Providing a search results document that includes a user interface for performing an action in connection with a web page identified in the search results document

• US 9,659,067 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: de Sousa, David Reis
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Shiow-Jy
• Application Number:
  US14/981,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 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 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A computer device is configured to identify a document; determine that the document includes an annotation, the annotation describing a user interface that is to be visually displayed in connection with information identifying the document when the information identifying the document is included in a search results document, the user interface including a user interface element that, when selected, causes an action to be performed in connection with the document, and the action being performed without obtaining the document after the user interface element is selected; determine information relating to the user interface based on the annotation; and store, in a search index, the information relating to the user interface in association with the information identifying the document.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a set of one or more first servers, a query from a client device;

in response to receiving the query, identifying, by one or more of the first servers, at least one index entry that is associated with a first document that (i) is responsive to the query, and (ii) is hosted by one or more second servers, wherein the index entry includes (i) an indication of a graphical user interface that is based on a document annotation associated with the first document and (ii) a static metric that is indicative of the quality of the first document, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document;

generating, by one or more of the first servers, a response to the query that includes multiple search results, wherein at least one particular search result of the multiple search results is a reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry;

determining, by the one or more first servers, whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry;

in response to determining that the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry, obtaining, by one or more of the first servers, information relating to the graphical user interface from the index entry; and

providing, by one or more of the first servers, a search results document that includes at least (i) the reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry, and (ii) the graphical user interface that facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining to provide the graphical user interface in the search results document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric does not exceed the predetermined threshold, determining not to provide a graphical user interface that is associated with the first document in the search results document.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the index entry includes an indication of program code that is associated with the graphical user interface, the method further comprising:

in response to determining that the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry, obtaining, by the first server, the graphical user interface and the program code; and

providing, by one or more of the first servers, a search results document that includes at least (i) a reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry, (ii) the graphical user interface that facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document, and (iii) the program code that causes the functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document to be performed using the graphical user interface that is included within the search results document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes multiple graphical user interface elements.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein obtaining, by one or more of the first servers, the graphical user interface from the index entry comprises:

identifying a subset of the graphical user interface elements from the multiple graphical user interface elements based on a graphical user interface rule; and

retrieving the subset of graphical user interface elements that satisfy the graphical user interface rule.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

accessing a graphical user interface rule that specifies (i) a set of graphical user interface elements of the multiple graphical user interface elements that should be provided for display in a search results document, and (ii) the layout of the set of graphical user interface elements within the search results document;

generating the search results document based on the graphical user interface rule.

8. 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, by a set of one or more first servers, a query from a client device;

in response to receiving the query, identifying, by one or more of the first servers, at least one index entry that is associated with a first document that (i) is responsive to the query, and (ii) is hosted by one or more second servers, wherein the index entry includes (i) an indication of a graphical user interface that is based on a document annotation associated with the first document and (ii) a static metric that is indicative of the quality of the first document, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document;

generating, by one or more of the first servers, a response to the query that includes multiple search results, wherein at least one particular search result of the multiple search results is a reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry;

determining, by the one or more first servers, whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) static metric stored in the index entry;

in response to determining that the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry, obtaining, by one or more of the first servers, information relating to the graphical user interface from the index entry; and

providing, by one or more of the first servers, a search results document that includes at least (i) the reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry, and (ii) the graphical user interface that facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining to provide the graphical user interface in the search results document.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to a first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric does not exceed the predetermined threshold, determining not to provide a graphical user interface that is associated with the the first document in the search results document.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a set of one or more first servers, a query from a client device;

in response to receiving the query, identifying, by one or more of the first servers, at least one index entry that is associated with a first document that (i) is responsive to the query, and (ii) is hosted by one or more second servers, wherein the index entry includes (i) an indication of a graphical user interface that is based on a document annotation associated with the first document and (ii) a static metric that is indicative of the quality of the first document, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document;

generating, by one or more of the first servers, a response to the query that includes multiple search results, wherein at least one particular search result of the multiple search results is a reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry;

determining, by the one or more first servers, whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry;

in response to determining that the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry, obtaining, by one or more of the first servers, information relating to the graphical user interface from the index entry; and

providing, by one or more of the first servers, a search results document that includes at least (i) the reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry, and (ii) the graphical user interface that facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining to provide the graphical user interface in the search results document.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining whether the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry comprises:

identifying a static metric that is associated with the first document;

determining whether the static metric exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the static metric does not exceed the predetermined threshold, determining not to provide a graphical user interface that is associated with the first document in the search results document.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11,

wherein the index entry includes an indication of program code that is associated with the graphical user interface, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the graphical user interface should be associated with the reference to the first document in a search results document based on (i) the document annotation and (ii) the static metric stored in the index entry, obtaining, by the first server, the graphical user interface and the program code; and

providing, by one or more of the first servers, a search results document that includes at least (i) a reference to the first document that is associated with the identified index entry, (ii) the graphical user interface that facilitates access to functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document, and (iii) the program code that causes the functionality provided by one or more functions within the first document to be performed using the graphical user interface that is included within the search results document.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface includes multiple graphical user interface elements.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein obtaining, by one or more of the first servers, the graphical user interface from the index entry comprises:

identifying a subset of the graphical user interface elements from the multiple graphical user interface elements based on a graphical user interface rule; and

retrieving the subset of graphical user interface elements that satisfy the graphical user interface rule.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

accessing a graphical user interface rule that specifies (i) a set of graphical user interface elements of the multiple graphical user interface elements that should be provided for display in a search results document, and (ii) the layout of the set of graphical user interface elements within the search results document;

generating the search results document based on the graphical user interface rule.