HK1178288A - Context aware tagging interface - Google Patents

Description

Context-aware tagging interface

Background

The internet provides a vast and rapidly growing pool of information and resources through its hundreds of millions of web pages. To find the desired content, computer users often utilize search engines to query an index for one or more search terms. Computer users provide search terms to search engines, which return results that point to web pages and other electronic content that match the search terms. Unfortunately, the large number of search terms received from a user is ambiguous. A typical example is a search term that includes a name, such as "John Smith.

A user may send a persona search query to a conventional search engine that locates content containing information about search terms included in the search query. For example, a search query for "John Smith" received by a conventional search engine resolves to search terms: "John" and "Smith", or "John" or "Smith". Conventional search engines then search the index for each of the following search terms: "John" and "Smith". Results from the index matching the search term are provided to the user. However, conventional search engines are unable to distinguish between multiple individuals within search results having the same name.

Some conventional search engines refine results via query modifiers that are either prompted to the user or obtained from the user's context. For example, location information associated with a user's Internet Protocol (IP) address may be used to reduce the number of results by removing results that cannot be matched to the user's location. Conventional search engines may utilize other modifiers (e.g., previous search history from the user or other users) to reduce the number of results. Previous search histories included in the search logs of the database may be analyzed by conventional search engines. The search log may include modifiers that the user or other searcher has previously used in searching for "John Smith". Conventional search engines extract modifiers from search logs and provide them to users as query modifiers that can reduce the number of results.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. 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 determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for identifying social network connections and the like in a search engine results page received in response to a user's query. The search engine is configured to provide a tagging interface that allows a user to identify results related to entities in the user's social network. Upon receiving the search query, the search engine is configured to determine whether the query or a portion thereof is a name query. In response to the name query, a tagging interface is presented to the user. The tagging interface allows a user to specify the user's social network. In some embodiments, the tagging interface allows the user to identify URLs related to entities included in the user's social network.

In one embodiment, a search engine may obtain a user's social network and compare the name query to information included in the social network to determine if there is a match for the query. If it is determined that one or more entities in the social network match the name query, the social network identifier or some other identifier is utilized as a tag for the one or more entities. When the user determines that the content associated with the URL is related to the entity associated with the identifier, the user may tag one or more URLs with the identifier. The tags may then be stored in a database accessible to the search engine based on permissions established by the entities tagged by the user. In some embodiments, an entity tagged by a user may receive a notification to inform the entity that the user has associated one or more URLs with their identifiers.

Drawings

Embodiments of the inventive technique are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a network diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitable for use in implementing embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a logical diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providing tags for search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a state diagram illustrating some exemplary states of a search engine according to embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a logical diagram illustrating an exemplary method for tagging entities included in a search engine results page in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a logical diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providing tags for URLs in a search results page, where the URLs are relevant to a searcher, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with tab elements of a search engine results page according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with tagging functionality for URLs in a search engine results page according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface having functionality for requesting permission to access a social network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface having functionality for providing tag suggestions based on partial tags, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with search results and clusters associated with tagged results according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with search results for a searcher according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with search results for a searcher and entities with similar names according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with removable tabs in search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with tagged permission status in search results according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with removable tabs in search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with social network profile information associated with tagged search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with taggable search results for a searcher, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with an approval dialog for an approval tab according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface with an approval dialog for a tab entered by a searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with a permissions dialog for accessing a searcher's social network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface for an approval dialog with a tag for input by a searcher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with tagged search results according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface of untagged search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with results for a logged-in searcher, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with feedback associated with a searcher in a social networking application, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

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.

Various aspects of the technology described herein relate generally to computer systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable storage media that present social network connections and the like associated with search engine result pages. Embodiments of the present invention allow a user to quickly identify URLs in a search engine results page that are relevant to the user or entities in the user's social network. The search engine receives a query, such as a name query, from a user. The search engine returns the URL matching the query to the user.

In one embodiment, when the search engine determines that the query is ambiguous, a tagging interface is included in the search engine results page. For example, the search engine may examine the search logs and click through volumes. When the number of clicks is sporadic and not concentrated around a particular URL or set of URLs, the search engine marks the query as ambiguous. For example, when the search engine determines that the percentage of the click distribution of a query associated with two or more URLs has a click percentage equal to or less than 50%, the search engine marks the query as ambiguous. The search engine analyzes the logs and clicks to determine that the query is ambiguous because the URLs clicked on are very different. Alternatively, if the query is or contains a name of a person, it may be ambiguous, at which point the query may be identified as ambiguous. But the search engine may not consider the names of celebrities (actors, singers, etc.) included in the query as ambiguous. If the query is an acronym (e.g., SIGIR or ACM), it is identified as ambiguous. If the previous results to the query are from different categories of websites (e.g., "jaguars" produces results for cars, animals, and sports teams), the query is identified as ambiguous. A query is identified as ambiguous if previous results to the query contain several different URLs from a particular social network. The tagging interface is available to the user when the search engine identifies the query as ambiguous. The tagging interface allows a user to tag results having content associated with entities in the user's social network. Thus, when a query received from a user is marked as ambiguous, the search engine results page can include a tagging interface.

