Search Engine Interface Extraction for Direct Tool Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face the inconvenience of needing to navigate to a website to access tools like document conversion or weather lookup, as existing solutions do not provide a direct interface for accessing these tools outside of a browser.
Innovation Solution
A search engine constructs a search-result snippet that includes an interface allowing access to website tools without navigating to the website, enabling tools to be accessed directly from a search-engine response page, and this interface can be copied and stored for later use on various devices or documents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a user navigates to a website to access a tool, then the tool can be accessed and used, but the user experiences inconvenience and time loss due to browser navigation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential functionality of the website tool (the action interface) from the complete website environment. By copying only the necessary interface elements (input fields, buttons, action identifiers) needed to invoke the tool's function, the system eliminates the need for full browser navigation while preserving tool access capability. This extraction resolves the contradiction by providing direct tool access without the time-consuming navigation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the website tool's interface elements and stores them locally in an alternative medium (such as a database, file system, or memory). This copy contains the essential components (action identifier, input parameters, interface structure) needed to invoke the tool without visiting the original website. The copying mechanism enables immediate tool access from the local storage, eliminating browser navigation time while maintaining full tool functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a website provides a tool through its webpage, then the tool functions are available, but the interface complexity increases as users must navigate through the website structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the website tool interface into distinct, independent components: an action identifier, input parameter fields, and execution controls. Each component is extracted and stored separately in the alternative medium. This segmentation simplifies the interface structure by removing unnecessary website navigation elements while preserving the core tool functionality, making the interface more adaptable and easier to access directly without navigating through complex website structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Providing an interface to request actions of a website includes various elements. For example, website instructions of the website are provided to a search engine, the website instructions describing the website tool. The website instructions may be indexed by the search engine to be referenced when servicing a search query. When the website is deemed relevant to the search query, a search-result snippet may be built to include the interface to the website tool. As such, the interface may be provided in the search-results webpage. The interface may be used in the search-results webpage or may be stored locally. The interface may be used to access the website tool without a browser navigating to a landing page of the website.