Message Search on Touchscreen Devices Without Keyboard Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing portable electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays face challenges in efficiently searching messages across multiple types and sources without requiring keyboard input, limiting user convenience and efficiency, especially in devices with limited input capabilities.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device that detects search initiation from elements of a message displayed on the touch-sensitive screen, such as the sender or subject, and searches corresponding messages across various types (e.g., email, SMS, voicemail) without needing keyboard input, sorting results by message type or date, facilitating easy access to related messages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If keyboard input is required for message search, then search precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesearch precisionVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically extracts search terms from message elements (sender, subject, body) without requiring user input. The electronic device performs self-service by identifying and utilizing relevant message components as search queries, eliminating the need for keyboard input while maintaining search functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-processes message elements by extracting and storing searchable components (sender information, subject lines, body text) in advance. This preliminary extraction of search terms from message elements enables rapid search execution without requiring real-time user input

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If search across multiple message types is implemented, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveversatilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The electronic device implements a universal search mechanism that handles multiple message types (email, SMS, MMS, instant messages, voicemails) through a single search interface. The system automatically adapts to different message types and extracts search terms from various message elements across all types, providing multi-functional search capability without requiring separate search systems for each message type

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2637391B1Message search method and electronic device
Publication Date: 2019.06.19 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2637391B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2637391B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP2637391B1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

An example method includes displaying information associated with a first message of a first type on a display of an electronic device, detecting initiation of a search associated with the first message, identifying, by the electronic device, a search request determined from an element of the first message, searching, by the electronic device, for a second message of the first type and a third message of a second type, wherein the second message and the third message correspond to the search request, and displaying information associated with the second message and information associated with the third message.