Non-disruptive search facility

Details Non-disruptive search facility Non-disruptive search facility

1999-12-20

2004-04-06

Hong, Stephen S. (Department: 2178)

Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i

Presentation processing of document

Layout

C715S252000, C345S215000, C707S793000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06718518

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to text or symbol search facilities within a data processing system and more particularly to a facility for displaying the result of a search without disrupting the display of the primary document.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the more frequently used tools of a word processing program is the fast electronic search for a particular string of characters or symbols. This tool is typically found in one of the tool menus with the name of “FIND” or “FIND & REPLACE”. Various improvements have been added to this tool over time i.e., the ability to search forward or backwards in the document, highlighting found string for easy identification, and repeating the search to find additional occurrences are some of the features that have been added to enhance the tool.
However, all known searching tools pose a significant limitation whenever the user wishes to reference some other portion of the document containing a particular string while maintaining the user's current position within the document for additional reading and/or editing.
FIG. 1
depicts a conventional application window configuration
10
. The application window
16
includes an identifying title block
18
, which displays the name of the application
12
being used and the title of the document
14
. The application toolbar
20
allows the user to edit and make changes to the document
24
and the user can “scroll” the document using the scroll bar slider
21
in the application scrollbar
22
.
To better understand the conventional electronic search technology, refer now to
FIG. 2
, FIG.
3
and
FIG. 4
together.
FIG. 2
is a flowchart of how a conventional electronic search is performed.
FIG. 3
represents a conventional drop down edit menu configuration.
FIG. 4
represents a typical find tool dialog box configuration.
Typically, when utilizing a conventional search system from a current cursor location
126
within a document, the user activates the drop down edit menu
124
by mouse clicking the “Edit” tool
120
from the application toolbar
20
, via step
102
. From the drop down edit menu
124
, the user activates the “find” tool
122
, via step
104
. Shown generally in
FIG. 4
next, the conventional find tool dialog box
132
is displayed in the main application window
16
, via step
106
. Referring again to
FIG. 4
, the user then enters the search term in the “find what” area
130
, via step
108
. Finally, the next portion of the document containing the search term is displayed and the search term is highlighted in the main application window
16
whereby the original document orientation is disrupted, via step
110
.
For a specific example of a conventional search, refer now to
FIG. 5
,
FIG. 6
, FIG.
7
and FIG.
8
.
FIG. 5
is a detailed flowchart of an example of a conventional search.
FIG. 6
is a drop down edit menu configuration.
FIG. 7
depicts a find tool dialog box configuration.
FIG. 8
represents the main application window
16
′ after the completion of the conventional text search.
First, while reading and/or editing a document at a current location
126
′ in the main application window
16
′, the user decides to search for the string “Jepson”, via step
112
. Next, the user activates the drop down edit menu
124
′ by mouse clicking the “Edit” tool
120
′ from the application toolbar
20
′, via step
113
. From the drop down edit menu
124
′, the user activates the “find” tool
122
′, via step
114
. Next, the conventional find tool dialog box
132
′ is displayed in the main application window
16
′, via step
115
. Next, the user enters the search term “Jepson”
134
in the “find what” area
130
′, via step
116
. Finally, the next portion of the document containing the search term “Jepson”
138
is displayed and highlighted in the main application window
16
′ whereby the original document orientation is disrupted as shown by current cursor location
126
″, via step
117
.
However, since the user can only view one portion of a document at a time in an application window, he is burdened to remember or write down the desired information from the document at the location resulting from the find operation and then return to his original location within the document. Returning to the original document location can be particularly time consuming in a large document with many pages. These problems are further compounded when a user wishes to concurrently reference multiple pieces of information residing in disparate locations within the document or residing in other files. “Cut and paste” operations are available, but frequently the user simply wishes to reference the information and has no desire to actually “paste” the information at another location in the document. Further, the loss of continuity caused by temporarily disrupting the primary viewing page can have a substantial impact on productivity and creativity.
It is desirable therefore that software applications implement an efficient and easy to use interface for displaying one or multiple portions of a document containing specified search strings while continuing to display a primary area of the document related to current reading or editing by a user. This interface should enable the user to easily display search results without disrupting the user's primary location in the document. It should provide the flexibility to place the search results in a convenient section of the computer display screen. The system should be easy to implement, cost effective and easily adaptive to existing computing systems. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and system for displaying the results of a search operation initiated by a user is disclosed. The method and system comprise the steps of displaying a first set of information in a first window, the first window being associated with an activated application program. The method and system further comprise initiating a first search based upon a user interaction with the application program and displaying the results of the search in a second window wherein the first window continues to display the first set of information.
Through the use of a system and method in accordance with the present invention, a user can view one or more portions of a document containing specified search strings while continuing to view the primary area of the document where reading and/or editing is occurring. Furthermore, the user can create, move, or resize these variable sized find windows by commonly known mouse operations. Further still, the user can display search results from files or documents that are different from the primary document.


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Microsoft Outlook Screenshot, 1999.*
Word Sniffer v1.4, Copyright 1997, Serge Danilov.

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