COMBINING CONTENT WITH A SEARCH RESULT

• US 20160260131A1
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Moxley, Emily Kay, de Medeiros Rocha, Daniel Amaral, Wai, Conrad, Souvey, Christopher, Denizen, Lewis, Garg, Gaurav, Verma, Awaneesh, Silber, Jeremy, Fischer, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,947,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. A search query is received. Search results responsive to the query are identified, including identifying a first search result in a top set of search results that is associated with a brand. Based at least in part on the query, one or more eligible content items are identified for delivery along with the search results responsive to the query. A determination is made as to when at least one of the eligible content items is associated with a same brand as the brand associated with the first search result. The first search result and one of the determined at least one eligible content items are combined into a combined content item and providing the combined content item as a search result responsive to the request.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query;

determining that a search result responsive to the search query and a content item that is eligible to be presented with the search result both include content referring to a same brand;

in response to determining that the search result and the content item both refer to the same brand, combining a portion of the search result and a portion of the content item into a single display unit, wherein the respective portions are less than an entire portion of content, and wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the portion of the search result with the portion of the content item; and

providing the single display unit as a search result responsive to the search query.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining that the content item refers to the same brand includes determining that the content item is sponsored by an owner of the brand.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein combining the portion of the search result and the portion of the content item into the single display unit includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the content item and a link to a landing page from the content item into the single display unit.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising combining other information associated with the brand in the single display unit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the other information includes a map to retail locations associated with a brand retail presence of the brand.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the other information includes retail location information associated with the brand.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein determining that the content item refers to the same brand includes determining that the content item is associated with a retailer associated with the brand.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein combining the portion of the search result and the portion of the content item into the single display unit includes designating, as sponsored content, content from the content item that is included in the single display unit.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising monetizing user interactions with material from the content item that is included in the single display unit based on user interactions with the material.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the other information includes an image or a logo associated with the brand.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein the other information includes one or more products associated with the brand.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the other information includes additional links associated with the brand.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein combining includes combining additional links relevant to the search result and the content item.

15. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that when executed by a distributed computing system cause the distributed computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query;

determining that a search result responsive to the search query and a content item that is eligible to be presented with the search result both include content referring to a same brand;

in response to determining that the search result and the content item both refer to the same brand, combining a portion of the search result and a portion of the content item into a single display unit, wherein the respective portions are less than an entire portion of content, and wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the portion of the search result with the portion of the content item; and

providing the single display unit as a search result responsive to the search query.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 wherein determining that the content item refers to the same brand includes determining that the content item is sponsored by an owner of the brand.

17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 wherein combining the portion of the search result and the portion of the content item into the single display unit includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the content item and a link to a landing page from the content item into the single display unit.

18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising combining other information associated with the brand in the single display unit.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory elements including instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a search query;

determine that a search result responsive to the search query and a content item that is eligible to be presented with the search result both include content referring to a same brand;

in response to determining that the search result and the content item both refer to the same brand, combine a portion of the search result and a portion of the content item into a single display unit, wherein the respective portions are less than an entire portion of content, and wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the portion of the search result with the portion of the content item; and

provide the single display unit as a search result responsive to the search query.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein determining that the content item refers to the same brand includes determining that the content item is sponsored by an owner of the brand.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein combining the portion of the search result and the portion of the content item into the single display unit includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the content item and a link to a landing page from the content item into the single display unit.