The tagging interface in the search engine results page is triggered based on the contextual information of the searcher and the query. If the URL is about an entity for which the user is attempting to obtain results, the tagging interface allows the user to tag the results on the search engine results page. In some embodiments, the results may be tagged with an identifier for the user's friends. The identifier may be a social network identifier or based on a social network identifier used by a friend of the user. The identifier may be a hash of the social network identifier of the entity. Users and their friends (which may be found through a social network) are allowed to tag specific URLs related to queries entered by the users or friends. The tag corresponds to a URL having content about the entity indicated in the query. When subsequent queries for the same name are identified as ambiguous, these tags can be used by the search engine to identify relevant tagged URLs associated with matching entities in the user's social network.

In yet another embodiment, the tag may be associated with the URL based on permissions identified by the tagger and the tagger. The tagger is the person who pairs the tag and the URL. A tagee is an entity associated with a tag. The search engine utilizes the permissions to determine whether to approve or reject one or more tag-URL pairs received from the user. For example, the tag may correspond to a social network identifier. The user may click or hover the mouse over the tab to determine if approval is required. In one embodiment, a tagged person may specify permissions that prohibit the use of their social networking information. The tagees may also indicate whether the tag is private or public. When the tags are private, only individuals in the social network of the tagger may see the tags in the search engine results page. When the tags are public, in one embodiment, any user that submits a query for names that match the tagged person's tags can see the tags and URLs in the search engine results page.

Thus, embodiments of the present invention encourage tagging of URLs in search engine results pages and sharing of tagged search results to others, including entities in the social networks of the taggers and the tagged-ees. Based on the URLs returned to the query, the user may tag URLs associated with content about themselves or URLs associated with content about their friends.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a computer system configured to implement embodiments of the present invention may include hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware includes a processor and memory configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. In one embodiment, the memory includes a computer-readable medium storing a computer program product having computer-useable instructions for a computer-implemented method. Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media, and media readable by a database, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches, routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are the devices with which they communicate. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media or machine-readable media include media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information. Examples of stored information include computer-usable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data representations. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disks (DVD), holographic media or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and other magnetic storage devices. These memory technologies can store data instantaneously, temporarily, or permanently.

In yet another embodiment, a computer system includes a communication network having an index, a social network provider, a client computer, and a search engine. The index is configured to store URLs for content located on the internet. A user may generate a query on a computer that is communicatively connected to a search engine. The computer may then send the query to a search engine. The search engine may use the query to locate URLs in an index having content that matches the query. The search engine may provide the URL in a search engine results page, which may include a tagging interface if the query is identified as ambiguous by the search engine.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an exemplary computing system 100 according to embodiments of the invention. The computing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is exemplary only, and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope or functionality. Embodiments of the present invention may operate in a variety of other configurations. Referring to FIG. 1, computing system 100 includes a network 110, a computer 120, a social network provider 130, a search engine 140, and an index 150.

The network 110 enables communication between various network devices and resources. The network 110 connects the computer 120 and the search engine 140. Social network providers 130 and an index 150 are also connected to the network 110. The network 110 is configured to facilitate communication between the computer 120 and the search engine 140. It also enables the search engine 140 to access the social network provider 130 to exchange information based on the URL in the search engine results page and the tags identified by the user. The network 110 may be a communication network, such as a wireless network, a local area network, a wired network, or the internet. In one embodiment, computer 120 interacts with search engine 140 using network 110. For example, a user of computer 120 may generate a query, such as a name query. In response, the search engine 140 queries the index 150 to include URLs for web pages, images, videos, or other electronic documents that match the query generated by the user.

Computer 120 allows a user to view a search engine results page received from search engine 140. In some embodiments, the search engine results page includes a tagging interface. Computer 120 may allow a user to enter tags for URLs included in a search engine results page. The computer 120 is connected to a search engine 140 via the network 110. Computer 120 is used by a user to generate search terms, mouse over objects, or select links or objects, and to receive search engine result pages or web pages related to the search terms, selected links, or selected objects. Computer 120 includes, but is not limited to, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a personal computer, a gaming system, a set-top box, or any other suitable client computing device. Computer 120 includes user and system information storage to store user and system information on computer 120. The user information may include a search history, a cookie, and a password. The system information may include internet protocol addresses, cached web pages, and system utilization. Computer 120 communicates with search engine 140 to receive search results or web pages related to the search terms, selected links, or selected objects. The computer 120 may communicate with the social network provider 130 to receive social network alerts or profiles associated with entities tagged by the user or social network alerts or profiles associated with the user.

The social network provider 130 receives requests for social network data, generates responses to the requests for social network data, and receives notifications from the search engine. The notification may be generated in response to a tag received from a user submitting a query to a search engine. The social network information may be stored in a database accessible by the social network provider 130. In other embodiments, the social networking information may be stored in a cache of the search engine 140 to optimize performance of the search engine. In some embodiments, the social network provider 130 may be a server device connected to the network 110, the index 150, and the computer 120.

