HK1180404B - Presenting interactive images with search results - Google Patents

Description

Presenting interactive images using search results

Background

The internet provides a vast and rapidly growing pool of information and resources through its hundreds of millions of web pages. To find desired content, computer users often use search tools. Exemplary internet search engines are known in the art, for example, the well-known business engine is the BING search engine provided by microsoft corporation of Redmond, washington. Initially, when a user indicates a desire to utilize a search tool, a home page associated with the particular search tool is presented that includes a search query entry area into which the user can enter keywords or phrases for which related search results are desired. Once the keywords or phrases are entered, a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is presented, which typically lists a number of search result descriptions, selection of any of which navigates the user to the web page associated with the described search results. This type of experience does not provide an immersive experience for the user and its ability is limited to encouraging engagement of the user with the search tool.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for, among other things, presenting interactive images associated with a search engine in association with a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Upon receiving a search query at a search engine, it is determined whether the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine. The interactive image may be associated with a search engine, for example, by being previously presented as a background image of the search engine's home page. Once it is determined that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine, the link to the interactive image may be presented as a search result on the SERP (e.g., in addition to the algorithmically derived search result), or the interactive image may be automatically presented as a background image of a web page associated with the search engine, e.g., the SERP. In other embodiments, the interactive image may be determined to be relevant to the algorithmically derived search results and a visual indication thereof may be presented in association with the search results.

Drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitable for use in implementing embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system in which embodiments of the invention may be employed;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for presenting links to interactive images as search results in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary search engine home page according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen display of a search engine results page having links to interactive images as search results in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen display when a user selects the "View related Interactive images" link from the search engine results page shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for automatically presenting an interactive image determined to be relevant to an entered search query as a background image of a search engine results page in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen display of a search results page having an interactive image as its background in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for presenting an indication associated with a search result to visually indicate the presence of a related interactive image according to embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary screen display of a search engine results page with one of the search results having an associated visual indication of the presence of an associated interactive image in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step" and/or "block" may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

Various aspects of the technology described herein are generally directed to systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for, among other things, presenting interactive images associated with a search engine in association with a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Upon receiving a search query at a search engine, it is determined whether the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine. The interactive image may be associated with a search engine, for example, by being previously presented as a background image of the search engine's home page. Once it is determined that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive page associated with the search engine, the link to the interactive image may be presented as a search result or an immediate answer on the SERP (e.g., in addition to the algorithmically derived search result), or the interactive image may be automatically presented as a background image of a web page associated with the search engine, e.g., the SERP. In other embodiments, the interactive image may be determined to be relevant to the algorithmically derived search results and a visual indication thereof may be presented in association with the search results.

Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method for presenting a link to an interactive image associated with a search engine as search results. The method includes receiving a search query at a search engine, determining that content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine, and transmitting a link to the interactive image for presentation as search results on a search engine results page.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for automatically navigating a client device to a web page associated with a search engine. The system includes a computing device associated with a search engine having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media and a data store coupled to the search engine. The search engine is configured to receive a search query from a client computing device, determine that content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine, and automatically navigate the client computing device to a web page associated with the search engine, the web page having an interactive image presented as a background image.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method for presenting a visual indication in association with a search result to indicate the presence of a related interactive image associated therewith. The method includes receiving a search query at a search engine; determining, by a processor, a plurality of search results that point to a received search query; determining, by a processor, that at least one of the plurality of search results has a relevant interactive image associated with a search engine; transmitting a plurality of search results for presentation; and communicating the visual indication for presentation in association with at least one of the plurality of search results to indicate that there is a related interactive image associated therewith.

Having briefly described an overview of embodiments of the present invention, an exemplary operating system in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented is described below in order to provide a general context for various aspects of the present invention. Referring to the drawings in general and initially to FIG. 1 in particular, an exemplary operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and designated generally as computing device 100. Computing device 100 is but one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the invention. Neither should the computing device 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-useable or computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Embodiments of the invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, and the like. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the computing device 100 includes a bus 110 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 112, one or more processors 114, one or more presentation components 116, input/output (I/O) ports 118, I/O components 120, and an illustrative power supply 122. Bus 110 represents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of FIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, these blocks represent logical, not necessarily actual, components. For example, a presentation component such as a display device can be considered an I/O component. Also, the processor has a memory. The inventors hereof recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram of FIG. 1 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. No distinction is made between categories such as "workstation," server, "" laptop, "" handheld device, "etc., as all are intended to be within the scope of fig. 1 and refer to" computing device.

Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 100 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer-readable media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CDROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing device 100. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

Memory 112 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid state memory, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, and the like. Computing device 100 includes one or more processors that read data from various entities such as memory 112 or I/O components 120. Presentation component(s) 116 present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplary presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, and the like.

I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to other devices including I/O components 120, some of which may be built-in. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, and the like.

As previously mentioned, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for, among other things, presenting interactive images associated with a search engine in association with a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Upon receiving a search query at a search engine, it is determined whether the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine. The interactive image may be associated with a search engine, for example, by being previously presented as a background image of the search engine's home page. Once it is determined that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive page associated with the search engine, the link to the interactive image may be presented as a search result on the SERP (e.g., in addition to the algorithmically derived search result), or the interactive image may be automatically presented as a background image of the SERP. In other embodiments, the interactive image may be determined to be relevant to the algorithmically derived search results and a visual indication thereof may be presented in association with the search results. Any of these embodiments allow a user to be navigated into a rich immersive experience with respect to images determined to be relevant to the user's query and/or its results.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is provided that illustrates an exemplary computing system 200 in which embodiments of the invention may be employed. In general, computing system 200 illustrates an environment in which interactive images associated with a search engine are presented in association with a search engine home page and/or a SERP. As will be described in further detail below, embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for presenting interactive images associated with a search engine by determining that the interactive images are relevant to a search query and/or search result and presenting a link to the interactive images as a search result or immediate answer, automatically presenting the interactive images in association with a web page (e.g., SERP) associated with the search engine, and/or presenting a visual indication that the relevant interactive images are present in association with a particular search result.

Among other components not shown, system 200 generally includes a client device 210, a search engine 212, an image data store 214, and another data store 216, all in communication with one another via a network 218. Network 218 may include, but is not limited to, one or more Local Area Networks (LANs) and/or Wide Area Networks (WANs). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. Accordingly, network 218 is not further described herein.

It should be understood that any number of client devices, search engines, and data stores may be employed in computing system 200 within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. Which may each comprise a single device/interface or multiple devices/interfaces that cooperate in a distributed environment. For example, search engine 212 may include multiple devices and/or modules deployed in a distributed environment that collectively provide the functionality of search engine 212 described herein. In addition, other components/modules not shown may also be included within computing system 200.

In some embodiments, one or more of the illustrated components/modules may be implemented as stand-alone applications. In other embodiments, one or more of the illustrated components/modules may be implemented as an internet-based service via client device 210 or as a module within search engine 212. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components/modules illustrated in FIG. 2 are exemplary in nature and in number and should not be construed as limiting. Any number of components/modules may be employed to achieve the desired functionality within the scope of embodiments hereof. Further, the components/modules may be located on any number of search engines or user computing devices. By way of example only, search engine 212 may be provided as a single server (as shown), a cluster of servers, or a computing device remote from one or more of the remaining components.

It should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are given by way of example only. Other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, commands, and groupings of functions, etc.) can be used in addition to or instead of those shown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. In addition, many of the elements described herein are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable combination and location. Various functions described herein as being performed by one or more entities may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For example, various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory.

The client computing device 210 may include any type of computing device, such as the computing device 100 described with reference to fig. 1. In general, the client computing device 210 includes a browser 220 and a display 222. The browser 220 is configured to render a search engine home page, with or without a static image and/or interactive image as at least a portion of the background, in association with the display 222 of the client computing device 210. Browser 220 is further configured to receive user input for requests for various web pages, including search engine home pages, to receive search queries entered by users, typically via a user interface presented on display 222 and allowing entry of alphanumeric and/or text into a specified search box, and to receive content for presentation on display 222, e.g., from search engine 212. It should be noted that the functionality described herein as being performed by the browser 220 may be performed by any other application capable of rendering Web content. Any and all such variations, or any combination thereof, are contemplated to be within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

The search engine 212 is configured to receive and respond to requests received from components associated with the client computing device, such as the browser 220 associated with the client computing device 210. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented using any number of search tools. For example, an internet search engine or a database search engine may utilize the present invention. These search engines are known in the art, and commercially available engines share many similar processes as described further herein.

