Presenting actions and providers associated with entities

• US 9,189,549 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rubinstein, Benjamin, Chandra, Ashok K., Gemmell, David James, Dabrowski, Olivier Jerzy
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Md. I
• Application Number:
  US12/941,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/708, 707/728, 707/731, 707/770, 707/718, 707/723, 707/999.003, 707/E17.066, 705/6, 705/26.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing devices method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities. The method includes determining a query intent of a received query. Entity sets having an entity that matches the determined query intent are recognized. Each entity set includes an entity, an action, and a provider. Actions and/or providers associated with the entity that matches the determined query intent are identified. The actions and/or the corresponding providers associated with the entity are provided for integration with a representation of the associated entity on a search results page.

Claims

1. One or more computer hardware devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities, the method comprising:

determining a query intent of a received query, using a query log of one or more users, wherein the query intent comprises at least a portion of the query;

identifying a group of entity sets, from a plurality of stored entity sets, having a same first entity that matches the determined query intent, wherein each entity set includes an entity, an action corresponding with the entity, and a provider that implements the action on the entity;

using the identified group of entity sets to identify a plurality of actions associated with the same first entity that matches the determined query intent, each of the plurality of actions representing a different function to perform;

identifying one or more providers associated with each of the identified plurality of actions associated with the same first entity, each of the one or more providers implementing the associated action on the same first entity; and

providing the plurality of actions and the corresponding one or more providers associated with the same first entity for concurrent integration with a representation of the associated first entity on a search results page including at least one search result having a content link configured for redirecting to a location associated with the at least one search result,

wherein the first action is an action to be implemented on the first entity by the first provider and the second provider, and wherein the second action is an action to be implemented on the first action by the third provider and the fourth provider.

2. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions are identified based on a ranking associated with the one or more actions or the entity sets in association therewith.

3. The one or more devices of claim 2, wherein the ranking comprises an offline ranking that utilizes one or more query logs to generate the ranking for each of the one or more actions.

4. The one or more devices of claim 2, wherein the ranking comprises an online ranking that utilizes one or more of the query intent, a search result item, or a user interest.

5. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the one or more providers are identified based on a ranking associated with the one or more providers or the entity sets in association therewith.

6. The one or more devices of claim 5, wherein the ranking comprises an offline ranking that is determined utilizing one or more query logs to generate the ranking for each of the one or more providers or an online ranking that is determined utilizing one or more of the query intent, a search result item, a user interest, or the offline ranking to generate the ranking for each of the one or more providers.

7. The one or more devices of claim 1 further comprising selecting the search result item with which to present the one or more providers and the one or more actions.

8. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a selectable more actions indicator that, if selected, presents additional actions.

9. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a selectable more providers indicator that, if selected, presents additional providers.

10. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein selection of one of the providers corresponding with one of the actions initiates execution of the corresponding action in association with the selected provider.

11. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying additional details associated with one of the providers upon a user indication associated with a particular one of the providers.

12. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of actions representing a different transaction to perform against the same first entity.

13. A method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities, the method comprising:

determining a query intent of a received query, using a query log of one or more users, wherein the query intent comprises at least a portion of the query;

identifying a plurality of entity sets, from among a group of entity sets, having a first entity that matches the determined query intent, wherein the group of entity sets are ranked before receiving the received query, and wherein each of the plurality of entity sets includes an entity, an action corresponding with the entity and that represents a function to perform, and a provider that executes the corresponding action;

identifying a first action associated with the first entity within the plurality of entity sets that matches the determined query intent and a second action associated with the first entity that is different from the first action;

identifying a first provider and a second provider associated with the first action for the first entity and a third provider and a fourth provider associated with the second action for the first entity; and

providing each of the first action and the corresponding first provider and second provider and the second action and the corresponding third provider and fourth provider for simultaneous presentation with at least one search result a representation of the associated first entity on a search results page such that each of (i) the first entity, (ii) the first action and the corresponding first provider and second provider, and (iii) the second action and the corresponding third provider and fourth provider are simultaneously displayed in the search results page,

wherein the first action is an action to be implemented on the first entity by the first provider and the second provider, and wherein the second action is an action to be implemented on the first action by the third provider and the fourth provider.

14. The method of 13, further comprising providing a selectable more actions indicator that, if selected, presents additional actions.

15. The method of 13, further comprising providing a selectable more providers indicator that, if selected, presents additional providers.

16. The method of 13, wherein selection of one of the providers corresponding with one of the actions initiates execution of the corresponding action in association with the selected provider.

17. The method of 13, further comprising displaying additional details associated with one of the providers upon a user indication associated with a particular one of the providers.

18. A system for facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a query intent of a received query, using a query log of one or more users, wherein the query intent comprises at least a portion of the query;

identify a group of entity sets, from a plurality of stored entity sets, having a same first entity that matches the determined query intent, wherein each entity set includes an entity, an action corresponding with the entity, and a provider, and wherein the plurality of stored entity sets are ranked prior to receiving the received query;

use the identified group of entity sets to identify a plurality of actions associated with the same first entity that matches the determined query intent;

identify one or more providers associated with each of the identified plurality of actions associated with the same first entity; and

provide the plurality of actions and the corresponding one or more providers associated with the same first entity for concurrent integration with a representation of the associated first entity on a search results page where the search result page includes each of the (i) representation of the first entity, (ii) the plurality of actions associated with the same first entity, and (iii) the corresponding one or more providers associated with the same first entity,

wherein the plurality of actions are actions to be implemented by the corresponding one or more providers associated with the same first entity.