U.S. patent application number 15/601987 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-07 for searching and accessing software application functionality using concepts.
The applicant listed for this patent is Quixey, Inc.. Invention is credited to Eric GLOVER, Liron SHAPIRA.
Application Number | 20170255637 15/601987 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53879036 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170255637 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SHAPIRA; Liron ; et
al. |
September 7, 2017 |
Searching and Accessing Software Application Functionality using
Concepts
Abstract
Techniques include selecting function records. Each function
record includes an application access mechanism (AAM), application
state information (ASI), and a concept name. The AAM references a
native application and indicates operations for the application to
perform. The ASI describes a state of the application after the
application has performed the operations. The concept name
describes a concept associated with the ASI. In this example,
selecting the function records includes selecting function records
that have the same concept name. The techniques further include
aggregating the ASI included in the selected function records,
generating a new function record that includes the aggregated ASI,
and generating a new AAM for the new function record. The
techniques also include receiving a search query from a user
device, identifying the new function record using the search query,
selecting the new AAM from the new function record, and
transmitting the new AAM to the user device.
Inventors: |
SHAPIRA; Liron; (Mountain
View, CA) ; GLOVER; Eric; (Palo Alto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Quixey, Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53879036 |
Appl. No.: |
15/601987 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14588195 |
Dec 31, 2014 |
9659100 |
|
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15601987 |
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61943105 |
Feb 21, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/9558 20190101;
G06F 16/9535 20190101; G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 16/29 20190101;
G06F 16/24578 20190101; G06F 16/245 20190101; G06F 16/954 20190101;
G06Q 30/0633 20130101; G06F 16/90339 20190101; G06Q 10/02 20130101;
H04L 67/10 20130101; G06F 8/70 20130101; G06F 8/61 20130101; G06F
16/9566 20190101; G06F 16/9537 20190101; G06Q 30/0282 20130101;
H04W 4/022 20130101; G06F 16/951 20190101; H04W 4/20 20130101; G06Q
30/0259 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30; G06F 3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484; G06F 9/445 20060101
G06F009/445; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06; G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; H04W 4/02 20060101
H04W004/02; H04W 4/20 20060101 H04W004/20 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: selecting function records, each function
record including an application access mechanism, application state
information, and a concept name, wherein the application access
mechanism references a native application and indicates one or more
operations for the native application to perform, wherein the
application state information describes a state of the native
application after the native application has performed the one or
more operations, wherein the concept name describes a concept
associated with the application state information, and wherein
selecting the function records comprises selecting function records
that have the same concept name; aggregating the application state
information included in the selected function records; generating a
new function record that includes new application state information
comprising the aggregated application state information; generating
a new application access mechanism for the new function record that
is different than the application access mechanisms included in the
selected function records; receiving a search query from a user
device; identifying the new function record using the search query;
selecting the new application access mechanism from the new
function record; and transmitting the new application access
mechanism to the user device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/588,195 filed Dec. 31, 2014 (now U.S. Pat.
No. 9,659,100), which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/943,105, filed Feb. 21, 2014. The entire
disclosures of the applications referenced above are incorporated
by reference.
FIELD
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to the field of search,
and more particularly to techniques for generating search results
that correspond to states within software applications.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In recent years, the use of computers, smartphones, and
other Internet-connected computing devices has grown significantly.
Correspondingly, the number of software applications available for
such computing devices has also grown. Today, many diverse software
applications can be accessed on a number of different computing
devices, including, but not limited to, smartphones, personal
computers, automobiles, and televisions. These software
applications can include business driven applications, games,
educational applications, news applications, shopping applications,
messaging applications, media streaming applications, and social
networking applications, as some examples. Because of the large
number of software applications available today and the wide range
of functionality they provide, computing device users often require
the ability to search for and access specific software application
functionality.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one example, a method includes selecting function
records. Each function record includes an application access
mechanism (AAM), application state information (ASI), and a concept
name. The AAM references a native application and indicates one or
more operations for the native application to perform. The ASI
describes a state of the native application after the native
application has performed the one or more operations. The concept
name describes a concept associated with the ASI. In this example,
selecting the function records includes selecting function records
that have the same concept name. The method further includes
aggregating the ASI included in the selected function records,
generating a new function record that includes new ASI including
the aggregated ASI, and generating a new AAM for the new function
record that is different than the AAMs included in the selected
function records. The method also includes receiving a search query
from a user device, identifying the new function record using the
search query, selecting the new AAM from the new function record,
and transmitting the new AAM to the user device.
[0005] In another example, a system includes one or more computing
devices configured to select function records. Each function record
includes an AAM, ASI, and a concept name. The AAM references a
native application and indicates one or more operations for the
native application to perform. The ASI describes a state of the
native application after the native application has performed the
one or more operations. The concept name describes a concept
associated with the ASI. In this example, to select the function
records, the one or more computing devices are configured to select
function records that have the same concept name. The one or more
computing devices are further configured to aggregate the ASI
included in the selected function records, generate a new function
record that includes new ASI including the aggregated ASI, and
generate a new AAM for the new function record that is different
than the AAMs included in the selected function records. The one or
more computing devices are also configured to receive a search
query from a user device, identify the new function record using
the search query, select the new AAM from the new function record,
and transmit the new AAM to the user device.
[0006] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable
storage medium includes instructions that cause one or more
computing devices to select function records. Each function record
includes an AAM, ASI, and a concept name. The AAM references a
native application and indicates one or more operations for the
native application to perform. The ASI describes a state of the
native application after the native application has performed the
one or more operations. The concept name describes a concept
associated with the ASI. In this example, the instructions that
cause the one or more computing devices to select the function
records include instructions that cause the one or more computing
devices to select function records that have the same concept name.
The instructions further cause the one or more computing devices to
aggregate the ASI included in the selected function records,
generate a new function record that includes new ASI including the
aggregated ASI, and generate a new AAM for the new function record
that is different than the AAMs included in the selected function
records. The instructions also cause the one or more computing
devices to receive a search query from a user device, identify the
new function record using the search query, select the new AAM from
the new function record, and transmit the new AAM to the user
device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The details of one or more examples are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,
objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and
drawings, and from the claims.
[0008] FIG. 1 shows an example environment including a search
system.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows an example user device in communication with a
search system.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an example search
module.
[0011] FIGS. 4A-4B show example function records.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for
performing a search for function records based on a received search
query.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
describing operation of a user device.
[0014] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate example graphical user interfaces
(GUIs) that may be generated on a user device according to the
present disclosure.
[0015] FIGS. 8A-8B show example function records that include
multiple native application access mechanisms.
[0016] FIG. 9 shows an example function record that includes a web
access mechanism.
[0017] FIG. 10 shows an example function record that includes
application download addresses.
[0018] FIG. 11 shows an example function record that includes a
quality score.
[0019] FIG. 12 shows an example GUI that includes a variety of
different user selectable links.
[0020] FIGS. 13A-13B show example function records that include
concept fields.
[0021] FIGS. 14A-14C show example function records that were
generated from previously existing function records based on
concepts included in the previously existing function records.
[0022] FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of an example search
system that generates new function records based on concepts
included in previously existing function records.
[0023] FIG. 16 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method for
generating new function records based on concepts included in
previously existing function records.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The figures and the following description relate to example
implementations by way of illustration only. It should be noted
that from the following discussion, alternative implementations of
the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily
recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without
departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0025] A search system of the present disclosure receives a search
query from a user device and generates search results in response
to the received search query. The search system transmits the
search results to the user device that generated the search query.
The search results include a list of application access mechanisms
(AAMs) that may be selected by a user. An AAM may be a string that
includes a reference to a native application and indicates one or
more operations for a user device to perform. In response to
selection of an AAM on a user device, the user device may launch
the native application referenced in the AAM and perform the one or
more operations indicated in the AAM.
[0026] Native applications can perform a variety of different
functions for a user. For example, a restaurant reservation
application can make reservations for restaurants. As another
example, an internet media player application can stream media
(e.g., a song or movie) from the Internet. In some examples, a
single native application can perform more than one function. For
example, a restaurant reservation application may also allow a user
to retrieve information about a restaurant and read user reviews
for the restaurant in addition to making reservations. As another
example, an internet media player application may also allow a user
to perform searches for digital media, purchase digital media, and
generate media playlists.
[0027] An AAM includes data that a user device can use to access
functionality provided by a native application. For example, an AAM
can include data that causes a user device to launch a native
application and perform a function associated with the native
application. Performance of a function according to the AAM may set
the native application into a specified state. Accordingly, the
process of launching a native application and performing a function
according to an AAM may be referred to herein as launching the
native application and setting the native application into a state
that is specified by the AAM. In one example, an AAM for a
restaurant reservation application can include data that causes a
user device to launch the restaurant reservation application and
make a reservation at a restaurant. In this example, the restaurant
reservation application may be set in a state that displays
reservation information to a user, such as a reservation time, a
description of the restaurant, and user reviews. In another
example, an AAM for an internet media player application can
include data that causes a user device to launch the internet media
player application and stream media from the Internet. In this
example, the internet media player application may be set in a
state that displays information regarding the media (e.g., music)
being streamed, such as a song name, an artist, or an album
name.
[0028] AAMs may have various different formats and content. The
format and content of an AAM may depend on the native application
with which the AAM is associated and the operations that are to be
performed by the native application in response to selection of the
AAM. For example, an AAM for an internet music player application
may differ from an AAM for a shopping application. An AAM for an
internet music player application may include references to musical
artists, songs, and albums, for example. The AAM for the internet
music player application may also reference operations, such as
randomizing a list of songs and playing a song or album. An AAM for
a shopping application may include references to different products
that are for sale. The AAM for the shopping application may also
include references to one or more operations, such as adding
products to a shopping cart and proceeding to a checkout.
[0029] The search system transmits additional data in the search
results along with the AAMs. For example, the search system may
transmit data (e.g., text and/or images) which may be used by the
user device to generate user selectable links (or "links") in the
search results. A link may include text and/or images that a user
may select (e.g., touch) via a user interface of the user device.
Each user selectable link may be associated with an AAM such that
when a user selects a link, the user device launches the native
application referenced in the AAM and performs the one or more
operations indicated in the AAM. The text and/or images of a link
displayed to a user may indicate the operations that will be
performed in response to selection of the link. For example, if the
link is to a song in a music playing application, the text and/or
images may identify the music playing application that will be
launched by the user device and the song that will be played by the
music playing application when the user selects the link. Example
links are illustrated in FIGS. 2, 7A, and 12.
[0030] A user may select a link to cause the user device to launch
the native application identified in the link and perform one or
more operations according to the AAM associated with the link. Put
another way, when a user selects a link, the user device launches a
native application and sets the native application into a state
defined by the AAM associated with the link. In general, a state of
a native application may refer to the operations and/or the
resulting outcome of the native application in response to
selection of a link. A state of a native application may also be
referred to herein as an "application state."
[0031] An application state specified by an AAM may depend on the
functionality provided by the native application. For example, if a
native application is configured to retrieve and display
information from the Internet, the native application can be set
into a state in which the native application retrieves information
from the Internet and displays information to the user. In another
example, if a native application is configured to play media from
the Internet (e.g., music and/or video), the native application can
be set into a state in which the native application is playing a
song or a movie from the Internet. In another example, if a native
application is configured to make restaurant reservations, the
native application can be set into a state in which the native
application displays available restaurant reservations to the
user.
[0032] The search system includes a data store that the search
system uses to generate the search results. The data store includes
one or more different function records (e.g., the function record
150 of FIG. 4A). Each function record may include data related to a
function of a native application and/or the state of the native
application resulting from performance of the function. As
described herein, a function record may include a function
identifier (ID), application state information (ASI), and an
AAM.
[0033] An AAM included in a function record includes data that
causes a user device to launch a native application and perform a
function associated with the native application. For example, an
AAM included in a function record may be a string that includes a
reference to a native application and indicates one or more
operations for a user device (e.g., the native application) to
perform. An AAM may include an application resource identifier
(ARI) and/or one or more operations for the user device to perform.
An ARI may be a string having an application specific scheme in
some examples. The ARI may include a reference to a native
application and indicate one or more operations for the user device
(e.g., the native application) to perform. For example, the ARI may
include a reference to a native application, a domain name, and a
path to be used by the native application to retrieve and display
information to the user.
