Patent Application
20100146012
Search engines provide an important method of locating information on the Internet. However, often times users are not able to come up with search queries that provide results directly related to their intended search target. Query suggestions are becoming an important source of alternate queries for users when searching for a particular topic. Such query suggestions are often used by users in cases when the users are unsure of what terms would narrow results effectively. In addition to narrowing search results, to gain focus directed to a particular topic, alternate queries can be performed that limit search results to particular types of media or particular types of information. Vertical searches can provide results which only return links to images, videos, or some other type of media or other information.
Embodiments of the invention are defined by the claims below, not this summary. A high-level overview of various aspects of the invention are provided here for that reason, to provide an overview of the disclosure, and to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed-description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments of the present invention are related to presenting a preview of search results for a suggested search provided on a search engine result page. A search engine query is received. One or more search results are generated. One or more suggested-search terms are generated. According to an embodiment, suggested-search terms can refine an original query. According to another embodiment, suggested-search terms can help a user discover related concepts. A search engine results page is generated including the one or more search results and the one or more suggested search terms. An indication is received, indicating that a preview of search results related to a selected, suggested-search term is available and may be displayed. A preview view or window including a results section and a menu-bar section is generated. One or more search results related to the selected, suggested search term are acquired. The one or more search results are presented in the preview window.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:
The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to presenting a preview of search results related to a suggested search provided on a search engine results page. Search-engine result pages attempt to provide the user with relevant results with often very limited information. The user's query is often somewhat ambiguous and might represent several distinct concepts. Therefore, in addition to search results for users search queries, search engines may present users with a list of suggested search queries that, if selected, may return results closer to what the user was seeking. Such suggested search queries include refinement suggestions, which are suggestions that are meant to disambiguate initial search query strings. By way of example, a search for the term “American” might produce results relating to people from the US, people from South America, and American Airlines. A list of suggested search refinement terms in this example, might include “American Airlines,” “US American,” and “South American.” Suggested search queries can also include different “verticals.” A vertical search does not change the meaning or content of the search terms, but instead alters what types of results are returned. By way of example, different vertical-search categories include images, videos, news posting, blogs, and products. Other types of suggested search terms might refine the results in terms of location and time, for example.
The use of query suggestions can be important as a source of alternate queries for users when searching for a particular topic. Users often use the suggestions when they are unsure about what words to use in forming a search query, when they are not finding relevant information, and when they are searching within the category space of a particular topic. But query suggestions might not always be obvious to end users. A search results page can include ten or more result items, sponsored results, instant answers, and suggested queries. Users can find it difficult to examine all of the results on the page efficiently. Suggested query refinements can add to the cognitive load for users and can be counterproductive in some cases.
According to an embodiment of the invention, users can easily and nearly instantly preview the results relating to a specific query refinement. A subset of the modified results can be displayed in a concise format within a floating or embedded preview window near the link. If users see results they are looking for, they can click thru to jump from the preview to a full view. According to other embodiments of the present invention, they can also explore and preview the results with more detail within the preview window. By way of example, an image preview of a number of small images could be presented in the preview window that allows the user to zoom into any of the small images from the preview window. Viewing the preview results via different sort and filter options is also possible within the preview window, according to a further embodiment.
Preview windows can have a standardized interface, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The preview window can be a window that is floating above the core page, or parent window, with a light border. It can have some common elements like refinements and glyphs to jump thru, view full screen, or “pin” or “dock” the results in the parent window. It can also support different visualization providers for various query types and contexts. Support for previewing Web pages, images, videos, blogs, news, people, products, offers, and more can be provided. These have different visualization requirements, but they can leverage the same common core. A smart layout-management approach can be used to position the preview window near the page element, but without covering it. This means that the preview window can be shown on the right or left of the element, and above or below it as well.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there are a number of ways that the preview window could be activated. The elements in the page that support query refinements could indicate that they support previews through some visual appearance. By way of example, this could be an initial glyph next to the element or the element could be underlined, or in bold-face print. The user could hover over the glyph for some defined time delay to activate the preview window. The hover target might not be visible initially. Instead, the user might first hover over the element in question to reveal the glyph momentarily. The user could then interact with the glyph by hovering over it or by clicking it. This represents a two-step process that provides a higher confidence of user intent. Other mouse interactions could take advantage of various mouse movements such as “wiggle” and “circle.” Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many ways users could indicate that a preview window is to be displayed. According to other embodiments of the invention, keyboards, pens, touch, and other input devices could be used to indicate a preview window should be displayed.
