Domain specific query-completion suggestions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9619554-B2
Application number	US-201113288593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2011
Priority date	Nov 3, 2011
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing query-completion suggestions configured to be searched against vertical information domains in response to receiving a general web search query are provided. At least a portion of a general web search query is received. As the portion of the general web search query is received, query-completion suggestions are determined as is a likely primary intent associated with at least a portion of the determined query-completion suggestions. If the likely primary intent associated with a particular query-completion suggestion is for information associated with a particular vertical information domain other than the general web domain, the query-completion suggestion is provided such that selection thereof causes searching of the query-completion suggestion against the particular information domain for search results.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. One or more computer storage hardware memory devices storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method comprising:
receiving a portion of a search query;
determining one or more query-completion suggestions for the portion of the search query;
determining that an intent of at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with a particular information domain of a plurality of vertical domains based on a threshold value that indicates whether or not the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with the particular information domain such that when the threshold value is not exceeded, the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions in not provided with the particular information domain; and
wherein upon the determining component determining that the likelihood exceeds the threshold value, providing the one or more query-completion suggestions, wherein the one or more query-completion suggestions includes the at least one of the one or more query completion suggestions as a query-completion suggestion associated with a particular information domain,
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain comprises a term associated with the particular information domain preceding one or more terms of the query-completion suggestion,
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain is provided as a top-listed query-completion suggestion relative to others, from the one or more query-completion suggestions, that are not associated with particular information domains,
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain is provided as a selectable query-completion suggestion such that selection thereof causes searching of the one or more terms against the particular information domain.

2. The devices of claim 1 , wherein receiving the portion of the search query comprises receiving the portion of the search query in association with a query-input region and wherein providing the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions comprises providing the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain in association with the query-input region.

3. The devices of claim 1 , wherein determining the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions comprises mining query log data to determine the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions.

4. The devices of claim 1 , wherein determining the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions comprises parsing the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions.

5. The devices of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises providing a visual indicator in association with the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain that indicates that selection of the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain will cause searching of the one or more terms of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions against one of the particular information domain.

6. The devices of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a selection by a user of the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain and
navigating the user to the particular information domain.

7. A system comprising:
a processor in communication with computer-storage media;
a receiving component that receives a portion of a search query;
a query-completion suggestion component that determines one or more query-completion suggestions for the portion of the search query; and
a determining component that determines a likelihood that an intent of at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with a particular information domain of a plurality of vertical domains, and determines whether the likelihood exceeds a threshold value—wherein the threshold value that indicates whether or not the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with the particular information domain;
wherein upon the determining component determining that the likelihood does not exceed the threshold value, the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is provided without an associated particular information domain;
wherein upon the determining component determining that the likelihood exceeds the threshold value, the query-completion suggestion component accesses information stored in association with the computer-storage media and provides the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions as a query-completion suggestion associated with a particular information domain,
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain comprises a term associated with the particular information domain preceding one or more terms of the query-completion suggestion;
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain is provided as a top-listed query-completion suggestion relative to others, from the one or more query-completion suggestions, that are not associated with particular information domains,
wherein the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain is provided as a selectable query-completion suggestion such that selection thereof causes searching of the one or more terms against the particular information domain.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the receiving component receives the portion of the search query in association with a query-input region, and wherein the query-completion suggestion component provides the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain in association with the query-input region.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the determining component mines query log data to determine the likelihood that the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with the particular information domain.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the determining component parses the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions to determine the likelihood that the intent of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions is for information associated with the particular information domain.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the query-completion suggestion component further provides providing a visual indicator in association with the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain that indicates that selection of the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain will cause searching of the one or more terms of the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions against one of the particular information domain.

12. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a selection receiving component that receives selection by a user of the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain; and
a navigation component that navigates the user to the particular information domain.

13. A method performed by a computing device having a processor, the method comprising:
receiving a portion of a search query;
determining one or more query-completion su

Assignees

• Liu Xin
• Agrawal Nitin
• Gilsinan Iv James Francis
• Lawson James B
• Macdonald Brian Whalen
• O'Donovan Mairéad Áine
• Vlcek Kimberly M
• Malhotra Nipoon
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Liu Xin
• Agrawal Nitin
• Gilsinan Iv James Francis
• Lawson James B
• Macdonald Brian Whalen
• O'Donovan Mairéad Áine
• Vlcek Kimberly M
• Malhotra Nipoon

Classifications

• G06F16/3322 Primary

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

• G06F17/3064 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic