Search queries with previews of search results on online social networks

• US 9,275,101 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• 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:
  US14/052,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 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 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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, generating search results corresponding to at least one of the structured queries, and sending one or more of the structured queries to a user for display, where at least one of the structured queries is displayed with a preview of one or more of the search results corresponding to the structured 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;

generating one or more search results corresponding to at least one of the structure queries; and

sending one or more of the structured queries for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, at least one of the structured queries being displayed with a preview of one or more of the search results corresponding to the structured query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user a selection of one of the structured queries, wherein search results are generated for at least the selected structured query, and wherein the preview of the search results is displayed with the selected structured query.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sent structured queries are displayed in association with a query field of the page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sent structured queries are displayed in a drop-down menu on the page, wherein the drop-down menu enables the first user to select one of the structured queries.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the preview of the search results is displayed in the drop-down menu.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the preview of the search results is displayed in a results field of the page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the page is a profile page of the online social network corresponding to a concept or a user associated with the online social network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the page is a search-results page corresponding to a particular structured query.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the page is a is a user interface of a native application associated with the online social network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each search result is associated with a profile page of the online social network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each search result corresponds to a second node of the plurality of second nodes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each search result comprises a reference to the second node corresponding to the search result.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each search result comprises a thumbnail image associated with the second node corresponding to the search result.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each search result comprises one or more snippets, each snippet comprising contextual information about the second node corresponding to the search result.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the snippets of each search result comprises information from the profile page associated with the search result.

16. 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;

generate one or more search results corresponding to at least one of the structure queries; and

send one or more of the structured queries for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, at least one of the structured queries being displayed with a preview of one or more of the search results corresponding to the structured query.

17. 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;

generate one or more search results corresponding to at least one of the structure queries; and

send one or more of the structured queries for display on a page currently accessed by the first user, at least one of the structured queries being displayed with a preview of one or more of the search results corresponding to the structured query.