Providing images of named resources in response to a search query

• US 8,538,943 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Osman, Osman Ahmed, Lo, Ching Yu Conrad, Bau, David, Erkan, Gunes, Safier, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Application Number:
  US12/179,182
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 715/738, 707/708, 707/706, 707/722, 707/758, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

Systems, computer program products, apparatus, and methods are described that perform operations including receiving a search query that includes a name, receiving multiple resources that have been identified by a search engine as best satisfying the search query, wherein the identified multiple resources include a resource including a plurality of images. The operations include identifying an image of the plurality of images displaying a face of the person. The image is identified based on a description associated with the image. The description is based at least in part on one or more resources included in the search results. The operations further include providing the identified image with the search results. The search results are provided as a plurality of links. Each link identifies a corresponding resource of the identified plurality of resources.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by a search engine, that a search query includes a name of a person, based on one or more query terms included in the search query;

identifying a particular resource among a plurality of resources that have been identified by the search engine as satisfying the search query, wherein the particular resource includes a plurality of images;

identifying, from the particular resource, a file name of a particular image among the plurality of images included in the particular resource, image metadata of the particular image, or alt-text associated with the particular image;

determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person; and

based on determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person, providing the particular image with search results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the search query includes a name of a person comprises:

determining a probability that one or more of the query terms in the search query is a name of a person; and

comparing the one or more of the query terms against a stored list of terms that are not names of persons and determining that the one or more of the query terms is not in the stored list.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining that the particular image includes the face of the person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of images in the particular resource includes a second image, the method further comprising:

determining that a file name of the second image, image metadata associated with the second image, or alt-text associated with the second image does not include the name of the person; and

excluding the second image from being provided with the search results.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image is associated in an index with the particular resource.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

determining, by a search engine, that a search query includes a name of a person, based on one or more query terms included in the search query;

identifying a particular resource among a plurality of resources that have been identified by the search engine as satisfying the search query, wherein the particular resource includes a plurality of images;

identifying, from the particular resource, a file name of a particular image among the plurality of images included in the particular resource, image metadata of the particular image, or alt-text associated with the particular image;

determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person; and

based on determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person, providing the particular image with search results.

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the operations comprise determining that the particular image includes the face of the person.

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of images in the particular resource includes a second image, wherein the operations comprise:

determining that a file name of the second image, image metadata associated with the second image, or alt-text associated with the second image does not include the name of the person; and

excluding the second image from being provided with the search results.

9. The medium of claim 6, wherein the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image is associated in an index with the particular resource.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a computer program product comprising instructions to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

determining, by a search engine, that a search query includes a name of a person, based on one or more query terms included in the search query;

identifying a particular resource among a plurality of resources that have been identified by the search engine as satisfying the search query, wherein the particular resource includes a plurality of images;

identifying, from the particular resource a file name of a particular image among the plurality of images included in the particular resource, image metadata of the particular image, or alt-text associated with the particular image;

determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person; and

based on determining that the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image includes the name of the person, providing the particular image with search results.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations comprise determining that the particular image includes the face of the person.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of images in the particular resource includes a second image, wherein the operations comprise:

determining that a file name of the second image, image metadata associated with the second image, or alt-text associated with the second image does not include the name of the person; and

excluding the second image from being provided with the search results.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the file name of the particular image, the image metadata associated with the particular image, or the alt-text associated with the particular image is associated in an index with the particular resource.