Search engine 140 is used to traverse index 150 and generate a search engine results page in response to search requests, including name queries. Search engine 140 is communicatively coupled to computer 120 via network 110. The search engine 140 is also connected to the index 150 and the social network provider 130. In some embodiments, the search engine 140 is a server device that generates a graphical user interface, including a tagging interface, as appropriate, for display on the computer 120. The search engine 140 receives a selection of a word or a selection of a link from the computer 120 over the network 110, and the computer 120 presents an interface that receives interactions from the user.

In some embodiments, the search engine 140 may parse the query to determine whether a tagging interface should be generated for display to the user. If the query is identified as ambiguous by the search engine 140, a tagging interface is generated by the search engine 140 and sent to the computer 120 for display to the user. If the query is not identified as ambiguous by the search engine 140, then in one embodiment no tagging interface is generated. In other embodiments, a tagging interface is generated for both ambiguous and non-ambiguous queries. In an alternative embodiment, the search engine 140 may generate a notification to inform the user that the URL may be tagged within the search results page.

For example, if the search term of the query is "Harry Shum Asian Exec Award," the search engine 140 may not identify the query as ambiguous. Thus, the search engine 140 may not generate a tagging interface. However, the search engine 140 may generate a notification to inform the user that the URL within the search results may be tagged. The notification may be a message informing the user that his own URL may be tagged. Alternatively, the notification may be a URL to a tagging interface or a result of tagging. If the notification is a tagged URL, the URL may be selected from the top URLs included in the search engine results page.

In some embodiments, the search engine 140 may send the query to the index 150. The search engine 140 utilizes the query to identify matching URLs. The search engine 140 then examines the matching terms and provides the computer 120 with a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that point to web pages, images, videos, or other electronic documents in the search engine results page. The search engine results page may include a tagging interface that allows a user to tag URLs. In some embodiments, the user approves to allow the search engine to access his/her social network to obtain a social network identifier that can be used as a tag. In some embodiments, the search engine 140 prevents the tagger from associating an offending URL with the tag, such as pornography, malicious, or any other inappropriate content.

The index 150 stores words and posting lists. Words are typically associated with electronic documents such as web pages, videos, text files, and images. The posting lists allow the user to identify the documents associated with the words. In some embodiments, the index 150 also stores tags received from users. In other embodiments, the tags are stored in a separate storage database connected to the index 150. The tags may be utilized by the search engine 140 in response to subsequent queries for URLs associated with tagged entities. In addition, the database may store the date and time that the tag is associated with the URL, the tag-URL pairing, and permissions associated with the tagger or tagees. Permissions may include requiring approval, automatic approval, inability to be tagged by anyone, or inability to be tagged by an explicitly identified entity. Requiring approval permission prevents the database from storing tag-URL pairs without first receiving authorization of the tagged person via the search engine. Auto-approval permission allows the database to store tag-URL pairs without first receiving authorization from a tagged person. Permissions that cannot be tagged by anyone prevent the database from storing tag-URL pairs received from anyone other than the entity associated with the tag. Permissions that cannot be tagged by a clearly identified entity prevent the database from storing tag-URL pairs received from the clearly identified entity. In some embodiments, preventing the database from storing the tag-URL pairing includes storing the tag-URL pairing and the token tag-URL pairing to indicate that authorization or approval is required before performing the tag-URL pairing.

Thus, the computing system 100 is configured with a search engine 140 that provides results, including URLs and tagging interfaces, to the computer 120. The search request received from computer 120 is received by a search engine, which traverses index 150 to obtain results including available tagged results. The search engine sends the results to computer 120. The computer 120 then presents the results to the user.

The tagging interface is included in a search engine results page sent to the user. In some embodiments, the search engine may obtain permission from the user to access the user's social network prior to utilizing the social network identifier as a tag for the URL included in the search results. In other embodiments, the search engine utilizes a hash of the social network identifier as a tag. If the user does not allow the search engine to access their social network, the search engine may, in at least one embodiment, restrict the user's access to results tagged by entities in the user's social network or other entities outside of the user's social network.

FIG. 2 is a logic diagram illustrating an exemplary method 200 for providing tags for search results in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins when a search engine receives a query. In one embodiment, the query received by the search engine is examined in step 202 to determine if the query contains a name. When the query contains a name, the search engine confirms that access to the user's social network is available in step 204. Next, in step 204, the search engine determines whether the name contained in the query matches the user or friends of the user included in the social network. In some embodiments, a particular Internet Protocol (IP) address may be associated with a user authorized to access their social network and included in the session information. In another embodiment, the session information may include an indication that the user has authorized access to the user's social network.

