Method and system for continuous, dynamic, adaptive searching based on a continuously evolving personal region of interest

• US 20090012953A1
• Filed: 07/03/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan SA (Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vulcan SA (Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, Dennis, Arnold, Robert, Chu, John, Graham, Stuart, Calvert, Jeremy, Malleck, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to flexible, user-adapted, continuous searching, on behalf of a particular user, for points of interest relevant to the user'"'"'s current location within a specifically computed personal region of interest. In a general case, the personal region of interest is computed as a function of the user'"'"'s level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest. The level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest may, in turn, be based on two or more of the user'"'"'s location, the current date and time, a history of the user'"'"'s interaction with the POI-searching system, including user-initiated searches and user selections from displayed search results, a user profile developed for, and continuously updated on behalf of, the user, and a current context for the search, as specified by a search query or by other context-specifying means. The personal region of interest generally defines an abstract area, volume, or hypervolume within which method and system embodiments of the present invention search for points of interest.

Claims

1. A location-based points-of-interest searching system comprising:

stored information; and

searching logic that

receives a points-of-interest search request from a user,

computes a personal region of interest with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request,

searches for points of interest within the personal region of interest, and

returns, to the user, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the personal region of interest.

2. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the searching logic:

computes a level of disposition with respect to the received search request and the user; and

computes the personal region of interest based on the level of disposition.

3. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 2 wherein the searching logic computes a level of disposition with respect to the received search request and the user based on two or more of:

a current location of the user;

a future location of the user;

a current time;

a projected, future time,

a current date;

a projected, future date;

the received points-of-interest search request; and

a portion of the stored information.

4. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 3 wherein the stored information includes one or more of:

a database of maps;

personal preferences for the user;

location and POI selection history for the user;

a database of points of interest; and

time-associated events.

5. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 3 wherein the current and projected location of a user may be a geographical location, a spatial location, a location in time, or a location in a dimensioned space, the search system further including:

monitoring logic that continuously or periodically update stored information related to the users'"'"' preferences and histories.

6. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the personal region of interest is computed from one or more of:

a current location of the user;

a context at least in part obtained from the received points-of-interest search request;

user preferences stored in a user profile;

the user'"'"'s history of interaction with the user'"'"'s environment and with the location-based points-of-interest search system;

time-associated events stored by the location-based points-of-interest search system; and

the current date and time; and

a portion of the stored information, and searches for points of interest within the personal region of interest.

7. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the personal region of interest is one of:

a geographical region;

a spatial, three-dimensional region;

a portion of a timeline; and

a volume or hypervolume in a hyper-dimensional space.

a spatial location, a location in time; and

a location in any dimensioned space.

8. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 further including:

monitoring logic that monitors the user'"'"'s interactions with the location-based points-of-interest search system and with the user'"'"'s environment to continuously or periodically update stored information related to the user'"'"'s preferences and histories.

9. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for food-serving establishments has a first size when the user'"'"'s location is within a threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home, and wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for food-serving establishments has a second size smaller than the first size when the user'"'"'s location is beyond the threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home.

10. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for personal contacts has a first size when the user'"'"'s location-based points-of-interest searching system returns points-of-interest search results to users as one or more of:

is within a threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home, and wherein the personal region of interest computed for the search for personal contacts has a second size larger than the first size when the user'"'"'s location is beyond the threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home.

11. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein the searching logic returns, to the user, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the personal region of interest by one or more of:

returning a map that includes the personal region of interest and annotations;

returning a graphically displayed list of points of interest, accompanied with location specifying text;

returning an audio rendering of a list of for the one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest, accompanied with location specifying text; and

;

returning graphically displayed icons.

12. A method for searching for points of interest on behalf of a user, the method comprising.

receiving a points-of-interest search request from the user,

computing a personal region of interest, with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request;

selecting points of interest within the personal region of interest, and

returning, to the user, the selected points of interest.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the personal region of interest is one of:

a geographical region;

a spatial, three-dimensional region;

a portion of a timeline; and

a volume or hypervolume in a hyper-dimensional space.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein a length, area, or volume of the region of interest reflects a level of disposition of the user for the types of points of interest specified by the received points-of-interest search request, modified by various additional parameters and values including:

distance of the user from the user'"'"'s home; and

time spent by the user at the current or projected location of the user.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the level of disposition is computed with respect to the received search request and the user based on two or more of:

a current location of the user;

a future location of the user;

a current time;

a projected, future time;

a current date;

a projected, future date;

the received points-of-interest search request;

a portion of the stored information;

a context specified, at least in part, by the received points-of-interest search request; and

additional stored information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the additional stored information includes one or more of:

a database of maps;

personal preferences for the user;

histories of location and POI selection interactions for the user;

a database of points of interest; and

time-associated events.

17. The method of claim 12 further including:

continuously or periodically monitoring the user'"'"'s current location.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the user'"'"'s current location is one of:

a geographical location;

a spatial location;

a location in time; and

a location in any dimensioned space.

19. The method of claim 12 further including:

monitoring the user'"'"'s interactions with the location-based points-of-interest search system and with the user'"'"'s environment to continuously or periodically update stored information related to the user'"'"'s preferences and histories.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for food-serving establishments has a first size when the user'"'"'s location is within a threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home, and wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for food-serving establishments has a second size smaller than the first size when the user'"'"'s location is beyond the threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the personal region of interest computed for a search for personal contacts has a first size when the user'"'"'s location is within a threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home, and wherein the personal region of interest computed for the search for personal contacts has a second size larger than the first size when the user'"'"'s location is beyond the threshold distance from the user'"'"'s home.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein returning, to the user the selected points-of-interest further includes:

returning a map that includes the personal region of interest and annotations for the one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest;

returning a list of one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest; and

displaying one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest on a graphical user interface.