Determining content for delivery based on imagery

• US 10,282,430 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Seth, Rohan, Sacks, Joshua J., Covell, Michele, Chu, Michael, Baluja, Shumeet, Marwood, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, Huawen A
• Application Number:
  US14/804,361
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for determining content items for delivery to users based on imagery. One example method includes determining a location of a user or a location associated with a query submitted by the user, identifying imagery associated with the determined location, and determining one or more content items for delivery to the user based at least in part on the imagery.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by one or more computing devices, a location associated with a user;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, historical imagery associated with the determined location at various time periods, wherein the imagery includes a plurality of images captured from an area including the determined location;

analyzing, by the one or more computing devices, the identified imagery to determine a state of an environment depicted in the identified imagery based on one or more physical features, the one or more physical features associated with the determined location at the various time periods; and

determining, by the one or more computing devices, one or more content items for delivery to the user based at least in part on a change in the one or more physical features,

wherein determining one or more content items is based at least in part on comparing the historical imagery associated with the various time periods to identify the change in the one or more physical features.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery is satellite imagery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery is aerial imagery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery is street view imagery.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery is thermal imagery.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location associated with a user is a location of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the user is a location associated with a device employed by the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the location of the device is inferred based on an internet protocol address of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location associated with a user comprises a location associated with a query submitted by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location associated with the query is a location that is included in query terms of the query.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more content items includes determining one or more advertisements for delivery to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical features are selected from the group of ruggedness, forestation, grass coverage, water coverage, snow coverage, commercial development, residential development, agricultural development, recreational development, or transportation infrastructure development.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more similar locations based on the imagery;

determining one or more content items previously selected for delivery to users associated with the one or more similar locations; and

where determining the one or more content items for delivery to the user is based at least in part on the one or more content items previously selected for delivery to users associated with the one or more similar locations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining one or more similar locations includes classifying the location, classifying the one or more similar locations, and comparing the classifications.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying the location and where determining one or more content items for delivery includes determining one or more content items that have been selected for delivery to users associated with similar locations.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying the location and delivering one or more content items based on the classification.

17. The method of claim 16, where the classification is based on one or more of current weather conditions associated with the location, land use associated with the location, population density associated with the location, or environmental conditions associated with the location.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the various time periods include at least a first time period, and a second time period.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the length of duration of the change in the one or more physical features is determined based at least in part on a duration between the first and second time periods.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices, the one or memory devices storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising;

determining a location associated with a user;

identifying historical imagery associated with the determined location at various time periods;

analyzing the identified imagery to determine a state of an environment depicted in the identified imagery based on one or more physical features, the one or more physical features associated with the determined location at the various time periods; and

determining one or more content items for delivery to the user based at least in part on the one or more physical features,

wherein determining one or more content items is based at least in part on comparing the historical imagery associated with the various time periods to identify a change in the one or more physical features, the one or more content items being determined based at least in part on the change in the one or more physical features.

21. One or more tangible non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining a location associated with a user;

identifying historical imagery associated with the determined location at various time periods;

analyzing the identified imagery to determine a state of an environment depicted in the identified imagery based on one or more physical features, the one or more physical features associated with the determined location at the various time periods; and

determining one or more content items for delivery to the user based at least in part on the one or more physical features,

wherein determining one or more content items is based at least in part on comparing the historical imagery associated with the various time periods to identify a change in the one or more physical features, the one or more content items being determined based at least in part on the change in the one or more physical features.