[0034] In some examples, the AAM may include operations for the
user device to perform in addition to the operation(s) indicated in
the ARI. For example, a search application on the user device, an
operating system (OS) of the user device, and/or a native
application on the user device may perform the operations included
in the AAM. In some examples, the operations may be included in a
script. Examples of operations may include, but are not limited to,
launching a native application, creating and sending a search
request to an application server, setting a current geographic
location in a native application, making a restaurant reservation,
sending a text message, and adding an appointment to a
calendar.
[0035] In some examples, an AAM may not include an ARI. Instead,
the AAM can include one or more operations that reference a native
application and indicate one or more operations for the user device
to perform. The one or more operations may include instructions for
at least one of the search application, the OS, and/or a native
application on the user device. In response to selection of the
AAM, the user device may perform the operations included in the
AAM.
[0036] A function ID included in a function record may be a string
that uniquely identifies the function record among the other
function records in the data store. In some examples, the function
ID may describe a function and/or an application state in human
readable form. For example, the function ID may be a human readable
string that describes a function performed according to the AAM
and/or an application state resulting from performance of the
function according to the AAM. In a more specific example, a
function ID for an internet music player application may include
the name of the internet music player application along with the
name of the song that will be played when the internet music player
application is set into the state defined by the AAM included in
the function record.
[0037] A function record includes ASI. The ASI includes data that
describes an application state into which a native application is
set according to the AAM in the function record. In some examples,
the ASI may include data that describes the function performed
according to the AAM included in the function record. The ASI can
include text, numbers, and symbols that describe the application
state. The types of data included in the ASI may depend on the type
of information associated with the application state and the
functionality specified by the AAM.
[0038] In some examples, the ASI may include data that may be
presented to the user when the native application is in the
application state defined by the AAM. For example, a function
record associated with a shopping application may include ASI that
describes products (e.g., names and prices) that are shown when the
shopping application is set into the application state defined by
the AAM of the function record. As another example, a function
record associated with a music player application may include ASI
that describes a song (e.g., name and artist) that is played when
the music player application is set into the application state
defined by the AAM of the function record.
[0039] The ASI included in a function record may be generated in a
variety of different ways. In one example, data to be included in
the ASI may be retrieved via partnerships with database owners and
developers of native applications. For example, the data may be
automatically retrieved from online databases that include, but are
not limited to, data related to movies, television programs, music,
and restaurants. In some examples, some data included in the ASI
may be manually generated by a human operator. The data included in
the ASI may be updated over time so that the search system provides
up-to-date results.
[0040] The search system generates search results including a list
of AAMs that are included in selected function records. Initially,
the search system analyzes the search query received from a user
device. The search system then identifies a set of function records
based on the received search query. For example, the search system
may identify the set of function records based on one or more
matches (e.g., text matches) between one or more terms of the
search query and one or more terms of the ASI included in the
identified function records.
[0041] The search system processes (e.g., scores) the identified
set of function records. For example, the search system may
determine how well the function records match the received search
query. The search system may then select the AAMs from the function
records that best match the received search query. The search
system transmits search results including the selected AAMs to the
user device that generated the search query. The search system may
also transmit additional data along with the AAMs. For example, the
search system may transmit data (e.g., text and/or images) to be
included in user selectable links.
[0042] In some implementations, a function record (e.g., the
function record 220 of FIG. 8A) may include multiple different
AAMs. For example, the different AAMs may be associated with
different editions of a native application. A native application
edition (hereinafter, "application edition") refers to a particular
implementation or variation of a native application. For example,
an application edition may refer to a version of a native
application, such as a version 1.0 of a native application or a
version 2.0 of a native application (e.g., a free version, or a
paid version). In another example, an application edition may refer
to an implementation of a native application for a specific
platform, such as a specific OS.
[0043] The different AAMs included in the function record may cause
the corresponding application editions to launch and perform
similar functions. Accordingly, the different AAMs included in the
function record may cause the corresponding application editions to
be set into similar application states. In one example, if the
different AAMs reference different editions of an information
retrieval application, the different AAMs may cause the
corresponding application editions to retrieve similar information.
In another example, if the different AAMs reference different
editions of an internet music player application, the different
AAMs may cause the corresponding application editions to play the
same song.
[0044] In a specific example, a function record for a native
application that retrieves restaurant information may include
multiple different AAMs for multiple different application
editions. Assuming the function record is associated with a
specific Mexican restaurant, the AAMs for the different application
editions may cause each application edition to retrieve information
for the same specific Mexican restaurant. For example, a first AAM
may cause a first application edition (e.g., on a first OS) to
retrieve information for the specific Mexican restaurant. A second
AAM may cause a second application edition (e.g., on a second OS)
to retrieve information for the specific Mexican restaurant.
[0045] During some searches, the search system may identify one or
more function records that include multiple AAMs. In these
scenarios, the search system may process (e.g., score) the
identified set of function records in the manner described above.
For each identified function record including multiple AAMs, the
search system may select which of the AAMs to transmit to the user
device. In some examples, the search system may transmit each of
the multiple AAMs of the identified function record to the user
device so that the user device may determine which AAM to use. In
other examples, the search system may determine which of the
multiple AAMs to transmit to the user device based on information
included in a query wrapper received from the user device. For
example, the search system may select and transmit one or more of
the AAMs that are likely to be compatible with the user device,
e.g., based on the OS version of the user device.
[0046] In some implementations, a function record (e.g., the
function record 260 of FIG. 9) may include a web access mechanism
(WAM). The WAM may be a resource identifier that can be processed
by a wide variety of user devices running different operating
systems. In some examples, the WAM may include a uniform resource
locator (URL) (i.e., a web address) used with the hypertext
transfer protocol (HTTP). For example, the WAM may be a URL that is
optimized for a desktop website (e.g., a so-called "full" site) or
a mobile device website.
[0047] The WAM (e.g., a URL) included in a function record may be
used by a web browser to access a web resource that includes
similar information and/or performs similar functions as would be
performed by a native application that receives an AAM of the
function record. In one specific example, the WAM of a function
record may direct the web browser of a user device to a web version
of the native application referenced in the AAMs of the function
record. For example, if the AAMs included in a function record for
a specific Mexican restaurant cause each application edition to
retrieve information for the specific Mexican restaurant, the WAM
may direct the web browser of a user device to a web page entry for
the specific Mexican restaurant.
[0048] During some searches, the search system may identify one or
more function records that include AAMs and a WAM. In these
scenarios, the search system may process (e.g., score) the
identified set of function records in the manner described above.
For each identified function record including AAMs and a WAM, the
search system may determine whether to transmit the WAM and the
AAMs. In some examples, the search system may transmit the WAM and
each of the multiple AAMs to the user device so that the user
device can determine which of the access mechanisms to use. In
other examples, the search system may determine whether any of the
AAMs should be transmitted to the user device. If the search system
determines that none of the AAMs is likely to be compatible with
the user device, the search system can refrain from sending the
AAMs to the user device. Instead, the search system may transmit
the WAM to the user device. As described above, the user device may
use a web browser to access the web resource identified in the
WAM.
[0049] In some implementations of the search system, a function
record (e.g., the function record 300 of FIG. 11) may include a
quality score. The quality score may be a number used by the search
system to generate a result score for a function record. For
example, the quality score may be a record scoring feature input
into one or more machine-learned models used to generate a result
score, as described hereinafter.
[0050] The quality score may be determined based on metrics
associated with a person, place, or thing described in the function
record. For example, the quality score may be based on the
popularity of a place described in the function record and/or
ratings (e.g., user ratings) of the place described in the function
record. In another example, if the function record describes a
song, the quality score may be based on the popularity of the song
described in the function record and/or ratings (e.g., user
ratings) of the song described in the function record. The quality
score may also be determined based on measurements associated with
the function record. For example, the quality score may be
determined based on data indicating how often the function record
is retrieved during a search and how often access mechanisms (e.g.,
an AAM, a WAM, and/or an application download address) of the
function record are selected by a user.
[0051] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example
environment including a search system 100 that communicates with
user devices 102 and data sources 104 via a network 106. FIG. 2
shows an example user device 102 in communication with the search
system 100 via the network 106 (not illustrated in FIG. 2). The
search system 100 is configured to receive a search query from a
user device 102 and perform a search for function records included
in a data store 108 based on the search query. The function records
include AAMs that can be used by a user device 102 to access
different functions for a variety of different native applications
(e.g., the native applications 112 of FIG. 2) installed on the user
device 102. The search system 100 transmits search results
including a list of AAMs to the user device 102 that generated the
search query.
[0052] The user device 102 may generate user selectable links based
on the received search results (e.g., the links 114-1, 114-2, . . .
, 114-5 of FIG. 2). Each user selectable link displayed to the user
may include an AAM. The user may select a link in the search
results on the user device 102. In response to selection of a link,
the user device 102 may launch the native application referenced by
the AAM and perform the one or more operations indicated in the
AAM.
[0053] A software application may refer to computer software that
causes a computing device to perform a task. In some examples, a
software application may be referred to as an "application," an
"app," or a "program." Example applications include, but are not
limited to, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications,
messaging applications, media streaming applications, social
networking applications, and games.
[0054] Applications can be executed on a variety of different
computing devices. For example, applications can be executed on
mobile computing devices such as smart phones, tablets, and
wearable computing devices (e.g., headsets and/or watches).
Applications can also be executed on other types of computing
devices having other form factors such as laptop computers, desktop
computers, or other consumer electronic devices. In some examples,
applications may be installed on a computing device prior to a user
purchasing the computing device. In other examples, the user may
download and install applications on the computing device.
[0055] The functionality of an application may be accessed on the
computing device on which the application is installed.
Additionally, or alternatively, the functionality of an application
may be accessed via a remote computing device. In some examples,
all of an application's functionality is included on the computing
device on which the application is installed. These applications
may function without communication with other computing devices
(e.g., via the Internet). In other examples, an application
installed on a computing device may access information from other
remote computing devices during operation. For example, a weather
application installed on a computing device may access the latest
weather information via the Internet and display the accessed
weather information to the user through the installed weather
application. In still other examples, an application (e.g., a web
based application) may be partially executed by the user's
computing device and partially executed by a remote computing
device. For example, a web application may be an application that
is executed, at least in part, by a web server and accessed by a
web browser of the user's computing device. Example web
applications may include, but are not limited to, web-based email,
online auctions, and online retail sites.
[0056] As described above, the search system 100 is configured to
receive search queries from one or more user devices 102 via a
network 106. A search query may include text, numbers, and/or
symbols (e.g., punctuation) entered into the user device 102 by the
user. For example, with reference to FIG. 2, the user may have
entered a search query 115 into a search field (e.g., a search box)
117 of a search application 116 running on the user device 102. The
user may have entered the search query 115 using a user interface
such as, for example, a touchscreen keypad, a mechanical keypad,
and/or via speech recognition. The user may have caused the user
device 102 to transmit the search query 115 to the search system
100 by selecting (e.g., touching or clicking) a search button 119
of the search application 116. As described herein, in some
examples, the search application 116 may be a native application
dedicated to search, or a more general application, such as a web
browser application.
[0057] In some examples, a user device 102 may transmit additional
data along with the search query. The search query and the
additional data may be referred to as a query wrapper. The query
wrapper may include data associated with the search query, such as
geo-location data (e.g., the location of the user device 102),
platform data (e.g., a version of an OS 118 of the user device 102
as shown in FIG. 2, a device type, and a web-browser version), an
identity of a user of the user device 102 (e.g., a username),
partner specific data, and other data. The user device 102
transmits the query wrapper to the search system 100. The search
system 100 can use the search query and/or the additional data
included in the query wrapper to generate the search results.
[0058] The search system 100 performs a search for function records
included in the data store 108 in response to the received search
query. The search system 100 generates search results that include
a list of AAMs selected from the function records identified during
the search. In some examples, the search system 100 generates
result scores for the selected AAMs. Each AAM may be associated
with a result score that indicates the rank of the AAM relative to
the other AAMs in the list of AAMs. The search system 100 may
transmit the result scores to the user device 102 that generated
the search query.
[0059] In some examples, the search system 100 may transmit
additional data to the user device 102 along with the AAMs and
result scores. For example, the search system 100 may transmit link
data (e.g., text and/or images). Link data can refer to data that
is to be included in user selectable links on the user device 102.
The user device 102 displays the user selectable links to the user.
Each user selectable link may be associated with an AAM included in
the search results such that when a user selects a link, the user
device 102 launches the native application referenced in the AAM
and sets the native application into the state specified by the
AAM. A user may select a link by touching (e.g., tapping) or
clicking on the link.
