Searching using social context

• US 8,959,083 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gyongyi, Zoltan, Ganapathy, Subramaniam, Subramanian, Viswanath
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US13/495,996
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/736, 707/769, 707/798, 705/319
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

In one aspect, a system includes: an indexing engine for indexing a plurality of sources of content, receiving a search query and returning search results; a ranking engine for ranking search results to produce ranked results, the ranking engine coupled to receive search results from the indexing engine; a modification engine for generating modified results using information from additional sources and the ranked results, the modification engine coupled to receive the ranked results from the ranking engine, the modification engine coupled to receive the information from the additional sources; and a presentation engine for sending modified results and an annotation, the presentation engine coupled to receive modified results and the annotation from the modification engine, the presentation engine coupled to provide the modified results and the annotation to a client device. The present disclosure also includes a method for retrieving social videos.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors of a social video search system, the method comprising:

receiving a query from a user;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, social context information about interactions of the user from a social graph;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, a search result using the query;

modifying, by the one or more processors, a ranking of the search result based on an association with a particular source and a relation to the user to produce a modified search result;

generating, by the one or more processors, an annotation for at least one search result where the annotation indicates the association with the particular source and the relation to the user; and

providing, for display to the user, the modified search result and the annotation for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple sources include web content and video content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the search result is a single search over a unified index of video content and web content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the search result is a plurality of searches, one over an index of video content and a second over an index of web content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the social context information includes information about interaction of the user with other users.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the social context information includes information about timing of when the user interacted with one of the multiple sources.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the social context information include video context information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the annotation is social information about the at least one search result.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising sending formatting information about the search result and the annotation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a section divider that is a selectable link for retrieving additional results modified in rank by the social context information.

11. A social video search system comprising:

a processor, and;

a memory storing instructions that, when executed,

cause the system to;

receiving a query from a user;

obtaining social context information about interactions of the user from a social graph;

obtaining a search result using the query;

modifying a ranking of the search result based on an association with a particular source and a relation to the user to produce a modified search result;

generating an annotation for at least one search result where the annotation indicates the association with the particular source and the relation to the user; and

providing, for display to the user, the modified search result and the annotation for presentation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the multiple sources include web content and video content.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the search result is a single search over a unified index of video content and web content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the search result is a plurality of searches, one over an index of video content and a second over an index of web content.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the social context information includes information about interaction of the user with other users.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the social context information includes information about timing of when the user interacted with one of the multiple sources.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the social context information include video context information.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the annotation is social information about the at least one search result.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions also cause the system to:

send formatting information about the search result and the annotation.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions also cause the system to:

send a section divider that is a selectable link for retrieving additional results modified in rank by the social context information.