If the user does not have authorized access, the search engine returns a URL in a search engine results page that matches the query in step 206. These are normal search results and may not include tags. If the user has authorized access and the query contains a friend or the user's name, the search engine returns the URL in the search results page and returns a tagging interface to tag the URL in step 208. The tagging interface allows a user to tag entities (friends, siblings, parents, colleagues) included in the user's social network. In step 208a, the user may enter a tag for the URL. In step 208b, the user may request to view all URLs for a particular tab or to view all tabs entered by the user. In step 210, the tagging interface is updated based on the tags received from the user. In step 210a, the search engine results page is updated to include the tags entered by the user. In one embodiment, the tags may be represented by thumbnails associated with entities in the social network. In step 210b, the tagging interface may be updated with a profile view of the friend or user. The profile view may include social networking information and a URL to tag a friend or user.

In step 212, the search engine receives the tags entered by the user. The search engine may be configured to store the tags in an index that is used to locate URLs that match the query. In some embodiments, the search engine may check permissions associated with the user's social network before updating the index. In step 214, the search engine confirms that access to the social network is available. If access to the social network is available, the search engine obtains the user's social network in step 216. Next, in step 218, the tags are stored in the index. If access to the social network is not available, the search engine requests the user to identify the social network in step 220. In step 222, the user may provide authorization information to access the social network. In step 224, the search engine determines whether the user is allowed access to the social network. If the user does not allow access, the search engine generates a notification message informing the user in step 226. In one embodiment, the message may inform the user that the tags can only be viewed and not entered. If the user allows access, the tag received from the user is stored in step 218. The stored tags may be used to respond to subsequent queries.

The search engine may operate in a variety of states. These states include receiving a search query, providing a tagging interface, viewing results, and the like. Search engines may move from one state to another based on input received from a user, an index or social network provider, or any other computer system.

FIG. 3 is a state diagram 300 illustrating some exemplary states of a search engine according to embodiments of the invention. In state 310, the search engine determines whether the query has the name of the user or friend. The search engine may examine the user's social network for matches to the query. If the search engine does not locate a match or the query is not a name, the search engine moves to state 320. In state 320, the search engine generates a search engine results page without any information about the user's social network. For example, the search results page will not include any information or images of the user or of entities included in the user's social network.

If the search engine locates a match, the search engine moves to state 330. In state 330, the search engine may obtain profile information, including social network identifiers or photos of matching entities. The search engine may provide the user with a view of the profiles of the potential matches. The profile view may include a social network identifier or a photograph. The tags used by the user for the URLs of search engine results pages can be based on information included in the profile view.

If the search engine receives an indication that the user is clicking on a photo or tag associated with a URL, the search engine may move to state 340 where the user is provided a view of the tagged URL associated with the entity linked to the photo or tag. In some embodiments, the user may update the query and issue a new search request while in the profile view state 330 or tagged view state 340. This may result in the search engine returning to state 310 discussed above.

The user may then click on the link to return the search engine results page. This causes the search engine to move to state 350. In state 350, the user may continue to view URLs that may be tagged and associated with entities in the user's social network. In one embodiment, a user may select a tag for a URL based on the content of the URL and social network profile information available to the user. This may result in the search engine moving from state 350 to state 330 discussed above. In other embodiments, the user may view the tags for a particular entity to review the URLs associated with that entity or tag additional URLs. This may result in the search engine moving from state 350 to state 340 discussed above.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method is performed by a server device of a search engine to tag URLs in a search results page. After receiving a search query that includes the name of the entity, the server device provides search results and input fields to tag one or more URLs corresponding with the entity. The server device obtains a social network of the user providing the query. The server device processes the social network to locate entities that match the query and are within a threshold number of hops. The user may tag one or more URLs with the entity's social network account information based on authorization information received from an owner managing the social network account.

FIG. 4 is a logical diagram illustrating an exemplary method for tagging entities included in a search engine results page in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins in step 410. In step 420, a server device executing a search engine receives a query including a name of an entity. In step 430, the server device searches the index to locate the URL associated with the content matching the name. In step 440, the server device returns search results that include the name. In step 450, the server device provides an interface in which the user enters tags for one or more URLs included in the search engine results page. The tag may be associated with a social network identifier for an entity included in the user's social network.

In one embodiment, the tags are based on or limited to the user's social network. The server device obtains a graph representing a social network of users that provided the query. The server device then locates entities in the social network that are within a threshold number of hops. The server device provides the located entities as suggestion tags for one or more URLs included in the search engine results page. In some embodiments, the threshold number of hops is 3.

In some embodiments, notifications are generated for one or more social network accounts associated with entities identified by tags for one or more URLs entered by a user. The notification is sent by the server device to one or more social network accounts. The notification may include a request to obtain permission from an entity associated with the tag corresponding to the one or more URLs. Additionally, the notification may allow the owner of the social network account to authorize the tag or remove the tag.

Next, in step 460, the server device receives the tag entered in the interface for storage in a database connected to the index. The tags may identify entities in the social network of the user providing the query. The server device may update the database to include the URL-tag pairing received from the user. Thus, a subsequent query to a tagged entity returns search results that match the subsequent query and clusters having URLs tagged by the user or other searcher. The cluster may include profile information provided by the tagged entity or the user's social network account. In some embodiments, a cluster is a link that can be shared on a social networking application via broadcast feedback. In other embodiments, the link is an image retrieved from a social network account corresponding to the tag. The method ends in step 470.

