is entered in the text input area 810. GUI 900 indicates that after inputting "I" in the text input area 910, the results can be filtered so that only the result 920 "Springfield, Illinois" is displayed. Note that the inserted characters (for example, Springfield, The field in Illinois") is not included in the character stream.

Although GUI 800 and 900 indicate that map resources are being accessed, the operations described in FIGS. 8 and 9 are applicable in other applications and environments. Because the user entered a character stream in the map application, the results can be processed to search for map results. This can be done by searching the map database, or polling the host 130 with a modifier indicating that the map result should be retrieved. Although GUI 800 and 900 do not require or allow users to specify map requirements or restrictions, other GUIs may allow users to specify a database (not shown) for analyzing character streams.

Referring to Figure 10, GUI 1000 is a typical messaging display that enables users to exchange messaging communications. Generally, the GUI 1000 is related to the system and profile previously described according to Fig. 1·9. However, the GUI 1000 represents the message delivery result that can be displayed when the character stream is related to the message delivery information. For example, when the user types in the text input area (not shown)^t<chattingchuck^MWhen the time, GUI 1000 can be displayed, allowing users to send emails, send instant messages, add "chattingchuck" to the address book, and block files from "chattingchuck"

200380108692. 1 Posts and instant messages, and/or check the status or interests of "chattingchuck". Although Figure 10 shows that the messaging application or operation is called^wchattingchuck^wIs related to users, but can display results related to more than one user. Similarly, when the user enters the word "@" (AT character related to the Internet mail system), the options that are not related to e-mail messaging can be deleted.

Other embodiments are included within the scope of the following claims. For example, although an example of retrieving the result of an operation related to a character stream is described, the result need not include information that will eventually be displayed when the code segment is activated. Conversely, the result may include a label indicating that the result can be checked later, if possible.

Similarly, client and host applications can include assistants and spelling correction agents to increase the effectiveness of search results. The assistant can help the user by retrieving similar results related to the meaning of the predicted character stream. For example, if the character stream includes "German car", you can search for results including famous manufacturers of German cars, including Mercedes> BMW and Audi. The spelling correction agent can identify possible typographical errors in the user's input. In response, the spelling correction agent can correct the character stream by changing the character stream entered on the desktop computer and/or by retrieving results related to the predicted entry.

Similar to the spelling correction agent, the system can include a confirmation agent that can be used to confirm the URL ("Uniform Resource Locator") in the input character stream. For example, when the user enters the address of a website, the address of the website can be analyzed to determine the device and Whether the file information actually exists and/or is correct. When the URL information is incorrect, the system can parse the character stream to identify the correct or relevant URL address.

The client 110 can be used to intelligently give results related to media communications such as streaming audio and video communications. For example, a large number of discretely represented "channels" or frequency bands can be allocated to content providers or service providers. The user may wish to check the channel to find the channel that provides the most relevant information to the user's interest. Therefore, the user can input a character stream related to content that the user finds of interest. For audio content, the character stream can be related to the artist, album, or choice (for example, song) name. For video content, the character stream can be related to a specific news alliance (for example, TIME or CNN), description, event, or topic. In any case, regardless of the content of the low layer, the character stream can be used to retrieve information related to the users interest expressed in the character stream.

200380108692. 1 The first result. This can be done by comparing the input character stream with the metadata or subtitles associated with a particular media selection. In one example, the character stream can be compared with the subtitles of the available program listings to identify the results the user needs. In this way, when the user enters the name of a news person in the character stream, he can search for all available program listings (including on-demand and broadcast streams) to identify the media stream with the characteristics of the news person.

The synthesized media stream can be given in various forms. In one example, a drop-down menu appears to enable the user to launch a media application related to the retrieved result. In another example, when the media stream includes a video stream, a tiled display of the video stream similar to the tiled direction in FIG. 8 may be displayed. The video stream tile display may include reduced bit rate images to provide users with a brief description of the available video content. When the user selects one of the video tiles, an example of video selection can be given at a higher bit rate.

The system and operations can be modified to work in an intranet or a trusted environment. For example, instead of searching a public database, the system can be configured to incorporate security procedures and instances related to the trusted environment. In this way, sales employees can be allowed to access customer and market databases when analyzing character streams. Engineers can be allowed to check technical and operational support databases to support their tasks, but can be prevented from using sales databases to analyze character streams. It is possible to allow management and/or investigators to access most or all of the databases when analyzing character streams.

The result can be saved on the client 110 and/or the host 130. For example, the host 130 can cache previously returned results that can be used when analyzing subsequent character streams. In another example, the previously selected result can be saved on the client, and the previously saved result can be used first to access subsequent character streams.

