Interactive answer boxes for user search queries

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting data are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes presenting, by a user device, an answer box as a search result in a search result location of a search results page. The answer box can include first content of a first content type responsive to a query that submitted with a first resource request over a network. The user device determines that a user interaction with the answer box has occurred. In response to determining that the user interaction has occurred, the user device can present second content of the first content type in the answer box. The second content is selected from available content that has not been presented prior to the user interaction. The answer box include a visual element reflective of the content data currently presented.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by a user device, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the user device and in response to submission of an informational query:
 a plurality of search results responsive to the informational query, and 
 content data of a first type for an interactive answer box for the informational query; 
   presenting, by the user device, a search results page, the search results page including search results from the plurality of search results and the interactive answer box, the interactive answer box including a presentation control element and the interactive answer box initially presenting a first set of the content data, the first set of the content data corresponding to a value represented by an initial setting of the presentation control element, the interactive answer box including a visual element with an appearance reflective of the first set of the content data;   determining, by the user device, that a user interaction with the presentation control element has occurred, the user interaction changing the initial setting to a second setting; and   in response to determining that the user interaction has occurred, presenting in the interactive answer box a second set of the content data while maintaining presentation of the search results on the search results page, the second set of the content data corresponding to a value represented by the second setting,   wherein the appearance of the visual element is updated to be reflective of the second set of the content data, and   wherein the second set of the content data is presented without navigating away from the search results page.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the interactive answer box is a first answer box, and the method further comprises:
 receiving, with the plurality of search results and the first answer box, a second answer box, the second answer box including content data of a second type; and   presenting in the search results page with the first answer box and the search results, the second answer box displaying the content data of the second type.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the presentation control element is a slider bar. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the value represented by the initial setting is a first time and the value represented by the second setting is a second time later than the first time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the informational query relates to weather, and the second set of the content data includes forecast data for the second time. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual element is an image. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the informational query relates to weather and the appearance of the image is reflective of weather conditions of the content data currently presented. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual element is a background. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the informational query relates to weather and the appearance of the background is reflective of the content data currently presented. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual element is a graph. 
     
     
         11 . A system, comprising:
 a data processing apparatus; and   a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the data processing apparatus,
 cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising: 
 receiving, by a user device and in response to submission of an informational query:
 a plurality of search results responsive to the informational query, and 
 content data for an interactive answer box for the informational query, the content data including a first set of the content data of a first type and a second set of the content data of the first type; 
 
 presenting a search results page, the search results page including search results from the plurality of search results and the interactive answer box, the interactive answer box including a presentation control element and the interactive answer box initially presenting the first set of the content data, the first set of the content data corresponding to a value represented by an initial setting of the presentation control element, the interactive answer box including a visual element with an appearance reflective of the first set of the content data; 
 determining, that a user interaction with the presentation control element has occurred, changing the initial setting to a second setting; and 
 in response to determining that the user interaction has occurred, presenting in the interactive answer box the second set of the content data while maintaining presentation of the search results on the search results page, the second set of the content data corresponding to a value represented by the second setting, 
 wherein the appearance of the visual element is updated to reflect the second set of the content data, and 
 wherein the second set of the content data is presented without navigating away from the search results page. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the interactive answer box is a first answer box, and the operations further comprise:
 receiving, with the plurality of search results and the content data for the first answer box, second content data for a second answer box, the second content data including data represented by a second type of content responsive to the informational query; and   presenting in the search results page with the first answer box and the search results, the second answer box displaying the second type of the content.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the presentation control element is a slider bar. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the value represented by the initial setting is a first time and the value represented by the second setting is a second time later than the first time. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the informational query relates to weather, and the second set of the content data includes forecast data for the second time. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the visual element is an image. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the informational query relates to weather and the appearance of the image is reflective of weather conditions of the content data currently presented. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the visual element is a background reflective of the content data currently presented. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the visual element is a graph. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a volatile memory, wherein:
 the operations further comprise storing the content data in the volatile memory; and   the second set of the content data is obtained from the volatile memory.