IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,619,554
Granted Patent B2
US 9,619,554 · App. 13/288,593 · Granted Apr 11, 2017

Domain specific query-completion suggestions

Inventors: Xin Liu (Sammamish, WA); Nitin Agrawal (Redmond, WA); James Francis Gilsinan, IV (Redmond, WA); James B. Lawson (Kenmore, WA); Brian Whalen MacDonald (Bellevue, WA); Mairéad Áine O'Donovan (Seattle, WA); Kimberly M. Vlcek (Redmond, WA); Nipoon Malhotra (Redmond, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
G06F17/3064
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,619,554
App. No.
13/288,593
Granted
Apr 11, 2017
Kind
B2
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.

Claims (47)

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 suggestions for the portion of the search query;

determining 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;

determining that the determined 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 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;

upon determining that the determined likelihood exceeds the threshold value, providing the one or more query-completion, wherein the one or more query-completion suggestions include 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;

receiving a selection of the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain; and

providing a plurality of search results determined by searching the query-completion suggestion associated with the particular information domain.

14. The method of claim 13 , 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.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining the likelihood that 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.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining 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 comprises parsing the at least one of the one or more query-completion suggestions.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising 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.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 034544/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 9, 2012
From: LIU, XIN; AGRAWAL, NITIN; GILSINAN, JAMES FRANCIS, IV; LAWSON, JAMES B.; MACDONALD, BRIAN; O'DONOVAN, MAIREAD AINE; VLCEK, KIMBERLY M.; MALHOTRA, NIPOON
To: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027500/0080 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130117297A1 · May 9, 2013