Predictive generation of search suggestions

• US 9,384,266 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Grabowski, Michal R., Leicht, Amanda, Ali, Alireza, Lin, Jocelyn, Parker, Evan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Bai D.
• Application Number:
  US13/158,796
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on one or more computer storage devices, for predictive generation of search suggestions. The methods include receiving a first location from a user device. The methods include determining, prior to receiving a search request, search results associated with locations in proximity to the first location. The methods also include sending the search results to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at one or more processors, a first location from a user device;

determining, by one or more processors and prior to receiving a search request, search results associated with locations in proximity to the first location, wherein the search results are determined using query log data of previously submitted queries, wherein the query log data indicates selections of search results by users after presentation of the search results;

determining relative positioning of the search results based on the number of users that selected each search result;

determining categories associated with the search results;

grouping the search results by the determined categories;

receiving a partial query from the user device;

filtering the grouped search results based on the partial query; and

sending the filtered search results and the one or more categories associated with the search results to the user device for display according to the determined relative positioning.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining search results associated with locations in proximity to the first location further comprises using at least one of user profile data or user social graph data together with the first location to determine the search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each search result references a document, the document being associated with a second location in proximity to the first location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a query suggestion based on the first location and the partial query; and

sending the query suggestion to the user device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the query suggestion based on the first location and the partial query further comprises using at least one of user profile data, social graph data or query log data together with the first location to determine the query suggestion.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining query suggestions based on the first location and the partial query comprises:

identifying queries submitted by prior users in proximity to the first location.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining query suggestions based on the first location and the partial query further comprises:

obtaining a user profile associated with a user of the user device; and

using information obtained from the user profile to identify queries submitted by prior users near the first location.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein determining query suggestions comprises:

identifying queries previously submitted by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more subcategories of the categories associated with the search results; and

sending the one or more subcategories to the user device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the ranked search results comprises sending the search results grouped by category.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a search category associated with at least one of the search results;

grouping the search results associated with the search category; and

providing the search category together with the search results associated with the search category to the user.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at one or more processors, a first location from a user device;

determining, by one or more processors and prior to receiving a search request, search results associated with locations in proximity to the first location, wherein the search results are determined using query log data of previously submitted queries, wherein the query log data indicates selections of search results by users after presentation of the search results;

determining relative positioning of the search results based on the number of users that selected each search result;

determining categories associated with the search results;

grouping the search results by the determined categories;

determining one or more subcategories associated with the search results; and

sending (i) the grouped search results, (ii) the one or more categories associated with the search results and (iii) the one or more subcategories associated with the search results to the user device for display according to the determined relative positioning.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein determining search results associated with locations in proximity to the first location further comprises using at least one of user profile data or user social graph data together with the first location to determine the search results.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein each search result references a document, the document being associated with a second location in proximity to the first location.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a query suggestion based on the first location; and

sending the query suggestion to the user device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the query suggestion based on the first location further comprises using at least one of user profile data, social graph data or query log data together with the first location to determine the query suggestion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining query suggestions based on the first location comprises:

identifying queries submitted by prior users in proximity to the first location.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein determining query suggestions based on the first location comprises further comprises:

obtaining a user profile associated with a user of the user device; and

using information obtained from the user profile to identify queries submitted by prior users near the first location.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein determining query suggestions comprises:

identifying queries previously submitted by the user.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein sending the ranked search results comprises sending the search results grouped by category.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the operation further comprise:

receiving a partial query from the user device; and

filtering the search results based on the partial query prior to sending the search results to the user device.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a search category associated with at least one of the search results;

grouping the search results associated with the search category; and

providing the search category together with the search results associated with the search category to the user.