Contextual predictive type-ahead query suggestions

At least one computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed on a machine cause the machine to:

• receive a partial query entered by a user in a user interface, wherein the partial query is specific to a search domain;
• identify one or more type-ahead query candidates from the partial query, wherein each of the one or more type-ahead query candidates has a corresponding confidence level, and wherein the confidence level is a measure of how relevant the type-ahead query candidate is to the partial query, wherein at least one of the type-ahead query candidates is an expansion of the partial query using spelling correction or acronym expansion;
• for each of the one or more type-ahead query candidates, identify at least one query suggestion corresponding to the type-ahead query candidate and having a suggestion score based on at least one of click-through-rate or context associated with global features of the search domain;
• score the query suggestions, wherein a score of the query suggestion is based on both the suggestion score associated with the query suggestion and the confidence level of the corresponding type-ahead query candidate;
• compare the scores of the query suggestions corresponding to type-ahead candidates and partial query;
• rank the query suggestions based on the score of each query suggestion;
• and
• provide the ranked query suggestions to the user in a selectable user interface corresponding to an application within the search domain to allow the user to select a desired query suggestion before a full query has been entered by the user.

A system for providing type-ahead query suggestions, comprising:

• a processor configured to execute an application corresponding to a search domain, the application coupled to a user interface configured to enable a user to enter a search query corresponding to the search domain;
• and
• a contextual type-ahead query suggestion engine communicatively integrated with the user interface of the application and executing on at least the processor or an additional processor, the contextual type-ahead query suggestion engine configured to:
• receive the search query entered by the user in the user interface, wherein the search query is specific to the search domain;
• identify one or more type-ahead query candidates from the search query, wherein each of the one or more type-ahead query candidates has a corresponding confidence level, and wherein the confidence level is a measure of how relevant the type-ahead query candidate is to the search query, wherein at least one of the one or more type-ahead query candidates is an expansion of the search query using spelling correction or acronym expansion, wherein the corresponding confidence level is accessed from a database of key-value vectors, each key-value vector comprising a literal string associated with the search query, the one or more type-ahead query candidates, and a confidence level that each of the one or more type-ahead query candidates is relevant to the search query, and wherein the confidence levels are calculated offline based on the search domain and historical user searches;
• for each of the one or more type-ahead query candidates, identify at least one query suggestion corresponding to the type-ahead query candidate and having a suggestion score based on at least one of click-through-rate or context associated with global features of the search domain;
• score the query suggestions, wherein a score of the query suggestion is based on both the suggestion score associated with the query suggestion and the confidence level of the corresponding type-ahead query candidate;
• compare the scores of the query suggestion corresponding to type-ahead query candidate and search query;
• rank the query suggestions based on the score of each query suggestions;
• and
• provide the ranked query suggestions to the user in the user interface to allow the user to select a desired query suggestion from the ranked query suggestions before a full query has been entered by the user.