SEARCH RESULTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE SEARCH QUERIES

• US 20140280040A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Moxley, Emily K., Liu, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,418,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying resources responsive to a search query. One of the methods includes maintaining an index for a collection of resources, where each resource is associated with zero or more respective entity tags, and each entity tag includes a respective entity name, receiving a search query from a user device, identifying resources that satisfy the search query, determining that the search query satisfies one or more descriptive query criteria, processing each entity tag that is associated with a respective identified resource, generating a results page that includes user interface elements, each selectable by a user operating the user device to initiate an entity-specific search, and sending the results page to the user device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining an index for a collection of resources, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective entity tags, and wherein each entity tag includes a respective entity name;

receiving a search query from a user device;

identifying a plurality of resources in the collection that satisfy the search query using the index, wherein each identified resource includes respective image content;

upon determining that the search query satisfies one or more descriptive query criteria, processing each entity tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current entity tag, including;

determining whether or not a user interface (UI) element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device, and if so, generating UI element data that, when processed by the user device, causes the user device to display a UI element that is labeled with the entity name in the current entity tag and is selectable by a user operating the user device to initiate a search for resources that are associated with an entity that is identified by the entity name in the current entity tag;

generating a results page that includes the UI element data; and

sending the results page to the user device.

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

determining that the search query satisfies the one or more descriptive query criteria based on a result of one or more of the following;

determining that the search query includes more than a first threshold number of distinct nouns that are hypernyms;

determining that the search query includes more than a different, second threshold number of distinct adjectives; and

determining that the plurality of resources is associated with more than a different, third threshold number of distinct entity tags.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not the current entity tag is the only entity tag that is associated with the respective identified resource, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not entity tags identical to the current entity tag are associated with less than a threshold percentage of the identified resources, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective keyword tags, wherein each keyword tag includes a respective keyword, and wherein the method further comprises:

processing each keyword tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current keyword tag, including;

determining whether or not the keyword included in the current keyword tag is an entity name, and if so, generating an entity tag that includes the keyword; and

associating the entity tag with the identified resource that is associated with the current keyword tag.

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

processing a first resource;

determining, based on a result of the processing, that image content in the first resource includes a visual representation of a particular entity;

generating an entity tag that include an entity name that identifies the particular entity; and

associating the entity tag with the first resource.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein processing the first resource comprises:

processing text content in the first resource to identify one or more keywords; and

determining that at least one of the keywords is an entity name.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein processing the first resource comprises:

processing metadata associated with the first resource to identify one or more keywords; and

determining that at least one of the keywords is an entity name.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein processing the first resource comprises:

determining that features of the image content in the first resource match features of image content in a different, second resource, wherein the second resource is associated with an entity tag that identifies the particular entity.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instruction that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform a method comprising:

maintaining an index for a collection of resources, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective entity tags, and wherein each entity tag includes a respective entity name;

receiving a search query from a user device;

identifying a plurality of resources in the collection that satisfy the search query using the index, wherein each identified resource includes respective image content;

upon determining that the search query satisfies one or more descriptive query criteria, processing each entity tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current entity tag, including;

determining whether or not a user interface (UI) element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device, and if so, generating UI element data that, when processed by the user device, causes the user device to display a UI element that is labeled with the entity name in the current entity tag and is selectable by a user operating the user device to initiate a search for resources that are associated with an entity that is identified by the entity name in the current entity tag;

generating a results page that includes the UI element data; and

sending the results page to the user device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the search query satisfies the one or more descriptive query criteria based on a result of one or more of the following;

determining that the search query includes more than a first threshold number of distinct nouns that are hypernyms;

determining that the search query includes more than a different, second threshold number of distinct adjectives; and

determining that the plurality of resources is associated with more than a different, third threshold number of distinct entity tags.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not the current entity tag is the only entity tag that is associated with the respective identified resource, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not entity tags identical to the current entity tag are associated with less than a threshold percentage of the identified resources, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective keyword tags, wherein each keyword tag includes a respective keyword, and wherein the method further comprises:

processing each keyword tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current keyword tag, including;

determining whether or not the keyword included in the current keyword tag is an entity name, and if so, generating an entity tag that includes the keyword; and

associating the entity tag with the identified resource that is associated with the current keyword tag.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

processing a first resource;

determining, based on a result of the processing, that image content in the first resource includes a visual representation of a particular entity;

generating an entity tag that include an entity name that identifies the particular entity; and

associating the entity tag with the first resource.

16. A system comprising:

one or more computers;

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform a method comprising;

maintaining an index for a collection of resources, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective entity tags, and wherein each entity tag includes a respective entity name;

receiving a search query from a user device;

identifying a plurality of resources in the collection that satisfy the search query using the index, wherein each identified resource includes respective image content;

upon determining that the search query satisfies one or more descriptive query criteria, processing each entity tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current entity tag, including;

determining whether or not a user interface (UI) element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device, and if so, generating UI element data that, when processed by the user device, causes the user device to display a UI element that is labeled with the entity name in the current entity tag and is selectable by a user operating the user device to initiate a search for resources that are associated with an entity that is identified by the entity name in the current entity tag;

generating a results page that includes the UI element data; and

sending the results page to the user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the search query satisfies the one or more descriptive query criteria based on a result of one or more of the following;

determining that the search query includes more than a first threshold number of distinct nouns that are hypernyms;

determining that the search query includes more than a different, second threshold number of distinct adjectives; and

determining that the plurality of resources is associated with more than a different, third threshold number of distinct entity tags.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not the current entity tag is the only entity tag that is associated with the respective identified resource, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein determining whether or not the UI element that is representative of the current entity tag is to be displayed on the user device comprises:

determining whether or not entity tags identical to the current entity tag are associated with less than a threshold percentage of the identified resources, and if so, generating the UI element data that is representative of the current entity tag.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein each resource in the collection is associated with zero or more respective keyword tags, wherein each keyword tag includes a respective keyword, and wherein the method further comprises:

processing each keyword tag that is associated with a respective identified resource as a current keyword tag, including;

determining whether or not the keyword included in the current keyword tag is an entity name, and if so, generating an entity tag that includes the keyword; and

associating the entity tag with the identified resource that is associated with the current keyword tag.