EMPLOYING MOBILE LOCATION TO REFINE SEARCHES

• US 20080168033A1
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boerries, Marco, Tendjoukian, Meher, Saft, Keith David, Yiu, Paul, Ott, Edward Stanley
• Application Number:
  US11/620,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168033A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A system and method are directed towards refining mobile device search results using location modifiers. Information about a mobile device user may be collected, including a current location, a default location, information from address books, or other social networking information. The user may input a search query that is parsed into a primary search term and possibly a location modifier. The location modifier may modify the search for the primary search term by refining a physical location over which the search is performed. Location modifiers may include user-specific location modifiers that may employ social networking information to refine the search query, or a location sub-string modifier that refines the search query by employing a hierarchy of location data and/or social networking information. In one embodiment, where no location modifier is included within the search query, a current, or default, location of the mobile device may be employed.

Claims

1. A network device to manage a search query from a mobile device over a network, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operative to perform actions, including;

receiving a search query from the mobile device;

parsing the search query into at least one primary search term, and zero or more location modifiers;

if a location modifier is parsed from the search query, using the location modifier to determine a physical location;

refining the search query based on the at least one primary search term and the determined physical location; and

performing a search using the refined search query.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprising:

if a location modifier is unparsed from the search query then determining a physical location based on one of a current location or a default location associated with the mobile device.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprising:

if the result of the refined search query fails to satisfy a search criteria, then modifying the physical location and performing another refined search query based, in part, on the modified physical location.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein the location modifier is one of a user-specific location modifier, or a location sub-string modifier.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the location modifier further comprises a user-specific location modifier, wherein the physical location is determined based on social networking information associated with a user of the mobile device.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the location modifier further comprises a location sub-string modifier that modifies a default or current location of the mobile device to determine the physical location for refining the search query.

7. A system that is operative to manage a search query over a network, comprising:

a client device that is configured and arranged to enable actions, including;

sending a search query over the network; and

receiving a search result based on the refined search query; and

a network device that is configured and arranged to perform actions, including;

receiving the search query from the client device;

parsing the search query into at least one primary search term, and zero or more location modifiers;

if a location modifier is parsed from the search query;

determining a physical location based, in part, on the location modifier,

refining the search query based on the at least one primary search term and the determined physical location; and

performing a search using the refined search query.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device is enabled to perform actions further comprising:

providing social networking information useable by the network device, in part, to determine the physical location.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the location modifier further comprises implicit location information, and wherein the physical location is determined based on modifying at least one of a current or a default location of the client device based on the implicit location information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the implicit location information further comprises a user-specific modifier that is determinable based on social networking information.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein if a location modifier is absent from the parsed search query, then the network device is configured and arranged to employ at least one of a default location or a current location of the client device to refine the search query.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for managing a search query over a network, the computer-executable instructions when installed onto a computing device enable the computing device to perform actions, comprising:

receiving a search query from a client device;

parsing the search query into at least one primary search term, and zero or more location modifiers;

determining a physical location based, in part, on the zero or more location modifiers;

refining the search query based on the at least one primary search term and the determined physical location; and

performing a search using the refined search query.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein determining the physical location further comprises:

if a location modifier is parsed from the search query, using the location modifier to determine a physical location; and

if a location modifier is unparsed from the search query, using at least one of a default location or a current location for the client device to determine the physical location.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprising:

receiving social networking information associated with a user of the client device, and employing the social networking information with the location modifier to determine the physical location.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein performing the search further comprises:

if a number of search results is below a defined number of search results, employing hierarchical location information to modify the physical location;

modified the refined search query using the at least one primary search term and the modified physical location; and

performing another search using the modified search query.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein at least one location modifier comprises a user-specific location modifier that is refers to a physical location associated with a user of the client device.

17. A method of performing a search query over a network, comprising:

sending, from a mobile device, a search query having a primary search term;

determining, by the server device, a physical location based, in part, on zero or more implicit location modifiers within the search query;

refining, by the server device, the search query based on the primary search term and the determined physical location;

performing at least one search using the refined search query; and

providing at least one search results to the mobile device over the network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining a physical location further comprises determining a default or a current location of the mobile device, and employing the implicit location to modifier the default or current location.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the primary search term is a keyword, and wherein the physical location refines the search query to search for information associated with the keyword for the physical location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the keyword further comprises the term “

today,” and

the physical location refines the search query to search for information associated with the physical location for today.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the search results further comprises:

providing the search results in a collapsed or an expanded category format based on whether the mobile device is within a default location.

22. A modulated data signal configured to include program instructions for performing the method of claim 17.