Surfacing user-specific data records in search

• US 10,162,903 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Chengling, Heymans, Maureen, Smart, Jason L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US15/627,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20170286556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure include actions of receiving search results that are responsive to the search query, the search results being respectively representative of resources, processing one or more triggering rules based on at least one of the search query and the search results, determining, based on processing the one or more triggering rules, that a set of data records is to be displayed in a search results page with the search results, the set of data records including data records that are specific to the user, determining a display prominence of at least one data record in the set of data records, the display prominence indicating a prominence of the at least one data record when displayed in the search results page, and providing the search results and the set of data records for display, the at least one data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a search query, the search query being provided by a user;

determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results, the set of user-specific data records comprising one or more user-specific data records that are specific to the user that provided the search query and wherein each user-specific data record specifies an event made by the user;

determining a display prominence of at least one user-specific data record in the set of user-specific data records, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of locations within the search results page, and indicating a prominence of the at least one user-specific data record when displayed in the search results page, at least one location being within a search results pane, within which the one or more search results are also displayed, wherein determining display prominence comprises;

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs in the future relative to a time that the query was submitted, and a time of the event;

determining a time difference based on the time of the event made by the user and specified by the user-specific data record and the time the query was submitted;

if the time difference meets a threshold time difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the time difference does not meet the threshold time difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display prominence indicates a position of the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display prominence indicates a visual effect to the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein all data records in the set of user-specific data records is associated with the display prominence.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display comprises providing a search results display, the search results display displaying the search results and the set of user-specific data records, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed within the search results display based on the display prominence.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of user-specific data records are provided in chronological order based on a date and a time of each of the data records.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising an action element included with each data record being displayed based on the display prominence, wherein the action element is selectable by a user to complete an action associated with the subject of the data record.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs at a location relative to a location where the query was submitted;

determining a location difference based on the location of the event specified by the user-specific data record and the location where the query was submitted;

if the location difference meets a threshold location difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the location difference does not meet the threshold location difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the set of user-specific data records are provided in a proximate order based on a location of each of the data records to the location where the search query was submitted.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs at a location relative to a location associated with a particular search result;

determining a location difference based on the location of the event specified by the user-specific data record and the location associated with the particular search result;

if the location difference meets a threshold location difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the location difference does not meet the threshold location difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

11. A system comprising:

a data store for storing data records; and

one or more processors configured to interact with the data store, the one or more processors being further configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a search query, the search query being provided by a user;

determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results, the set of user-specific data records comprising one or more user-specific data records that are specific to the user that provided the search query and wherein each user-specific data record specifies an event made by the user;

determining a display prominence of at least one user-specific data record in the set of user-specific data records, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of locations within the search results page, and indicating a prominence of the at least one user-specific data record when displayed in the search results page, at least one location being within a search results pane, within which the one or more search results are also displayed, wherein determining display prominence comprises;

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs in the future relative to a time that the query was submitted, and a time of the event;

determining a time difference based on the time of the event made by the user and specified by the user-specific data record and the time the query was submitted;

if the time difference meets a threshold time difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the time difference does not meet the threshold time difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display prominence indicates a position of the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the display prominence indicates a visual effect to the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein all data records in the set of user-specific data records is associated with the display prominence.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display comprises providing a search results display, the search results display displaying the search results and the set of user-specific data records, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed within the search results display based on the display prominence.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of user-specific data records are provided in chronological order based on a date and a time of each of the data records.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising an action element included with each data record being displayed based on the display prominence, wherein the action element is selectable by a user to complete an action associated with the subject of the data record.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs at a location relative to a location where the query was submitted;

determining a location difference based on the location of the event specified by the user-specific data record and the location where the query was submitted;

if the location difference meets a threshold location difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the location difference does not meet the threshold location difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the set of user-specific data records are provided in a proximate order based on a location of each of the data records to the location where the search query was submitted.

20. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instruction that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a search query, the search query being provided by a user;

determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results, the set of user-specific data records comprising one or more user-specific data records that are specific to the user that provided the search query and wherein each user-specific data record specifies an event made by the user;

determining a display prominence of at least one user-specific data record in the set of user-specific data records, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of locations within the search results page, and indicating a prominence of the at least one user-specific data record when displayed in the search results page, at least one location being within a search results pane, within which the one or more search results are also displayed, wherein determining display prominence comprises;

determining that a user-specific data record specifies an event that occurs in the future relative to a time that the query was submitted, and a time of the event;

determining a time difference based on the time of the event made by the user and specified by the user-specific data record and the time the query was submitted;

if the time difference meets a threshold time difference, setting the display prominence to a first value in response that indicates the data record is not to be prominently displayed; and

if the time difference does not meet the threshold time difference, setting the display prominence set to a second value that indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display, the at least one user-specific data record being displayed based on the display prominence.