In some embodiments, the user may navigate directly to the tagging interface prior to providing the search query. In this case, the search engine may not have session information and may not have access to the user's social network unless the user logs into their social network account. The search engine may check to determine whether the user is currently logged into the social network account. If the user is logged in and authorized to allow the search engine access to the social network account, the user may submit a query and receive a URL, which may be tagged based on a social network identifier for an entity in the user's social network account.

FIG. 5 is a logic diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providing tags for URLs in a search results page where the URLs are relevant to a searcher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step 505, a user may access a tagging interface of a search engine via a URL linked to the tagging interface. In step 510, the search engine may check to determine whether the user is logged into a social network account.

If the user is not logged in, the search engine may redirect the user to a social network login dialog box in step 515. In one embodiment, in step 515a, a social network dialog is selected by the user. In step 520, the user connects to a social network. The user may modify the permissions within the social network account to allow the tagging interface to utilize a portion of the profile. In step 530, the search engine determines whether the user's social network is accessible. If the search engine has access to a social network, the user may enter the query and tag his or her own and other people's results in step 540. If the search engine is not able to access the social network, the user may utilize an application and API that enables the search engine to access the social network based on the user's permission settings in step 560. Once the application and API are executed on the user's computer, the search engine may obtain the user's social network in step 570. Users can now utilize social networks to identify tags for URLs of search engine result pages returned in response to queries submitted by users to the search engine.

If the user is logged in, the search engine checks to determine if the user's social network is accessible in step 550. If the search engine has access to the social network, the search engine may obtain the user's social network. And the user may utilize the social network to identify the tag for the URL. If the search engine is not able to access the social network, the user may trigger execution of an application dialog box and an API dialog box in step 560 that enable the search engine to access the social network based on the user's permission settings. Once the application dialog and API dialog receive the appropriate authorization from the user's computer, the search engine may obtain the user's social network in step 570. Users can now utilize social networks to identify tags for URLs of search engine result pages returned in response to queries submitted by users to the search engine.

The search engine generates a tagging interface that allows the user to enter tags, set permissions, access the searcher's social network, and manage tags associated with URLs included in the search results page. The tagging interface is graphical and allows a user to visualize entities on the user's social network that are relevant to the content of the URL. The search engine utilizes social networking information and tags received from the user to disambiguate subsequent queries received from the user or other searchers.

6-25 are diagrams illustrating exemplary graphical user interfaces generated by a search engine when a user performs some of the available tagging actions. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 600 with tab elements of a search engine results page according to an embodiment of the present invention. The search engine may receive a user query for "Kevin Haas" in field 630. Because the user is not logged into the social network, the search engine results page will not include a normal tagging interface. The search engine results page will include the tag notification 610, the results 620, and some information from the profile of the social network that matches the query search terms. This would be a normal search engine results page generated by the search engine for users who are not logged into the social network. Tag notification 610 will allow the user to select a social network and begin tagging the URL included in result 620. In some embodiments, information from profiles of social networks that match the query search terms may include images 620a of friends identified in the matching profiles.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 700 having tagging functionality for URLs in a search engine results page according to an embodiment of the present invention. The search engine may receive a query for "Kevin Haas" from a logged-on user such as Ian Lin. In one embodiment, the search engine may return a search results page that includes any combination of normal search results, the tagged URL of the logged-in user, and the tagged URL of "Kevin Hass" (if Kevin Hass is an entity in the user's social network).

As the user logs into the social network, the search engine results page may include a tagging interface 710 that allows the user to enter tags. The tagging interface may include a results portion 710a, a clusters portion 710b, an input field 710c, an identifier 710d of a logged-in user, a link 710e to a tagged URL of a user, a link 710f to a URL that requires approval by a user, a default set of permissions 710g of a user, tagged friends 710h of a user included in a social network, and tagged friends 710i of a tagable user. The tagged friends 710h of the user included in the social network may include the social network identifier and the number of tagged URLs for the entity. In one embodiment, the search engine ranks the entities based on the number of tagged URLs. In other embodiments, the entities may be ranked based on the number of common friends between the searcher and the entity. The friends 710i of the taggable user may include entities that have not been tagged by the searcher. These entities may be ordered based on the number of common friends between the searcher and the entity or the number of tagged URLs. In other embodiments, friends 710i of a taggable user may include entities that have not been tagged by anyone. These entities may be ranked based on the number of common friends between the searcher and the entity.

