Suggesting Search Results to Users Before Receiving Any Search Query from the Users

• US 20160078110A1
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,002,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

In one embodiment, a social-networking system may compile a set of search results based on information known about a user stored by the social-networking system, the search results being compiled before the user inputs any search query or portion thereof, each search result being associated with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the search result, each call-to-action element prompting an action from the user related to the search result via the social-networking system, and send the set of search results with the call-to-action elements for presentation to the user, wherein the call-to-action elements are presented to the user in proximity to their associated search results.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more processors associated with a social-networking system:

compiling, by the one or more processors, a set of search results based on information known about a user stored by the social-networking system, the search results being compiled before the user inputs any search query or portion thereof, each search result being associated with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the search result, each call-to-action element prompting an action from the user related to the search result via the social-networking system; and

sending, to a client device of the user, the set of search results with the call-to-action elements for presentation to the user, wherein the call-to-action elements are presented to the user in proximity to their associated search results.

2. 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 user; and

a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a search result of the set of search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the set of search results comprises:

associating, for each search result, at least one top-ranked call-to-action element with the search result.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the call-to-action elements corresponds to an action that is likely to be performed by the user with respect to the search result.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the call-to-action elements corresponds to an action that is convenient for the user to perform with respect to the search result.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the call-to-action elements corresponds to an action that the social-networking system encourages the user to perform with respect to the search result.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the call-to-action elements corresponds to a search query corresponding to the search result, wherein the call-to-action element is selectable by the user to execute a search query.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, a selection of a call-to-action element corresponding to a search query;

identifying one or more content items of the online social network that match the search query; and

sending, to the client device of the first user in response to the selection of the call-to-action element, one or more search results corresponding to one or more of the identified content items, respectively.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device of the user, an indication of the user accessing a search tool at the client device of the user, the indication being received before the user inputs any search query or portion thereof to the search tool.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information known about the user comprises the user'"'"'s demographical data, social connections, interests, hobbies, past actions, behavior patterns, and calendar entries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of search results is compiled further based on a time when the user accesses a search tool at the client device of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of search results is compiled further based on a location where the user accesses a search tool at the client device of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the set of search results based on the information known about the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each search result of the set of search results:

identifying the one or more call-to-action elements applicable to each search result of the set of search results based on the information known about the user;

ranking the call-to-action elements based a suitability of the call-to-action element to the search result and further based on at least one relationship in an online social network between the user and another user associated with the search result; and

presenting the one or more call-to-action elements as ranked with the applicable search result.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search query submitted by the user to a search tool at the client device of the user;

identifying a new set of search results in response to the search query; and

presenting the new set of search results to the user, replacing the set of search results.

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

compile a set of search results based on information known about a user stored by a social-networking system, the search results being compiled before the user inputs any search query or portion thereof, each search result being associated with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the search result, each call-to-action element prompting an action from the user related to the search result via the social-networking system; and

send, to a client device of the user, the set of search results with the call-to-action elements for presentation to the user, wherein the call-to-action elements are presented to the user in proximity to their associated search results.

17. A social-networking 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;

compile a set of search results based on information known about a user stored by the social-networking system, the search results being compiled before the user inputs any search query or portion thereof, each search result being associated with one or more call-to-action elements applicable to the search result, each call-to-action element prompting an action from the user related to the search result via the social-networking system; and

send, to a client device of the user, the set of search results with the call-to-action elements for presentation to the user, wherein the call-to-action elements are presented to the user in proximity to their associated search results.