Indexing actions for resources

• US 10,013,496 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Steve, Douglas, Jason B., Goto, Samuel Shoji Fukujima
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Application Number:
  US14/742,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for indexing actions for resources. In an aspect, a method receiving, for each resource a plurality of resources that are each accessible by a user device, action data describing actions supported by each resource, each action being an action that can be performed by the user device processing the resource; for each resource: determining, from the action data, an action type for each action supported by the resource, determining, from the action data, action parameters for each action supported by the resource, and indexing the action data, action types and action parameters for the resource in an index that is searchable by a search engine.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by data processing apparatus comprising one or more computers in data communication, the method comprising:

receiving, for each resource of a plurality of resources that are each accessible by a user device and are each responsive to at least a respective search query, action data describing one or more computer actions supported by the respective resource, each computer action being an action that can be performed by the user device processing the resource, wherein;

the resources include web page resources and native application resources; and

a native application resource is a resource for a native application designed to execute on a particular device operating system;

in response to receiving the action data for each resource of the plurality of resources, for each resource;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, a computer action type from multiple different predetermined computer action types that each specify one or more action parameter values required to enable the user device to perform computer actions of the respective action type;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, one or more action parameters for which corresponding parameter values are required to enable the user device to perform the respective computer action; and

in response to determining the computer action type and the one or more action parameters, indexing the action data, the one or more computer action types and the one or more action parameters for the resource in an index that is searchable by a search engine that determines search results responsive to a search query;

receiving, from a user device, a query that includes one or more terms;

determining, using the terms of the query, a computer action type from the multiple different predetermined computer action types that is relevant to the query;

determining, for each resource of a plurality of resources that are each responsive to the query, an action score using the computer action type that is relevant to the query and the action data for the resource stored in the index, the action score being a measure of the resource'"'"'s ability to perform an action of the computer action type that is relevant to the query;

ranking the resources in the plurality of resources according to an order based, in part, on the respective action scores; and

providing data for at least one of one or more highest ranked resources from the plurality of resources to the user device to enable the user device to perform an action for the at least one of the ranked resources.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each resource, determining whether a user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource;

for each resource that causes the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is verified;

for each resource that does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is not verified;

indexing, for each resource, the determination of verification for the resource in the index and associated with the action data, the one or more computer action types, and the one or more action parameters for the resource.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining whether the resource causes an instantiation failure on the user device, and

determining that a resource that causes an instantiation failure does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer action described by the action data for the resource.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining, from the action data, a content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action;

determining, from the performance of the computer action, a content type that is provided by the performance of an action; and

determining that the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer action described by the action data only when content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action matches the content type that is provided by the performance of an action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining, using the terms of the query, the computer action type that is relevant to the query comprises;

determining, for each resource of the plurality of resources, action parameters for the computer action type required to perform an action of the computer action type;

determining, from the terms of the query, parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type; and

determining an action score from the action data for the resource comprises determining the action score based on the parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the query is received in response to being input to a search engine resource on a user device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the query is received in response to being input on a calendar application on a user device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining the computer action type from the multiple different predetermined computer action types that is relevant to the query, determining, from the terms of the query, parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type that is relevant to the query; and

providing, to the user device, a request for additional parameter values based on action parameters that are not matched by parameter values of the query.

9. A system, comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

software stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving, for each resource a plurality of resources that are each accessible by a user device and are each responsive to at least a respective search query, action data describing one or more computer actions supported by the respective resource, each computer action being an action that can be performed by the user device processing the resource, wherein;

the resources include web page resources and native application resources; and

a native application resource is a resource for a native application designed to execute on a particular device operating system;

in response to receiving the action data for each resource of the plurality of resources, for each resource;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, a computer action type from multiple different predetermined computer action types that each require one or more action parameter values to enable the user device to perform computer actions of the respective action type;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, one or more action parameters for which corresponding parameter values are required to enable the user device to perform the respective computer action; and

in response to determining the computer action type and the one or more action parameters, indexing the action data, the one or more computer action types and the one or more action parameters for the resource in an index that is searchable by a search engine that determines search results responsive to a search query;

receiving, from a user device, a query that includes one or more terms;

determining, using the terms of the query, a computer action type from the multiple different predetermined computer action types that is relevant to the query;

determining, for each resource of a plurality of resources that are each responsive to the query, an action score using the computer action type that is relevant to the query and the action data for the resource stored in the index, the action score being a measure of the resource'"'"'s ability to perform an action of the computer action type that is relevant to the query;

ranking the resources in the plurality of resources according to an order based, in part, on the respective action scores; and

providing data for at least one of one or more highest ranked resources from the plurality of resources to the user device to enable the user device to perform an action for the at least one of the ranked resources.

10. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

for each resource, determining whether a user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource;

for each resource that causes the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is verified;

for each resource that does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is not verified;

indexing, for each resource, the determination of verification for the resource in the index and associated with the action data, the one or more computer action types, and the one or more action parameters for the resource.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining whether resource causes an instantiation failure on the user device, and

determining that a resource that causes an instantiation failure does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer action described by the action data for the resource.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining, from the action data, a content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action;

determining, from the performance of the computer action, a content type that is provided by the performance of an action; and

determining that the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer action described by the action data only when content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action matches the content type that is provided by the performance of an action.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein:

determining, using the terms of the query, the computer action type that is relevant to the query comprises;

determining, for each resource of the plurality of resources, action parameters for the computer action type required to perform an action of the computer action type;

determining, from the terms of the query, parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type; and

determining an action score from the action data for the resource comprises determining the action score based on the parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the query is received in response to being input to a search engine resource on a user device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the query is received in response to being input on a calendar application on a user device.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining the computer action type from the multiple different predetermined computer action types that is relevant to the query, determining, from the terms of the query, parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type that is relevant to the query; and

providing, to the user device, a request for additional parameter values based on action parameters that are not matched by parameter values of the query.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, for each resource a plurality of resources that are each accessible by a user device and are each responsive to at least a respective search query, action data describing one or more computer actions supported by the respective resource, each computer action being an action that can be performed by the user device processing the resource, wherein;

the resources include web page resources and native application resources; and

a native application resource is a resource for a native application designed to execute on a particular device operating system;

in response to receiving the action data for each resource of the plurality of resources, for each resource;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, a computer action type from multiple different predetermined computer action types that each require one or more action parameter values to enable the user device to perform computer actions of the respective action type;

determining, for each of the one or more computer actions supported by the resource using the action data, one or more action parameters for which corresponding parameter values are required to enable the user device to perform the respective computer action; and

in response to determining the computer action type and the one or more action parameters, indexing the action data, the one or more computer action types and the one or more action parameters for the resource in an index that is searchable by a search engine that determines search results responsive to a search query;

receiving, from a user device, a query that includes one or more terms;

determining, using the terms of the query, a computer action type from the multiple different predetermined computer action types that is relevant to the query;

determining, for each resource of a plurality of resources that are each responsive to the query, an action score using the computer action type that is relevant to the query and the action data for the resource stored in the index, the action score being a measure of the resource'"'"'s ability to perform an action of the computer action type that is relevant to the query;

ranking the resources in the plurality of resources according to an order based, in part, on the respective action scores; and

providing data for at least one of one or more highest ranked resources from the plurality of resources to the user device to enable the user device to perform an action for the at least one of the ranked resources.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

for each resource, determining whether a user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource;

for each resource that causes the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is verified;

for each resource that does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer actions described by the action data for the resource, determining that the resource is not verified;

indexing, for each resource, the determination of verification for the resource in the index and associated with the action data, the one or more computer action types, and the one or more action parameters for the resource.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining whether resource causes an instantiation failure on the user device, and

determining that a resource that causes an instantiation failure does not cause the user device processing the resource to correctly perform the computer action described by the action data for the resource.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein determining whether the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer actions described by the action data for the resource comprises:

for each computer action from the one or more computer actions;

determining, from the action data, a content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action;

determining, from the performance of the computer action, a content type that is provided by the performance of an action; and

determining that the user device processing the resource correctly performs the computer action described by the action data only when content type that is specified as being provided by the performance of an action matches the content type that is provided by the performance of an action.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

determining, using the terms of the query, the computer action type that is relevant to the query comprises;

determining, for each resource of the plurality of resources, action parameters for the computer action type required to perform an action of the computer action type;

determining, from the terms of the query, parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type; and

determining an action score from the action data for the resource comprises determining the action score based on the parameter values that match the action parameters for the computer action type.