Context-based selection of calls-to-action associated with search results

• US 10,509,792 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Michael Dudley, Patterson, Ryan, Tseng, Erick
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Azam M
• Application Number:
  US15/918,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20180203862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes, sending, to a client device of a user of an online social network for presentation to the user, one or more references corresponding to one or more content items of the online social network, respectively. Each reference is presented with one or more call-to-action elements. Each call-to-action element is a user-interface element that prompts an action from the user to initiate a particular function or process related to the content item via the online social network. The call-to-action elements for each content item are presented in ranked order based on a suitability of the call-to-action element to the content item. The method includes receiving a selection of a call-to-action element presented with a reference corresponding to a particular content item. The method includes executing the function or process related to the content item on the online social network prompted by the selected call-to-action element.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computing devices of an online social network:

sending, from the one or more computing devices to a client device of a user of the online social network for presentation to the user, one or more references corresponding to one or more content items of the online social network, respectively, each reference being presented with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the content item, wherein;

each call-to-action element is a user-interface element that prompts an action from the user to initiate a particular function or process related to the content item via the online social network; and

the call-to-action elements for each content item are presented in ranked order based on a suitability of the call-to-action element to the content item;

receiving, at the one or more computing devices from the client device of the user, a selection of a call-to-action element presented with a particular reference corresponding to a particular content item;

executing, by the one or more computing devices, the particular function or process related to the particular content item on the online social network prompted by the selected call-to-action element; and

sending, from the one or more computing devices to the client device for presentation to the user, data corresponding to the execution of the particular function or process related to the particular call-to-action element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the suitability of a call-to-action element to a content item is based on a social context of the content item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranked order of the one or more call-to-action elements applicable to a content item is further based on one or more of:

social or demographical information of the user;

a behavior profile of the user;

a time and location associated with the user;

one or more business objectives of the online social network;

or

at least one relationship between the user and the content item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call-to-action elements are presented in proximity to their corresponding references.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each reference, at least one of the call-to-action elements is presented as a top-ranked call-to-action element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising auto-populating an input field of a user interface at the client device with the references.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each reference, at least one of the call-to-action elements prompts an action that:

is convenient for the user to perform with respect to the content item corresponding to the reference;

is likely to be performed by the user with respect to the content item corresponding to the reference;

or

the online social network encourages the user to perform with respect to the content item corresponding to the reference.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular function or process related to the particular content item comprises modifying metadata stored in association with the particular content item based on the selected call-to-action element and the particular content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular function or process related to the particular content item comprises modifying a social graph based on the selected call-to-action element and the particular content item.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking each of the content items based on historical behavior of the user in selecting one or more prior-presented references.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

boosting one or more rankings of one or more of the content items, respectively, based on a business objective of the online social network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, wherein the user corresponds to a first node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein the one or more content items correspond to one or more second nodes, respectively, of the plurality of nodes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ranked order of the one or more call-to-action elements applicable to a content item is further based on at least one edge in the social graph between the first node corresponding to the user and the second node corresponding to the content item.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one edge in the social graph is based at least in part on historical behavior of the user with respect to a content item corresponding to one of the second nodes of the social graph.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more references are sent for presentation to the user as the user inputs one or more characters at the client device into a user interface of the online social network, the presentation of the references to the user enabling the user to select one or more of the references to interact with.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more characters are received as the user inputs the one or more characters at the client device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more references are sent for presentation to the user as real-time suggestions responsive to one or more characters thus far inputted by the user at the client device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the one or more references in response to input received from the client device of the user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more references are presented within a newsfeed interface of the online social network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more references are presented within a search-results interface of the online social network.

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

send, from one or more computing devices to a client device of a user of an online social network for presentation to the user, one or more references corresponding to one or more content items of the online social network, respectively, each reference being presented with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the content item, wherein;

each call-to-action element is a user-interface element that prompts an action from the user to initiate a particular function or process related to the content item via the online social network; and

the call-to-action elements for each content item are presented in ranked order based on a suitability of the call-to-action element to the content item;

receive, at the one or more computing devices from the client device of the user, a selection of a call-to-action element presented with a particular reference corresponding to a particular content item;

execute, by the one or more computing devices, the particular function or process related to the particular content item on the online social network prompted by the selected call-to-action element; and

send, from the one or more computing devices to the client device for presentation to the user, data corresponding to the execution of the particular function or process related to the particular call-to-action element.

22. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

send, from one or more computing devices to a client device of a user of an online social network for presentation to the user, one or more references corresponding to one or more content items of the online social network, respectively, each reference being presented with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the content item, wherein;

each call-to-action element is a user-interface element that prompts an action from the user to initiate a particular function or process related to the content item via the online social network; and

the call-to-action elements for each content item are presented in ranked order based on a suitability of the call-to-action element to the content item;

receive, at the one or more computing devices from the client device of the user, a selection of a call-to-action element presented with a particular reference corresponding to a particular content item;

execute, by the one or more computing devices, the particular function or process related to the particular content item on the online social network prompted by the selected call-to-action element; and

send, from the one or more computing devices to the client device for presentation to the user, data corresponding to the execution of the particular function or process related to the particular call-to-action element.