Enhanced search engine
The present invention provides methods, devices, and systems for displaying results of a search engine query in a graphic, rather than, or in addition to, textual format. The search results are provided to a user such that the user is able to see the context of the words and phrases in the format of the original source document. Presentation of graphic fragments from the source document help to improve a user's ability to select among documents provided in the search results more efficiently.
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a search query comprising at least one query term to be used to search a plurality of source documents;
searching an entirety of at least one source document for the at least one query term;
identifying one or more relevant portions of the at least one source document, the one or more relevant portions including a location in the at least one source document where the at least one query term was found during searching;
identifying one or more view windows appropriate to depict the one or more relevant portions including the location where the at east one query term was found during searching and an area around the location where the at least one query term was found during searching, wherein an image size of each of the one or more view windows is smaller than an image size of the at least one source document;
rendering one or more search results images for each of the one or more relevant portions, each of the one or more search results images having boundaries corresponding to a respective view window of the one or more relevant portions; and
causing the one or more view windows containing the rendering of the search results images to be displayed.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising highlighting an instance of the at least one query term in at least one of the one or more search results images.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more view windows include a first view window and a second view window, wherein the first view window begins at a first identified logical break in the at least one source document and ends at a second identified logical break in the at least one source document.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a second view window is located on a different page than the first view window in the at least one source document.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein a second view window is located on a same page in the at least one source document as the first view window.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein a first relevant portion of the at least one source document is identified as a point location in the at least one source document and wherein the first view window is sized to enclose a predetermined area around the point location.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more relevant portions are displayed in a format which visually is substantially similar to the native appearance of the at least one source document.
8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions operable to, when executed, perform the method of claim 1 .
9. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored onto a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the processor to execute a method, the method comprising:
receiving a search query comprising at least one query term;
searching all of at least one source document for the at least one query term;
identifying one or more relevant portions of the at least one source document, the one or more, relevant portions including a location in the at least one source document where the at least one query term was found during searching;
identifying one or more view windows appropriate to depict the one or more relevant portions including the location where the at feast one query term was found during searching and an area around the location where the at least one query term was found during searching, wherein an image size of each of the one or more view windows is smaller than an image size of the at least one source document;
rendering one or more search results images for each of the one or more relevant portions, each of the one or more search results images having boundaries corresponding to a respective view window for the one or more relevant portions; and
displaying the one or more search results images.
10. A method, comprising:
receiving a search query comprising at least one query term;
identifying a plurality of source documents based on the at least one query term;
identifying a relevant portion of a first source document in the plurality of source documents, the relevant portion including a location in the first source document where the at least one query term was found during a search of the first source document;
identifying a view window appropriate to depict the relevant portion of the first source document including the location in the first source document where the at least one query term was found during the search of the first source document, wherein an image size of the view window is smaller than an image size of the first source document;
preparing a search results image for the relevant portion of the first source document, the search results image having boundaries corresponding to the view window; and
causing the search results image to be simultaneously displayed with a set of search results.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first source document is stored in a first format and wherein the relevant portion is displayed in the first format.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the set of search results also include identifiers of the plurality of source documents.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the identifiers include at least one of a link and hyperlink.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the identifiers are optionally displayed with the set of search results.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first source document corresponds to an electronic image file.