Provision of location information with search queries from location unaware devices to increase user interaction performance
First Claim
1. A location-unaware computing device comprising:
- one or more processing units;
a network interface; and
one or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the location-unaware computing device to;
obtain, through a short-range communicational connection established between the location-unaware computing device and a location-aware computing device, location information indicative of a geographic location of the location-aware computing device;
store the obtained location information on a local storage device communicationally coupled to the location-unaware computing device;
andutilize the stored location information for a user search query that implicitly specifies a locational aspect, the user search query being transmitted from the location-unaware computing device to a search engine through a network to which the location-unaware computing device and the search engine are both communicationally coupled;
wherein the location-unaware computing device and the location-aware computing device are communicationally coupled to the network independently of one another.
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Abstract
The geographic location obtained by a location-aware computing device can be shared with a location-unaware computing device such that user interaction with a search engine through the location-unaware computing device can still include, when appropriate, a geographic location associated with the user, thereby increasing the relevance and aptness of the search results presented to the user and, accordingly, increasing user interaction performance with the search engine. Short range communicational connections can be used to share location information prior to being utilized in conjunction with searches. Location information can be provided, from a location-aware computing device, to a centralized, networked computing device, and associated thereon with a user identifier, thereby enabling associated location information to be utilized in conjunction with that user'"'"'s searches. Location information can also be associated with an entity to improve the identification of such an entity as being responsive to other users'"'"' search queries.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A location-unaware computing device comprising:
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one or more processing units; a network interface; and one or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the location-unaware computing device to; obtain, through a short-range communicational connection established between the location-unaware computing device and a location-aware computing device, location information indicative of a geographic location of the location-aware computing device; store the obtained location information on a local storage device communicationally coupled to the location-unaware computing device; and utilize the stored location information for a user search query that implicitly specifies a locational aspect, the user search query being transmitted from the location-unaware computing device to a search engine through a network to which the location-unaware computing device and the search engine are both communicationally coupled; wherein the location-unaware computing device and the location-aware computing device are communicationally coupled to the network independently of one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of increasing search result relevance and aptness and, accordingly, increasing user interaction performance with a search engine, the method comprising:
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obtaining, from a location-aware computing device, location information indicative of a geographic location of the location-aware computing device; associating the obtained location information with a business whose location is transient or mobile; storing the association between the location information and the business in an entity database accessible by the search engine; providing the obtained location information as a location of the business in response to a received search query to which the business was deemed by the search engine to be responsive; and repeating the obtaining, associating and storing if the location information was last updated more than a threshold amount of time ago. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A system comprising:
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a location-aware computing device comprising a location determination component that can determine a geographic location of the location-aware computing device; and a location-unaware computing device comprising computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions encoded thereon which, when executed, cause the location-unaware computing device to; obtain location information indicative of the geographic location of the location-aware computing device through a short-range communicational connection established between the location-unaware computing device and the location-aware computing device; store the obtained location information on a local storage device communicationally coupled to the location-unaware computing device; and utilize the stored location information for a user search query that implicitly specifies a locational aspect, the user search query being transmitted from the location-unaware computing device to a search engine through a network to which the location-unaware computing device and the search engine are both communicationally coupled; wherein the location-unaware computing device and the location-aware computing device are communicationally coupled to the same network independently of one another. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification