Surfacing user-specific data records in search

• US 9,715,548 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Heymans, Maureen, Smart, Jason L., Chan, Chengling
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US14/096,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 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;

receiving, by the one or more processors, one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the one or more search results being respectively representative of one or more resources;

processing, by the one or more processors, one or more triggering rules based on at least one of the search query and the search results, a triggering rule defining a set of conditions where, if each condition is true, at least one user-specific data record is to be displayed with the one or more search results;

determining, based on processing the one or more triggering rules, that a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with the 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 the set of user-specific data records is provided based on a plurality of data records stored in a data repository;

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 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 a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a knowledge panel is to be displayed in response to the search query.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether the search results comprise a personal search result and an electronic document corresponding to the personal search results also corresponds to a user-specific data record.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a term in the search query matches information provided in user-specific data records of a superset of user-specific data records that are specific to the user.

8. 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.

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

receiving one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the one or more search results being respectively representative of one or more resources;

processing one or more triggering rules based on at least one of the search query and the search results, a triggering rule defining a set of conditions where, if each condition is true, at least one user-specific data record is to be displayed with the one or more search results;

determining, based on processing the one or more triggering rules, that a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with the 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 the set of user-specific data records is provided based on a plurality of data records stored in a data repository;

determining a display prominence of at least one user-specific data record in the set of user-specific data records, the display prominence 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 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.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the display prominence indicates a position of the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the display prominence indicates a visual effect to the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein all data records in the set of user-specific data records is associated with the display prominence.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a knowledge panel is to be displayed in response to the search query.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether the search results comprise a personal search result and an electronic document corresponding to the personal search results also corresponds to a user-specific data record.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a term in the search query matches information provided in user-specific data records of a superset of user-specific data records that are specific to the user.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 9, 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.

17. 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 one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the one or more search results being respectively representative of one or more resources;

processing one or more triggering rules based on at least one of the search query and the search results, a triggering rule defining a set of conditions where, if each condition is true, at least one user-specific data record is to be displayed with the one or more search results;

determining, based on processing the one or more triggering rules, that a set of user-specific data records is to be displayed in a search results page with the 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 the set of user-specific data records is provided based on a plurality of data records stored in a data repository;

determining a display prominence of at least one user-specific data record in the set of user-specific data records, the display prominence 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 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.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the display prominence indicates a position of the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the display prominence indicates a visual effect to the at least one user-specific data record within the search results page.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein all data records in the set of user-specific data records is associated with the display prominence.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a knowledge panel is to be displayed in response to the search query.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether the search results comprise a personal search result and an electronic document corresponding to the personal search results also corresponds to a user-specific data record.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein a triggering rule of the one or more triggering rules triggers display of the set of user-specific data records based on whether a term in the search query matches information provided in user-specific data records of a superset of user-specific data records that are specific to the user.

24. The system of claim 17, 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 record the at least one user-specific data record being displayed within the search results display based on the display prominence.