Accessing software application functionality in search

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9940400-B2
Application number	US-201414588219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Feb 21, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A method includes transmitting a search query from a computing device to a search system configured to generate search results in response to a received search query, and receiving search results from the search system in response to transmitting the search query. The search results include an application access mechanism that references a native application and indicates one or more operations for the application to perform. The application performing the operations sets the application into an application state. The search results also include an application download address that indicates a location for downloading the application. The method also includes generating a user selectable link that includes the application access mechanism and the application download address, and displaying the user link. In response to receiving a user selection of the selectable link, the method also includes downloading, installing, launching, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting a search query to a search system configured to generate search results in response to a received search query;
receiving search results from the search system in response to transmitting the search query, wherein the search results include a plurality of groups of search results, wherein each group respectively corresponds to a native application, and wherein each of the search results includes:
an application access mechanism that references the native application and indicates one or more operations for the native application to perform; and
an application download address that indicates a location at which the native application may be downloaded;

for each of the search results, generating a user selectable link, wherein the user selectable link includes the application access mechanism and the application download address;
displaying the plurality of groups of search results, wherein each of the plurality of groups of search results includes (i) a header corresponding to a default state of the corresponding native application and (ii) user selectable links grouped with the header, and wherein each user selectable link is associated with the application access mechanism for the corresponding native application;
receiving a user selection of one of the user selectable links; and
in response to receiving the user selection:
downloading the native application corresponding to the user selection using the application download address,
installing the native application,
launching the native application, and
causing the native application to perform the one or more operations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the search results:
the application access mechanism specifies an application state of the native application referenced by the application access mechanism; and
the native application performing the one or more operations indicated by the application access mechanism sets the native application into the application state.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a user input,
wherein the downloading, installing, launching, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations is performed in response to receiving the user selection and in response to receiving the user input.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the user selectable link comprises a first user selectable link;
the user selection comprises a first user selection; and
the downloading, installing, launching, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations comprises:
in response to receiving the first user selection, accessing the location indicated by the application download address;
displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the location, wherein the GUI includes a second user selectable link that is different than the first user selectable link, and wherein the user input comprises a second user selection of the second user selectable link that is different than the first user selection; and
in response to receiving the second user selection, downloading the native application from the location, installing the native application, launching the native application, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the downloading, installing, launching, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations comprises:
in response to receiving the user selection, downloading the native application from the location and installing the native application; and
in response to receiving the user input, launching the native application, and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the user selectable link comprises a first user selectable link;
the user selection comprises a first user selection; and
launching the native application and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations in response to receiving the user input comprises:
generating a second user selectable link that is different that the first use selectable link, wherein the second user selectable link includes the application access mechanism;
displaying the second user selectable link, wherein the user input comprises a second user selection of the second user selectable link that is different than the first user selection; and
in response to receiving the second user selection, launching the native application and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the application access mechanism comprises a first application access mechanism;
the search results further include a second application access mechanism that is different than the first application access mechanism;
the first application access mechanism and second application access mechanism reference different editions of the native application;
the method further comprises determining that the first application access mechanism references an edition of the native application downloaded from the location indicated by the application download address; and
generating the second user selectable link comprises generating the second user selectable link such that the second user selectable link includes the first application access mechanism and excludes the second application access mechanism based on the determination.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the application access mechanism comprises a first application access mechanism;
the search results further include a second application access mechanism that is different than the first application access mechanism;
the first application access mechanism and second application access mechanism reference different editions of the native application;
generating the second user selectable link comprises generating the second user selectable link such that the second user selectable link further includes the second application access mechanism;
the method further comprises determining that the first application access mechanism references an edition of the native application downloaded from the location indicated by the application download address; and
launching the native application and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations in response to receiving the second user selection comprises launching the native application and causing the native application to perform the one or more operations based on the determination.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting an indication that the native application is not installed to the search system,
wherein receiving the search results from the search system comprises receiving the search results such that the search results include the application download address in response to transmitting the indication.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the application access mechanism specifies an application state of the native application;
the native application performing the one or more operations sets the native application into the application state;
the search results further include a web access mechanism that references a web-based application and indicates one or more operations for the web-based application to perform;
the web access mechanism specifies a web application state of the web-based application;
the web-based application performing the one or more operations sets the web-based application into the web application state;
the web application state of the web-based application is similar to the application state of the native application;
generati

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shapira Liron
• Glover Eric J
• Sogani Shravan

Classifications

• G06F8/61

  Installation · CPC title

• G06F16/9566

  URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links · CPC title

• G06F16/245

  Query processing · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title