[0060] In some examples described herein, the search system 100 may
transmit one or more WAMs to the user device 102 along with AAMs.
WAMs may include web addresses that are accessible via a web
browser application 120 of the user device 102, as shown in FIG. 2.
In examples where the search system 100 transmits one or more WAMs,
the search system 100 may transmit data (e.g., text and/or images)
to be included in user selectable links associated with the WAMs.
When a user selects a link associated with a WAM, the user device
102 may launch the web browser application 120 and perform the
function indicated in the WAM. The generation of search results
including WAMs is described herein with respect to FIG. 9.
[0061] FIG. 2 shows an example list of search results that may be
displayed to a user on a user device 102. The search results
include links 114-1, 114-2, . . . , 114-5 (collectively, the "links
114"). Each of the links 114 includes link data. For example, each
of the links 114 includes an image (e.g., an application icon) and
text (e.g., application name) that describe the native application
and the application state (e.g., "IHOP," "Denny's," and "Taco Bell"
entries in the native application "YELP.RTM." by Yelp, Inc.
(hereinafter, "Yelp")). Each of the links 114 may be associated
with an AAM such that when the user selects a link, the user device
102 launches the native application and sets the native application
into a state that is specified by the AAM associated with the link.
As described herein, the links 114 may be arranged for the user
based on result scores associated with the AAMs. In some examples,
as illustrated in FIG. 2, links for the same native application
(e.g., Yelp) may be combined together in the search results
displayed to the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the Yelp
links 114-1, 114-2, and 114-3 are grouped together under a Yelp
header 114-0. In other examples, links for different native
applications may be mixed instead of grouped.
[0062] Referring back to FIG. 1, the search system 100 includes a
data store 108 and a search module 110. The data store 108 includes
one or more different function records, as described herein. Each
function record may include data related to a function of a native
application and/or the state of the native application resulting
from performance of the function. A function record may include a
function ID, ASI, and an AAM used to access functionality provided
by a native application. The data store 108 may include one or more
databases, indices (e.g., inverted indices), tables, files, or
other data structures which may be used to implement the techniques
of the present disclosure. The search module 110 receives a search
query and generates search results based on the data included in
the data store 108.
[0063] As described above, the search system 100 may communicate
with the user devices 102 and the data sources 104 via the network
106. Examples of the user devices 102, the data sources 104, and
the network 106 are now described in turn with reference to FIGS.
1-2.
[0064] User devices 102 can be any computing devices that are
capable of providing search queries to the search system 100. User
devices 102 include, but are not limited to, smart phones, tablet
computers, laptop computers, and desktop computers. User devices
102 may also include other computing devices having other form
factors, such as computing devices included in vehicles, gaming
devices, televisions, or other appliances (e.g., networked home
automation devices and home appliances).
[0065] The user devices 102 may use a variety of different
operating systems. In an example where a user device 102 is a
mobile device, the user device 102 may run an OS including, but not
limited to, ANDROID.RTM. developed by Google Inc., IOS.RTM.
developed by Apple Inc., or WINDOWS PHONE.RTM. developed by
Microsoft Corporation. Accordingly, the OS 118 running on the user
device 102 of FIG. 2 may include one of ANDROID.RTM., IOS.RTM., or
WINDOWS PHONE.RTM.. In an example where a user device 102 is a
laptop or desktop computing device, the user device 102 may run an
OS including, but not limited to, MICROSOFT WINDOWS.RTM. developed
by Microsoft Corporation, MAC OS.RTM. developed by Apple Inc., or
LINUX.RTM. (LINUX.RTM. is the registered trademark of Linus
Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries). User devices 102 may
also access the search system 100 while running operating systems
other than those operating systems described above, whether
presently available or developed in the future.
[0066] User devices 102 can communicate with the search system 100
via the network 106. In some examples, a user device 102 may
communicate with the search system 100 using a native application
installed on the user device 102 (e.g., the search application
116). In general, a user device 102 may communicate with the search
system 100 using any application that can transmit search queries
to the search system 100. In some examples, a user device 102 may
run an application that is dedicated to interfacing with the search
system 100, such as an application dedicated to searches (e.g., the
search application 116). In other examples, a user device 102 may
communicate with the search system 100 using a more general
application, such as a web-browser application. The application run
by a user device 102 to communicate with the search system 100 may
display a search field 117 on a graphical user interface (GUI) in
which the user may enter search queries. The user may enter a
search query using a touchscreen or physical keyboard, a
speech-to-text program, or other form of user input.
[0067] In general, a search query may be a request for information
retrieval (e.g., search results) from the search system 100. For
example, a search query may be directed to retrieving a list of
links to native application functionality or application states in
examples where the search system 100 is configured to generate a
list of AAMs as search results. A search query directed to
retrieving a list of links to native applications may indicate a
user's desire to access functionality of one or more native
applications described by the search query.
[0068] A user device 102 may receive a set of search results from
the search system 100 that are responsive to the search query
transmitted to the search system 100. The user device 102 may be
running a search application 116 including a GUI that displays the
search results received from the search system 100. For example,
the search application 116 used to transmit the search query to the
search system 100 may also display the received search results to
the user.
[0069] The GUI of the search application 116 running on the user
device 102 may display the search results to the user in a variety
of different ways, depending on what information is transmitted to
the user device 102. In examples where the search results include a
list of AAMs, the search system 100 may transmit the list of AAMs
to the user device 102 along with additional data to be displayed
in user selectable links. In some examples, the GUI may display the
search results to the user as a list of user selectable links
including text and images. The text and images in the links may
include the native application names associated with the AAMs, text
describing the AAMs, images associated with the native application
referenced by the AAMs (e.g., application icons), and images
associated with the application states (e.g., application screen
images) defined by the AAMs.
[0070] In some examples, the GUI may display the search results as
a list of links (e.g., the links 114 of FIG. 2) arranged under the
search field (e.g., the search field 117 of FIG. 2) in which the
user entered the search query. The user device 102 may arrange the
links in order by result scores associated with the links. In other
words, the user device 102 may arrange the links in order by the
result scores associated with the AAMs included in the links. In
some examples, the user device 102 may group the links together if
the links are related to the same native application.
[0071] In some examples, user devices 102 may communicate with the
search system 100 via a partner computing system (not illustrated).
The partner computing system may be a computing system of a third
party that may leverage the search functionality of the search
system 100. The partner computing system may belong to a company or
organization other than that which operates the search system 100.
Example third parties which may leverage the functionality of the
search system 100 may include, but are not limited to, internet
search providers and wireless communications service providers. The
user devices 102 may send search queries to the search system 100
and receive search results via the partner computing system. The
partner computing system may provide a user interface to the user
devices 102 in some examples and/or modify the search experience
provided on the user devices 102.
[0072] FIG. 1 shows a plurality of data sources 104. The data
sources 104 may be sources of data which the search system 100 may
use to generate and update the data store 108. For example, the
search system 100 may use the data to update one or more databases,
indices, tables, files, or other data structures included in the
data store 108. The search system 100 may generate new function
records and update existing function records based on data
retrieved from the data sources 104. Although not illustrated in
FIG. 1, the search system 100 may include modules that generate new
function records and update existing function records based on the
data retrieved from the data sources 104. In some examples, some
data included in the data store 108 may be manually generated by a
human operator.
[0073] The data sources 104 may include a variety of different data
providers. The data sources 104 may include data from application
developers, such as application developers' websites and data feeds
provided by developers. The data sources 104 may include operators
of digital distribution platforms configured to distribute
applications to user devices 102. The data sources 104 may also
include other websites, such as websites that include web logs
(i.e., blogs), application review websites, or other websites
including data related to applications. Additionally, the data
sources 104 may include social networking sites, such as
"FACEBOOK.RTM." by Facebook, Inc. (e.g., Facebook posts) and
"TWITTER.RTM." by Twitter, Inc. (e.g., text from tweets). The data
sources 104 may also include online databases that include, but are
not limited to, data related to movies, television programs, music,
and restaurants. The data sources 104 may also include additional
types of data sources in addition to the data sources described
above. Different data sources may have their own content and update
rate.
[0074] The search system 100 retrieves data from one or more of the
data sources 104. The data retrieved from the data sources 104 can
include any type of data related to application functionality
and/or application states. The search system 100 generates function
records based on the data retrieved from the data sources 104. In
some examples, some data included in the function records (e.g.,
ASI) may be manually generated by a human operator. The data
included in the function records may be updated over time so that
the search system 100 provides up-to-date results.
[0075] As described above, the user devices 102, the search system
100, and the data sources 104 may be in communication with one
another via the network 106. The network 106 may include various
types of networks, such as a wide area network (WAN) and/or the
Internet. Although the network 106 may represent a long range
network (e.g., Internet or WAN), in some implementations, the
network 106 may include a shorter range network, such as a local
area network (LAN). In some implementations, the network 106 uses
standard communications technologies and/or protocols. Thus, the
network 106 can include links using technologies such as Ethernet,
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) (e.g., 802.11), worldwide interoperability
for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE),
digital subscriber line (DSL), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM),
InfiniBand, PCI Express Advanced Switching, etc. Similarly, the
networking protocols used on the network 106 can include
multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), the transmission control
protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), the User Datagram Protocol
(UDP), HTTP, the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the file
transfer protocol (FTP), etc. The data exchanged over the network
106 can be represented using technologies and/or formats including
the hypertext markup language (HTML), the extensible markup
language (XML), etc. In addition, all or some of the links can be
encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as secure
sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), virtual
private networks (VPNs), Internet Protocol security (IPsec), etc.
In other examples, the network 106 can use custom and/or dedicated
data communications technologies instead of, or in addition to, the
ones described above.
[0076] FIG. 3 shows an example search module 110 which may be
included in the search system 100. The search module 110 includes a
query analysis module 122, a consideration set generation module
124 (hereinafter, the "set generation module 124"), and a
consideration set processing module 126 (hereinafter, the "set
processing module 126"). The query analysis module 122 receives a
query wrapper including a search query 128. The query analysis
module 122 analyzes the received search query 128. The set
generation module 124 identifies a set of function records based on
the received search query 128. The identified set of function
records may be referred to herein as a "consideration set." The set
processing module 126 processes (e.g., scores) the consideration
set to generate a set of search results 130 that include a list of
AAMs selected from the function records of the consideration
set.
[0077] Referring now to FIG. 4A, an example function record 150
includes a function ID 152, ASI 154, and a native AAM 156
(hereinafter, the "AAM 156"). The function record 150 may include
data related to a function of a native application and/or the state
of the native application resulting from performance of the
function. The data store 108 may include a plurality of function
records each having a similar structure as the function record 150.
Put another way, the data store 108 may include a plurality of
function records each having a function ID 152, ASI 154, and an AAM
156.
[0078] The function ID 152 may be used to identify the function
record 150 among the other function records 150 included in the
data store 108. The function ID 152 may be a string of alphabetic,
numeric, and/or symbolic characters (e.g., punctuation marks) that
uniquely identify the function record 150 in which the function ID
152 is included. In some examples, the function ID 152 may describe
a function and/or an application state in human readable form. For
example, the function ID 152 may include the name of the native
application referenced in the AAM 156. Additionally, or
alternatively, the function ID 152 may be a human readable string
that describes a function performed according to the AAM 156 and/or
an application state resulting from performance of the function
according to the AAM 156. In some examples, the function ID 152 may
include a string in the format of a URL of a WAM for the function
record 150, which may uniquely identify the function record, as
described with respect to FIG. 9.
[0079] In a more specific example, if the function record 150
describes a function of the native application Yelp, the function
ID 152 may include the name "Yelp" along with a description of the
application state described in the ASI 154. For example, the
function ID 152 for a function record that describes the restaurant
"The French Laundry.RTM." (hereinafter, "The French Laundry") may
be "Yelp--The French Laundry." In an example where the function ID
152 includes a string in the format of a URL, the function ID 152
may include the following string
"www.yelp.com/biz/the-french-laundry-yountville-2?ob=1" to uniquely
identify the function record 150.
[0080] The ASI 154 may include data that describes an application
state into which a native application is set according to the AAM
156 included in the function record 150. Additionally, or
alternatively, the ASI 154 may include data that describes the
function performed according to the AAM 156 included in the
function record 150. The ASI 154 may include a variety of different
types of data. For example, the ASI 154 may include structured,
semi-structured, and/or unstructured data. The ASI 154 may be
extracted or inferred from documents retrieved from the data
sources 104. In some examples, the ASI 154 may include data that is
manually generated. The ASI 154 may be updated so that up-to-date
search results can be provided in response to a user search
query.
