LOCATION IN SEARCH QUERIES

• US 20080172357A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jenson, Scott, Rechis, Leland, Shacham, Yael
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving a search query from a remote device, determining if the search query includes location-related information, and if the search query includes location-related information, generating a first result set based on the search query and the location-related information, and if the search query does not include location-related information, determining whether a location indicator is associated with the remote device, and if a location indicator is associated with the remote device, generating a second result set based on the search query and the location indicator.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a search query from a remote device;

determining if the search query includes location-related information; and

if the search query includes location-related information, generating a first result set based on the search query and the location-related information, and

if the search query does not include location-related information, determining whether a location indicator is associated with the remote device, and when a location indicator is associated with the remote device, generating a second result set based on the search query and the location indicator.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search query comprises a plurality of text portions, and determining if the search query includes location-related information comprises determining whether one of the plurality of text portions corresponds to a physical location identifier.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the physical location comprises at least one of a zip code, a municipality name, an area code, a congressional district, a GPS coordinate, a latitude/longitude coordinate, an airport code, or a wireless network-provided location coordinate.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received from a mobile communication device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location indicator is associated with the remote device comprises accessing an electronic record associated with the remote device and determining whether the electronic record stores a default location indicator.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location indicator is associated with the remote device comprises determining whether current location information is available from either location-pinpointing structures in the remote device or location-pinpointing structure in a communication network from which the query from the remote device is received.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the second result set based on the search query and the location indicator comprises generating a modified search query that includes the location indicator.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating the second result further comprises transmitting the modified search query to a search engine and in response, receiving from the search engine the second result set.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the first result set or the second result set to the remote device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising formatting the first or second result set in a mark-up document to be displayed with a drop-down menu that includes another location, the other location corresponding to a previous search query received from the remote device or a previous information session initiated by the remote device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising receiving input from the remote device, the input selecting the other location;

and generating, in response to receiving the input, a third result set based on the search query and the other location.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising generating a third result set having one or more elements that are each substantially independent of location.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising formatting the second result set and the third result set in a mark-up document to be displayed in the remote device, and transmitting the mark-up document to the remote device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising sequencing the second result set and the third result set based on a predicted relevance of location to the received search query.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein sequencing the second result set and the third result set comprises determining whether the received search query or a substantially similar variation of the received search query is in a list of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information, and if the received search query or substantially similar variation of the received search query is stored in the list of queries, formatting the third result set to be displayed before the second result set, and if the received search query or substantially similar variation thereof is not stored in the list of queries, formatting the second result set to be displayed before the third result set.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating a prompt to request location information from the remote device if the search query does not include location-related information and a location indicator is not associated with the remote device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising generating a third result set having one or more elements that are each substantially independent of location.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising formatting the third result set and the prompt in a mark-up document to be displayed on the remote device, and transmitting the mark-up document to the remote device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising sequencing the third result set and the prompt based on a predicted relevance of location to the received search query.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein sequencing the third result set and the prompt comprises determining whether the received search query or a substantially similar variation thereof is stored in a list of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be associated with location information, and if the received search query or substantially similar variation thereof is stored in the list of queries, formatting the prompt to be displayed before the third result set, and if the received search query or substantially similar variation thereof is not stored in the list of queries, formatting the third result set to be displayed before the prompt.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising receiving input from the remote device, the input providing location information in response to the prompt;

and generating, in response to receiving the input, a fourth result set based on the search query and the location information.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving from a remote device a search query;

determining if the search query includes location information; and

if the search query includes location information, generating a first result set based on the search query and the included location information; and

if the search query does not include location information, identifying previously used location information associated with a previous session of the remote device, and generating a second result set based on the search query and the previously used location information.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein identifying previously used location information comprises accessing an electronic record associated with the remote device and identifying stored location information in the electronic record.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein identifying stored location information comprises identifying a plurality of location values corresponding to a plurality of previous search queries or information sessions, and selecting one of the plurality of location values.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising formatting the first result set or the second result set in a mark-up document to be displayed with a drop-down menu that includes another location, the other location comprising at least one of the plurality of location values.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, further comprising receiving input from the remote device, the input selecting the other location;

and generating, in response to receiving the input, a third result set based on the search query and the other location.

27. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a request processor configured to identify location-related information associated with a search query received from a mobile device;

a search engine to receive the search query from the request processor along with a location identifier for the location-related information; and

to generate local search results; and

a response formatter to order categories of search results received from the search engine, including local search results, according to a determined level of relevance between each category of search results and the received search query.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the response formatter promotes a local result category above other result categories if a search query entered by a user includes location-related information.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the response formatter promotes a local result category above other result categories if the received search query is determined to be sufficiently related to location-based information.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the search query is determined to be sufficiently related to location-based information if one or more terms of the search query appear in a list of location-based terms.

31. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a request processor configured to identify location-related information associated with a search query received from a mobile device;

a search engine to receive the search query from the request processor along with a location identifier for the location-related information; and

to generate local search results; and

means for ordering information representing categories of search results received from the search engine, including local search results, according to a determined level of relevance between each category of search results and the received search query.