Operating system program launch menu search

Abstract

An operating system program launch menu, such as a Start menu, provides various mechanisms for a user to quickly and efficiently locate and launch desired data items such as programs, data files, storage locations, and the like. A search box within the program launch menu may be used to quickly locate programs, documents, communications, and other data items. An auto-complete feature may be used, e.g., when the user restricts the locations searched for the user-entered search text. A most commonly used program list may include programs based on various criteria including both frequency of use and recent use, thereby always including a most recently used item. An all programs view may display programs and documents in a hosted-tree view within the original confines of the program launch menu, thereby negating the need to open sub-menus on top of a large portion of the desktop displayed on the display device.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for locating selectable items stored on a computer system, the method comprising displaying a search text input interface within a program launch menu displayed on a computer display device. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the program launch menu comprises a Start menu. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying search results within a predefined area of the program launch menu, wherein the search results comprise selectable items matching text input received from a user via the search text input interface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising performing a new search based on each additional text input by the user into the search text input interface. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the determining step comprises detecting that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a last received text input. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the displaying step comprises arranging the search results into one or more groups according to a type of each matching selectable item. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the groups comprise at least two groups from a set of groups comprising programs, files, Internet locations, and communications. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a selectable item matches the text input when a metadata of the selectable item contains the text input. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the metadata comprises an item name. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the metadata comprises an item author. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a selectable item matches the text input when contents of the selectable item contain the text input. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising ordering items within each group based on a modification date/time of each item. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising ordering items within each group based on how each item matches the text input. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising automatically providing selection focus to a top search result. 
     
     
         15 . One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 . One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer system, perform a method for providing a keyboard shortcut for launching an item stored on a computer system, said method comprising steps of:
 (a) upon detection that a user has pressed a program launch menu key on a keyboard directly or indirectly connected to the computer system, displaying a program launch menu on a display device directly or indirectly connected to the computer system;   (b) upon displaying the program launch menu, automatically providing an input focus to a search text input box within the program launch menu displayed on the computer display device,   (c) displaying search results within a predefined area of the program launch menu, wherein the search results comprise selectable items matching text input received from the user via the search text input box,   (d) automatically providing selection focus to a top search result, and   (e) launching the selectable item corresponding to the top search result when receiving predefined user input while the top search result has selection focus.   
     
     
         17 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , the method further comprising determining when the user has completed providing text input prior to displaying the search results. 
     
     
         18 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , wherein step (c) comprises automatically displaying new search results within the predefined area of the program launch menu each time text input is received from the user via the search text input box. 
     
     
         19 . One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for providing a program launch menu, the method comprising steps of:
 (a) displaying a program launch menu on a display device of a computer system, said program launch menu capable of displaying at least three views:
 i) a first view for displaying all application programs in a user-navigable structure, 
 ii) a second view for displaying most commonly used selectable items including a most recently viewed item and a most recently used item, and 
 iii) a third view for displaying search results comprising selectable items matching text input received from a user via a search text input interface displayed within the program launch menu; 
   (b) upon receiving user input via a toggle control, toggling between the first and second views when no text input is in the search text input interface; and   (c) automatically displaying the third view whenever text input is received via the search text input interface.   
     
     
         20 . The computer readable media of  claim 19 , further comprising changing a size of the program launch menu only upon receiving user input to explicitly resize the program launch menu.