As illustrated, search server 212 includes a receiving component 224, a search result determining component 226, a related image determining component 228, a browser capability determining component 230, an image retrieval and transmission component 232, and a user interaction enabling component 234. The illustrated search engine 212 is also capable of accessing an image data store 214 and another data store 216. Image data store 214 is configured to store image data, i.e., information associated with an image. In various embodiments, such information may include, but is not limited to, raw image data, optimized image data, portions of image data (e.g., image tiles (tiles), as described more fully below), and the like. The image data stored in association with image data store 214 may take any of a number of different forms. For example, such image data may be a single image or multiple images that are placed together such that the result appears to be a continuous single image. Further, such image data may be in the form of a panoramic view or another searchable photo image (e.g., a composite view). As used herein, the term "panorama" refers to a wide-angle view or representation of an image such that a person viewing the larger image looks as if he were standing at one location and looking in different directions from a single viewpoint. As used herein, the term "composite map" means being collectively aggregated and presented such that it appears to a viewer looking at the same object from a variety of different directions or viewpoints. Regardless of the source of the image data, embodiments of the present invention subdivide the image data into image data portions or tiles so that the data can be processed in smaller blocks containing less information. This allows faster and more efficient image data processing. Thus, image data store 214 is further configured to store image data portions or tiles.

The data store 216 is configured to store information related to received search queries and their results. Data store 216 is further configured to store information related to images stored in association with image data store 214. In this regard, the data store 216 is configured to store entities associated with images. The entities may include tiles, topics, creators, genres, or any other information associated with the images in image data store 214 in a category or otherwise. As described more fully below, the entity may be configured to act as a trigger to enter the user into a rich immersive photo-seeking experience.

In embodiments, image data store 214 and/or data store 216 are configured to be searchable for one or more terms stored in association therewith. Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the information stored in association with image data store 214 and/or data store 216 may be configurable and may include any information relevant to a search query and its corresponding results, as well as images configured for presentation, for example, on a search engine home page or a search engine results page.

The content and quantity of such information is not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the present invention in any way. Additionally, although illustrated as two separate components, image data store 214 and data store 216 may actually be a single storage device or a plurality of storage devices, such as a database cluster, a portion of which may reside in association with search engine 212, client computing device 210, another external computing device (not shown), and/or any combination thereof.

The receiving component 224 of the search engine 212 is configured to receive search queries that are typically entered via a search engine home page, such as the search engine home page shown in the screen display 400 of fig. 4. Typically, such search queries are received via a browser associated with the client computing device, such as browser 220 associated with client computing device 210.

Upon receiving the input search query, the search results determination component 226 is configured to identify one or more search results determined to match the input query. In an embodiment, the search results are algorithmically determined and at least partially retrieved from the data store 216. Algorithms for determining search results that match an input search query are known to those skilled in the art and, therefore, are not described further herein.

The related image determination component 228 is configured to determine whether there are interactive images associated with the search engine that are related to the input search query and/or one or more search results determined to match the input search query. The interactive image associated with the Search Engine may be, for example, an Immersive interactive Search Engine Home page image as given in commonly owned U.S. patent application No. 13/227507 entitled "interactive imaging Search Engine Home Pages," filed 2011, 10, 20, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In an embodiment, once the related images determination component 228 determines that there are images associated with the search engine and related to the input search query and/or one or more search results determined to match the input search query, the browser capability determination component 230 is configured to determine whether a browser associated with the client computing device from which the search query input was received (e.g., browser 220 associated with client device 210) is capable of receiving and presenting large, high-resolution interactive images. In an embodiment, a preference determination component (not shown) may be present that is configured to determine whether any applicable user preference settings allow or prevent such interactive image presentation.

In one embodiment (shown in screen display 500 of FIG. 5), once the related images determination component 228 determines that there are images associated with a search engine and related to an input search query, and the browser capability determination component 230 determines that the browser from which the search query was received is capable of receiving and presenting interactive images, a link 510 to the interactive images is presented on the search engine results page as a search result or immediate answer. Subsequently, upon user selection of the link, image retrieval and transmission component 232 is configured to receive large image data of high resolution (e.g., from image data store 214) and transmit such high resolution data for presentation, for example, as shown in screen display 600 of FIG. 6.

Generally, high quality and/or high resolution images are too large for efficient and timely transmission over the internet. However, it is desirable to be able to load images quickly in order to provide user functionality as quickly as possible. Thus, it is desirable within the scope of the embodiments herein to optimize the image data, for example, via compression techniques and/or resolution change techniques. In embodiments, such functionality may be implemented using, for example, CSS, JavaScript, and common image file formats that can run across a wide range of browsers. Further, in embodiments, it is desirable to provide an optimal user experience based on the bandwidth or connection speed associated with the requesting computing device. Any and all such variations, and any combination thereof, are contemplated to be within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

In other embodiments (shown in screen display 800 of FIG. 8, described more fully below), once relevant image determining component 228 determines that there is an image associated with a search engine and relevant to the input search query, and browser capability determining component 230 determines that the browser from which the search query was received is capable of receiving and presenting interactive images, image retrieving and transmitting component 232 is configured to receive large image data at high resolution (e.g., from image data store 214) and transmit such data for presentation as a background image of a web page associated with the search engine, such as a search engine results page.

