Hierarchical entity information for search

• US 9,633,080 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cai, Jie, Liao, Ciya
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacob, Ajith
• Application Number:
  US13/903,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90348 by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A fast browsing architecture for exploring hierarchical lists of entities through a search user interface. A graphical UI operates to handle the hierarchical lists and sub-lists in different ways for different scenarios such as a hierarchical level is zero (only one list of entities associated with a query and the list cannot be further drilled down), a second scenario where the hierarchical level is one (a list of entities associated with the query and these entities can be further drilled down to a number of sub-lists) and the sub-lists cannot be further drilled down, and a third scenario where the hierarchical level is more than one (a list of entities associated with the query and these entities can be further drilled down to a number of sub-lists), sub-lists can be further drilled down to a number of lists, until there are no more drill down lists to be found.

Claims

1. A processor, and a memory device configured with instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to enable a system, the system comprising:

a data structure of lists of entities of query and entity relationships extracted from a search entity data source, the data structure having different levels of hierarchy; and

a search user interface that enables browsing of the lists of entities of the data structure as related to a specific query, wherein the lists are presented as a scrollable set of interactive elements expandable into scrollable sub-lists and interactive entities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a lookup table of queries and entity relationships, the table indexed by the queries.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure includes a list of entities having an entity sub-list, the sub-list compiled according to relevance and confidence data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure includes entity intent data for a given query.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface enables gesture-based interaction to browse the lists of entities.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface enables drilldown of a list of entities using a sub-list as a new query to find a new list of entities.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface presents the lists of entities in a ranked format and using graphical emphasis to indicate ranking.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface displays an additional sub-list with a list if entities currently presented when the sub-list is available.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by a hardware processor cause the hardware processor to perform acts of:

accessing a hierarchical data structure of entities, entity lists, and entity sub-lists based on a search query, the hierarchical data structure comprised of query and entity relationships;

presenting lists of the entities in a user interface based on the hierarchical data structure as related to the query, the lists presented as a scrollable set of interactive elements in the user interface;

providing access to entity sub-lists for a given list of the entities when entity sub-lists exist for the given list, the entity sub-lists presented as a scrollable set of interactive elements; and

enabling the acts of presenting and providing for a given list and corresponding sub-lists until the associated entities can be accessed via the user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting the entities and entity lists in a ranked format using graphical emphasis and element positioning to indicate ranking.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising enabling touch-based interactive selection and exposure of the lists of entities and sub-lists of entities via the user interface.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising computing an entity identifier, relevance score, probability score, and additional query for a given entity intent of the hierarchical data structure.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising computing confidence scores for entities of a sub-list and using the confidence scores to rank entities of the sub-list.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically presenting groups of visual interactive elements related to the list of entities, and visual interactive elements related to the sub-lists of entities to indicate the availability of the sub-list of entities for a given entity.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting the list of entities as a horizontal scrollable bi-directional row of interactive entities and a sub-list of entities as a vertical scrollable bi-directional column of interactive entities.

16. A computer-readable hardware storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts of:

accessing a hierarchical data structure of entities, entity lists, and entity sub-lists based on a search query, the hierarchical data structure comprised of query and entity relationships;

presenting lists of the entities in a user interface based on the hierarchical data structure as related to the query, the lists presented as a scrollable set of interactive elements in the user interface;

providing access to entity sub-lists for a given list of the entities when entity sub-lists exist for the given list, the entity sub-lists presented as a scrollable set of interactive elements; and

enabling the acts of presenting and providing for a given list and corresponding sub-lists until the associated entities can be accessed via the user interface.

17. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computing and storing in the hierarchical data structure an entity identifier, relevance score, probability score, and additional query for a given entity intent related to the query.

18. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computing and storing in the hierarchical data structure confidence scores for entities of a sub-list and using the confidence scores to rank entities of the sub-list.

19. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 16, further comprising enabling gesture-based interactive selection and access of the entity lists and entity sub-lists via the user interface.

20. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 16, further comprising automatically presenting a set of visual interactive elements for an entity to indicate presence of an entity sub-list for that entity.