Identifying non-search actions based on a search query

• US 8,650,210 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Tak Keung, Stacey, Robert, Hansson, Othar, Lider, Brett R., Kol, Tomer, Hyams, Iftach
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US13/022,755
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/708, 707/765, 707/766, 707/767, 707/770, 707/771
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for invoking a non-search action based on a search query. A server system receives a search query from a remote computing device. The server system determines whether the search query includes reserved text that indicates an intent by a user that provided the search query to the remote computing device to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results. The server system provides to the computing device, in response to determining that the search query includes the reserved text, code for causing the remote computing device to display a draft communication that includes at least the search query without the reserved text, and for allowing the user to edit the draft communication before transmitting the draft communication for receipt by recipient users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for invoking a non-search action, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a search query comprising a first portion and a second portion including a reserved term, wherein the first portion is separate from the second portion;

transmitting the search query by the computing device and to a search engine system that makes a determination that the search query includes the reserved term, wherein the reserved term is a term reserved by the search engine system that the search engine system is arranged to use to identify a user intent to perform a non-search messaging action;

receiving, by the computing device and from the search engine system in response to the determination that the search query includes the reserved term, a draft message that includes the search query with the reserved term removed from the search query;

displaying, by the computing device, the draft message;

receiving, by the computing device, user input that indicates an intent by a first user to transmit the draft message to multiple users of a social network that have requested to receive social network posts that are authored by the first user; and

transmitting, by the computing device and to a social networking system in response to receiving the user input to transmit the draft message, the draft message so as to cause the social networking system to transmit the draft message to the multiple users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the draft message is displayed by the computing device in an input field;

and

further comprising receiving a second user input, by the computing device, modifying the draft message that is displayed in the input field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query does not identify the multiple users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device does not receive, after receiving the search query, user input that specifies the multiple users.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computing device and from the search engine system in response to transmission of the search query, search results that include search results that identify documents that are responsive to the search query with the reserved term removed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computing device displays the search results and the draft message concurrently.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying, by the computing device concurrently with the display of the search results and the draft message, a user interface element that when selected causes the computing device to replace the concurrent display of the search results and the draft message with a second display of second search results that identify documents that are responsive to the search query with the reserved term, and wherein the second display does not concurrently display the draft message.

8. A computer-implemented method for invoking a non-search action, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server system, a search query comprising a first portion and a second portion including reserved text from a remote computing device, wherein the first portion is separate from the second portion;

parsing the search query to make a determination, by the server system, that the second portion of the search query includes reserved text, wherein the reserved text is text reserved by the search engine system that the search engine system is arranged to use to identify a user intent to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results; and

in response to the determination that the second portion of the search query includes reserved text, providing to the remote computing device, by the server system code for;

(i) causing the remote computing device to display a draft communication that includes at least the search query without the reserved text, and (ii) allowing a user to edit the draft communication before transmitting the draft communication for receipt by recipient users.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing, by the server system and to the remote computing device, second code for generating a search query submission input field, and wherein the search query that is received at the server system has been typed into the search query submission input field.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the search query is received at the server system as a sound file.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising converting, by the server system, the sound file to one or more words of text.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the server system and from the remote computing device, a confirmation that the user would like the draft communication to be transmitted to multiple users of a social network that have an acquaintanceship relationship in the social network with the user.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is further for causing the remote computing device to display a graphical user interface element that, when selected, causes the draft communication to be transmitted to multiple users who have indicated an interest in following posts from the user of the remote computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the search query does not identify the one or more users.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is further for causing the remote computing device to display, concurrently with the draft communication, first search results that identify documents that are responsive to the search query without the reserved text.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the code is further for causing the remote computing device to display, concurrently with the draft communication and the first search results, a user interface element that when selected causes the remote computing device to replace the display of the first search results with a display of second search results that identify documents that are responsive to the search query with the reserved text included.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the code is further for causing the remote computing device to display, concurrently with the draft communication and the first search results, a graphical user interface element that, when selected, causes the draft communication to be transmitted to one or more recipient users.

18. A computer-implemented searching system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer readable devices that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, causes the processors to perform operations;

a search engine to provide search results in response to search queries received from computer users who are located remotely from the search engine;

a search front end programmed to parse a search query received from a user to determine whether the search query includes a first portion and a second portion including a reserved term, wherein the first portion is separate from the second portion, and wherein the reserved term is a term reserved by the search front end that the search front end is arranged to use to identify a user intent to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results from the search engine; and

a social networking system in communication with the search front end and programmed to transmit content from search queries to users of a social networking system in response to determinations by the search front end of user intent to perform a non-search messaging action.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a search results interface programmed to prepare code for generating an interface to present a proposed non-search messaging action to the user in response to receiving the search query from the user that the search front end determines indicates that the user intended to perform a non-search messaging action, and to receive user confirmation of an intent to perform the non-search messaging action.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a search page generator to display search query input fields for receiving user input of the search queries.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising a speech-to-text converter programmed to convert audible search queries received from users to textual search queries.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein determining whether the search query received from the user indicates that the user intended to perform a non-search action comprises identifying a reserved term in the search query received by the search front end.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the non-search action comprises transmitting text from the search queries to one or more users who are associated with particular users who submit the search queries.

24. A computer-implemented searching system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer readable devices that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, causes the processors to perform operations;

a search engine to provide search results in response to search queries received from computer users who are located remotely from the search engine;

means for determining whether individual search queries include a first portion and a second portion including a reserved term, wherein the first portion is separate from the second portion, and wherein the reserved term is a term reserved by the search front end that the search front end is arranged to use to identify a user intent to invoke a non-search messaging action in addition to or instead of generating search results; and

a messaging sub-system in electronic communication with the means for determining and programmed to transmit content from search queries to users of a social networking system in response to the means for determining making determinations that the search queries were intended to perform a non-search messaging action.

25. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer readable devices that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, causes the processors to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a search query comprising a first portion and a second portion including reserved text from a remote computing device, wherein the first portion is separate from the second portion;

parsing the search query to make a determination that the second portion of the search query includes reserved text, wherein the reserved text is text reserved by the search engine system that the search engine system is arranged to use to identify a user intent to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results; and

in response to the determination that the second portion of the search query includes reserved text, providing code for;

(i) causing the remote computing device to display a draft communication that includes at least the search query without the reserved text, and (ii) allowing a user to edit the draft communication before transmitting the draft communication for receipt by recipient users.