A user should be able to “pin” or “dock” the preview results from a specific query refinement such that it becomes a new section in the current search results page, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. This may not change the current query from the user's perspective, but it might add metadata to the query string parameters to track this detail. By way of example, when preview results are pinned, the preview window could remain stationary while the page scrolls down to show the location of the new target section. Once this is visible, the preview window could move with animation in a way that makes it look like it is merging down into the page at the specific location. As another example, the page might not scroll, but the animation might be shown enough for the user to realize it was effectively added to the page, either above or below the user's current view point.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, users could be able to interact with the preview results within the preview window. By way of example, this interaction can include interacting with specific result items to view them in more detail, navigating to the item directly, and refining the search results. Another useful aspect is to “save” the item to the user's local or cloud-based storage. Saving the item stores the metadata for the search result along with the following: query items, category, time, location, content type, and domain. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are other forms of data that may be stored with the metadata for the search result. Saved results and their collections could be viewed by selecting a “My” search scope in the core search site. They could also be accessed as a “scope refinement” preview of the current query (or no query). This enables users to preview the search results based on searching their stored collections. Those skilled in the art will recognize that additional inline refinements could be used to filter, group, and sort these results further.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a common model for refining the results in the preview window is present. By way of example, the refinements in this preview window could include sorting, filtering, and grouping. They can be extensible and they are implemented by various visualizations as appropriate.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a number of optimizations could be performed to enhance embodiments of the present invention. By way of example, there is an opportunity to pre-fetch content for the most common query refinements and provide those to the user proactively. According to an embodiment, pre-fetched results could be embedded in the page at render time, or they could be pre-fetched asynchronously after the page has loaded. The decisions on if and when to pre-fetch content can depend on a number of factors, including thresholds of bandwidth, complexity, latency, and refinement confidence.
As another example of an optimization, there might be a need to defer download of some of the previews to improve experienced performance. This applies to some of the scripts and user interface code for the core itself and the various visualizations that might be used. For example, it may not be efficient to download a “Deep Zoom” visualization during the core page load. Such a component might be 1 KB to 20 KB in size, which is heavy for search engines. Therefore, some embodiments may take a deferred approach to downloading assets and take a session-oriented view. Another optimization involves analyzing the query refinement preview patterns for specific users or machines in order to make better decisions about pre-fetching models.
An embodiment of the invention is directed to computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of presenting a preview of one or more search results. A search engine query is received. One or more search results are generated. One or more suggested, search-refinement terms are generated. A search engine results page is generated, including the one or more search results and the one or more search-refinement terms. An indication is received, indicating that a preview of search results related to a selected, suggested search-refinement term is to be displayed. A preview window including a results section and a menu-bar section is generated. One or more search results related to the selected, suggested search-refinement term are acquired. The one or more search results are presented in the preview window. The preview window allows interaction with the one or more search results.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of presenting a preview of one or more search results for a suggested search. A search engine query is received. One or more search results are generated. One or more suggested, vertical-search categories are generated. A search engine results page is generated, including the one or more search results and the one or more vertical-search categories. An indication is received, indicating that a preview of search results related to a selected, suggested vertical-search category is to be displayed. A preview window including a results section and a menu-bar section is generated. One or more search results related to the selected, suggested vertical-search category are acquired. The one or more search results are presented in the preview window. The preview window allows interaction with the one or more search results.
A further embodiment of the invention is directed to computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of presenting a preview of search results for a suggested search. A search engine query is received. One or more search results are generated. One or more suggested, search terms are generated. A search engine results page is generated, including the one or more search results and the one or more search terms. An indication is received, indicating that a preview of search results related to a selected, suggested search term is to be displayed. A preview window including a results section and a menu-bar section is generated. The menu-bar section includes a save button, a search-refinement input field, an instant-message-share button, an email-share button, and a docking button. One or more search results related to the selected, suggested search term are acquired. The one or more search results are presented in the preview window. The preview window allows interaction with the one or more search results.