The user may provide a tag for the search engine via input field 710 c. The search engine may then provide autocomplete suggestions to the user based on entities in the user's social network that match the query. In some embodiments, the user must allow the search engine to send tagging actions for posting on the user's wall in the social network. If the user does not allow for notifications to be posted, the user may not be able to tag URLs included in the search engine results page.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 800 having functionality for requesting permission to access a social network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As discussed above, the user must provide permission for the search engine to access broadcast feedback within the social network. The search engine provides a permissions dialog 810 to let the user authorize the search engine to access the user's social network walls and to allow the search engine to post tagging actions to the user's walls.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 900 having functionality for providing tag suggestions based on partial tags, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The search engine provides an auto-complete function that allows the user to begin typing in tags while the search engine suggests names in the pop-up window 910 from the user's social network that completed the entry typed by the user. The search engine can access the user's social network to obtain possible completions. In some embodiments, the name suggested to the user is for an entity within a threshold number of hops (e.g., two times from the user).

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1000 with search results and clusters associated with tagged results according to an embodiment of the invention. When a user has several entities of the same name in the user's social network, the search engine results page may include multiple clusters 1010. When the user connects to one or more entities that match the query and the one or more entities are tagged in one or more URLs, the search engine gives the tagged URLs in the search engine results page a preferential location over other URLs in the search engine results page.

In one embodiment, the cluster 1010 includes a tagged URL for each of the different entities. In some embodiments, the cluster may provide an indication of the number of URLs to tag a particular entity. By clicking on the cluster, the search engine loads a page with all the tags for the selected entity. In one embodiment, the search engine orders the clusters 1010 based on the number of tagged URLs associated with the entity. In another embodiment, the search engine ranks the clusters 1010 based on the number of common friends of the selected entity and the searcher.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1100 with search results for a searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention. The searcher who logs in may be "Kevin Haas," a search engine user who is looking for information about himself on the Internet. The search engine results page will include results 1110, 1120, and 1130 that match the query and utilize the searcher's social networking information to determine that the user issued the query to himself or herself. This may allow the search engine to configure user profiles that include information from the social network, such as photos, educational backgrounds, and work experiences included in results 1110, 1120, or 1130. The user profile may also include the contact address of the searcher, the tagged URLs of the searcher, and the total number of tagged URLs for the user. In one embodiment, the searcher's tagged URLs include URLs that are clicked frequently. The search engine results page may include other results 1120 that match the query. If the user has other entities with the same name, their social networking information is also displayed to the user in results 1130. In most embodiments, the search engine will display the profile information of the user searching for himself in higher ranking than other entities matching the query, unless the user clicks on the results of another entity with the same name as the user.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1200 with search results for searchers and entities with similar names according to an embodiment of the present invention. After the search engine receives a query (self-search) for the name of the logged-in searcher, the search engine may generate a search engine results page that is initially limited in scope to information from the user's social network and previously tagged results. The results may include profile information for two or more entities 1210, 1220 that match the query. Profile information may include a list of friends, work places, past work experiences, and educational background. At least one of the entities 1210 or 1220 included in the search engine results page may be a searcher. In one embodiment, the search engine results page is configured to include only profile information for the searcher and profile information for entities with the same name that hop the least number of times from the searcher and have the most common friends.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1300 with removable tabs in search results according to an embodiment of the present invention. The logged-on user may review the tags within the search engine results page. The tag presents the entity that has been associated with the URL. The tags may have been previously entered by other searchers or login users. The tags may be grouped together to save space and replaced with a more available indication 1310, e.g., "another 2" or "more," indicating that other tags have been associated with the URL. The user may click on or hover the mouse over the more available indications to reveal other tabs. Other tags and taggers may be presented in dialog 1320. In some embodiments, if the user has previously entered any of the tags, dialog 1320 may include a remove tag button that allows the user that tagged the URL to remove the tag. In other embodiments, dialog 1320 may also include an approval status that informs the user or tagger whether the tagger has approved the tag.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1400 with tagged permission status in search results according to an embodiment of the invention. As discussed above, the user may click on or mouse over the tab associated with the URL to reveal the permission status of the tab in dialog box 1410. For example, the permission status may indicate that the taggant still needs to approve the tag. The dialog box may include a remove tag button that allows a user who tags the URL to remove the tag. In some embodiments, the search engine may present the social network identifier of the person tagging the URL in dialog 1410.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface with removable tabs in search results according to an embodiment of the present invention. In another embodiment, the user may click on or mouse over a tab associated with the URL to cause the search engine to generate dialog 1510. Dialog 1510 allows the user to remove the tags that were previously entered by the user regardless of the licensing status. For example, the permission status may indicate that the tag is approved by the tagger. The dialog box may include a remove tag button that allows a user who tags the URL to remove the tag. In some embodiments, the search engine is configured to allow the tagger or tagger to remove the tagged URL. Any updates to the tags may also be reflected in the index that the search engine uses to obtain URLs that match the query.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1600 with social network profile information associated with tagged search results according to an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, the search engine may determine that the user has not logged into the social network before providing the query. The user may navigate to the tagging interface without first logging in. The search engine may allow the user to search for tags, but return only limited information about the entities included in the query. For example, if the tagged person allows their social networking information to be used, social networking information 1610 and 1620 may include the number of tags, the name of the entity, friends of the entity, and photos.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1700 with taggable search results for a searcher, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As discussed above, the search engine may receive a self-query in which a logged-in user searches for content about himself or herself. For example, the user "Ian Lin" may submit a self query to a search engine. The search engine then generates a search engine results page with matching terms for the query. The search engine may also generate a tagging interface that allows the user to tag URLs that have content about the user. The tagging interface may include a cluster 1710, permission criteria 1720, and the like. Cluster 1710 includes tagged URLs associated with a user and may provide the number of tagged URLs to the user. Permission conditions 1720 allow the user to specify permission of tags by other searchers. Licensing may include automatic approval, disapproval approval, or the need for review prior to approval. The user may select the desired permission settings for the tag via permission criteria 1720.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1800 having an approval dialog for an approval tab according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, a label 1810 is associated with the results and displayed to the user on the computing device. For example, the user may click on tab 1810 or hover the mouse over tab 1810 for approval dialog 1820. The search engine may generate an approval dialog 1820 to allow the user to approve the tab.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 1900 with an approval dialog for a tag entered by a searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention. In another embodiment, the search engine may present the login user with a tag management interface with all tags to be approved. The tag management interface may include a cluster 1910, an approve button 1920, a tagged URL 1930, and permissions 1940. In one embodiment, the search engine orders the tagged URLs 1930 based on the date and time that the URLs are associated with the tags. Cluster 1910 is a link to a pending URL and includes the number of URLs that are pending for the user. Approval button 1920 allows the user to individually accept each of the seeker suggested tag-URL pairs. In some embodiments, the user may utilize the approve all buttons to accept all tag-URL pairs suggested by the searcher simultaneously. When a taggant rejects or removes the tag from the URL, the search engine prevents other searchers or taggants from re-tagging the taggant with the URL. In one embodiment, only the tagger will be able to tag himself with the URL. Thus, the search engine allows users to de-tag their own documents, thereby preventing future tagging of these documents.