[0081] In some examples, the ASI 154 may include data that may be
presented to the user when the native application is in the
application state defined by the AAM 156. For example, the ASI 154
may include data that describes a state of the native application
after the user device 102 has performed the one or more operations
indicated in the AAM 156. In one example, if the function record
150 is associated with a shopping application, the ASI 154 may
include data that describes products (e.g., names and prices) that
are shown when the shopping application is set to the application
state defined by the AAM 156 of the function record 150. As another
example, if the function record 150 is associated with a music
player application, the ASI 154 may include data that describes a
song (e.g., name and artist) that is played when the music player
application is set to the application state defined by the AAM 156
of the function record 150.
[0082] The types of data included in the ASI 154 may depend on the
type of information associated with the application state and the
functionality defined by the AAM 156. In one example, if the
function record 150 is for a native application that provides
reviews of restaurants, the ASI 154 may include information (e.g.,
text and numbers) related to a restaurant, such as a category of
the restaurant, reviews of the restaurant, and a menu for the
restaurant. In this example, the AAM 156 may cause the native
application to launch and retrieve information for the restaurant.
As another example, if the function record 150 is for a native
application that plays music, the ASI 154 may include information
related to a song, such as the name of the song, the artist,
lyrics, and listener reviews. In this example, the AAM 156 may
cause the native application to launch and play the song described
in the ASI 154.
[0083] The AAM 156 may include an ARI and/or one or more operations
for a user device 102 to perform. For example, an ARI may be a
string having an application specific scheme. The ARI may include a
reference to a native application and indicate one or more
operations for the user device 102 (e.g., the native application)
to perform. For example, the ARI may include a reference to a
native application, a domain name, and a path to be used by the
native application to retrieve and display information to the
user.
[0084] An example ARI for the native application "OPENTABLE.RTM."
by OpenTable, Inc. (hereinafter, "OpenTable") on the ANDROID.RTM.
OS is
"vnd.opentable.deeplink://opentable.com/restaurant/profile?rid=88333&refi-
d=1." A portion of the example ARI references the OpenTable native
application. For example, the substring "vnd.opentable.deeplink" of
the ARI references the OpenTable native application. The example
ARI also indicates one or more operations for the OpenTable native
application to perform. For example, the OpenTable native
application may retrieve and display the information included in
the ARI domain and path defined by the substring
"opentable.com/restaurant/profile?rid=88333&refid=1." In
response to receiving the ARI, a user device 102 may launch the
OpenTable native application and display information retrieved from
the location indicated in the ARI. The ARI may be provided by the
app developer in some examples.
[0085] In some examples, the AAM 156 may include operations for the
user device 102 to perform in addition to the operation(s)
indicated in the ARI. For example, the search application 116 on
the user device 102, the OS 118 of the user device 102, and/or a
native application installed on the user device 102 may perform the
operations included in the AAM 156 in order to set the native
application into an application state specified by the AAM 156. In
some examples, the operations may be included in a script. Examples
of operations may include, but are not limited to, launching a
native application, waiting for the native application to start,
creating and sending a search request to a server associated with
the native application, setting a current geo-location in a native
application, making a restaurant reservation, sending a text
message, and adding an appointment to a calendar.
[0086] In some examples, the AAM 156 may not include an ARI.
Instead, the AAM 156 can include one or more other operations that
reference a native application. The operations may be performed by
the user device 102. The operations may include instructions for at
least one of the search application 116, the OS 118, and a native
application on the user device 102. In response to selection of the
AAM 156, the user device 102 may perform the operations included in
the AAM 156. In some examples, the operations may be included in a
script.
[0087] The AAM 156 may also include edition information that
indicates the native application edition with which the AAM 156 is
compatible. For example, the edition information may indicate the
OS with which the AAM 156 is compatible. In some examples, the
search system 100 can determine whether to transmit the AAM 156 in
the search results based on whether the user device 102 (e.g., the
OS 118) can handle the AAM 156. As one example, the search system
100 may transmit the edition information for the AAM 156 to the
user device 102. In the event the user device 102 does not include
the native application edition (e.g., for a particular OS) with
which the AAM 156 is compatible, the user device 102 may not
display a user selectable link for the AAM 156. In some examples,
e.g., in instances where none of the AAM(s) of the function record
150 is compatible with the user device 102 but where the function
record 150 also includes a WAM, the user device 102 may instead
display a user selectable link for the WAM. In other examples, in
cases where the user device 102 does not include the native
application edition with which the AAM 156 is compatible, the user
device 102 may display a download and install user selectable link
for the native application edition to the user. Upon the user
selecting the link, the user device 102 may download and install
the native application edition, launch the native application
edition, and set the native application edition into an application
state specified by the AAM 156.
[0088] In some examples, an ARI is an application specific resource
identifier that is defined by the developer of the application. In
this example, the search application 116 receives the ARI and the
OS 118 may send the ARI to the native application referenced in the
ARI. The native application referenced in the ARI launches and is
set into the state specified by the ARI.
[0089] In some examples, a native application function may not be
accessible using an ARI. For example, a function of the native
application may not include a corresponding ARI that the
application may use to perform the function. As another example,
some native applications may not be configured to receive ARIs. In
these examples, an AAM for the native application can include one
or more operations that cause the native application to perform the
function that may not otherwise be accessible using an ARI. For
example, the search application 116 may receive the one or more
operations and execute the one or more operations to set the native
application into the desired application state. In a specific
example, the one or more operations may include launching the
native application along with additional operations for the native
application to perform. For example, the search application 116 may
initially trigger the native application to start the application,
and then wait for a period of time for the native application to
start. Then the search application 116 may perform additional
operations included in the received AAM, such as issuing a search
instruction to the native application.
[0090] In still other examples, a native application may be
configured to directly receive the operations transmitted by the
search system 100. In these examples, the native application may be
launched according to the AAM and then the launched native
application may directly perform the operations received from the
search system 100.
[0091] A single native application can provide a variety of
different functionalities. For example, a restaurant reservation
application can access reviews for a variety of different
restaurants and set up reservations at a variety of different
restaurants. Similarly, a travel application can book hotels, book
flights, and provide reviews for different travel destinations. The
different functionalities associated with a single native
application may be accessed using a plurality of different AAMs.
For example, with respect to the restaurant reservation
application, the data store 108 may include function records having
different AAMs for accessing different restaurant reviews and
setting up reservations. Similarly, the data store 108 may include
function records having different AAMs for booking hotels, booking
flights, and accessing reviews for different travel
destinations.
[0092] The AAMs for a single native application may vary in
complexity. In some examples, the AAMs may cause a native
application to launch (e.g., the OS 118 may be instructed to launch
the application) and then perform additional operations after
launching, as described above. In other examples, the AAMs may
cause a native application to launch into a default state (e.g., a
default homepage) without performing any additional operations. A
function record including an AAM that causes a native application
to launch into a default state may be thought of as an access
mechanism that is related to the native application, but not to any
particular state which may be accessed by the application. A
function record including such an AAM may include ASI describing
the native application, instead of any particular application
state. For example, the ASI may include the name of the developer
of the application, the publisher of the application, a category
(e.g., genre) of the application, a description of the application
(e.g., a developer's description), and the price of the
application. The ASI may also include security or privacy data
about the application, battery usage of the application, and
bandwidth usage of the application. The ASI may also include
application statistics. Application statistics may refer to
numerical data related to a native application. For example,
application statistics may include, but are not limited to, a
number of downloads, a download rate (e.g., downloads per month), a
number of ratings, and a number of reviews.
[0093] FIG. 4B shows an example function record 160 associated with
the native application OpenTable. OpenTable is a
restaurant-reservation application that allows users to search for
restaurants and make restaurant reservations. OpenTable provides
information about restaurants, including descriptions of
restaurants and user reviews of the restaurants. The example
function record 160 of FIG. 4B describes an application state of
OpenTable in which OpenTable accesses information for the
restaurant The French Laundry.
[0094] The function record 160 includes the function ID
"Opentable--The French Laundry" indicated at 162, which may be used
as a unique identifier to identify the function record 160. In
other examples, the function ID 162 could include a URL as a unique
identifier for the function record 160. For example, the function
ID 162 may include the string
"http://www.opentable.com/the-french-laundry" as a unique
identifier for the function record 160. Such a function ID may be
included in a WAM of a function record. In another example, the
function ID 162 could be a string of characters, numbers, and/or
symbols that are not in human readable form.
[0095] The function record 160 includes ASI 164. The ASI 164
includes data fields for restaurant category of the French Laundry,
description of the French Laundry, user reviews of the French
Laundry, and additional data fields. The restaurant category field
may include the text "French cuisine" and "contemporary," for
example. The description field for The French Laundry may include
text that describes The French Laundry. The user reviews field may
include text of user reviews for The French Laundry. The additional
data fields may include additional data for The French Laundry that
may not specifically fit within the other defined fields, such as a
menu for the restaurant, prices, and operating hours for the
restaurant.
[0096] The function record 160 includes an AAM 166. The AAM 166 may
include a reference to the native application OpenTable along with
one or more operations to be performed by a user device 102. For
example, the AAM 166 may include a native ARI 168 and/or one or
more operations 170 that cause the user device 102 to access the
entry for The French Laundry in the OpenTable native application.
An example ARI 168 may be
"vnd.opentable.deeplink://opentable.com/restaurant/profile?rid=1180&refid-
=1."
[0097] Referring back to FIG. 3, the search query 128 received by
the search module 110 is used to perform a search of the data store
108. The query analysis module 122 receives the search query 128.
The query analysis module 122 may perform various analysis
operations on the received search query 128. For example, analysis
operations performed by the query analysis module 122 may include,
but are not limited to, tokenization of the search query 128,
filtering of the search query 128, stemming, synonymization, and
stop word removal.
[0098] The set generation module 124 identifies a set of function
records (i.e., the consideration set) based on the search query
128. In some examples, the set generation module 124 may identify
the set of function records based on matches between terms of the
search query 128 and terms in the function records. For example,
the set generation module 124 may identify a set of function
records in the data store 108 based on matches between tokens
generated by the query analysis module 122 and words included in
the function records, such as words included in the ASI and/or
function IDs of the function records.
[0099] The set processing module 126 processes the consideration
set to generate a set of search results 130 that includes a list of
AAMs. In some examples, the set processing module 126 scores the
functions records included in the consideration set. The scores
associated with the function records may be referred to as "result
scores." Accordingly, in some examples, each of the function
records in the consideration set may have a corresponding result
score. The set processing module 126 may then select function
records from the consideration set based on the result scores
associated with the function records. For example, the set
processing module 126 may select the highest scoring function
records of the consideration set.
[0100] The set processing module 126 selects AAMs from the selected
function records (e.g., the highest scoring function records). The
set processing module 126 transmits the selected AAMs to the user
device 102 that generated the search query 128. The set processing
module 126 may also transmit the result scores associated with the
selected AAMs. For example, an AAM may be associated with the
result score of the function record from which the AAM was
selected.
[0101] The information conveyed by the search results 130 may
depend on how the result scores are calculated by the set
processing module 126. For example, the result scores may indicate
the relevance of an application function or application state to
the search query 128, the popularity of an application function or
state, or other properties of the application function or state,
depending on what parameters the set processing module 126 uses to
score the function records.
[0102] The set processing module 126 may generate result scores for
function records in a variety of different ways. In some
implementations, the set processing module 126 generates a result
score for a function record based on one or more scoring features.
The scoring features may be associated with the function record
and/or the search query 128. A function record scoring feature
(hereinafter, "record scoring feature") may be based on any data
associated with a function record. For example, record scoring
features may be based on any data included in the ASI of the
function record. Example record scoring features may be a quality
score, whether the function record includes an AAM that leads to a
default state or a deeper native application state, and, for newly
generated function records, the number of function records used to
generate the newly generated function record, as described
hereinafter. A query scoring feature may include any data
associated with the search query 128. For example, query scoring
features may include, but are not limited to, a number of words in
the search query 128, the popularity of the search query 128, and
the expected frequency of the words in the search query 128. A
record-query scoring feature may include any data which may be
generated based on data associated with both the function record
and the search query 128 that resulted in identification of the
function record by the set generation module 124. For example,
record-query scoring features may include, but are not limited to,
parameters that indicate how well the terms of the search query 128
match the terms of the ASI of the identified function record. The
set processing module 126 may generate a result score for a
function record based on at least one of the record scoring
features, the query scoring features, and the record-query scoring
features.
