Method and System for Providing a Compact Graphical User Interface for Flexible Filtering of Data

There is presented a method and system for providing a compact graphical user interface for flexible filtering of data. The method comprises showing a search interface on a display device for filtering a content set by a plurality of domains, including a first domain, displaying, within the search interface, a first graphical representation of a parameter set of the first domain in response to a selecting of the first domain, receiving a first parameter subset from the first graphical representation, filtering a content set using the first parameter subset to obtain a search result, and displaying the search result on a display device. The search interface includes a temporally visible menu for selecting parameter sets of the domains and a compact single line query box to display graphical representations of parameter sets or to provide a conventional text entry box.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to providing a compact graphical user interface. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a compact graphical user interface for flexible filtering of data.2. Background Art

There are constant attempts in the art to create search interfaces for filtering digital data with ever increasing accuracy to find desired content more quickly and easily. Search interfaces are often equipped with multiple search components to perform multiple domain searches for increased search accuracy. However, using only conventional textual search components may be insufficient or inefficient for filtering certain kinds of digital data. Thus, it is useful to incorporate non-textual search components into search interfaces to perform facilitated searches on digital data.

However, there are substantial shortcomings in using conventional search interfaces having multiple search components. Conventional search interfaces having multiple search components often require reserving a large portion of the user interface area, which is a valuable and limited resource. For example, to support multiple search domains, multiple search components are required, each component reserving dedicated user interface area. Furthermore, these multiple search components often add confusion to the user experience, thereby decreasing intuitive usability. For example, a conventional user interfa