Dynamic suggested search queries on online social networks

• US 9,092,485 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubinstein, Yigal Dan, Young, Sue Yee, Duck, Joshua Keith, Khan, Sadi, Maschmeyer, William R., Kesten, Yuval, Peiris, Keith L., Hymes, Kathryn
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US14/052,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/727, 707/728, 707/732, 707/751, 707/767, 707/769, 707/784, 707/798, 707/802
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• 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 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a social graph that includes a plurality of nodes and edges, generating a plurality of structured queries, where each structured query comprises references to nodes and edges of the social graph, and where at least one of the structured queries is a dynamic query comprising a reference to one or more to the social graph, and sending one or more of the structured queries to a user for display, where at least one of the sent structured queries is a dynamic query.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by a computing device:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising;

a first node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network; and

a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network;

generating a plurality of structured queries that each comprise references to one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes and one or more edges of the plurality of edges, wherein at least one of the structured queries is a dynamic query comprising a reference to one or more updates to the social graph; and

sending one or more of the generated structured queries to the first user for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, wherein at least one of the sent structured queries is a dynamic query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise updates within a threshold period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise updates since a particular structured query was last selected by the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise trending activity on the online social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise trending queries of the online social network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the dynamic queries comprises a reference to the trending queries, the trending queries comprising references to one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes previously searched for by one or more second users of the plurality of users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise adding one or more concept nodes to the social graph corresponding to one or more content objects added to the online social network, respectively.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the dynamic queries comprises a reference to the concept nodes added to the social graph.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the content objects added to the online social network are content objects added within a threshold period of time.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the content objects are multimedia objects.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the content objects are posts by users of the online social network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise trending topics or keywords associated with the posts.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise updates to one or more edges connecting one or more second nodes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more updates to the social graph comprise updates performed by one or more second users within a threshold degree of separation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the threshold degree of separation is one, two, three, or all.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a prior structured query previously selected by the first user; and

identifying changes to the search results corresponding to the prior structured query;

wherein at least one of the dynamic queries comprises the prior structured and references to the identified changes to the search results corresponding to the prior structured query.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identified changes to the search results are changes within a threshold period of time.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the identified changes to the search results are changes since the prior structured query was last selected by the first user.

19. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising;

a first node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network; and

a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network;

generate a plurality of structured queries that each comprise references to one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes and one or more edges of the plurality of edges, wherein at least one of the structured queries is a dynamic query comprising a reference one or more updates to the social graph; and

send one or more of the generated structured queries to the first user for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, wherein at least one of the sent structured queries is a dynamic query.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising;

a first node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network; and

a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network;

generate a plurality of structured queries that each comprise references to one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes and one or more edges of the plurality of edges, wherein at least one of the structured queries is a dynamic query comprising a reference one or more updates to the social graph; and

send one or more of the generated structured queries to the first user for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, wherein at least one of the sent structured queries is a dynamic query.