[0103] The set processing module 126 may determine a result score
based on one or more of the scoring features listed herein and/or
additional scoring features not explicitly listed. In some
examples, the set processing module 126 may include one or more
machine-learned models (e.g., a supervised learning model)
configured to receive one or more scoring features. The one or more
machine-learned models may generate result scores based on at least
one of the record scoring features, the query scoring features, and
the record-query scoring features. For example, the set processing
module 126 may pair the search query 128 with each function record
and calculate a vector of features for each (query, record) pair.
The vector of features may include one or more record scoring
features, one or more query scoring features, and one or more
record-query scoring features. The set processing module 126 may
then input the vector of features into a machine-learned regression
model to calculate a result score for the function record. In some
examples, the machine-learned regression model may include a set of
decision trees (e.g., gradient boosted decision trees). In another
example, the machine-learned regression model may include a
logistic probability formula. In some examples, the machine-learned
task described above can be framed as a semi-supervised learning
task, where a minority of the training data is labeled with human
curated scores and the rest of the data is used without human
labels.
[0104] The result scores associated with the AAMs may be used in a
variety of different ways. In some examples, the result scores
associates with AAMs may be used to rank the list of AAMs. In these
examples, a higher result score may indicate that the AAM (e.g.,
the function or application state) is more relevant to a user than
an AAM having a smaller result score. In examples where the search
results 130 are displayed as a list on a user device 102, the links
for AAMs associated with larger result scores may be listed closer
to the top of the results list (e.g., near to the top of the
screen). In these examples, links for AAMs having lower result
scores may be located farther down the list (e.g., off screen) and
may be accessed by scrolling down the screen of the user device
102. In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the user device
102 may group together the links associated with the same native
application.
[0105] FIG. 5 shows an example method 500 for performing a search
based on a received search query. The method 500 is described with
reference to the search module 110 of FIG. 3. In block 502, the
query analysis module 122 receives a search query 128 generated by
a user device 102. In block 504, the query analysis module 122
analyzes the search query 128.
[0106] In block 506, the set generation module 124 identifies a
consideration set of function records based on the search query 128
(e.g., based on output from the query analysis module 122). In
blocks 508-510, the set processing module 126 processes the
consideration set of function records. In block 508, the set
processing module 126 generates result scores for the function
records included in the consideration set. In block 510, the set
processing module 126 selects function records from the
consideration set based on the result scores associated with the
function records. For example, the set processing module 126 may
select function records having the highest result scores.
[0107] In block 512, the set processing module 126 selects AAMs
from the selected function records. In block 514, the set
processing module 126 generates search results including a list of
the selected AAMs. In block 516, the set processing module 126
transmits the search results to the user device 102 that generated
the search query 128.
[0108] FIG. 6 shows an example method 600 describing operation of
an example user device 102. It may be assumed that the user device
102 described according to the method 600 includes a search
application 116 (e.g., a native application or web browser
implementation) that is configured to communicate with the search
system 100. It may also be assumed that the search application 116
running on the user device 102 generates a GUI that receives search
queries and displays search results. The method 600 is described
with reference to the search system 100 and user device 102 of
FIGS. 1-2.
[0109] In block 602, the search application 116 receives a search
query 128 from the user. For example, the search query 128 may have
been entered into the GUI of the search application 116. In block
604, the user device 102 transmits the search query 128 to the
search system 100. In block 606, the user device 102 waits for the
search results to be received. The method 600 continues in block
608 when the search results are received from the search system
100. The search results may include a list of AAMs. The search
results may also include result scores associated with the AAMs.
Additionally, the search results may include link data (e.g., text
and/or images) for each of the AAMs. The search application 116 may
generate user selectable links in the GUI based on the received
link data.
[0110] In block 608, the search application 116 arranges the search
results for display to the user. The search results may include
links for each of the AAMs included in the search results. In block
610, the search application 116 waits for the user to select one of
the user selectable links. The method 600 continues in block 612
when the user selects (e.g., touches) one of the links in the
search results. In response to selection of a link for an AAM, the
user device 102 launches the native application referenced in the
AAM and performs one or more operations indicated in the AAM in
block 612.
[0111] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an example of a search application on
a user device 200. In FIG. 7A, a user has entered a search query
202 into a GUI of the search application. Specifically, the user
has entered the search query "Late night diners" into a search
field (e.g., a search bar) 210 of the GUI. The user can select
(e.g., touch or click) a search button 204 of the GUI in order to
transmit a query wrapper including the search query 202 to the
search system 100.
[0112] The search system 100 receives the query wrapper and
identifies one or more function records based on the search query
202 included in the query wrapper. The search system 100 processes
the identified function records and selects AAMs from the
identified function records. In the example of FIG. 7A, the search
system 100 identified function records that represent application
states in the native application Yelp and the native application
"TRIPADVISOR.RTM." by TripAdvisor, LLC (hereinafter,
"TripAdvisor"). For example, the search system 100 identified
function records that correspond to the entries in Yelp for "IHOP,"
"Denny's," and "Taco Bell." The search system 100 also identified
function records that correspond to the entries in TripAdvisor for
"McDonald's," "Perkins," and "In-N-Out." Although only links for
Yelp and TripAdvisor are visible in the GUI in FIG. 7A, the search
system 100 may have identified additional function records for
Yelp, TripAdvisor, and additional native applications that are not
illustrated in FIG. 7A. Furthermore, the search system 100 may have
transmitted additional AAMs to the user device 200 that are not
shown in the GUI of FIG. 7A.
[0113] The search results transmitted to the user device 200
include AAMs for the application functions/states indicated in the
links 206-1, 206-2, . . . , 206-6 (collectively, the "links 206").
The search results also include link data (e.g., text and images)
associated with each of the AAMs. For example, the "IHOP" link
206-1 includes the text "IHOP" and an image of pancakes. A user may
select (e.g., touch or click) the links 206 to access the
application function/state indicated in the links 206. For example,
a user may select the area of the GUI including the "IHOP" link
206-1 in order to access the entry in the Yelp native application
for "IHOP." In FIG. 7A, the links 206 are grouped together
according to the native applications associated with the links 206.
For example, the Yelp links 206-1, 206-2, and 206-3 and the
TripAdvisor links 206-4, 206-5, and 206-6 are grouped together
under Yelp and TripAdvisor headers 208-1, 208-2, respectively. In
other examples, links for different native applications may be
mixed instead of grouped.
[0114] In the example of FIG. 7A, the user selects the "Denny's"
link 206-2. In response to selection of the "Denny's" link 206-2,
the user device 200 launches the Yelp native application and
performs one or more operations according to the AAM associated
with the "Denny's" link 206-2. In the example of FIG. 7A, the AAM
associated with the "Denny's" link 206-2 may reference the Yelp
native application and indicate a path for the Yelp native
application to find information for the "DENNY'S.RTM." restaurant
listed in the link. For example, an ARI may reference the Yelp
native application and indicate one or more operations for the Yelp
native application to perform, such as retrieving data from the
path included in the ARI. Accordingly, the ARI of the AAM may cause
the Yelp native application to perform the function of retrieving
and displaying information for the "DENNY'S.RTM." restaurant. An
example ARI for the Yelp native application may include the string
"yelp:///biz/dennys-sunnyvale." FIG. 7B shows an example GUI 212 of
the Yelp native application after the user has selected the
"Denny's" link 206-2. In FIG. 7B, the Yelp native application is
set into a state in which the Yelp native application is displaying
retrieved information about the "DENNY'S.RTM." restaurant.
[0115] FIG. 8A shows an example function record 220 including
multiple different AAMs. The function record 220 includes a
function ID 222 and ASI 224, as described above. The function
record 220 includes a first AAM 226-1, a second AAM 226-2, and a
third AAM 226-3 (collectively, the "AAMs 226").
[0116] The different AAMs 226 included in the function record 220
may be associated with different editions of a native application.
For example, the first, second, and third AAMs 226 may be
associated with first, second, and third editions of a native
application, respectively. The different AAMs 226 in the function
record 220 may be associated with different operating systems
and/or different versions of a native application. In a specific
example, the AAMs 226 may be associated with different operating
systems. For example, the AAMs 226 may each include an ARI that is
specific to a different OS, such as ANDROID.RTM., IOS.RTM., or
WINDOWS PHONE.RTM.. More specifically, an ARI for a first edition
of a native application that runs on a first OS may be different
than an ARI for a second edition of the native application that
runs on a second OS. As another example, the ARIs of the AAMs 226
may be different for native application editions that are different
versions, but run on the same OS. The operations included in the
AAMs 226 may also be specific to different operating systems and/or
versions.
[0117] In some examples, the different AAMs 226 in the function
record 220 may be associated with different versions of a native
application for the same OS. For example, the AAMs 226 may each be
associated with a different version of a native application for the
ANDROID.RTM. OS. Different versions may include a version 1.0 of a
native application and a later released version 2.0 of the native
application. In another example, different versions of a native
application may be versions of the native application designed for
different devices. For example, a first version of a native
application may be designed for a smart phone. A second version of
the native application may be designed for a tablet computing
device having a different set of specifications (e.g., screen size
and resolution) than the smart phone for which the first version of
the native application was designed.
[0118] As described with respect to FIG. 4A, an AAM may include
edition information that indicates the native application edition
with which the AAM is associated. In this context, the first AAM
226-1 may include an ARI and/or one or more operations that are
compatible with a specific native application edition. The first
AAM 226-1 may also include edition information that indicates the
specific native application edition with which the ARI and/or the
operations are compatible. The second and third AAMs 226-2, 226-3
may also include edition information that indicates the specific
native application editions with which the second and third AAMs
226-2, 226-3 are associated.
[0119] The different AAMs 226 included in the function record 220
may cause the corresponding native application editions to launch
and perform similar functions so that the application editions are
set into similar application states. For example, the different
AAMs 226 included in the function record 220 may cause the
corresponding native application editions to be set into the
application state described by the function record 220 (e.g., the
ASI 224). Accordingly, although the ARIs and/or the operations
included in the AAMs 226 may be different, the different AAMs 226
may cause the different native application editions to be set into
similar application states. In one example, if the different AAMs
226 reference different editions of an internet music player
application, the different AAMs 226 may cause the different
application editions to play the same song. In another example, if
the different AAMs 226 reference different editions of a restaurant
reservation application, the different AAMs 226 may cause the
different application editions to retrieve reservation information
for the same restaurant.
[0120] FIG. 8B shows a specific example of a function record 240
for an entry for The French Laundry in the OpenTable native
application. The function record 240 includes a function ID 242
"Opentable--The French Laundry." The function record 240 also
includes ASI 244 that may include information that is similar to
that described above with respect to FIG. 4B.
[0121] The function record 240 includes two AAMs 246-1, 246-2. The
first AAM 246-1 is associated with an edition of OpenTable that
runs on the ANDROID.RTM. OS. Accordingly, edition (i.e.,
ANDROID.RTM.) information 248-1 included in the function record 240
may indicate that ANDROID.RTM. operations 250-1 and ANDROID.RTM.
native ARI 252-1 also included in the function record 240 are
compatible with the ANDROID.RTM. OS. Furthermore, the edition
information 248-1 may specify one or more specific versions of the
ANDROID.RTM. OS and one or more versions of the OpenTable
application with which the ARI 252-1 and the operations 250-1 are
compatible. The second AAM 246-2 is associated with an edition of
OpenTable that runs on the IOS.RTM. OS. Accordingly, edition (i.e.,
IOS) information 248-2 included in the function record 240 may
indicate that IOS.RTM. operations 250-2 and IOS.RTM. native ARI
252-2 also included in the function record 240 are compatible with
the IOS.RTM. OS. Furthermore, the edition information 248-2 may
specify one or more specific versions of the IOS.RTM. OS and one or
more versions of the OpenTable application with which the ARI 252-2
and the operations 250-2 are compatible.
[0122] During a search for function records, the search system 100
(e.g., the set generation module 124) may identify one or more
function records that include multiple AAMs, as described above. In
these scenarios, the set processing module 126 may process (e.g.,
score) the identified set of function records in the manner
described above. For example, the set processing module 126 may
select function records from the consideration set based on the
result scores associated with function records.
