Temporal visualization of query results

• US 8,515,953 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karenos, Kyriakos, Nidito, Francesco, Shokouhi, Milad, Nitto, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US13/306,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 707/725, 707/728, 707/737, 707/999.001, 715/763, 715/215
• US Class Current: 707/725
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for constructing a temporal visualization of query results. That is, query results associated with temporal information, such as timestamps, may be used to create a temporal distribution (e.g., query results comprising images and image capture dates, web pages and web page creation dates, etc.). The temporal distribution may comprise a distribution of the query results over time (e.g., query results may be sorted and/or grouped based upon dates specified by the timestamps). A temporal visualization of the query results may be constructed using the temporal distribution. For example, query results may be assigned to date slots within the temporal visualization. The temporal visualization may illustrate a substantial number of query results (e.g., thousands) that may otherwise not be visually presentable at once. Zoom commands and/or hover commands may be processed to provide finer and/or coarser granularity of the query results.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a storyline from a temporal-distribution of query results, comprising:

receiving query results associated with a query;

creating a temporal distribution of the query results based upon timestamps associated with respective query results;

identifying a set of date slots within the temporal distribution based upon respective date slots within the set of date slots being assigned numbers of query results above a threshold concentration number;

for respective date slots within the set of date slots;

selecting a query result from a date slot based upon the query result having a desired relevancy ranking for the date slot; and

extracting a visualization associated with the query result based upon the visualization representing the query result;

constructing a storyline for the query based upon respective visualizations; and

presenting the storyline in response to a user selection of at least one of;

a time span;

one or more date slots, or

one or more date ranges.

2. The method of claim 1, the query result corresponding to a social network post, and the visualization corresponding to a social network image.

3. The method of claim 1, the query result comprising a video, and the visualization comprising a portion of the video.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

constructing a temporal visualization of the query results using the temporal distribution.

5. The method of claim 1, the query result corresponding to a local file, and the visualization corresponding to a description of the local file.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising:

associating a visual indicator with one or more query results assigned to a first date slot within the temporal visualization.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising:

identifying a concentration of query results assigned to a first date slot within the temporal visualization based upon the first date slot being assigned a number of query results above a threshold number; and

associating a visual indicator with at least one of the query results assigned to the first date slot.

8. The method of claim 1, the query result comprising an image, and the visualization comprising at least a portion of the image.

9. The method of claim 4, comprising:

identifying a subset of query results assigned to a first date slot within the temporal visualization based upon the subset of query results being assigned one or more desired relevancy rankings.

10. The method of claim 1, the presenting comprising:

animating the storyline.

11. The method of claim 4, comprising:

receiving a zoom-in command; and

constructing a second temporal visualization based upon the zoom-in command.

12. The method of claim 4, comprising:

receiving a zoom-out command; and

constructing a second temporal visualization based upon the zoom-out command.

13. The method of claim 1, the user selection comprising

a hover command.

14. The method of claim 1, the constructing comprising:

constructing the storyline in real-time during a search query session.

15. A system for constructing a storyline from a temporal-distribution of query results, comprising:

one or more processing units; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processing units implement at least some of;

a visualization component configured to;

receive query results associated with a query;

create a temporal distribution of the query results based upon timestamps associated with respective query results;

identify a set of date slots within the temporal distribution based upon respective date slots within the set of date slots being assigned numbers of query results above a threshold concentration number;

for respective date slots within the set of date slots;

select a query result from a date slot based upon the query result having a desired relevancy ranking for the date slot; and

extract a visualization associated with the query result based upon the visualization representing the query result;

construct a storyline for the query based upon respective visualizations; and

present the storyline in response to a user selection of at least one of;

a time span;

one or more date slots, or

one or more date ranges.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising:

an interaction component configured to;

receive a zoom command; and

construct a second storyline based upon the zoom command.

17. The system of claim 15, the query result corresponding to a social network post, and the visualization corresponding to a social network image.

18. The system of claim 15, the query result comprising at least one of an image or a video, and the visualization comprising at least one of a portion of the image or a portion of the video.

19. The system of claim 15, the query result comprising a representation of a consumer product, and the visualization comprising an image of the consumer product.

20. A computer readable storage device comprising computer executable instructions that when executed via a processing unit perform a method for constructing a storyline from a temporal distribution of query results, comprising:

receiving query results associated with a query;

creating a temporal distribution of the query results based upon timestamps associated with respective query results;

identifying a set of date slots within the temporal distribution based upon respective date slots within the set of date slots being assigned numbers of query results above a threshold concentration number;

for respective date slots within the set of date slots;

selecting a query result from a date slot based upon the query result having a desired relevancy ranking for the date slot; and

extracting a visualization associated with the query result based upon the visualization representing the query result;

constructing a storyline for the query based upon respective visualizations; and

presenting the storyline in response to a user selection of at least one of;

a time span;

one or more date slots, or

one or more date ranges.