Search interfaces with preloaded suggested search queries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016012104-A1
Application number	US-201414329154-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 11, 2014
Priority date	Jul 11, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Many types of devices present a search interface to a user, such as a search textbox where the user may enter text indicating a search query, and then present search results to the user. Such search interfaces are often driven by the user, and prior to selection or the entry of a user-initiated search query, are empty and available for data entry. The present disclosure involves preloading the search interface with a suggested search query that is of interest to the user before receiving a user-initiated search query, which may facilitate the user in identifying search queries that present additional interesting content. The suggested search query may relate to content presented concurrently with the search page, such as a topic presented in an article of a website adjacent to the search interface. An embodiment may also preload the search results to respond more expediently to the suggested search query.

First claim

1 . A method of presenting a search interface to a user, comprising:
before receiving a user-initiated search query from the user:
identifying a suggested search query that is of predicted interest to the user, and
presenting to the user the search interface preloaded with the suggested search query;
upon receiving from the user a selection of the suggested search query, presenting search results of the suggested search query to the user; and upon receiving the user-initiated search query from the user, presenting search results of the user-initiated search query to the user.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying, as the suggested search query, a popular search query that is frequently submitted by users of the search interface.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying, as the suggested search query, a positively trending search query that involves a positively trending search topic.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the user is associated with a user profile; and identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying a topical suggested search query that is related to a topic of predicted interest to the user according to the user profile of the user.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the search interface is presented in conjunction with content including a presented topic; and identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying, as the suggested search query, a topical search query that is associated with the presented topic.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the search interface is presented in conjunction with content; and identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying, as the suggested search query, a topical search query that is frequently submitted by users after viewing the content.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
while the user views the content:
identify a viewed portion of the content; and
identify the presented topic within the viewed portion of the content.

8 . A server providing a search interface to a user, comprising:
a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the server to:
before receiving a user-initiated search query from the user:
identify a suggested search query that is of predicted interest to the user, and
present to the user the search interface preloaded with the suggested search query;

upon receiving from the user a selection of the suggested search query, present search results of the suggested search query to the user; and
upon receiving the user-initiated search query from the user, present search results of the user-initiated search query to the user.

9 . The server of claim 8 , wherein executing the instructions on the processor further causes the server to, upon receiving from the user a selection of the search interface for entering the user-initiated search query, remove the suggested search query from the search interface.

10 . The server of claim 8 , wherein:
identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying at least two suggested search queries that are of predicted interest to the user; and presenting the search interface further comprises: presenting the search interface preloaded with a selected suggested search query among the at least two suggested search queries.

11 . The server of claim 10 , wherein presenting the search interface further comprises:
at a first time before receiving the user-initiated search query, presenting the search interface preloaded with a first suggested search query among the at least two suggested search queries; and at a second time before receiving the user-initiated search query that is different from the first time, presenting the search interface preloaded with a second suggested search query among the at least two suggested search queries that is different from the first suggested search query.

12 . The server of claim 11 , wherein:
the server defines a suggested search query presentation period; and presenting the second suggested search query further comprises: upon detecting that the user has not selected the first suggested search query within the search query presentation period, replace the first suggested search query in the search interface with the second suggested search query.

13 . The server of claim 8 , wherein:
presenting the suggested search query further comprises: presenting the search interface preloaded with the suggested search query in a first visual style; and executing the instructions on the processor further causes the server to, upon receiving the user-initiated search query from the user, present to the user the search interface loaded with the user-initiated search query in a second visual style that is different from the first visual style.

14 . The server of claim 8 , wherein:
the search interface is presented adjacent to content; presenting the search results of the suggested search query further comprises: presenting the search results adjacent to and without altering the content; and presenting the search results of the user-initiated search query further comprises: presenting the search results adjacent to and without altering the content.

15 . A nontransitory memory device storing instructions that, when executed on a processor of a server, cause the server to present a search interface to a user, by:
before receiving a user-initiated search query from the user:
identifying a suggested search query that is of predicted interest to the user, and
presenting to the user the search interface preloaded with the suggested search query;
upon receiving from the user a selection of the suggested search query, presenting search results of the suggested search query to the user; and upon receiving the user-initiated search query from the user, presenting search results of the user-initiated search query to the user.

16 . The nontransitory memory device of claim 15 , wherein executing the instructions on the processor further causes the server to, before receiving from the user the selection of the suggested search query, identify the search results of the suggested search query.

17 . The nontransitory memory device of claim 15 , wherein:
identifying the suggested search query of predicted interest of the user further comprises: calculating a predicted user interest score of the suggested search query to the user; and presenting the search interface further comprises: presenting to the user the search interface preloaded with the suggested search query only if the predicted user interest score of the suggested search query exceeds a predicted user interest threshold.

18 . The nontransitory memory device of claim 15 , wherein:
identifying the suggested search query further comprises: identifying a search engine that is associated with the suggested search query; and presenting search results of the suggested search query further comprises: upon receiving from the user the selection of the suggested search query, identify at least one search result by submitting the suggested search query to the search engine that is associated with the suggested search query.

19 . The nontransitory memory device of claim 18 , wherein:
the suggested search query is associated with a media type; and identifying the search engine further comprises: identifying a search engine associated

Assignees

• Yahoo Inc

Inventors

• Petrov Tsvetomir

Classifications

• G06F17/30864

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30395 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/3326

  using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages · CPC title

• G06F16/951

  Indexing; Web crawling techniques · CPC title

• G06F16/3322

  using system suggestions (G06F16/3325 takes precedence) · CPC title