[0123] As described above, the set processing module 126 selects
AAMs from the selected function records (e.g., the highest scoring
function records) and transmits the selected AAMs to the user
device 102 that generated the search query 128. In some
implementations of the search system 100, the set processing module
126 may transmit each of the multiple AAMs of a function record to
the user device 102 so that the user device 102 can determine which
AAM to use. For example, assuming the function record 240 of FIG.
8B was selected by the set processing module 126, the set
processing module 126 may transmit both the first and second AAMs
246-1, 246-2 to the user device 102. In this example, the user
device 102 may determine which of the AAMs 246-1, 246-2 to use. If
the user device 102 is running an ANDROID.RTM. OS, the user device
102 could select the first AAM 246-1. Alternatively, if the user
device 102 is running an IOS.RTM. OS, the user device 102 could
select the second AAM 246-2.
[0124] In some implementations of the search system 100, the set
processing module 126 determines which of the multiple AAMs in a
function record to transmit to the user device 102. The set
processing module 126 may determine which of the multiple AAMs to
transmit based on information included in the query wrapper
received from the user device 102. For example, the set processing
module 126 may select and transmit one or more of the AAMs that are
likely to be compatible with the user device 102. In a scenario
where the function record 240 of FIG. 8B is selected by the set
processing module 126 and the set processing module 126 determines
that the user device 102 is running an ANDROID.RTM. OS, the set
processing module 126 may select the first AAM 246-1 to transmit to
the user device 102. In this scenario, the set processing module
126 may refrain from transmitting the second AAM 246-2 associated
with the IOS.RTM. OS to the user device 102.
[0125] FIG. 9 shows an example function record 260 that includes a
WAM 262. The function record 260 also includes a function ID 264,
ASI 266, and one or more AAMs 268, as described above. The WAM 262
may be used by a wide variety of user devices 102 running different
operating systems. In some examples, the WAM 262 includes a web
resource identifier, such as a URL (i.e., a web address) used with
HTTP.
[0126] The WAM 262 (e.g., a URL) included in the function record
260 may be used by a web browser application to access a web
resource that includes similar information and/or performs similar
functions as would be performed by a native application that
receives the AAM(s) 268 of the function record 260. In one example,
the WAM 262 may direct a web browser to a web version of the native
application referenced in the AAM(s) 268. If the function record
260 is for a specific Mexican restaurant in Yelp, the AAM(s) 268
may include a reference to the Yelp native application and one or
more operations that access an entry for the specific Mexican
restaurant in the Yelp native application. In this example, the WAM
262 may include a web address that a web browser may use to access
the entry for the specific Mexican restaurant on a Yelp web
page.
[0127] During a search for function records, the search system 100
(e.g., the set generation module 124) may identify one or more
function records that each include a WAM. In these scenarios, the
set processing module 126 may process (e.g., score) the identified
set of function records in the manner described above. For example,
the set processing module 126 may select function records from the
consideration set based on the result scores associated with the
identified function records.
[0128] In some implementations of the search system 100, the set
processing module 126 determines which of the multiple AAM(s) 268
and the WAM 262 should be transmitted to the user device 102. The
set processing module 126 may determine whether to transmit the WAM
262 and/or the AAM(s) 268 of the function record 260 based on
information included in the query wrapper received from the user
device 102. For example, the set processing module 126 may select
and transmit the WAM 262 and/or the AAM(s) 268 based on which of
the WAM 262 and/or the AAM(s) 268 are likely to be compatible with
the user device 102.
[0129] In scenarios where the set processing module 126 determines
that one or more of the AAM(s) 268 is compatible with the user
device 102, the set processing module 126 may transmit the one or
more compatible AAMs. In these scenarios, the set processing module
126 may refrain from transmitting the WAM 262 and those AAMs that
are determined to be incompatible with the user device 102. In
other scenarios, if the set processing module 126 determines that
none of the AAM(s) 268 is compatible with the user device 102, the
set processing module 126 may transmit the WAM 262 and refrain from
transmitting the AAM(s) 268.
[0130] FIG. 10 shows an example function record 280 that includes
one or more application download addresses 282. The function record
280 also includes a function ID 284, ASI 286, one or more AAMs 288,
and a WAM 290, as described above. An application download address
282 can be used by a user device 102 to download the native
application referenced in the AAM(s) 288 in the event that the
native application is not installed on the user device 102. In some
examples, the application download address 282 may include a web
address (e.g., a URL) at which the native application can be
previewed and downloaded. For example, the application download
address 282 may direct a web browser of a user device 102 to a
digital distribution platform that is configured to distribute
native applications. Example digital distribution platforms
include, but are not limited to, GOOGLE PLAY.RTM. developed by
Google Inc., the APP STORE.RTM. developed by Apple Inc., and
WINDOWS PHONE STORE developed by Microsoft Corporation. If a user
device 102 includes a native download application for accessing a
digital distribution platform, the application download address 282
may direct the installed native download application to a site
where the native application referenced in the AAM(s) 288 can be
downloaded.
[0131] During a search, the search system 100 (e.g., the set
generation module 124) may identify one or more function records
that each include an application download address 282. In these
scenarios, the set processing module 126 may process (e.g., score)
the identified set of function records in the manner described
above. The set processing module 126 may also select function
records from the consideration set and select which AAMs of the
selected function records to transmit to the user device 102, as
described above. The set processing module 126 may transmit the
selected AAMs and the one or more application download addresses
282 to the user device 102.
[0132] As described above, different AAMs in a function record may
be associated with different operating systems. A first AAM may be
for a native application running on the ANDROID.RTM. OS. A second
AAM may be for the native application running on the IOS.RTM. OS.
In this example, the first AAM can be associated with a first
application download address for downloading the ANDROID.RTM.
edition of the native application. The second AAM can be associated
with a second application download address for downloading the
IOS.RTM. edition of the native application.
[0133] As described above, the search system 100 may transmit an
AAM 288 and an application download address 282 for downloading the
native application referenced in the AAM 288. If the user device
102 has the native application that is referenced in the AAM 288
installed, then the user device 102 (e.g., the search application
116) can generate a user selectable link that uses the AAM 288. For
example, in response to selection of the user selectable link using
the AAM 288, the user device 102 launches the native application
referenced in the AAM 288 and performs one or more operations
included in the AAM 288. If the user device 102 does not have the
native application installed, the user device 102 can determine
that the native application is not installed and then generate a
user selectable link that uses the application download address
282. In response to selection of the user selectable link using the
application download address 282, the user device 102 can launch
the web browser or a native application and direct the user to a
site (e.g., a digital distribution platform) where the native
application can be downloaded. A user selectable link including the
application download address 282 may include link data (e.g., text
and/or images) indicating that the user can download the native
application by selecting (e.g., touching) the user selectable link.
An example user selectable link 324-5 including an application
download address is illustrated in FIG. 12.
[0134] As described above, the data store 108 may include one or
more databases, indices (e.g., inverted indices), tables, files, or
other data structures which may be used to implement the techniques
of the present disclosure. In some examples, the data store 108 may
include access tables that include different access mechanisms.
With respect to FIG. 10, an access table for the function record
280 may include the application download addresses 282, the WAM
290, and the AAM(s) 288. The access table may also include the
function ID 284, which serves as a unique identifier for the access
table. In examples where the data store 108 includes access tables
for function records, the search system 100 may identify function
records and score the function records as described above. The
search system 100 may then select the access mechanisms from the
access tables identified by the function IDs of the function
records and transmit the access mechanisms in the access tables to
the user device 102. For example, with respect to the function
record 280 of FIG. 10, the search system 100 may identify and score
the function record 280 as described above. The search system 100
(e.g., the set processing module 126) may then use the function ID
284 to identify an access table that includes the application
download addresses 282, the WAM 290, and the AAM(s) 288. The search
system 100 can then select and transmit the application download
addresses 282, the WAM 290, and the AAM(s) 288 to the user device
102.
[0135] Multiple different ways for accessing native application
functionality and/or web application functionality are described
above. For example, a user device 102 may access functionality of a
native application using an AAM. In the case where the user device
102 does not have a native application installed, the user device
102 may download the native application by following the
application download address, thereby allowing the user device 102
to use the AAM in the search results. Additionally, or
alternatively, the user device 102 may also access functionality of
a web application using a WAM. For example, if the user device 102
does not have a native application installed, the user device 102
may instead generate a user selectable link including a WAM to
access similar functionality. Providing these different mechanisms
for accessing functionality may help ensure that a user device 102
has the ability to access the desired functionality present in the
search results.
[0136] In some examples, the search application 116 may be
configured to generate user selectable links according to a
hierarchy. For example, the search application 116 may be
configured to generate a link including an AAM if a compatible AAM
is received and the native application is currently installed. If
the native application is not installed, then the search
application 116 may generate a link including the WAM or including
the application download address. In some examples, instructions to
the search application 116 for which mechanism to use may be
included along with the search results.
[0137] Referring now to FIG. 11, the function record 300 includes a
quality score 302. The function record 300 also includes a function
ID 304, ASI 306, and one or more AAMs 308, as described above. The
quality score 302 may be included in any of the function records
described herein.
[0138] The quality score 302 may be a number used by the search
system 100 to generate a result score for the function record 300.
For example, the set processing module 126 may generate the result
score for the function record 300 based on the quality score 302
included in the function record 300. As described above, in some
implementations, the set processing module 126 generates a result
score for a function record based on one or more scoring features,
including record scoring features that may be based on data
associated with a function record. For those function records that
include quality scores, the set processing module 126 may use the
quality score as a record scoring feature. In these examples, the
set processing module 126 may generate a result score based on the
quality score 302. For example, one or more machine-learned models
may generate result scores using the quality score 302 as a record
scoring feature.
[0139] The quality score 302 may be determined based on metrics
associated with the person, place, or thing described in the
function record 300 (e.g., in the ASI 306). For example, the
quality score 302 may be based on the popularity of a place
described in the function record 300 and/or ratings (e.g., user
ratings) of the place described in the function record 300. In
another example, the quality score 302 may be based on the
popularity of a song described in the function record 300 and/or
ratings (e.g., user ratings) of the song described in the function
record 300. The quality score 302 may also be determined based on
measurements associated with the function record 300. For example,
the quality score 302 may be determined based on data indicating
how often the function record 300 is retrieved during a search and
how often the AAM(s) 308 of the function record 300 are selected by
a user.
[0140] FIG. 12 illustrates an example GUI of a search application
running on a user device 320. In FIG. 12, a user has entered a
search query 322 ("Late night diners by me") into the GUI of the
search application (e.g., into a search field 326 of the GUI). The
user has interacted with the GUI in order to transmit a query
wrapper including the search query 322 to the search system 100
(e.g., by selecting a search button 328 of the GUI). The search
system 100 has identified function records and selected AAMs, WAMs,
and application download addresses from the identified function
records, as described above. In the example of FIG. 12, the search
system 100 has identified function records including references to
the native applications Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, and
"URBANSPOON.RTM." by Wanderspot LLC (hereinafter, "Urbanspoon"). It
may be assumed that the user device 320 of FIG. 12 has the Yelp and
TripAdvisor native applications installed. It may also be assumed
that the OpenTable and Urbanspoon native applications are not
installed on the user device 320.
[0141] The GUI of FIG. 12 illustrates different types of links
324-1, 324-2, . . . , 324-5 for the function records identified for
Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, and Urbanspoon. As described above,
the search system 100 has identified function records that
correspond to the entries in Yelp for "IHOP" and "Denny's," which
are included in the GUI. The links 324-1, 324-2 include AAMs that
launch the Yelp native application and retrieve the entries in Yelp
for "IHOP" and "Denny's." If the Yelp native application was not
installed on the user device 320, the GUI may still display the
entries in Yelp for "IHOP" and "Denny's," but the user device 320
may include an application download address in the links 324-1,
324-2 so that, upon a user selecting one or both of the links
324-1, 324-2, the user device 320 would be directed to download the
Yelp native application. In an example where the links 324-1, 324-2
include an application download address, the links 324-1, 324-2 may
also include data (e.g., text and/or images) that indicate to a
user that selection of the links 324-1, 324-2 will direct the user
to a site for downloading the Yelp native application. For example,
the links 324-1, 324-2 may include text and/or an image that says
"Download." The GUI of FIG. 12 also includes a link 324-0 that
represents a Yelp header for the links 324-1, 324-2, as described
herein.
