Combining content with a search result

• US 9,947,026 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wai, Conrad, Souvey, Christopher, Denizen, Lewis, Garg, Gaurav, Verma, Awaneesh, Moxley, Emily Kay, Silber, Jeremy, de Medeiros Rocha, Daniel Amaral, Fischer, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US15/153,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20160260131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 707706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. A search query is received. Search results responsive to the query are identified, including identifying a first search result in a top set of search results that is associated with a brand. Based at least in part on the query, one or more eligible content items are identified for delivery along with the search results responsive to the query. A determination is made as to when at least one of the eligible content items is associated with a same brand as the brand associated with the first search result. The first search result and one of the determined at least one eligible content items are combined into a combined content item and providing the combined content item as a search result responsive to the request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query;

determining that a particular search result, from among a plurality of search results that are responsive to the search query, and a particular content item, from among a plurality of available content items, are both eligible to be presented in a same search results page;

comparing content of the particular search result with content of the particular content item;

determining that a same brand is presented by both of the particular search result and the particular content item based on the comparison of the content of the particular search result with the content of the particular content item;

in response to determining that the particular search result and the particular content item both present the same brand based on the comparison, combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into a combined content item, wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the particular content item with one or more search results, and wherein the combining includes combining a link from the particular content item with content from the particular search result; and

providing, responsive to the search query, the combined content item as a single search result that is presented in a same search results page as other search results.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the combined content item as a single search result responsive to the search query comprises providing the combined content item instead of providing the particular search result and the particular content item as separate units of content in the search results page, and wherein combined content of the combined content item does not duplicate information that is included in both of the particular content item and the particular search result.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into the combined content item includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the particular content item and a link to a landing page from the particular content item into the combined content item.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising combining other information associated with the same brand in the combined content item.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the other information includes a map to retail locations associated with a brand retail presence of the same brand.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the other information includes retail location information associated with the same brand.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the other information includes an image or a logo associated with the same brand.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the other information includes one or more products associated with the same brand.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the other information includes additional links associated with the same brand.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into the combined content item includes designating, as sponsored content, content from the particular content item that is included in the combined content item.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising monetizing user interactions with material from the particular content item that is included in the combined content item based on user interactions with the material.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein combining includes combining additional links relevant to the particular search result and the particular content item.

13. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that when executed by a distributed computing system cause the distributed computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query;

determining that a particular search result, from among a plurality of search results that are responsive to the search query, and a particular content item, from among a plurality of available content items, are both eligible to be presented in a same search results page;

comparing content of the particular search result with content of the particular content item;

determining that a same brand is presented by both of the particular search result and the particular content item based on the comparison of the content of the particular search result with the content of the particular content item;

in response to determining that the particular search result and the particular content item both present the same brand based on the comparison, combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into a combined content item, wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the particular content item with one or more search results, and wherein the combining includes combining a link from the particular content item with content from the particular search result; and

providing, responsive to the search query, the combined content item as a single search result that is presented in a same search results page as other search results.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13 wherein providing the combined content item as a single search result responsive to the search query comprises providing the combined content item instead of providing the particular search result and the particular content item as separate units of content in the search results page, and wherein combined content of the combined content item does not duplicate information that is included in both of the particular content item and the particular search result.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13 wherein combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into the combined content item includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the particular content item and a link to a landing page from the particular content item into the combined content item.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising combining other information associated with the same brand in the combined content item.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory elements including instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a search query;

determine that a particular search result, from among a plurality of search results that are responsive to the search query, and a particular content item, from among a plurality of available content items, are both eligible to be presented in a same search results page;

compare content of the particular search result with content of the particular content item;

determine that a same brand is presented by both of the particular search result and the particular content item based on the comparison of the content of the particular search result with the content of the particular content item;

in response to determining that the particular search result and the particular content item both present the same brand based on the comparison, combine less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into a combined content item, wherein the combination is performed based, at least in part, on content sponsor preferences for how to combine the particular content item with one or more search results, and wherein the combining includes combining a link from the particular content item with content from the particular search result; and

provide, responsive to the search query, the combined content item as a single search result that is presented in a same search results page as other search results.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the combined content item is provided instead of separate units of content that respectively include the particular search result and the particular content item.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein combining less than all of the particular search result and less than all of the particular content item into the combined content item includes combining a visual universal resource locator (VisURL), a title, text from the particular content item and a link to a landing page from the particular content item into the combined content item.