Search queries with previews of search results on online social networks

• US 10,402,419 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubinstein, Yigal Dan, Young, Sue Yee, Duck, Joshua Keith, Khan, Sadi, Maschmeyer, William R., Kesten, Yuval, Peiris, Keith L., Hymes, Kathryn
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US15/915,856
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client system of a first user, a text query comprising a character string of n characters, generating a plurality of suggested queries based on the text query, where each suggested query comprises the character string of the text query and one or more query tokens, and where at least one of the query tokens of each suggested query partially matches the character string of the text query, and sending, to the client system responsive to receiving the n^th character of the text query, instructions for displaying one or more suggested queries to the first user, where at least one of the suggested queries is displayed with a preview of one or more search results matching the suggested query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client system of a first user, a text query comprising a character string of n characters;

identifying one or more query tokens based on the text query, wherein at least one of the query tokens is a name string of a unique object;

generating a plurality of suggested queries based on the text query, each suggested query comprising the character string of the text query and one or more of the query tokens, wherein at least one of the query tokens of each suggested query partially matches the character string of the text query; and

sending, to the client system responsive to receiving the n^th character of the text query, instructions for displaying one or more suggested queries to the first user, wherein at least one of the suggested queries is displayed with a preview of one or more search results matching the character string of the text query and the one or more query tokens of the respective suggested query, and wherein each suggested query that is displayed is selectable by the first user to retrieve search results matching the selected suggested query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text query is inputted by the first user at a query field of a currently accessed interface of an online social network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more suggested queries are displayed on the currently accessed interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the query tokens are unique query tokens comprising name strings of one or more unique objects associated with an online social network, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, for the preview, the one or more search results matching the respective suggested query.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client system, an n+1 character of the text query inputted by the first user; and

sending, to the client system responsive to receiving the n+1^th character of the text query, one or more additional suggested queries for display, each additional suggested query being based on the n+1^th character of the text query.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising;

a first node corresponding to the first user; and

a plurality of second nodes corresponding to a plurality of unique objects associated with an online social network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each suggested query comprises one or more unique query tokens referencing one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes and one or more edges of the plurality of edges.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more search results correspond to one or more second nodes of the plurality of nodes, respectively, each search result comprising a reference to the second node corresponding to the search result.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client system, an indication of a selection of one of the suggested queries by the first user; and

generating one or more search results matching the selected suggested query.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more suggested queries are displayed in a drop-down menu on a currently accessed interface of an online social network, wherein the drop-down menu enables the first user to select one of the suggested queries.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the preview of the search results is displayed in the drop-down menu.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview of the search results is displayed in a results field of a currently accessed interface of an online social network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested queries are displayed on a profile interface of an online social network corresponding to a unique object associated with the online social network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested queries are displayed on a search-results interface corresponding to a prior query.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested queries are displayed on a user interface of a native application running on the client system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more search results correspond to one or more unique objects associated with an online social network, respectively, each search result comprising a reference to the unique object corresponding to the search result.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the reference comprises a thumbnail image associated with the unique object corresponding to the search result.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each search result comprises one or more snippets, each snippet comprising contextual information about the unique object corresponding to the search result.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the snippets of each search result comprises information from the profile interface associated with the search result.

21. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive, from a client system of a first user, a text query comprising a character string of n characters;

identify one or more query tokens based on the text query, wherein at least one of the query tokens is a name string of a unique object;

generate a plurality of suggested queries based on the text query, each suggested query comprising the character string of the text query and one or more of the query tokens, wherein at least one of the query tokens of each suggested query partially matches the character string of the text query; and

send, to the client system responsive to receiving the n^th character of the text query, instructions for displaying one or more suggested queries to the first user, wherein at least one of the suggested queries is displayed with a preview of one or more search results matching the character string of the text query and the one or more query tokens of the respective suggested query, and wherein each suggested query that is displayed is selectable by the first user to retrieve search results matching the selected suggested query.

22. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

receive, from a client system of a first user, a text query comprising a character string of n characters;

identify one or more query tokens based on the text query, wherein at least one of the query tokens is a name string of a unique object;

generate a plurality of suggested queries based on the text query, each suggested query comprising the character string of the text query and one or more of the query tokens, wherein at least one of the query tokens of each suggested query partially matches the character string of the text query; and

send, to the client system responsive to receiving the n^th character of the text query, instructions for displaying one or more suggested queries to the first user, wherein at least one of the suggested queries is displayed with a preview of one or more search results matching the character string of the text query and the one or more query tokens of the respective suggested query, and wherein each suggested query that is displayed is selectable by the first user to retrieve search results matching the selected suggested query.