DYNAMICALLY SEARCHING AND BROWSING PRODUCT CATALOGS WITH REDUCED USER GESTURES

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed that improve the browsing and purchasing experience for online customers. Partial search and navigation requests are asynchronously executed while the user is still typing. No conventional gestures (e.g., mouse clicks, enter key presses, select key presses, pad presses, button presses, hyperlink selection, or other such post-search_term entry_commit actions) are required to execute search request. Result sets narrowed by navigational elements (e.g., product attribute hyperlinks, such as color, size, gender, etc) can be previewed without committing (clicking or entering) to that navigational pathway. Navigational elements can be tied to and synchronized with the result set.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for dynamically searching and browsing product catalogs with reduced user gestures, configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 a and 2b each illustrate methods for dynamically searching and browsing online product catalogs with reduced user gestures, configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 a illustrates an example customer search request, and the various searches that are automatically and asynchronously executed as the user enters the search request, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIGS. 3 b through 3e each illustrate example user interfaces and search results responsive to the asynchronous searches performed based on customer keystrokes, as shown in FIG. 3a.

FIGS. 3 f through 3h each illustrate example user interfaces and search results responsive to cursor movement (mouse-overs and mouse-outs) by the customer, to further refine the search shown in FIG. 3a.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically searching and browsing online product catalogs with reduced user gestures, comprising: capturing keystrokes when a user is typing input into a search page associated with an online product catalog;identifying a term in the captured keystrokes, based on at least one of detection of a word boundary and a lapsed period of time; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a search request using the term, without requiring user action.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the search request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the method further comprising: generating, at the server-side, results that satisfy the term;identifying changed data in the results, relative to data in previous results, so as to provide incremental results; andtransmitting the incremental results to client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the search request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the method further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the search request; anddisplaying the incremental results to user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein displaying the incremental results to user includes: integrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising: refining the term based on additional captured keystrokes; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a subsequent search request using the refined term, without requiring user action.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the subsequent search request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the method further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the subsequent search request; andintegrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: refining the term based on additional captured keystrokes; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a subsequent search request using the refined term, without requiring user action.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the refining and issuing a subsequent search request are periodically repeated.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: capturing a user mouse-over proximate a navigational element included on the search page; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a navigation request based on a search refinement derived from the mouse-over, without requiring user action.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the navigation request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the method further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the navigation request; anddisplaying the incremental results to user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein displaying the incremental results to user includes: integrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising: client-side caching previously displayed results; andin response to a mouse-out from the displayed navigational element, re-displaying the previously displayed results.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically and asynchronously issuing a search request using the term is carried out after lapse of a pre-set time period.

14. A method for dynamically searching and browsing online product catalogs with reduced user gestures, comprising: capturing a user mouse-over proximate a displayed navigational element included on a search page associated with an online product catalog; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a navigation request based on a search refinement derived from the mouse-over, without requiring user action.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the navigation request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the method further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the navigation request; anddisplaying the incremental results to user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein displaying the incremental results to user includes: integrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising: client-side caching previously displayed results; andin response to a mouse-out from the displayed navigational element, re-displaying the previously displayed results.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising: capturing keystrokes when a user is typing input into the search page;identifying a term in the captured keystrokes, based on at least one of detection of a word boundary and a lapsed period of time;automatically and asynchronously issuing a search request using the term, without requiring user action;refining the term based on additional captured keystrokes; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a subsequent search request using the refined term, without requiring user action;wherein the refining and issuing a subsequent search request are periodically repeated.

19. A system for dynamically searching and browsing online product catalogs with reduced user gestures, comprising: means for capturing keystrokes when a user is typing input into a search page associated with an online product catalog;means for identifying a term in the captured keystrokes, based on at least one of detection of a word boundary and a lapsed period of time; andmeans for automatically and asynchronously issuing a search request using the term, without requiring user action.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising: means for capturing a user mouse-over proximate a navigational element included on the search page; andmeans for automatically and asynchronously issuing a navigation request based on a search refinement derived from the mouse-over, without requiring user action.

21. A machine-readable medium encoded with instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause the processor to carry out a process for dynamically searching and browsing online product catalogs with reduced user gestures, the process comprising: capturing keystrokes when a user is typing input into a search page associated with an online product catalog;identifying a term in the captured keystrokes, based on at least one of detection of a word boundary and a lapsed period of time; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a search request using the term, without requiring user action.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, the process further comprising: capturing a user mouse-over proximate a navigational element included on the search page; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a navigation request based on a search refinement derived from the mouse-over, without requiring user action.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the search request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the process further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the search request; andintegrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, the process further comprising: refining the term based on additional captured keystrokes; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a subsequent search request using the refined term, without requiring user action.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the subsequent search request is received at a server-side associated with the online catalog, the process further comprising: receiving incremental results from the server-side, the incremental results indicating search page changes caused by the subsequent search request; andintegrating the incremental results into corresponding display areas of the search page, without updating the entire search page.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, the process further comprising: refining the term based on additional captured keystrokes; andautomatically and asynchronously issuing a subsequent search request using the refined term, without requiring user action.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the refining and issuing a subsequent search request are periodically repeated.