[0142] The link 324-3 may be associated with an AAM for the
TripAdvisor native application. For example, the AAM included in
the link 324-3 may cause the user device 320 to launch the
TripAdvisor native application to a default state, as described
above. In other examples, the AAM included in the link 324-3 may
cause the user device 320 to launch TripAdvisor and cause
TripAdvisor to perform a search within TripAdvisor using the search
query 322 (i.e., cause TripAdvisor to search for "Late night diners
by me"). In other words, in some examples, a user device 102 may
receive an AAM along with search results 130 received in response
to transmitting a search query 128 to the search system 100. The
user device 102 may include the AAM in a user selectable link as
part of displaying the search results 130 to a user. Upon the user
selecting the user selectable link, the AAM may cause the user
device to perform a search within a native application included on
the user device using the search query. In some examples, the AAM
may reference the native application. In this manner, the AAM may
be used as part of so-called "search forwarding." In search
forwarding, a search result 130 received by a user device 102 from
the search system 100 in response to a search query 128 causes a
native application included on the user device 102 to perform a
search using the same search query 128
[0143] The link 324-4 may be include a WAM for the OpenTable
web-based application. For example, the WAM may direct a web
browser of the user device 320 to entries for one or more late
night diners in the OpenTable web-based application. In some
examples, the WAM included in the link 324-4 may cause the user
device 320 to launch the OpenTable web-based application and cause
it to perform a search using the search query 322 in a similar
manner as described above with respect to search forwarding.
Accordingly, in response to selection of the link 324-4, the user
device 320 may launch a web browser and retrieve information at the
web address included in the WAM. As described above, since the
OpenTable native application is not installed on the user device
320, the search application may have presented the link 324-4 to
the user so that the user could access the desired functionality
via a WAM.
[0144] The link 324-5 may include an application download address
for the Urbanspoon native application. Since the user device 320
does not have the Urbanspoon native application installed, the user
device 320 displays the link 324-5 that includes an application
download address for the Urbanspoon native application. The user
device 320 also displays the link 324-5 such that it includes a GUI
element 330 with a string "Download," which prompts the user to
select the link 324-5 to download and install Urbanspoon. In
response to selection of the link 324-5, the user device 320 may
access a site (e.g., a digital distribution platform) for
downloading the Urbanspoon native application.
[0145] In some implementations, a function record may include
location data. The search system 100 may use location data in
function records to filter out function records that may not be
relevant to a user because of the location of the user relative to
the places described in the function records. For example, the
search system 100 may filter out function records in which the user
is located too far from the place(s) described in the function
records for the place(s) to be relevant to the user.
[0146] FIGS. 13A-16 describe how the search system 100 may generate
new function records based on concepts included in already existing
function records. FIGS. 13A-13B show example function records 400,
402 that include concept fields 404, 406. FIGS. 14A-14C show
example function records 420, 422, 424 that were generated for
individual concepts included in concept fields of already existing
function records.
[0147] Referring now to FIG. 13A, the function record 400 includes
the concept field 404 (i.e., the concept(s) 404). The function
record 400 also includes a function ID 408, ASI 410, and one or
more AAMs 412, as described above. The concept field 404 may be
included in any of the function records described herein. The
concept field 404 may include one or more concept names that each
describe a concept related to, or associated with, information
(e.g., ASI 410) included in the function record 400 and/or
functionality provided by the function record 400. In this
disclosure, a concept field of a function record including a
concept name that describes a concept related to the function
record may be referred to as the function record including the
concept, or the concept field including the concept.
[0148] A concept name included in the concept field 404 may include
one or more words that describe a concept associated with the
function record 400. The one or more concept names included in the
concept field 404 may describe the one or more concepts associated
with the function record 400, such as categories or classifications
of information (e.g., ASI 410) included in the function record 400.
For example, if the AAM(s) 412 provide access to a movie database
application (e.g., "IMDB.RTM." by IMDb.com Inc.), the concepts
included in the concept field 404 may include, but are not limited
to, a movie genre, a movie rating, and/or a movie director. In a
more specific example, if the AAM(s) 412 retrieve information from
a movie database for the film "The Godfather," and the ASI 410
describes the movie "The Godfather," then the concept field 404 may
include concepts such as "Crime movie," "Drama movie," "1970s
movie," "Director--Francis Ford Coppola," "Actor--Marlon Brando,"
and "R-rated movie." In another example, if the function record 400
describes a restaurant, the concept field 404 may include different
categories that are associated with the restaurant described in the
function record 400. In a more specific example, if the function
record 400 describes an Italian-American restaurant, the concept
field 404 may include the concepts "Italian cuisine" and "American
cuisine."
[0149] FIG. 13B shows an example function record 402 for an entry
in the Yelp native application for a fictional "Starbucks.RTM."
store by the Starbucks Coffee Company (hereinafter, "Starbucks").
The function ID 414 of the function record 402 is "Yelp--Starbucks
#5." The number "5" of the function ID 414 is a store number used
to differentiate the Starbucks store of the function record 402
from other Starbucks stores. The function record 402 also includes
ASI 416 and one or more AAMs 418, as described above. The AAM(s)
418 may cause a user device 102 to launch the Yelp native
application and retrieve the entry for the Starbucks #5 store in
the Yelp database.
[0150] The concept field 406 includes two concepts: "Yelp--Coffee"
and "Yelp--Breakfast." The concept "Yelp--Coffee" applies to the
function record 402 because the function record 402 includes the
AAM(s) 418 for the Yelp native application that access an entry
within Yelp for a Starbucks store that serves coffee. The concept
"Yelp--Breakfast" also applies to the function record 402 because
the function record 402 includes the AAM(s) 418 for the Yelp native
application that access an entry within Yelp for a Starbucks store
that serves breakfast sandwiches and drinks. In some examples, the
ASI 416 may include information related to the coffee served at the
Starbucks store and the items that are available for breakfast at
the store.
[0151] In some examples, the search system 100 may automatically
generate one or more concepts included in a concept field of a
function record. For example, if ASI of a function record describes
a restaurant that serves Italian cuisine, the search system 100 can
assign a concept "Italian cuisine" to the function record.
Similarly, if ASI of a function record describes an R-rated action
movie, the search system 100 can assign the concepts "R-rated
movie" and "action movie" to the function record. In other
examples, one or more concepts included in a concept field of a
function record may be populated by a human operator.
[0152] The search system 100 may generate new function records
using the concepts included in already existing function records.
For example, the search system 100 can generate a new function
record for each concept included in the concept fields of already
existing function records. For example, with respect to FIGS. 13B,
14B, and 14C, the search system 100 can generate the function
record 422 of FIG. 14B for the concept "Yelp--Coffee" and another
function record, namely the function record 424 of FIG. 14C, for
the concept "Yelp--Breakfast." As explained above, both of the
concepts "Yelp--Coffee" and "Yelp--Breakfast" are included in the
concept field 406 of the function record 402 of FIG. 13B.
[0153] FIG. 14A shows an example function record 420 that was
generated based on a single concept that was included in concept
fields of a plurality of different function records. The function
ID 426 of the function record 420 may include the concept name
associated with the function record 420. For example, with respect
to FIG. 14B, the function ID 428 of the function record 422 is
"Yelp--Coffee," which is a concept included in the function record
402 of FIG. 13B. As another example, with respect to FIG. 14C, the
function ID 430 of the function record 424 is "Yelp--Breakfast,"
which is a concept included in the function record 402 of FIG.
13B.
[0154] The function record 420 includes ASI 432, which is
aggregated from multiple different function records. For example,
the ASI 432 may include the ASI from multiple different function
records having the same concept. In a more specific example, the
ASI 432 may include the ASI from multiple different function
records each having the concept named in the function ID 426. For
example, if the function record 420 has a function ID "action
movie," the ASI 432 may include the ASI from multiple different
function records each having the concept "action movie."
Accordingly, the ASI 432 generated based on a plurality of
different function records may include an aggregation of the ASI of
the plurality of different function records. In some examples, the
ASI 432 may include all or a subset of the ASI of the plurality of
different function records. For instance, the ASI 432 may include
certain portions of the ASI of the plurality of different function
records, while other portions of the ASI may be filtered or omitted
from the ASI 432 in some examples. In other examples, the
aggregation of the ASI of the plurality of different function
records included in the ASI 432 may represent a concatenation of
the ASI, such that the ASI 432 includes the information associated
with each of the ASI in its unmodified form. In still other
examples, the aggregation of the ASI within the ASI 432 may
represent an averaging or other processing of one or more aspects
(e.g., ratings) of the ASI.
[0155] The function record 420 includes one or more AAMs 434. The
AAM(s) 434 included in the function record 420 may depend on the
concept associated with the function record 420. In general, the
AAM(s) 434 may cause a user device 102 to perform a function that
is associated with the concept of the function record 420. Put
another way, the AAM(s) 434 may cause a user device 102 to perform
a function that is associated in some way with each of the multiple
different function records used to generate the function record
420. As the following examples illustrate, the AAM(s) 434 can be
different than any of the AAMs of the function records used to
generate the function record 420. Accordingly, the AAM(s) 434 may
cause a user device 102 to perform a function that is different
than the functions performed by the AAMs of the multiple different
function records used to generate the function record 420.
[0156] In one example, if the function ID 426 of the function
record 420 is "Yelp--Italian cuisine," then the AAM(s) 434 may be
configured to cause a user device 102 to launch the Yelp native
application and generate a search for "Italian cuisine" in the Yelp
native application. For example, the AAM(s) 434 may cause the user
device 102 to perform a search within Yelp using the string
"Italian cuisine" as a search query. Alternatively, the AAM(s) 434
may cause the user device 102 to access a category within Yelp that
corresponds to the string "Italian cuisine." In another example, if
the function ID 426 of the function record 420 is "IMDB--Martin
Scorsese," then the AAM(s) 434 may cause a user device 102 to
launch the IMDB native application and generate a search for
"Martin Scorsese" in the IMDB native application. In this example,
the AAM(s) 434 may cause the user device 102 to perform a search
within IMDB using the string "Martin Scorsese" as a search query.
Alternatively, the AAM(s) 434 may cause the user device 102 to
access a category within IMDB that corresponds to the string
"Martin Scorsese."
[0157] In some examples, the function record 420 may include one or
more WAMs. In these examples, each of the WAM(s) (e.g., a URL)
included in the function record 420 may be used by a web browser of
a user device 102 to access a web resource that includes similar
information and/or performs similar functions as would be performed
by a native application that receives the AAM(s) 434 of the
function record 420, as described herein. As one example, the
WAM(s) included in the function record 420 may be generated using
one or more WAMs included in the multiple different function
records used to generate the function record 420. As another
example, the WAM(s) included in the function record 420 may be
generated using the AAMs included in the multiple different
function records used to generate the function record 420.
[0158] In other examples, the function record 420 may include one
or more application download addresses that can be used by a user
device 102 to download the native application referenced in the
AAM(s) 434 in the event that the native application is not
installed on the user device 102. In these examples, the one or
more application download addresses included in the function record
420 may be retrieved from the multiple different function records
used to generate the function record 420.
[0159] FIGS. 14B-14C show the two example function records 422, 424
that the search system 100 generated based on multiple different
function records included in the data store 108. The function
record 422 of FIG. 14B was generated from multiple different
function records that each include the concept "Yelp--Coffee."
Accordingly, the function ID 428 of the function record 422 is
"Yelp--Coffee." The multiple function records used to generate the
function record 422 may be for entries in Yelp for establishments
that sell coffee, such as Starbucks stores (e.g., the function
record 402 of FIG. 13B), "McDonald's.RTM." restaurants by
McDonald's Corporation (hereinafter, "McDonald's"), and "Dunkin'
Donuts.RTM." restaurants by DD IP Holder LLC (hereinafter, "Dunkin'
Donuts"), or other establishments. The ASI 436 may include the ASI
from the multiple different function records that include the
concept "Yelp--Coffee." The AAM(s) 438 may cause the user device
102 to launch the Yelp native application and perform a function
associated with the concept "Yelp--Coffee." For example, the AAM(s)
438 may cause the user device 102 to perform a search for "Coffee"
in the Yelp native application. As one example, the AAM(s) 438 may
cause the user device 102 to perform a search within Yelp using the
string "Coffee" as a search query. As another example, the AAM(s)
438 may cause the user device 102 to access a category that
corresponds to the string "Coffee" within Yelp.
[0160] The function record 424 of FIG. 14C was generated from
multiple different function records that each include the concept
"Yelp--Breakfast." Accordingly, the function ID 430 of the function
record 424 is "Yelp--Breakfast." The multiple function records may
include entries in Yelp for establishments that sell breakfast,
such as Starbucks stores (e.g., the application record 402 of FIG.
