Constructing queries using query filters on online social networks

• US 9,507,876 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Primke, Thorben Christopher, Kiley, Barton Andrew, Rogalski, Taylor Dancy, Rode, Christine Morck, Lyons, Andrew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Rostami, Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US14/506,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first search query including a selection of a first query-domain. The first query-domain may correspond to a first object-type. The method includes identifying a first set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type. The method includes sending a first search-results page responsive to the first search query. The first search-results page may include references to one or more of the identified objects from the first set of objects and one or more query-filter elements. Each query-filter element may correspond to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain. Each query-filter element may be activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects. The method includes receiving a second search query including a selection of one or more of the query-filters in response to the first user activating the corresponding query-filter elements.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computing devices:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, the nodes comprising;

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

a plurality of second nodes each corresponding to a plurality of objects, respectively, associated with the online social network, each object being of a particular object-type;

receiving, from a client device of the first user, a first search query comprising a selection of a first query-domain, the first query-domain corresponding to a first object-type;

identifying, responsive to the first search query, a first set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type, each of the identified objects corresponding to a second node within a threshold degree of separation of the first node;

sending, to the client device of the first user, a first search-results page responsive to the first search query, the first search-results page comprising references to one or more of the identified objects from the first set of objects and one or more query-filter elements, each query-filter element corresponding to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain, wherein each query-filter element is activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects; and

receiving, from the client device of the first user, a second search query comprising a selection of one or more of the query-filters in response to the first user activating the corresponding query-filter elements.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the client device of the first user, a query-initiation page responsive to a selection of a query field by the first user, the query-initiation page comprising one or more query-domain elements corresponding to one or more query-domains, respectively, wherein each query-domain element is activatable to generate a search query comprising a selection of the associated query-domain.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the first search query comprises receiving an indication the first user has activated a first query-domain element corresponding to the first query-domain.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first search-results page further comprises an additional-filters element, wherein the additional-filters element is activatable to generate a user interface comprising the one or more query-filter elements of the first search-results page and one or more additional query-filter elements, each query-filter element corresponding to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain, wherein each query-filter element is activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold degree of separation is one, two, three, or all.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, responsive to the second search query, a second set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type and the selected query-filters; and

sending, to the client device of the first user, a second search-results page responsive to the second search query, the second search-results page comprising references to one or more of the identified objects from the second set of objects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second search-results page further comprises one or more query-filter elements, each query-filter element corresponding to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain, wherein each query-filter element is activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object-type is selected from a group consisting of:

users, photos, posts, pages, applications, events, locations, or user groups.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type comprises searching a vertical storing a plurality of objects of the first object-type to identify a plurality of objects in the vertical that correspond to a second node within a threshold degree of separation of the first node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vertical is one of a plurality of verticals, and wherein each vertical of the plurality of verticals stores objects of a particular object-type, the particular object-type being selected form a group consisting of:

users, photos, posts, pages, applications, events, locations, or user groups.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending, to the client device of the first user and responsive to a selection of a query-filter element, a sub-filter page, the sub-filter page comprising one or more sub-filter elements, each sub-filter element corresponding to a sub-filter associated with the query filter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending, to the client device of the first user and responsive to a selection of a query-filter element, a sub-filter page comprising a query field.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device of the first user, and text string inputted into the query field; and

identifying one or more second nodes matching the text string.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

sending, to the client device of the first user, a user interface comprising additional query-filter elements, each additional query-filter element corresponding to one of the identified second nodes matching the text string; and

receiving, from the client device of the first user, a third search query comprising a selection of one or more of the identified second nodes in response to the first user activating the corresponding additional query-filter elements.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a structured query based on the second search query, wherein the structured query comprises references to one or more selected nodes from the plurality of second nodes and one or more selected edges from the plurality of edges, each selected node and selected edge corresponding to one or more of the first query-domain or the one or more query-filters of the second search query; and

sending, to the client device of the first user, the structured query for display to the first user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured query is based on a natural-language string generated by a grammar model.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the search-results page is a user interface of a native application associated with the online social network on the client system of the first user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the search-results page is a webpage of the online social network accessed by a browser client of the client system of 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, the nodes comprising;

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

a plurality of second nodes each corresponding to a plurality of objects, respectively, associated with the online social network, each object being of a particular object-type;

receive, from a client device of the first user, a first search query comprising a selection of a first query-domain, the first query-domain corresponding to a first object-type;

identify, responsive to the first search query, a first set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type, each of the identified objects corresponding to a second node within a threshold degree of separation of the first node;

send, to the client device of the first user, a first search-results page responsive to the first search query, the first search-results page comprising references to one or more of the identified objects from the first set of objects and one or more query-filter elements, each query-filter element corresponding to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain, wherein each query-filter element is activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects; and

receive, from the client device of the first user, a second search query comprising a selection of one or more of the query-filters in response to the first user activating the corresponding query-filter elements.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, the nodes comprising;

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

a plurality of second nodes each corresponding to a plurality of objects, respectively, associated with the online social network, each object being of a particular object-type;

receive, from a client device of the first user, a first search query comprising a selection of a first query-domain, the first query-domain corresponding to a first object-type;

identify, responsive to the first search query, a first set of objects of the plurality of objects matching the first object-type, each of the identified objects corresponding to a second node within a threshold degree of separation of the first node;

send, to the client device of the first user, a first search-results page responsive to the first search query, the first search-results page comprising references to one or more of the identified objects from the first set of objects and one or more query-filter elements, each query-filter element corresponding to a query-filter associated with the first query-domain, wherein each query-filter element is activatable to apply the associated query-filter to the identified objects; and

receive, from the client device of the first user, a second search query comprising a selection of one or more of the query-filters in response to the first user activating the corresponding query-filter elements.