Dynamic aggregation of users

• US 8,965,874 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Vassilakis, Theo, Zatloukal, Kevin C., Raniwala, Ashish, Menon, Deepak A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Somers, Marc
• Application Number:
  US13/620,356
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/706, 707/722, 707/758, 707/771, 705/319
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

While using an online application, information received or selected by a user is associated with a context. For example, a search query is received from a user and the search query is associated with a context. The user is provided with a recommendation to join a discussion forum that corresponds to the context, thereby dynamically aggregating users. The recommendation may be provided conditionally, if predefined criteria are satisfied. Alternately, in some embodiments a recommendation may be made unconditionally.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically aggregating users, performed by a search engine system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs that are executed by the one or more processors to enable the search engine system to perform the method, the method comprising:

automatically establishing a new discussion forum in response to a change in search engine statistics;

receiving at the search engine system, via a communications network, a search query from a client system associated with a user;

associating the search query with a context; and

providing to the client system, via the communications network, a response to the search query, the response including;

a recommendation to join a discussion forum for the context associated with the search query, wherein the discussion forum comprises the new discussion forum and the recommendation includes a user-selectable link to an online location of the discussion forum, wherein the user-selectable link to the online location of the discussion forum is configured to direct an application executed by the client system to access the discussion forum via the communications network, and

a list of user-selectable search results to the search query for concurrent display at the client system with the recommendation;

wherein the context is distinct from the user-selectable search results and distinct from the recommendation to join the discussion forum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the search engine statistics includes a difference between a first frequency and a baseline frequency, the first frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a first plurality of users during a first time interval, and the baseline frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a second plurality of users during a baseline time interval that precedes the first time interval.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the change in the search engine statistics further includes variations in the baseline frequency as a function of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selectable link to an online location of the discussion forum comprises a link to a chat room.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes determining a match score between the context and one or more query terms in the search query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes determining one or more synonyms for one or more query terms in the search query.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating is in accordance with search histories of a plurality of users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating is in accordance with registered interests of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving feedback from the user regarding the recommendation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received by the search engine system via a window in a search engine graphical user interface at the client system and the response to the search query, including the list of search results and the recommendation, is provided to the user via the window in a search engine graphical user interface at the client system.

11. A search engine system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions for automatically establishing a new discussion forum in response to a change in search engine statistics;

instructions for receiving at the search engine system, via a communications network, a search query from a client system associated with a user;

instructions for associating the search query with a context; and

instructions for providing to the client system, via the communications network, a response to the search query, the response including;

a recommendation to join a discussion forum for the context associated with the search query, wherein the discussion forum comprises the new discussion forum and the recommendation includes a user-selectable link to an online location of the discussion forum, wherein the user-selectable link to the online location of the discussion forum is configured to direct an application executed by the client system to access the discussion forum via the communications network, and

a list of user-selectable search results to the search query for concurrent display at the client system with the recommendation;

wherein the context is distinct from the user-selectable search results and distinct from the recommendation to join the discussion forum.

12. The search engine system of claim 11, wherein the change in the search engine statistics includes a difference between a first frequency and a baseline frequency, the first frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a first plurality of users during a first time interval, and the baseline frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a second plurality of users during a baseline time interval that precedes the first time interval.

13. The search engine system of claim 12, wherein the change in the search engine statistics further includes variations in the baseline frequency as a function of time.

14. The search engine system of claim 11, wherein the instructions for associating the search query with a context include instructions for determining a match score between the context and one or more query terms in the search query.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a search engine system having one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for automatically establishing a new discussion forum in response to a change in search engine statistics;

instructions for receiving at the search engine system, via a communications network, a search query from a client system associated with a user;

instructions for associating the search query with a context; and

instructions for providing to the client system, via the communications network, a response to the search query, the response including;

a recommendation to join a discussion forum for the context associated with the search query, wherein the discussion forum comprises the new discussion forum and the recommendation includes a user-selectable link to an online location of the discussion forum, wherein the user-selectable link to the online location of the discussion forum is configured to direct an application executed by the client system to access the discussion forum via the communications network, and

a list of user-selectable search results to the search query for concurrent display at the client system with the recommendation;

wherein the context is distinct from the user-selectable search results and distinct from the recommendation to join the discussion forum.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change in the search engine statistics includes a difference between a first frequency and a baseline frequency, the first frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a first plurality of users during a first time interval, and the baseline frequency comprising a frequency with which search queries corresponding to the context are received from a second plurality of users during a baseline time interval that precedes the first time interval.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the change in the search engine statistics further includes variations in the baseline frequency as a function of time.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for associating the search query with a context include instructions for determining a match score between the context and one or more query terms in the search query.

19. A method for dynamically aggregating users, performed by a search engine system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs that are executed by the one or more processors to enable the search engine to perform the method, comprising:

automatically establishing a new discussion forum in response to a change in search engine statistics;

receiving at the search engine system, via a communications network, a first search query from a first client system associated with a first user;

associating the first search query with a first context;

receiving at the search engine system, via a communications network, a second search query from a second client system associated with a second user;

associating the second search query with the first context;

after associating the first search query with the first context, providing to the first client system, via the communications network, a response to the first search query, the response to the first search query including;

a recommendation to join a discussion forum for the first context, wherein the discussion forum comprises the new discussion forum and the recommendation includes a user-selectable link to an online location of the discussion forum, wherein the link to the online location of the discussion forum is configured to direct an application executed by the first client system to access the discussion forum via the communications network, and

a list of user-selectable search results to the first search query for concurrent display at the first client system with the recommendation, wherein the first context is distinct from the user-selectable search results and distinct from the recommendation to join the discussion forum; and

after associating the second search query with the first context, providing to the second client system, via the communications network, a response to the second search query, the response to the second search query including;

said recommendation to join said discussion forum that corresponds to the first context, and

a list of user-selectable search results to the second search query for concurrent display at the second client system with said recommendation.