The client 110 may enable a user application to initiate a messaging code segment. Alternatively, the user can enter a character stream in the messaging application. For example, users can enter a stream of characters in an instant messaging application. The instant messaging application can send a character stream to the host 130 for analysis. The client 110 may receive the results and enable the client to send instant messages when the result indicates that an identified user is online.

The swap update may include swapping only the parts of the character stream that have changed since the character stream was last swapped. For example, since the user first enters information into the first application, the first

200380108692.1 The first application can use the first input character stream (for example, "Spring") to send a message to the host 130. As the user input character stream is updated (for example, by entering "eld" after "Spring"), the client The client 110 can send new information without sending the old information (for example, the client 110 then sends "field" instead of "Springfield"). Alternatively, the client 110 can send the current character stream. For example, the client 110 may first send out "Spring", and then send out "Springfield" subsequently.

The client 110 and/or the host 130 may determine that there is no relevant result, and operate to exclude additional processing resources from the current use. For example, the user can input a character stream that the host 130 has no information and does not produce a result. When the host 130 determines that there is no information, the host 130 may interface with the client 110 to prevent the exchange of additional updates. This situation will occur when the user enters a character stream that has nothing to do with the content accessible by the host 130. For example, the host 130 may determine that CHARACTERSTREAM1 will not produce any results, and the expansion of CHARACTERSTREAM1 will not produce any results. If the user inputs additional information, such as CHARACTERSTREAM123, the first application will not send any updated information to the host 130. However, if the user uses the DELETE key to modify the character stream to convert CHARACTERSTREAM1 to CHARACTERSTREAM, the character stream can be exchanged.

The client 110 may perform preliminary analysis to avoid analyzing the public character stream that produces results that do not respond to the user's expected interest. For example, when "the" appears in the character stream, especially in the initial part of the character stream Using the character stream "the" to produce results may produce too many results, of which few (if any) respond to the user's expected interest. Therefore, it is possible to delay swapping character streams until the character stream makes sense. In this way, the exchange of the character stream "the" can be delayed until the character stream reads "the Greek islands" or another character stream that may produce meaningful results. Similarly, the character stream can be adjusted to delete strings in the character stream that are unlikely to be helpful for analysis (on the client 110 or the host 130). In this way, before exchanging the character stream, the strings appearing in the character stream such as "the", "a, and "this" can be deleted from the character stream.

In addition to displaying the result label of a code segment that can initiate the result, displaying the result can include directly displaying the result. For example, the results can include actual stock quotes and

200380108692.1 is not the label of the code segment that generates the stock quotation. The displayed result can include a summary or a brief summary of the news event. When the user selects the news event, the summary can also be configured to retrieve more detailed articles about the news review.

Other examples of results that can be retrieved may include, but are not limited to, phone numbers and/or keywords. Clicking on the result with a phone number can allow Internet phone calls to be initiated. The phone call can be bridged to the phone network or connected to an IP phone (for example, a virtual phone application located in the called user's PC).

The results and additional information indicating the previously returned or selected results can be saved in the client 110 and/or the host 130. For example, the latest accessed results can be cached in the client 110, and more extensive historical results can be The cache is in the host 130. The saved results can be accessed and used to analyze and generate results that respond to the user's expected interests.

To show how the saved results can be used to analyze subsequent character streams, previous searches related to the National Football League (NFL) can generate a series of metadata tags. These metadata tags can be saved in profiles related to the user. For example, users searching for NFL-related information can add metadata tags "NFL" and "Football" to their user profiles. Metadata tags can be used for subsequent analysis. In this way, when the user types "Falcons", the previously generated metadata tags can be used to generate and analyze additional metadata tags related to the multiple meanings of "Falcons". Examples of metadata tags related to Falcons may include terms such as "NFL",^MAudubon Society and "Sport of Kings". The metadata tags from previous searches on the NFL can be compared with the metadata tags generated by entering "Falcons". By correlating the results of the previous search with the known metadata tags of the terms of interest, it is possible to return results that may be more responsive to the user's expected interests. In this example, correlating the results of the previous search with the current search can produce results related to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

The results produced by multiple users can be used to determine results that are more responsive to the expected interests of a different user. For example, if most users enter «Falcons⁵»As the character stream is intended to be interested in the NFL, a default rule that returns results related to NFL sports teams in response to "Falcons" can be created and adopted. When the users profile or it expresses interest in other, non-sports aspects of "Falcons" or uses modifiers such as "birds",

200380108692. 1 ^(<"Audubon Society" or "kestrels", by stopping the default rules, a more detailed analysis can be performed.

Other embodiments are included in the scope of the following claims.

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