13B), "Perkins.RTM." restaurants by Perkins & Marie
Callender's, LLC (hereinafter, "Perkins"), "Village Inn.RTM."
restaurants by American Blue Ribbon Holdings, LLC (hereinafter,
"Village Inn"), "McDonald's.RTM." restaurants, "IHOP.RTM."
restaurants by IHOP IP, LLC (hereinafter, "IHOP"), or other
establishments. The ASI 440 may include the ASI from the multiple
different function records that include the concept
"Yelp--Breakfast." The AAM(s) 442 may cause the user device 102 to
launch the Yelp native application and perform a function
associated with the concept "Yelp--Breakfast." For example, the
AAM(s) 442 may cause the user device 102 to perform a search for
"Breakfast" in the Yelp native application. As one example, the
AAM(s) 442 may cause the user device 102 to perform a search within
Yelp using the string "Breakfast" as a search query. As another
example, the AAM(s) 442 may cause the user device 102 to access a
category that corresponds to the string "Breakfast" within
Yelp.
[0161] In other examples, the function record 422 of FIG. 14B may
be generated using multiple different function records that each
include the concept "Coffee." In these examples, the function ID
428 of the function record 422 may be "Coffee." The multiple
function records used to generate the function record 422 may
reference entries in one or more native applications (e.g., Yelp,
TripAdvisor, Urbanspoon, and/or OpenTable) for establishments that
sell coffee, such as Starbucks stores (e.g., the function record
402 of FIG. 13B), McDonald's restaurants, Dunkin' Donuts
restaurants, or other establishments. The ASI 436 of the function
record 422 may include ASI from the multiple different function
records that include the concept "Coffee." The AAM(s) 438 of the
function record 422 may cause the user device 102 to launch a
native application (e.g., Yelp, TripAdvisor, Urbanspoon, and/or
OpenTable) and perform a function associated with the concept
"Coffee." For example, the AAM(s) 438 may cause the user device 102
to perform a search for "Coffee" in the native application.
[0162] In a similar manner as described above, in other examples,
the function record 424 of FIG. 14C may be generated using multiple
different function records that each include the concept
"Breakfast." In this example, the function ID 430 of the function
record 424 may be "Breakfast." The multiple function records may
include entries in one or more native applications for
establishments that sell breakfast, such as Starbucks stores (e.g.,
the application record 402 of FIG. 13B), Perkins restaurants,
Village Inn restaurants, McDonald's restaurants, HOP restaurants,
or other establishments. The ASI 440 of the function record 424 may
include ASI from the multiple different function records that
include the concept "Breakfast." The AAM(s) 442 of the function
record 424 may cause the user device 102 to launch a native
application and perform a function associated with the concept
"Breakfast." For example, the AAM(s) 442 may cause the user device
102 to perform a search for "Breakfast" within the native
application.
[0163] In some examples, one or more of the function records 420,
422, and 424 may each include data (e.g., within a field) that
indicates how many already existing function records were used to
generate the respective one of the function records 420, 422, and
424.
[0164] FIG. 15 shows a functional block diagram of an example
search system 450. The search system 450 includes the data store
108 and the search module 110, as described above. The data store
108 includes function records 451, which may represent any of the
function records described above. Some of the function records 451
include concept fields having one or more concepts. The data store
108 also includes function records 452-1, 452-2, . . . , 452-N
(collectively, the "new function records 452") that were generated
based on the already existing function records 451.
[0165] The search system 450 includes a concept record generation
module 454 (hereinafter, the "record generation module 454"). The
record generation module 454 generates the new function records 452
based on concepts included in the already existing function records
451. For example, the record generation module 454 may generate a
new function record 452 for a concept included in multiple existing
function records 451. The function records 451 may include N or
more different concepts. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the record
generation module 454 generates N function records 452 from the N
or more different concepts included in the function records
451.
[0166] The record generation module 454 can generate a function
record in the following manner. Initially, the record generation
module 454 may identify a concept included in the function records
451 (e.g., in a specific one of the function records 451). The
record generation module 454 may then generate a new function
record 452 for the identified concept. For example, the new
function record 452 may have a function ID that includes the
identified concept. The record generation module 454 may then
populate the newly generated function record 452 (e.g., the ASI of
the new function record 452) with the ASI of the function record
451 in which the concept was identified. The record generation
module 454 may then select another function record 451 having the
same concept and include the ASI from the selected function record
451 in the ASI of the newly generated function record 452.
Accordingly, at this point in time, the newly generated function
record 452 may include ASI from two different function records 451
each having the same concept. The record generation module 454 may
then continue to add ASI to the newly generate function record 452.
For example, the record generation module 454 may identify
additional function records 451 having the same concept and include
the ASI from the additional function records 451 in the ASI of the
newly generated function record 452. In this manner, the newly
generated function record 452 is populated with ASI from multiple
different ones of the function records 451 each having the same
concept. In FIG. 15, the record generation module 454 generates N
function records 452 based on N different concepts included in the
function records 451.
[0167] The record generation module 454 then generates AAMs for the
newly generated function records 452. As described above, the AAMs
may be configured to cause a user device 102 to launch a native
application and perform functions associated with the concept upon
which the function record 452 is based. For example, the record
generation module 454 may generate an AAM that performs a search
for the concept in a native application. In some examples, the AAM
for the newly generated function record 452 may be generated by a
human operator and added to the newly generated function record 452
by the record generation module 454.
[0168] In examples where a newly generated function record 452 was
generated from already existing function records 451 including
location data, the newly generated function record 452 may include
the location data from each of the function records 451 used to
generate the newly generated function record 452. For example, if
three already existing function records 451 used to generate a new
function record 452 each have location data that defines a distinct
geographic area associated with the respective function record, the
record generation module 454 may generate the new function record
452 to include the location data that defines the three distinct
geographic areas.
[0169] In some examples, the record generation module 454 may
update a previously generated new function record 452, e.g., in
instances where information included in one or more already
existing function records 451 used to generate the new function
record 452 is also updated. For example, the record generation
module 454 may update ASI of the new function record 452 with
updated ASI of one or more of the function records 451. The record
generation module 454 may also update one or more AAMs of the newly
generated function record 452 based on the updated ASI of the one
or more of the function records 451.
[0170] FIG. 16 shows a method 800 for generating new function
records based on concepts included in already existing function
records. The method 800 is described with respect to the search
system 450 of FIG. 15 and the search module 110 of FIGS. 3 and 15.
It may be assumed that at the start of the method 800, the data
store 108 includes a plurality of function records having multiple
different concepts.
[0171] In block 802, the record generation module 454 retrieves a
first set (e.g., a subset) of the function records 451, each
function record of the first set having a first concept. In block
804, the record generation module 454 generates a new function
record for the first concept 452-1. For example, the record
generation module 454 may generate the new function record 452-1 to
have a function ID named after the first concept. The record
generation module 454 may also generate an ASI field in the new
function record 452-1 that includes the ASI from each of the
functional records in the first set of the function records 451.
The record generation module 454 may then generate one or more
access mechanisms (e.g., an AAM, a WAM, and/or an application
download address) for the newly generated function record 452-1. In
block 806, the record generation module 454 generates one or more
additional function records (e.g., one or more of the new function
records 452-2 . . . 452-N) for one or more additional concepts
included in the function records 451, e.g., in other sets (e.g.,
subsets) of the function records 451. For example, the record
generation module 454 may generate a new function record 452 for
each concept identified in the already existing function records
451.
[0172] In block 808, the query analysis module 122 receives a
search query 128 generated by a user device 102 and then analyzes
the search query 128. In block 810, the set generation module 124
identifies a consideration set of function records based on the
search query 128. The consideration set may include one or more
function records from the original function records 451 and one or
more newly generated function records 452. In block 812, the set
processing module 126 processes (e.g., scores) the consideration
set of function records. In block 814, the set processing module
126 selects one or more function records from the consideration
set, selects one or more AAMs from the selected function records,
and generates search results including a list of the selected AAMs.
In block 816, the set processing module 126 transmits the search
results to the user device 102 that generated the search query
128.
[0173] Modules and data stores included in the search systems 100,
450 represent features that may be included in the search systems
100, 450 of the present disclosure. For example, the search module
110, the record generation module 454, and the data store 108 may
represent features included in the search systems 100, 450. The
modules and data stores described herein may be embodied by
electronic hardware, software, firmware, or any combination
thereof. Depiction of different features as separate modules and
data stores does not necessarily imply whether the modules and data
stores are embodied by common or separate electronic hardware or
software components. In some implementations, the features
associated with the one or more modules and data stores depicted
herein may be realized by common electronic hardware and software
components. In other implementations, the features associated with
the one or more modules and data stores depicted herein may be
realized by separate electronic hardware and software
components.
[0174] The modules and data stores may be embodied by electronic
hardware and software components including, but not limited to, one
or more processing units, one or more memory components, one or
more input/output (I/O) components, and interconnect components.
The interconnect components may be configured to provide
communication between the one or more processing units, the one or
more memory components, and the one or more I/O components. For
example, the interconnect components may include one or more buses
that are configured to transfer data between electronic components.
The interconnect components may also include control circuits
(e.g., a memory controller and/or an I/O controller) that are
configured to control communication between electronic
components.
[0175] The one or more processing units may include one or more
central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs),
digital signal processing units (DSPs), or other processing units.
The one or more processing units may be configured to communicate
with the memory components and the I/O components. For example, the
one or more processing units may be configured to communicate with
the memory components and the I/O components via the interconnect
components.
[0176] A memory component, or memory, may include any volatile or
non-volatile media. For example, a memory may include, but is not
limited to, electrical media, magnetic media, and/or optical media,
such as a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),
non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), electrically-erasable programmable ROM
(EEPROM), Flash memory, hard disk drives (HDD), magnetic tape
drives, optical storage technology (e.g., compact disc, digital
versatile disc, and/or Blu-ray Disc), or any other memory
components.
[0177] The memory components may include (e.g., store) data
described herein. For example, the memory components may include
the data included in the function records of the data store 108.
The memory components may also include instructions that may be
executed by one or more processing units. For example, the memory
may include computer-readable instructions that, when executed by
one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing
units to perform the various functions attributed to the modules
and data stores described herein.
[0178] The I/O components may refer to electronic hardware and
software that provides communication with a variety of different
devices. For example, the I/O components may provide communication
between other devices and the one or more processing units and
memory components. In some examples, the I/O components may be
configured to communicate with a computer network. For example, the
I/O components may be configured to exchange data over a computer
network using a variety of different physical connections, wireless
connections, and protocols. The I/O components may include, but are
not limited to, network interface components (e.g., a network
interface controller), repeaters, network bridges, network
switches, routers, and firewalls. In some examples, the I/O
components may include hardware and software that is configured to
communicate with various human interface devices, including, but
not limited to, display screens, keyboards, pointer devices (e.g.,
a mouse), touchscreens, speakers, and microphones. In other
examples, the I/O components may include hardware and software that
is configured to communicate with additional devices, such as
external memory (e.g., external HDDs).
[0179] In some implementations, the search systems 100, 450 may be
systems of one or more computing devices (e.g., a computer search
system) that are configured to implement the techniques described
herein. Put another way, the features attributed to the modules and
data stores described herein may be implemented by one or more
computing devices. Each of the one or more computing devices may
include any combination of electronic hardware, software, and/or
firmware described above. For example, each of the one or more
computing devices may include any combination of processing units,
memory components, I/O components, and interconnect components
described above. The one or more computing devices of the search
systems 100, 450 may also include various human interface devices,
including, but not limited to, display screens, keyboards, pointing
devices (e.g., a mouse), touchscreens, speakers, and microphones.
The one or more computing devices may also be configured to
communicate with additional devices, such as external memory (e.g.,
external HDDs).
[0180] The one or more computing devices of the search systems 100,
450 may be configured to communicate with the network 106. The one
or more computing devices of the search systems 100, 450 may also
be configured to communicate with one another via a computer
network. In some examples, the one or more computing devices of the
search systems 100, 450 may include one or more server computing
devices configured to communicate with the user devices 102 (e.g.,
receive search queries and transmit search results), gather data
from the data sources 104, index the data, store the data, and
store other documents. The one or more computing devices may reside
within a single machine at a single geographic location in some
examples. In other examples, the one or more computing devices may
reside within multiple machines at a single geographic location. In
still other examples, the one or more computing devices may be
distributed across a number of geographic locations.
* * * * *
References