Identifying and structuring related data

• US 10,255,380 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Yan, Jun, Liu, Ning, Ji, Lei, Chen, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Casillas, Roland J
• Application Number:
  US14/897,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons

Abstract

Some examples include displaying a user interface that includes attributes and entities that are determined to be related to an input entity identified by a user. Further, some implementations include displaying a structured data table that identifies attribute values associated with the input entity and selected related entities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors,

receiving an input entity via a user interface, wherein the input entity is received in a search query;

initiating display of one or more related attributes via a first region of the user interface, wherein each related attribute of the one or more related attributes is determined to be related to the input entity;

initiating display of one or more related entities via a second region of the user interface, wherein each related entity of the one or more related entities is determined to be related to the input entity, wherein a relationship between an entity of the one or more entities and the input entity is based in part on a comparison operator included in the search query, and wherein the one or more entities are displayed in a ranked order based on a query count of the search query;

receiving an attribute selection via the first region of the user interface, the attribute selection identifying an attribute of the one or more related attributes;

receiving an entity selection via the second region of the user interface, the entity selection identifying at least one entity of the one or more related entities; and

initiating display of a structured data table in a third region of the user interface that includes;

an input entity attribute value associated with the identified attribute; and

one or more related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the entity selection identifies each entity of the one or more related entities; and

the one or more related entity attribute values included in the structured data table include a plurality of related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second attribute selection via the first region of the user interface, the second attribute selection identifying a second attribute of the one or more related attributes,

wherein the structured data table further includes;

a second input entity attribute value associated with the second identified attribute; and

one or more related entity attribute values associated with the second identified attribute.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the input entity received via the user interface to one or more servers via a network; and

receiving the one or more related entities from the one or more servers, wherein the one or more related entities are determined by the one or more servers based on the input entity.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the input entity received via the user interface to one or more servers via a network; and

receiving the one or more related attributes from the one or more servers, wherein the one or more related attributes are determined by the one or more servers based on the input entity.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the input entity received via the user interface to one or more servers via a network;

receiving the input entity attribute value associated with the identified attribute from the one or more servers; and

receiving the one or more related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute from the one or more servers.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the one or more servers determine the input entity attribute value and the one or more related entity attribute values by querying one or more web servers.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the input entity is provided via a touchscreen;

the one or more related attributes are selectable via the touchscreen; and

the one or more related entities are selectable via the touchscreen.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the identified attribute; and

initiating display of a chart view in the third region of the user interface that includes the input entity attribute value associated with the identified attribute and the one or more related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second attribute selection via the second region of the user interface, the second attribute selection identifying a second attribute of the one or more related attributes,

wherein the chart view further includes;

a second input entity attribute value associated with the second identified attribute; and

one or more related entity attribute values associated with the second identified attribute.

11. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer readable media maintaining instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving an input entity from a computing device, wherein the input entity is received in a search query;

determining one or more related entities associated with the input entity, wherein a relationship between a related entity of the one or more related entities and the input entity is based in part on a comparison operator included in the search query;

determining one or more related attributes associated with the input entity; and

in response to receiving the input entity, communicating the one or more related entities and the one or more related attributes to the computing device via a user interface, wherein the one or more related attributes are displayed in a first region of the user interface and the one or more related entities are displayed in a second region of the user interface, and wherein the one or more related entities are displayed in a ranked order based on a query count of the search query.

12. The computing system as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more related entities associated with the input entity are determined at least in part based on query log data.

13. The computing system as recited in claim 12, wherein a particular entity is determined to be related to the input entity based at least in part on the query log data including one or more queries that include query text associated with a comparison of the input entity and the particular entity.

14. The computing system as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising determining a rank associated with each entity of the one or more related entities based at least in part based on a number of queries that include the input entity.

15. The computing system as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising:

determining one or more subsequent queries that follow a query that includes the input entity,

wherein the one or more related attributes associated with the input entity are determined at least in part based on the one or more subsequent queries that follow the query that includes the input entity.

16. The computing system as recited in claim 11, the acts further comprising querying one or more web servers to determine:

an input entity attribute value associated with an attribute of the input entity; and

one or more related entity attribute values associated with the attribute of the input entity.

17. The computing system as recited in claim 16, the acts further comprising:

communicating the input entity attribute value received from the one or more web servers to the computing device; and

communicating the one or more related entity attribute values received from the one or more web servers to the computing device, wherein the input entity attribute value and the one or more related entity attribute values are displayed in a third region of the user interface.

18. One or more non-transitory computer readable media maintaining instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving an input entity via a user interface of a computing device, wherein the input entity is received in a search query;

communicating the input entity from the computing device to one or more servers;

receiving, from the one or more servers, multiple related entities and multiple related attributes, wherein each of the multiple related entities and each of the multiple related attributes are determined by the one or more servers to be related to the input entity based on query log data, and wherein a relationship between a related entity of the multiple related entities and the input entity is based in part on a comparison operator included in the search query;

initiating display of the multiple related entities and the multiple related attributes via the user interface, wherein the multiple related attributes are displayed in a first region of the user interface and the multiple related entities are displayed in a second region of the user interface, and wherein the multiple related entities are displayed in a ranked order based on a query count of the search query;

receiving an attribute selection via the first region of the user interface, the attribute selection identifying an attribute of the multiple related attributes; and

receiving an entity selection via the second region of the user interface, the entity selection identifying at least one entity of the multiple related entities; and

initiating display of a structured data table in a third region of the user interface that includes;

an input entity attribute value associated with the identified attribute; and

one or more related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute.

19. The one or more computer readable media as recited in claim 18, the acts further comprising:

communicating the attribute selection and the entity selection to the one or more servers; and

receiving, from the one or more servers, the input entity attribute value associated with the identified attribute and the one or more related entity attribute values associated with the identified attribute.

20. The one or more computer readable media as recited in claim 18, the acts further comprising:

receiving, from the one or more servers, multiple attribute values identified by the one or servers based on the input entity;

determining the input entity attribute value to be displayed in the structured data table based on the multiple attribute values received from the one or more servers; and

determining the one or more related entity attribute values to be displayed in the structured data table based on the multiple attribute values received from the one or more servers.