Generating search results for people

• US 10,430,597 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Haugen, Frances B., Crichton, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bibbee, Jared M
• Application Number:
  US15/967,847
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules

Abstract

Techniques include: receiving a search query; identifying content responsive to the search query; identifying one or more members of a social networking service that have an association with identified content; and outputting, to a computing device, data corresponding to the one or more members, where data corresponding to the one or more members is for generating display areas, and where the display areas are for obtaining information about corresponding members and for display along with search results.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query;

obtaining one or more search results that a search engine identifies as responsive to the search query;

identifying (i) a topic of the search query, and (ii) one or more members of a social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query;

generating a search results page that includes (i) one or more of the search results, and (ii) a region that includes, for each of the one or more members of the social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query, information identifying that particular member and a control for filtering the search results to include only those search results that the search engine has identified as responsive to the search query and that are associated with that particular member; and

providing the search results page for output.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising indicating members that have authored a threshold amount of content on the topic as having expertise in the topic.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising indicating members that have repeatedly submitted queries associated with the topic as having expertise in the topic.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising indicating members that have repeatedly posted about the topic as having expertise in the topic.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising indicating members whose respective posts have been shared on the social network as having expertise in the topic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a visual representation of one or more of the members.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the control comprises a control for filtering out content not authored by that particular member.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the control comprises a control for filtering out content not commented-on by that particular member.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the control comprises a control for filtering out content not posted by that particular member.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the control comprises a control for filtering out content that does not mention that particular member.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the region comprises a link to a social network profile associated with that particular member.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each member, the region comprises a link for establishing a connection with that particular member.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of operations that comprise:

receiving a search query;

obtaining one or more search results that a search engine identifies as responsive to the search query;

identifying (i) a topic of the search query, and (ii) one or more members of a social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query;

generating a search results page that includes (i) one or more of the search results, and (ii) a region that includes, for each of the one or more members of the social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query, information identifying that particular member and a control for filtering the search results to include only those search results that the search engine has identified as responsive to the search query and that are associated with that particular member; and

providing the search results page for output.

14. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search query;

obtaining one or more search results that a search engine identifies as responsive to the search query;

identifying (i) a topic of the search query, and (ii) one or more members of a social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query;

generating a search results page that includes (i) one or more of the search results, and (ii) a region that includes, for each of the one or more members of the social network that are indicated as having expertise in the topic of the search query, information identifying that particular member and a control for filtering the search results to include only those search results that the search engine has identified as responsive to the search query and that are associated with that particular member; and

providing the search results page for output.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising indicating members that have authored a threshold amount of content on the topic as having expertise in the topic.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations comprise indicating members that have repeatedly submitted queries associated with the topic as having expertise in the topic.

17. The system of claim 14, comprising indicating members that have repeatedly posted about the topic as having expertise in the topic.