Surfacing user-specific data records in search

• US 10,740,422 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2018
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• 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 E
• Application Number:
  US16/229,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20190121829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 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, search queries, each search query being provided by a user at different times;

for each search query provided by the user, determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results responsive to the search query, 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 and a time of the event;

determining, based on a difference between the time of the event being in the future and a time that the search query was provided, a display prominence for at least one user-specific data record specifying the event in the set of user-specific data records when the user-specific data record is displayed within the search results page, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of display locations for the at least one user-specific data record 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 of the display locations being within a search results pane displayed on a user device and within which the one or more search results are also displayed;

when the determined display prominence indicates the user-specific data record is not to be prominently displayed in the search results page, providing the search results responsive to the query and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record does not include an action element that enables a user to take an action specific to the user-specific event, and the user-specific data record is displayed in a first location relative to the search results in the search results page; and

when the determined display prominence indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed;

including, with the user-specific data records, data that causes the action element that enables the user to take an action specific to the user-specific event to be displayed with the user-specific data record in the search results page; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record is displayed in a second location relative to the search results and different from the first location in the search results page.

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action element is selectable by a user to complete an action associated with the subject of the data record.

7. 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, search queries, each search query being provided by a user at different times;

for each search query provided by the user, determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results responsive to the search query, 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 and a time of the event;

determining, based on a difference between the time of the event being in the future and a time that the search query was provided, a display prominence for at least one user-specific data record specifying the event in the set of user-specific data records when the user-specific data record is displayed within the search results page, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of display locations for the at least one user-specific data record 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 of the display locations being within a search results pane displayed on a user device and within which the one or more search results are also displayed;

when the determined display prominence indicates the user-specific data record is not to be prominently displayed in the search results page, providing the search results responsive to the query and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record does not include an action element that enables a user to take an action specific to the user-specific event, and the user-specific data record is displayed in a first location relative to the search results in the search results page; and

when the determined display prominence indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed;

including, with the user-specific data records, data that causes the action element that enables the user to take an action specific to the user-specific event to be displayed with the user-specific data record in the search results page; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record is displayed in a second location relative to the search results and different from the first location in the search results page.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the display prominence indicates a visual effect to the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein all data records in the set of user-specific data records are associated with the display prominence.

10. The system of claim 7, 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.

11. The system of claim 7, 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.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the action element is selectable by a user to complete an action associated with the subject of the data record.

13. 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, search queries, each search query being provided by a user at different times;

for each search query provided by the user, determining a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with search results responsive to the search query, 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 and a time of the event;

determining, based on a difference between the time of the event being in the future and a time that the search query was provided, a display prominence for at least one user-specific data record specifying the event in the set of user-specific data records when the user-specific data record is displayed within the search results page, the display prominence comprising one of a plurality of display locations for the at least one user-specific data record 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 of the display locations being within a search results pane displayed on a user device and within which the one or more search results are also displayed;

when the determined display prominence indicates the user-specific data record is not to be prominently displayed in the search results page, providing the search results responsive to the query and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record does not include an action element that enables a user to take an action specific to the user-specific event, and the user-specific data record is displayed in a first location relative to the search results in the search results page; and

when the determined display prominence indicates the data record is to be prominently displayed;

including, with the user-specific data records, data that causes the action element that enables the user to take an action specific to the user-specific event to be displayed with the user-specific data record in the search results page; and

providing the search results and the set of user-specific data records for display to the user device, wherein the user-specific data record is displayed in a second location relative to the search results and different from the first location in the search results page.