In yet another embodiment (shown in screen display 1000 of FIG. 10), if related image determining component 228 determines that there are images associated with a search engine and related to one or more search results 1010 that are determined to match the input search query, and browser capability determining component 230 determines that the browser from which the search query was received is capable of receiving and presenting interactive images, then a link 1012 to the interactive images is presented on the search engine results page as being associated with the related search results 1010. Subsequently, upon the user selecting the link, image retrieval and transmission component 232 is configured to receive large image data of high resolution (e.g., from image data store 214) and transmit such data for presentation.

In yet another embodiment (not shown), if the related image determining component 228 determines that there is an image associated with a search engine and related to an input search query and the browser capability determining component 230 determines that the browser from which the search query was received is capable of receiving and presenting interactive images, the image retrieving and transmitting component 232 is configured to receive large image data at high resolution (e.g., from the image data store 214) and transmit such data for presentation as a full-page desktop experience. Such a Desktop experience is described in commonly owned U.S. patent application No. 13/227648 entitled "Interactive Desktop Image Presentation," filed 2011, 10, 20, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Any and all such variations, and any combination thereof, are contemplated to be within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

It should be noted that if the browser capability determination component 230 determines that a browser associated with the requesting client computing device is unable to receive and/or render large, high-resolution interactive images, the image retrieval and transmission component 232 is configured to retrieve static images that are typically configured for rendering on less than a portion of the available display and transmit such images for rendering — either automatically as a background rendering of a SERP (as shown in fig. 8) or upon selection of a link thereto as discussed above with reference to fig. 5 and 10.

For example, in embodiments where the interactive image is related to a search engine by virtue of having been previously displayed in association with a search engine home page, the image transmitted in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may not be the same as the previously presented image. For example, some amount of metadata may be presented that was not previously presented when the image was shown (e.g., user input details, geo-tags, etc.).

Additionally, in embodiments, the image may include one or more interactive regions. Thus, the user interaction enabling component 234 is configured to enable user interaction with the generic image and/or one or more interaction regions thereof. Upon user interaction with a particular interaction region (e.g., region 610 of FIG. 6), additional information and/or images may be presented. The additional information and/or images are typically related in some way to the base image associated with a particular interactive area. The interactive regions are anchored (anchors) to pixel locations within the larger image to highlight specific aspects of each interactive image. These interactive regions may provide details related to content within the interactive image, as well as vertical (vertical) queries and searches available to send the user to a search engine. With the introduction of scrollable and interactive content, interactive areas within a larger image are anchored to the pixel coordinates in the larger image, which means that panning and zooming within the image will also move the visual position of those interactive areas. This allows, for example, the interactive area above the penguin in a south pole panorama to stay above the penguin at all times regardless of how the user moves through the panorama. This also means that the interactive region may not appear on the screen at all if the currently viewed portion of the panorama does not include anchor pixels.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide interactive functionality without explicit user initiation, in addition to the interactive region that is activated when the user interacts with it. That is, automatic (i.e., without user-initiated) slight image movement, such as panning back and forth and/or highlighting of controls, may be made to alert or remind the user that additional functionality with respect to the image may be used and to prompt the user into the provided interactive experience. Any and all such variations, and any combination thereof, are contemplated to be within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram is illustrated showing an exemplary method 300 for presenting links to interactive images as search results in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown at block 310, a search query is received at a search engine, for instance, by receiving component 224 of search engine 212 of FIG. 2. Once the query is received, it is determined that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine, as shown at block 312. In an embodiment, determining that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image includes determining that the content of the search query is relevant to at least one of an entity associated with the interactive image (e.g., a tile, a subject, a creator, a genre, or any other information associated with the image in a category or otherwise) and information associated with an interactive region of the interactive image. The link to the interactive image is then presented as a search result on the SERP, as shown at block 314. A SERP with a link 510 to an interactive image presented as a result of a search is shown in screen display 500 of fig. 5.

