Auto-completion of widely shared search queries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017192991-A1
Application number	US-201615176393-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, for facilitating auto-completion of search queries in a group based document sharing environment. In one aspect, a method includes actions of maintaining a prefix index that includes prefix index entries. Each prefix index entry may include a prefix, a group identifier, and a portion of a document. Additional actions may include receiving input from a user that is associated with a search field, determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input, mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier, obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index, and selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier. Other actions may include providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
maintaining a prefix index that includes a plurality of prefix index entries, wherein each prefix index entry includes a prefix, a group identifier, and a portion of a document; receiving input from a user that is associated with a search field; determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input; mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier that is associated with the user; obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index; selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier that is associated with the user; and providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user as suggested queries.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a zero character input.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a single character.

4 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
receiving two or more inputs from the user that are associated with the search field; and for each received input from the user:
determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input;
mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier that is associated with the user;
obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index;
selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier that is associated with the user; and
providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user as suggested queries.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting a subset of candidate queries based on the group identifier includes:
determining a subset of prefix index entries that are associated with prefix that corresponds to the received input; and for each prefix index entry:
determining whether the particular group identifier that is associated with the user corresponds to a group identifier associated with the prefix index entry; and
in response to a determination that the particular group identifier that is associated with the user corresponds to the group identifier associated with the prefix index entry, selecting the portion of the document that is associated with the prefix index entry for inclusion as a candidate query in the subset of candidate queries.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a group score that is associated with each candidate query suggestion and unique to each particular group; and ranking the suggested queries based on the group score.

7 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the candidate query includes one or multiple words, wherein the group score is based on the number of times the one or multiple words appear in documents associated with each respective group of users.

8 . A system comprising:
one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
maintaining a prefix index that includes a plurality of prefix index entries, wherein each prefix index entry includes a prefix, a group identifier, and a portion of a document;
receiving input from a user that is associated with a search field;
determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input;
mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier that is associated with the user;
obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index;
selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier that is associated with the user; and
providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user as suggested queries.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a zero character input.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a single character.

11 . The system of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:
receiving two or more inputs from the user that are associated with the search field; and for each received input from the user:
determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input;
mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier that is associated with the user;
obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index;
selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier that is associated with the user; and
providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user as suggested queries.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein selecting a subset of candidate queries based on the group identifier includes:
determining a subset of prefix index entries that are associated with prefix that corresponds to the received input; and for each prefix index entry:
determining whether the particular group identifier that is associated with the user corresponds to a group identifier associated with the prefix index entry; and
in response to a determination that the particular group identifier that is associated with the user corresponds to the group identifier associated with the prefix index entry, selecting the portion of the document that is associated with the prefix index entry for inclusion as a candidate query in the subset of candidate queries.

13 . The system of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:
generating a group score that is associated with each candidate query suggestion and unique to each particular group; and ranking the suggested queries based on the group score, wherein the candidate query includes one or multiple words, wherein the group score is based on the number of times the one or multiple words appear in documents associated with each respective group of users.

14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
maintaining a prefix index that includes a plurality of prefix index entries, wherein each prefix index entry includes a prefix, a group identifier, and a portion of a document; receiving input from a user that is associated with a search field; determining a user identifier associated with the user that submitted the received input; mapping the user identifier to a particular group identifier that is associated with the user; obtaining one or multiple candidate query suggestions based on the received input and the prefix index; selecting a subset of the candidate query suggestions based on the particular group identifier that is associated with the user; and providing the subset of candidate query suggestions to the user as suggested queries.

15 . The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a zero character input.

16 . The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the input from the user that is associated with the search field includes a single character.

17 . The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , the operations fu

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Touma Costa
• Brickner Boaz
• Angel Alvertos Dayid
• Szalay Mate
• Shotland Ari

Classifications

• G06F16/2423

  Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema · CPC title

• G06F16/90324 Primary

  using system suggestions · CPC title

• G06F16/9535

  Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation · CPC title

• G06F17/3097 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30392

  Physics · mapped topic