Intelligent results related to a portion of a search query

• US 9,053,173 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehanna, Lara, Hasan, Shawkat, Vandermolen, Harmannus, Campbell, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US13/751,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user'"'"'s predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server system, a portion of a search query from a client system that is distinct from the server system;

predicting from the portion of the search query a plurality of predicted queries;

selecting one or more of the plurality of predicted queries;

obtaining search results for the selected one or more predicted queries; and

sending one or more of the search results to the client system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting the plurality of predicted queries using a collection of queries from a community of users.

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

comparing at least one or more characters of the portion of the search query to entries in a database; and

creating the plurality of predicted queries from one or more of the entries in the database whose entries include the at least one or more characters.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the plurality of predicted queries is created from entries in the database whose entries begin with the at least one or more characters.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the portion of the search query includes a complete search term of the search query.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising selecting the database from a set of one or more databases.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising obtaining the search results for the selected one or more predicted queries based in part on a user profile.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of one or more of the plurality of predicted queries is further based in part on popularity of the one or more of the plurality of predicted queries.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a server system, a portion of a search query from a client system that is distinct from the server system;

predicting from the portion of the search query a plurality of predicted queries;

selecting one or more of the plurality of predicted queries;

obtaining search results for the selected one or more predicted queries; and

sending one or more of the search results to the client system.

10. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of selecting the plurality of predicted queries using a collection of queries from a community of users.

11. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the selecting of one or more of the plurality of predicted queries is further based in part on popularity of the one or more of the plurality of predicted queries.

12. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the steps of:

comparing at least one or more characters of the portion of the search query to entries in a database; and

creating the plurality of predicted queries from one or more of the entries in the database whose entries include the at least one or more characters.

13. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of predicted queries is created from entries in the database whose entries begin with at least one or more characters of the portion of the search query.

14. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the portion of the search query includes a complete search term of the search query.

15. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of selecting the database from a set of one or more databases to create the plurality of predicted queries.

16. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of obtaining the search results for the selected one or more predicted queries based in part on a user profile.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive a portion of a search query from a client system that is distinct from the system;

predict from the portion of the search query a plurality of predicted queries;

select one or more of the plurality of predicted queries;

obtain search results for the selected one or more predicted queries; and

send one or more of the search results to the client system.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to select the plurality of predicted queries using a collection of queries from a community of users.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to:

compare at least one or more characters of the portion of the search query to entries in a database; and

create the plurality of predicted queries from one or more of the entries in the database whose entries include the at least one or more characters.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to select the plurality of predicted queries based on entries in the database whose entries begin with the at least one or more characters.

21. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the one or more characters are search terms.

22. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to select the database from a set of one or more databases.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to obtain the search results for the selected one or more predicted queries based in part on a user profile.

24. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one process, further cause the system to select one or more of the plurality of predicted queries based in part on popularity of the one or more of the plurality of predicted queries.

25. A method comprising:

receiving at a server system a portion of a search query from a first client system that is distinct from the server system;

predicting from the portion of the search query a plurality of predicted queries;

selecting one or more of the plurality of predicted queries;

obtaining search results for the selected one or more predicted queries;

caching the search results at the server system; and

sending one or more of the cached search results to a second client system.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising determining a predicted meaning of the portion of the search query.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the search results relate to the predicted meaning of the portion of the search query.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising filtering the search results based on an analysis of the portion of the search query.

29. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising receiving at the server system at least a portion of a subsequent search query from the second client system.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, further comprising:

determining that obtaining search results for the at least a portion of the subsequent search query is not necessary; and

sending only the one or more of the cached search results to the second client system in response to the at least a portion of the subsequent search query.

31. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the second client system is a mobile device.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein the mobile device is a wireless phone.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving at a server system a portion of a search query from a first client system that is distinct from the server system;

predicting from the portion of the search query a plurality of predicted queries;

selecting one or more of the plurality of predicted queries;

obtaining search results for the selected one or more predicted queries;

caching the search results at the server system; and

sending one or more of the cached search results to a second client system.

34. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 33, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of receiving at the server system at least a portion of a subsequent search query from the second client system.

35. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 34, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the steps of:

determining that obtaining search results for the at least a portion of the subsequent search query is not necessary; and

sending only the one or more of the cached search results to the second client system in response to the at least a portion of the subsequent search query.

36. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 34, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of determining a predicted meaning of the portion of the subsequent search query.

37. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 36, wherein the one or more of the cached search results relate to the predicted meaning of the portion of the subsequent search query.

38. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 34, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the step of analyzing the subsequent search query with a spelling correction agent.