Turning to FIG. 7, a flow diagram is illustrated that shows an exemplary method 700 for automatically presenting an interactive image determined to be relevant to an input search query as a background image of a search engine results page in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown at block 710, a search query is received from a client computing device, such as client computing device 210 of FIG. 2. Once the query is received, it is determined that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with the search engine, as shown at block 712. In an embodiment, determining that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image includes determining that the content of the search query is relevant to at least one of an entity associated with the interactive image (e.g., a tile, a subject, a creator, a genre, or any other information associated with the image in a category or otherwise) and information associated with an interactive region of the interactive image. As shown at block 714, the client computing device is automatically navigated to a web page associated with the search engine, e.g., a SERP, and the interactive image is presented as a background image of the web page (e.g., the SERP). A SERP with an interactive image presented as a background image is shown in screen display 800 of fig. 8.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram is illustrated showing an exemplary method 900 for presenting an indication in association with a search result to visually indicate the presence of a related interactive image in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown at block 910, a search query is received at a search engine (e.g., by receiving component 224 of search engine 212 of FIG. 2 via computing device 210). A plurality of search results is then determined (e.g., using search result determination component 226 of fig. 2). It is then determined (e.g., using related image determining component 228 of FIG. 2) that at least one search result has a related interactive image associated with the search engine. In an embodiment, determining that the content of the at least one search result has a relevant interactive image includes determining that the content of the at least one search result is relevant to at least one of an entity associated with the interactive image (e.g., a tile, a subject, a creator, a genre, or any other information associated with the image in a category or otherwise) and information associated with an interactive region of the interactive image. The search results are communicated for presentation, as shown at block 916, and a visual indication is communicated for presentation in association with the relevant search results. This is indicated at block 918. A link 1012 with an interactive image presented with respect to a particular search result 1010 is shown in screen display 1000 of fig. 10.

As can be appreciated, embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for presenting interactive images associated with a search engine in association with a search engine results page. The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the order of the steps illustrated in method 300 of fig. 3, method 700 of fig. 7, and method 900 of fig. 9 is not meant to limit the scope of the present invention in any way, and indeed, the steps may be performed in a variety of different orders in the embodiments herein. Any and all such variations, as well as any combination thereof, are contemplated as falling within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (15)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving (310) a search query at a search engine;

determining (312) that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with a search engine;

transmitting (314) a link to the interactive image for presentation as a search result on a search engine results page;

receiving a selection of a link;

transmitting the interactive image for presentation; and is

User interaction with the interactive image is enabled by enabling movement of a position of at least one interactive area within the interactive image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining at least one algorithmically derived search result that matches the search query;

wherein transmitting the link to the interactive image for presentation as a search result comprises transmitting the link to the interactive image for presentation as an additional search result with respect to the at least one algorithmically-derived search result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the interactive image for presentation comprises transmitting the interactive image for presentation in association with a search engine results page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image comprises determining that the content of the search query is relevant to at least one of an entity associated with the interactive image and information associated with an interactive region of the interactive image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive image comprises at least one interactive region anchored to a pixel location within the interactive image.

6. A system, comprising:

a computing device (210) associated with a search engine (212) having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media; and

a data store (216) coupled to the search engine (212), wherein

The search engine (212):

receiving (710) a search query from a client computing device;

determining (712) that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with a search engine; and is

The client computing device is automatically navigated (714) to a search engine results page associated with the search engine, the search engine results page having an interactive image presented as a background image of one or more search results.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the search engine determines that the content of the search query has a relevant interactive image by determining that the content of the search query is relevant to at least one of an entity associated with the interactive image and information associated with an interactive region of the interactive image.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the search engine further enables user interaction with the interactive image.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the interactive image comprises at least one interactive region anchored to a pixel location within the interactive image.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving (910) a search query at a search engine;

determining (912), by a processor, a plurality of search results for the received search query;

determining (914), by the processor, that at least one of the plurality of search results has a related interactive image associated with a previously presented home page of the search engine;

transmitting (916) a plurality of search results for presentation; and is

A visual indication is transmitted (918) for presentation in association with at least one of the plurality of search results to indicate that there is a related interactive image associated therewith.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of the plurality of search results and a visual indication associated therewith; and is

Transmitting the interactive image for presentation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the interactive image comprises at least one interactive region anchored to a pixel location within the interactive image.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that at least one of the plurality of search results has a relevant interactive image comprises determining that at least one search result is relevant to at least one of information associated with an entity of the interactive image and an interactive region of the interactive image.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving (310) a search query at a search engine;

means for determining (312) that content of the search query has a relevant interactive image associated with a search engine;

means for transmitting (314) a link to the interactive image for presentation as a search result on a search engine results page;

means for receiving a selection of a link;

means for transmitting the interactive image for presentation; and is

Means for enabling user interaction with the interactive image by enabling movement of a position of at least one interactive area within the interactive image.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving (910) a search query at a search engine;

means for determining (912), by a processor, a plurality of search results for the received search query;

means for determining (914), by the processor, that at least one of the plurality of search results has a related interactive image associated with a previously presented home page of the search engine;

means for transmitting (916) a plurality of search results for presentation; and

means for transmitting (918) a visual indication for presentation in association with at least one of the plurality of search results to indicate that there is a related interactive image associated therewith.