Informational and advertiser links for use in web mapping services

• US 10,152,728 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jing, Yushi, Baluja, Shumeet
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haider, Fawaad
• Application Number:
  US14/836,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Techniques for identifying groups of local features in an image and presenting advertisement information associated with stored images that match one or more features within the group of local features are described. The techniques include providing an image, identifying a region of interest in the image, providing a user-selectable link associated with the region of interest in the image, receiving a request for the region of interest in the image via the user-selectable link, and presenting advertisement information associated with a stored image that matches one or more features within the requested region of interest.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, by one or more street-view display servers of a content management system that includes (i) an image database, (ii) the one or more street-view display servers, and (iii) one or more bidding servers, a panoramic image, wherein the panoramic image is a street-level image corresponding to a particular geographic location;

comparing, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system, an image feature of the panoramic image with an image in the image database that a sponsor has previously associated with additional content that is not presented in the panoramic image, wherein the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises at least one of an advertisement, a review, a rating, a geographical location, or a link to a website;

identifying, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system and based on comparing the image feature of the panoramic image with the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content;

in response to identifying that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, modifying, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the panoramic image to include a visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link corresponding to the image feature, wherein the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link signifies that the additional content is available for presentation;

providing, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the modified panoramic image for display to a user in a user interface;

detecting, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, a user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link; and

in response to detecting the user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link, updating, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises updating the user interface to display the additional content that is associated with the image feature over the image feature.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises updating the user interface to display the additional content that is associated with the image feature without overlapping the image feature.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method comprising:

after updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature, detecting a further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature; and

in response to detecting the further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature, updating the user interface to include other additional content that is also associated with the image feature or the additional content that is associated with the image feature.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the user touch or click interaction with the selectable region comprises detecting one of a left click on the selectable region, a right click on the selectable region, or a mouse-over of the selectable region.

6. A content management system that includes (i) an image database, (ii) one or more street-view display servers, and (iii) one or more bidding servers, the content management system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining, by the one or more street-view display servers of a content management system, a panoramic image, wherein the panoramic image is a street-level image corresponding to a particular geographic location;

comparing, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system, an image feature of the panoramic image with an image in the image database that a sponsor has previously associated with additional content that is not presented in the panoramic image, wherein the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises at least one of an advertisement, a review, a rating, a geographical location, or a link to a website;

identifying, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system and based on comparing the image feature of the panoramic image with the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content;

in response to identifying that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, modifying, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the panoramic image to include a visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link corresponding to the image feature, wherein the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link signifies that the additional content is available for presentation;

providing, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the modified panoramic image for display to a user in a user interface;

detecting, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, a user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link; and

in response to detecting the user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link, updating, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises updating the user interface to display the additional content that is associated with the image feature over the image feature.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises updating the user interface to display the additional content that is associated with the image feature without overlapping the image feature.

9. The system of claim 6, the method comprising:

after updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature, detecting a further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature; and

in response to detecting the further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature, updating the user interface to include other additional content that is also associated with the image feature or the additional content that is associated with the image feature.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein detecting the user touch or click interaction with the selectable region comprises detecting one of a left click on the selectable region, a right click on the selectable region, or a mouse-over of the selectable region.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by one or more street-view display servers of a content management system that includes (i) an image database, (ii) the one or more street-view display servers, and (iii) one or more bidding servers, a panoramic image, wherein the panoramic image is a street-level image corresponding to a particular geographic location;

comparing, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system, an image feature of the panoramic image with an image in the image database that a sponsor has previously associated with additional content that is not presented in the panoramic image, wherein the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises at least one of an advertisement, a review, a rating, a geographical location, or a link to a website;

identifying, by the one or more bidding servers of the content management system and based on comparing the image feature of the panoramic image with the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content;

in response to identifying that the image feature of the panoramic image is similar to the image that the sponsor has previously associated with the additional content, modifying, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the panoramic image to include a visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link corresponding to the image feature, wherein the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link signifies that the additional content is available for presentation;

providing, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the modified panoramic image for display to a user in a user interface;

detecting, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, a user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link; and

in response to detecting the user touch or click interaction with the visually distinguishable, selectable hot-link, updating, by the one or more street-view display servers of the content management system, the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature comprises updating the user interface to display the additional content that is associated with the image feature over the image feature.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the method comprising:

after updating the user interface to include the additional content that is associated with the image feature, detecting a further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature; and

in response to detecting the further user touch or click interaction with the additional content that is associated with the image feature, updating the user interface to include other additional content that is also associated with the image feature or the additional content that is associated with the image feature.