Computerized system and method for search query auto-completion

• US 10,049,149 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Lizi, Deng, Hongbo, Goyal, Amit, Chang, Yi, Baeza-Yates, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta L
• Application Number:
  US14/869,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20170091198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 707705, 707706, 707708, 707710, 707713, 707758, 707764, 707767, 707770, 715700, 715705, 715708, 715710, 715712, 715714, 715780, 704 7, 704 9, 704 10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for improving interactions with and between computers in content searching, generating, hosting and/or providing systems supported by or configured with personal computing devices, servers and/or platforms. The systems interact to identify and retrieve data within or across platforms, which can be used to improve the quality of data used in processing interactions between or among processors in such systems. The disclosed systems and methods provide systems and methods for determining and suggesting query auto-completions (QACs). In some embodiments, when a user is inputting a search query, the disclosed systems and methods can provide a QAC suggestion based on the inputted text in addition to application programs installed and/or executing on the user'"'"'s device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device over a network, user input information from a user device, said user input information comprising a character string of at least one character and a device identifier (ID);

determining, via the computing device, a set of text suggestions that begin with the character string from a lexicon database;

detecting, via the computing device, an application associated with the user device, based at least on the device ID, that has been opened on the user device within a predetermined time period from receiving said user input;

compiling, via the computing device, a query auto-complete (QAC) suggestion listing based on the set of text suggestions and the detected application, said compiling comprising determining a text suggestion in the set that is associated with the detected application;

ranking, via the computing device, said QAC suggestion listing based on the detected application, said ranking of the QAC suggestion listing comprising the determined text suggestion ranked higher than other text suggestions in the set that are not associated with the detected application; and

communicating, via the computing device over the network, the QAC suggestion listing for display on the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said QAC suggestion listing determination further comprises:

detecting an application associated with the user device that has been installed on the user device within a predetermined time period from receiving said user input, wherein said determined text suggestion in the QAC suggestion listing corresponds to said detected application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification of the application comprises identifying information selected from a group consisting of:

an identifier of each application installed on the user device, an identifier of each application accessed over the network by the user device, an identifier of each application open on the user device, and an identifier of each application closed on the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification of the application comprises identifying information selected from a group consisting of:

a time each application was installed on the user device, a time each application was last accessed over the network by the user device, a time each application was last opened by the user device, and a time each application was last closed on the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second input indicating a selection of a text suggestion from the QAC suggestion listing; and

searching for content based on said second input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of times each text suggestion in the set of text suggestions has been selected during a predetermined period of time; and

ranking the set of text suggestions based on said number determination.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the identified application does not correspond to the received user input; and

communicating the text suggestion set to the user device for display on the user device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a selection of a text suggestion from the QAC suggestion listing, said selection associated with a search request for content;

determining a context of the selection based on text of the selected suggestion;

causing communication, over the network, of said context to an advertisement platform to obtain digital advertisement content associated with said context; and

communicating said identified digital advertisement content in association with a search result of said search request.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor associated with a computing device, performs a method comprising:

receiving, over a network, user input information from a user device, said user input information comprising a character string of at least one character and a device identifier (ID);

determining a set of text suggestions that begin with the character string from a lexicon database;

detecting an application associated with the user device, based at least on the device ID, that has been opened on the user device within a predetermined time period from receiving said user input;

compiling a query auto-complete (QAC) suggestion listing based on the set of text suggestions and the detected application, said compiling comprising determining a text suggestion in the set that is associated with the detected application;

ranking said QAC suggestion listing based on the detected application, said ranking of the QAC suggestion listing comprising the determined text suggestion ranked higher than other text suggestions in the set that are not associated with the detected application; and

communicating, over the network, the QAC suggestion listing for display on the user device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said QAC suggestion listing determination further comprises:

detecting an application associated with the user device that has been installed on the user device within a predetermined time period from receiving said user input, wherein said determined text suggestion in the QAC suggestion listing corresponds to said detected application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said identification of the application comprises identifying information selected from a group consisting of:

an identifier of each application installed on the user device, an identifier of each application accessed over the network by the user device, an identifier of each application open on the user device, and an identifier of each application closed on the user device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said identification of the application comprises identifying information selected from a group consisting of:

a time each application was installed on the user device, a time each application was last accessed over the network by the user device, a time each application was last opened by the user device, and a time each application was last closed on the user device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second input indicating a selection of a text suggestion from the QAC suggestion listing; and

searching for content based on said second input.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a number of times each text suggestion in the set of text suggestions has been selected during a predetermined period of time; and

re-ranking the set of text suggestions based on said number determination.

15. A system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving, over a network, user input information from a user device, said user input information comprising a character string of at least one character and a device identifier (ID);

determination logic executed by the processor for determining a set of text suggestions that begin with the character string from a lexicon database;

detection logic executed by the processor for detecting an application associated with the user device, based at least on the device ID, that has been opened on the user device within a predetermined time period from receiving said user input;

compiling logic executed by the processor for compiling a query auto-complete (QAC) suggestion listing based on the set of text suggestions and the detected application, said compiling comprising determining a text suggestion in the set that is associated with the detected application;

ranking logic executed by the processor for ranking said QAC suggestion listing based on the detected application, said ranking of the QAC suggestion listing comprising the determined text suggestion ranked higher than other text suggestions in the set that are not associated with the detected application; and

communication logic executed by the processor for communicating, over the network, the QAC suggestion listing for display on the user device.