Mobile search based on predicted location

• US 10,030,988 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Brush, Alice Jane Bernheim, Krumm, John Charles, Amini, Shahriyar, Karlson, Amy, Teevan, Jaime, Bodhi Priyantha, Nissanka Arachchige
• Primary Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/820,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method includes receiving one or more search terms at a mobile computing device while the mobile computing device is located at a particular location. A search query that includes the one or more search terms and a location history of the mobile computing device is transmitted to a server. The method also includes receiving one or more search results in response to the search query, where the one or more search results include content identified based on a predicted destination of the mobile computing device. An interface identifying the one or more search results is displayed at the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a search query from a mobile computing device,

receive a current location of the mobile computing device, the current location of the mobile computing device being within a particular geographic region,

access a location history comprising stored travel times between different locations in the geographic region,

determine whether the search query includes a geographic search term, and

in an instance where the search query does not include a geographic search term;

identify one or more destination elements in the geographic region using the stored travel times;

determine probabilities that the one or more destination elements are a future location of the mobile computing device;

identify a predicted location of the mobile device based at least on the probabilities,

store the probabilities;

generate a trajectory-aware search query from the search query and the predicted location,

access an updated location history; and

identify another predicted location using the updated location history and the stored probabilities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more destination elements are identified based at least on being reachable from the current location of the mobile computing device within a predetermined amount of time in accordance with the stored travel times.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a speed of the mobile computing device and differentiate e of the mobile computing device based at least on the speed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

differentiate the route of the mobile computing device by comparing the speed to a threshold.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

refine the trajectory-aware search query based at least on the route of the mobile computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

send the trajectory-aware search query to a search engine that produces trajectory-aware search results relevant to the trajectory-aware search query, and

provide the trajectory-aware search results to the mobile computing device.

7. A method comprising:

receiving search query input from a user of a mobile computing device located in a geographic region;

accessing a location history of the mobile computing device and stored travel times between different locations in the geographic region;

identifying one or more destination elements in the geographic region using the stored travel times;

determining probabilities that the one or more destination elements are a future location of the mobile computing device;

identifying a predicted route of the mobile computing device based at least on the probabilities;

storing the probabilities;

using the location history, identifying a geographic target on the predicted route;

generating a trajectory-aware search query using the search query input and the geographic target,

accessing an updated location history; and

identifying another geographic target using the updated location history and the stored probabilities.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geographic target is a predicted location of the mobile computing device on the predicted route.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the search query input from the user includes an ambiguous geographic target, the method further comprising identifying the geographic target for the trajectory-aware search query by using the location history for disambiguation of the ambiguous geographic target.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the search query input from the user includes an incomplete location entry, the identifying further comprising auto-completing the geographic target for the trajectory-aware search query using the incomplete location entry, and the location history.

11. The method of claim 7, performed entirely by the mobile computing device.

12. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

obtain search terms entered on a mobile computing device,

obtain location information of the mobile computing device, the location information including a location history and a current location within a geographic region,

obtain stored travel times between different locations in the geographic region,

identify one or more destination elements in the geographic region using the stored travel times;

determine probabilities that the one or more destination elements are a future location of the mobile computing device

identify a geographic target on a predicted route for a trajectory-aware search query based at least on the probabilities,

generate the trajectory-aware search query based at least on the search terms and the geographic target,

store the probabilities;

obtain an updated location history; and

identify another geographic target using the updated location history and the stored probabilities.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

send the trajectory-aware search query to a search engine without further input from a user of the mobile computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

cause search results from the search engine to be displayed on the mobile computing device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

update the location history and the stored travel times based at least on movement of the mobile computing device, and

display updated search results based at least on the updated location history.

16. The system of claim 12, embodied on the mobile computing device.