In some embodiments, the tagger may be able to specify a relationship with the URL. Relationships may include authors, contributors, profiles, publicity, and the like. The relationships may be stored in an index for later retrieval with tag-URL pairs.

The permission condition 1940 allows the user to specify permission of the tag by other searchers. Licensing may include automatic approval, disapproval approval, or the need for review prior to approval. Any unapproved tagged URLs will only be visible to the tagged person and the tagger. In some embodiments, permissions may allow a user to prevent a particular user from tagging the user with a URL included in a search engine results page. In yet another embodiment, the search engine may notify the user through a message notification when additional new URLs are associated with the user that are not currently displayed in tagged URL 1930.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface 2000 with a permissions dialog for accessing a searcher's social network according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, when a search engine needs to access social network information for a user that is not logged into the social network, a permissions dialog 2010 may be presented to the user. The search engine utilizes the dialog box to obtain permission to access the network and allow the user to select and connect to the social network.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface 2100 with an approval dialog for a tab entered by a searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an alternative embodiment, the tag management interface may include cluster 2110, all approval button 2120, approval button 2130, and tagged URL 2140. The cluster 2110 is a link to a pending URL and includes the number of URLs that are pending for the user. The user may accept all tag-URL pairs suggested by other searchers using the all approval button 2120. An approve button 2130 allows the user to separately accept each of the seeker suggested tag-URL pairs. The tagged URL provides information (such as a social network identifier) of the searcher who tagged the URL as well as the URL with content relevant to the user.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface 2200 with tagged search results, according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, a search engine may provide information to a user about entities tagged by the user and located in the user's social network. The search engine may include a detailed view 2210 of the tagged URLs. In one embodiment, the detailed view 2210 may be provided to a user in an interactive framework. For example, the tagged URL may be included in the tagging interface as an interactive framework. The interactive framework allows for loading and navigating tagged URLs while the user tags URLs in a search engine results page.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary graphical user interface 2300 of search results without tagging, according to an embodiment of the invention. As discussed above, the detailed view 2310 may provide a user with a view of content associated with URLs included in search results. The detailed view 2310 is available to users who are not logged in. For example, the content of the URL is included in the interactive framework.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface 2400 with results for a logged-in searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention. As discussed above, the detailed view 2410 may include tagged results associated with the logged-in user. For example, the tagged URL may be viewed within an interactive frame. While the user tags himself or herself and friends in the URLs of the search engine results page, the interactive framework allows the user to navigate the content of the tagged URLs. The URL may be tagged with an entity included in the user's social networking information. In one embodiment, when the user logs in but is not a friend of the tagger, the user will not be able to tag the result. In addition, other tagged URLs for tagged persons may not be available to the user unless the user is a friend, i.e., within n hops of the user, where n is an integer greater than 0. In at least some embodiments, n can be 1, 2, or 3.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary graphical user interface 2500 having feedback associated with a searcher in a social networking application in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The search engine may send feedback 2510 to the broadcast channel or to the walls of the searcher's social network. Feedback 2510 may include the tagger, the social network identifier of the tagger, and one or more URLs. In some embodiments, the feedback 2510 may be a broadcast to each user in the social network of the tagger. In other embodiments, feedback 2510 may be a broadcast to each user in the social network of the tagged person. Feedback 2510 can be a link to a tagging interface having a tagged URL for an entity associated with the tagged URL. Thus, an entity within the social network of the tagged person may click on a link in feedback 2510, and the social network application will send the entity to a search engine, which generates a tagging interface for the entity.

