Search client context on online social networks

• US 9,679,078 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vora, Abhinav, Stewart, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Aspinwall, Evan
• Application Number:
  US14/284,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 707706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a social graph comprising nodes and a edges connecting the nodes, receiving from a first user a query inputted at a search client, the search client being associated with context data from a page associated with the search client, such that the context data identifies one or more nodes associated with the page, generating search results corresponding to the query, wherein each of the search results corresponds to a node, and scoring the search results based at least in part on the context data associated with the search client. The context data may identify a social context of the page, which can include tags, comments, likes, commenters, and the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by a computing device:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them;

receiving from a first user a query inputted by the first user at a search client, the search client being associated with context data from a page associated with the search client, wherein the context data identifies;

(1) a type of the page associated with the search client,

(2) one or more second nodes of a plurality of second nodes associated with the page,

(3) a type of search associated with the search client, and

(4) a threshold number of search results for display;

generating one or more search results corresponding to the query, wherein each of the search results corresponds to a node of the plurality of nodes;

scoring each of the search results based at least in part on the type of the page associated with the search client, the one or more second nodes, and the type of search identified by the context data associated with the search client; and

sending the threshold number of the search results for display to the first user, wherein the threshold number of search results are displayed in association with the search client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending each search result having a score above a threshold score for display to the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data identifies a social context of the page associated with the search client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data identifies one or more of:

one or more tags associated with the page, one or more comments associated with the page, one or more likes associated with the page, one or more commenters associated with the page, one or more owners associated with the page, or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data identifies the type of search as being a typeahead search or a graph search.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data identifies one or more of:

web suggestions from a search engine, current location of the first user, speed of movement of the first user, or direction of movement of the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the page associated with the search client corresponds to a particular node of the plurality of second nodes, and wherein the context data comprises information identifying one or more second nodes of a plurality of second nodes connected by an edge to the particular node corresponding to the page of the search client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating one or more search results corresponding to the query comprises:

identifying one or more second nodes that match the query based at least in part on the context data; and

generating search results corresponding to one or more of the identified second nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the search results is a suggested structured query comprising references to one or more edges and one or more nodes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is associated with one of data referencing one or more friends of the owner of a digital image associated with the query, interested users of the digital image, or users tagged in the digital image.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the search results based on the scoring.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein scoring each of the search results is further based at least in part on one or more binary factors associated with the context data, the scoring increasing by a weighting of one or more of the binary factors.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes comprise:

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

the plurality of second nodes, each second node corresponding to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the query is associated with one of tagging, commenting, or sharing content associated with the online social network.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein generating one or more search results corresponding to the query comprises:

generating a query command based at least in part on the received query and the context data from the page associated with the search client; and

retrieving from one or more data stores of the online social network the one or more search results corresponding to the query command.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein scoring each of the search results is further based at least in part on a social-graph affinity of the first node with the node corresponding to the search results.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the query is inputted by the first user as a character string comprising one or more characters into a graphical user interface of a client system of the first user, and the graphical user interface comprises a query field of a native application associated with the online social network or a webpage of the online social network accessed by a browser client.

18. 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, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them;

receive from a first user a query inputted by the first user at a search client, the search client being associated with context data from a page associated with the search client, wherein the context data identifies;

(1) a type of the page associated with the search client,

(2) one or more second nodes of a plurality of second nodes associated with the page,

(3) a type of search associated with the search client, and

(4) a threshold number of search results for display;

generate one or more search results corresponding to the query, wherein each of the search results corresponds to a node of the plurality of nodes;

score each of the search results based at least in part on the type of the page associated with the search client, the one or more second nodes, and the type of search identified by the context data associated with the search client; and

send the threshold number of the search results for display to the first user, wherein the threshold number of search results are displayed in association with the search client.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them;

receive from a first user a query inputted by the first user at a search client, the search client being associated with context data from a page associated with the search client, wherein the context data identifies;

(1) a type of the page associated with the search client,

(2) one or more second nodes of a plurality of second nodes associated with the page,

(3) a type of search associated with the search client, and

(4) a threshold number of search results for display;

generate one or more search results corresponding to the query, wherein each of the search results corresponds to a node of the plurality of nodes;

score each of the search results based at least in part on the type of the page associated with the search client, the one or more second nodes, and the function for performing the type of search identified by the context data associated with the search client; and

send the threshold number of the search results for display to the first user, wherein the threshold number of search results are displayed in association with the search client.