Having briefly described an overview of embodiments of the present invention, an exemplary operating environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented is described below in order to provide a general context for various aspects of the present invention. Referring initially to
The invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
With reference to
Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 100 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing device 100.
Memory 112 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatile memory. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-state memory, such as RAM. External storage 116 includes computer-storage media in the form of non-volatile memory. The memory may be removable, nonremovable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 100 includes one or more processors that read data from various entities such as memory 112, external storage 116 or input components 120. Output components 121 present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplary output components include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, etc.
I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to other devices including input components 120 and output components 121, some of which may be built in. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc.
Referring to
In addition to ambiguity in terms, search results also produce links to many different types of media. By way of example, a single search term could produce results with images, videos, and blog entries. Vertical searches aim to narrow the results to a single type, for example, search results that only return images. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the suggestion engine 206 and the search engine 205 could run on separate machines, or on the same machine as the web browsing application 202. The suggestion engine 206 can be used to provide search suggestions, either search-refinement terms or vertical searches, to be presented on a search results page that presents results provided by the search engine 205. According to some embodiments of the invention, when a user hovers over a suggested search on a search engine results page, the search engine 205 running on the server 204 could be queried to provide search results related to that particular search suggestion. According to other embodiments, when a user hovers over a particular search result presented on a search engine results page, the suggestion engine 206 running on the server 204 could be queried to provide search suggestions.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a screen display of a search engine results page 300 suitable for use in executing the present invention is depicted in
According to an embodiment of the invention, a visual indication that a preview of search results related to suggested-search terms is presented for each of the suggested-search terms in the suggested-searches section 306.
Referring now to
According to an embodiment of the invention, the preview window 500 can include an input field for further refining the search 504. By way of example, this input field 504 could be used by the user to input further refining terms to filter the search results. The preview window 500 can include a zoom button 505 that activates a zoom mode allowing the user to zoom into content in the preview window 500. By way of example, if a number of images are being displayed in the results section 502, the zoom mode could be used to zoom into a single images to see it in greater detail without leaving the preview window.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the preview window 500 can include an instant-message-share button 506 to allow users to share the search results being previewed with another user via an instant messaging protocol. The preview window 500 can also include an email-share button to allow users to share the search results being previewed via email. A save button 508 can be included to allow users to save a preview window 500. Those skilled in the art will recognize that saving the search in the preview window can be accomplished in many ways, including saving the search to a server and saving the search locally on the user's computing device. According to an embodiment of the invention, the preview window 500 can also include a docking button 509 to allow the user to dock or “pin” the preview window to the parent window.
There are many ways in which a user could indicate that a preview window should be generated. Additionally, there are many places in which a preview window could be generated. Referring now to
Turning now to
A search engine results page is generated, as shown at block 704. According to an embodiment of the invention, the search engine result page can contain the generated search engine results and the generated suggested search terms. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the search engine results page could be in a number of different formats, similar to the formats discussed with reference to
One or more search results are acquired that relate to the selected, suggested search-refinement term, as shown at block 707. According to an embodiment of the invention, the preview window sends a request to a search engine to obtain the search results. According to another embodiment of the invention, the query results are acquired by the parent window and passed to the preview window. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the query results are pre-fetched, along with results for other suggested search terms. The results are then passed to the preview window.
The search results are presented in the preview window, as shown at block 708. The preview window allows interaction with the results that are presented. By way of example, a user could select a result to be displayed within the preview window. As another example, the user could click-thru, displaying the contents of a search result in the preview window. As a further example, the user could click-thru, displaying the contents of the result in the parent window and closing the preview window. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many other forms of interactivity that could be maintained in the preview window, including, playing videos, zooming on images and text, and re-ordering search results.
Referring now to
Referring now to
A preview window is generated, including a result section and a menu-bar section, as shown at block 906. The menu-bar section includes a save button, a search-refinement input field, an instant-message-share button, an email-share button, and a docking button. Those skilled in the art will recognize there are a number of possible arrangements of the buttons. One or more search results are acquired, as shown at block 907, and the search results are presented in the preview window, as shown at block 908, similar to block 707 and block 708 of
Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.