Having briefly described 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 to the drawings in general, and initially to FIG. 26 in particular, an exemplary operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and designated generally as computing device 2600. Computing device 2600 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the invention. Neither should the computing device 2600 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-useable or 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. Embodiments of the present invention may be practiced with various system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, and the like. Embodiments of 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 continued reference to fig. 26, computing device 2600 includes a bus 2610 that directly or indirectly couples to: memory 2612, one or more processors 2614, one or more presentation components 2616, input/output (I/O) ports 2618, I/O components 2620, and an exemplary power supply 2622. Bus 2610 represents what may be one or more busses (e.g., an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). although the various blocks of FIG. 26 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, these blocks represent logical, not necessarily actual, components. For example, one may consider a presentation component such as a display device to be an I/O component. In addition, the processor has a memory. The inventors recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram of FIG. 26 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. No distinction is made between categories such as "workstation," server, "" laptop, "" handheld device, "etc., as these are all contemplated to be within the scope of fig. 26 and referred to as" computing devices.

Computing device 2600 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 2600 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, 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-readable 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 accessed by computing device 100. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

Memory 2612 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid state memory, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, and the like. Computing device 2600 includes one or more processors that read data from various entities such as memory 2612 or I/O components 2620. Presentation component(s) 2616 present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplary presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, and the like.

I/O port 2618 allows computing device 2600 to be logically coupled to other devices including I/O components 2620, some of which may be internal. Exemplary components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, and the like.

As previously mentioned, embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for presenting social network connections and the like associated with a search engine results page. After receiving a search query, it is determined whether the query or a portion thereof is a name query. It is also determined whether social networking data associated with the user is available. If it is determined that at least a portion of the query is a name query and a social network associated with the user is available, the name query is compared to the social network to determine if there is an entity matching the query. If it is determined that one or more entities match the name query, information about the matching entities is presented as potential tags for URLs in a search engine results page generated by a search engine in response to the received query. Embodiments of the present invention also allow users, taggers, or tagged persons to specify permissions for accessing social networks and utilizing broadcast feedback to inform entities of tags created by searchers within their social networks.

The above description of embodiments of the invention is exemplary, and modifications in configuration and implementation are within the scope of the current description. For example, although embodiments of the present invention are generally described with respect to the accompanying drawings, such descriptions are exemplary. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the embodiments of the invention be limited only by the claims that follow.

Claims (10)

1. A computer-implemented method for tagging entities included in search results, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server device, a query including a name of an entity (420);

searching, by the server device, an index to locate a URL associated with content matching the name (430);

returning, by the server device, search results including the name (440);

providing, by the server device, an interface (450) in which the user enters a tag for one or more URLs included in the search results; and

receiving, by the server device, the tag entered in the interface for storage, wherein the tag identifies an entity in a social network of the user providing the query (460).

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a notification for one or more social network accounts associated with an entity identified by the tag for the one or more URLs entered by the user;

sending the notification to the one or more social network accounts, wherein the notification includes a request to obtain permission from the entity associated with the tag corresponding to the one or more URLs, and the notification allows an owner of the social network account to authorize the tag or remove the tag, the tag associated with a social network identifier for an entity included in the social network of the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 2, wherein providing, by the server device, an interface in which the user enters a tag for one or more URLs included in the search results further comprises:

obtaining a graph representing the social network of the user providing the query;

locating entities in the social network that are within a threshold number of hops; and

providing the located entity as a suggestion tag for the one or more URLs included in the search results.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: updating the store to include the tag received from the user, wherein a subsequent query for a tagged entity returns search results that match the subsequent query and a cluster having the URL tagged by the user, wherein the cluster includes profile information provided by the social network account of the tagged entity.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the entity identified by the tag is within a threshold number of hops of the user providing the query, and subsequent queries for tagged entities return the search results that match the subsequent queries and tagged URLs available to the user.

6. A computer system configured to generate a graphical user interface for tagging search results, the computer system comprising:

a processor (2614) configured to receive a query from a user to send the query to a search engine, wherein the query includes a name of an entity, and to receive search results satisfying the query;

a display (2616) configured to present a graphical user interface having the search results and input fields for one or more tags from a social network associated with the user, wherein the user inputs the one or more tags for one or more URLs in the search results; and is

The processor (2614) sends the tag to the search engine for storage in a database associated with the search engine.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein a subsequent query for the name of the entity receives search results that include one or more clusters having the tagged URL.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more clusters included in search results are displayed to the user and other potential searchers in the social network of the user.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more clusters are available to any user that sends a query for the entity to the search engine.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement the method of any of claims 1-5.