Performing autocomplete of content

• US 9,584,626 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Liming
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/869,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20130290410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/210, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 709/225, 709/200, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/234, 709/235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Performing autocomplete of content is disclosed, including: generating a status lock configured to control sending requests to a server; generating a first suggestion request that includes a user input character; in response to an indication that the status lock is available, acquiring the status lock for the first suggestion request and sending the first suggestion request to the server; and in response to receipt of suggested content corresponding to the character from the server, releasing the status lock.

Claims

1. A system for performing autocomplete, comprising:

one or more hardware processors configured to;

generate a status lock at a client device, wherein the status lock is configured to be used by the client device to control sending requests to a server;

generate a first suggestion request that includes a user input character, wherein the user input character is received via an input interface that is presented at the client device; and

determine whether the status lock is available based at least in part on a value associated with the status lock, wherein a first value associated with the status lock indicates that the status lock has been acquired for a previous suggestion request that has been sent to the server, and wherein a second value associated with the status lock indicates that suggested content corresponding to the previous suggestion request has been received from the server;

in the event that the status lock is associated with the first value, store the user input character in a wait queue; and

in the event that the status lock is associated with the second value;

determine that the wait queue includes a plurality of previously input characters;

generate a second suggestion request based at least in part on the plurality of previously input characters stored in the wait queue and the user input character included in the first suggestion request, wherein the plurality of previously input characters is stored in the wait queue in a manner that preserves a sequence in which the plurality of previously input characters appears in the input interface;

clear the wait queue;

update the value associated with the status lock to acquire the status lock for the second suggestion request;

send the second suggestion request to the server; and

in response to receipt of suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request from the server, update the value associated with the status lock; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more hardware processors and configured to provide the one or more hardware processors with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to generate the wait queue.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of previously input characters comprises a first set of previously input characters, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

determine that a preset wait period has elapsed; and

in response to the determination that the preset wait period has elapsed;

generate a third suggestion request including a second set of previously input characters stored in the wait queue;

update the value associated with the status lock to acquire the status lock for the third suggestion request and send the third suggestion request to the server; and

clear the wait queue.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request comprises one or more of the following:

a predicted set of one or more characters, a previously stored set of one or more characters, and a corrected spelling associated with a set of one or more characters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to display the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to perform filtering on the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request prior to displaying the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein performing filtering on the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request includes deleting a portion of the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request that corresponds to a receipt of a selection to delete a character.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein to generate the second suggestion request based at least in part on the plurality of previously input characters stored in the wait queue includes to:

extract the plurality of previously input characters from the wait queue;

combine the extracted plurality of previously input characters with the user input character included in the first suggestion request to form a character string; and

generate the second suggestion request to include the character string.

8. A method for performing autocomplete, comprising:

generating a status lock at a client device, wherein the status lock is configured to be used by the client device to control sending requests to a server;

generating a first suggestion request that includes a user input character, wherein the user input character is received via an input interface that is presented at the client device; and

determining whether the status lock is available based at least in part on a value associated with the status lock, wherein a first value associated with the status lock indicates that the status lock has been acquired for a previous suggestion request that has been sent to the server, and wherein a second value associated with the status lock indicates that suggested content corresponding to the previous suggestion request has been received from the server;

in the event that the status lock is associated with the first value, storing the user input character in a wait queue; and

in the event that the status lock is associated with the second value;

determining that the wait queue includes a plurality of previously input characters;

generating a second suggestion request based at least in part on the plurality of previously input characters stored in the wait queue and the user input character included in the first suggestion request, wherein the plurality of previously input characters is stored in the wait queue in a manner that preserves a sequence in which the plurality of previously input characters appears in the input interface;

clearing the wait queue;

updating the value associated with the status lock to acquire the status lock for the second suggestion request;

sending the second suggestion request to the server; and

in response to receipt of suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request from the server, updating the value associated with the status lock.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating the wait queue.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of previously input characters comprises a first set of previously input characters, further comprising:

determining that a preset wait period has elapsed; and

in response to the determination that the preset wait period has elapsed;

generating a third suggestion request including a second set of previously input characters stored in the wait queue;

updating the value associated with the status lock to acquire the status lock for the third suggestion request and sending the third suggestion request to the server; and

clearing the wait queue.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request comprises one or more of the following:

a predicted set of one or more characters, a previously stored set of one or more characters, and a corrected spelling associated with a set of one or more characters.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising performing filtering on the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request prior to displaying the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein performing filtering on the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request includes deleting a portion of the suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request that corresponds to a receipt of a selection to delete a character.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the second suggestion request based at least in part on the plurality of previously input characters stored in the wait queue includes:

extracting the plurality of previously input characters from the wait queue;

combining the extracted plurality of previously input characters with the user input character included in the first suggestion request to form a character string; and

generating the second suggestion request to include the character string.

15. A computer program product for performing autocomplete, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

generating a status lock at a client device, wherein the status lock is configured to be used by the client device to control sending requests to a server;

generating a first suggestion request that includes a user input character, wherein the user input character is received via an input interface that is presented at the client device; and

determining whether the status lock is available based at least in part on a value associated with the status lock, wherein a first value associated with the status lock indicates that the status lock has been acquired for a previous suggestion request that has been sent to the server, and wherein a second value associated with the status lock indicates that suggested content corresponding to the previous suggestion request has been received from the server;

in the event that the status lock is associated with the first value, storing the user input character in a wait queue; and

in the event that the status lock is associated with the second value;

determining that the wait queue includes a plurality of previously input characters;

generating a second suggestion request based at least in part on the plurality of previously input characters stored in the wait queue and the user input character included in the first suggestion request, wherein the plurality of previously input characters is stored in the wait queue in a manner that preserves a sequence in which the plurality of previously input characters appears in the input interface;

clearing the wait queue;

updating the value associated with the status lock to acquire the status lock for the second suggestion request;

sending the second suggestion request to the server; and

in response to receipt of suggested content corresponding to the second suggestion request from the server, updating the value associated with the status lock.