SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TRANSMITTING SEARCH RESULTS BASED ON ARBITRARY QUERIES

• US 20100191798A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Procopiuc, Octavian, Kang, Nina, Seefeld, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A system and method is provided of generating a map. In one aspect, the map is transmitted by a server as an image. Listings are selected based on both their proximity to the location and whether they match arbitrary words provided by a user, with one set being transmitted as text and another set being transmitted as image data representing icons on a transparent background. In response, a user'"'"'s computer displays the image of the second set as an overlay on the map, and processes the text to display the first set as icons on the map.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a map comprising:

transmitting, from a first computer at a first node of a network to a second computer at a second node of the network, a location and a word selected by a user;

receiving image data representing a map covering an area;

receiving image data representing a first set of listings;

receiving text data representing a second set of listings, the listings in the second set being different than the listings in the first set;

displaying the first and second set of listings on the map;

wherein;

the map data was selected by the second computer based on the location; and

both sets of listings were selected by the second computer based on whether a listing matched the same transmitted word and whether the location of the listing is within the area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image data is in a format selected from one of the following group:

vector or bitmap.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the text data in a format selected from one of the following group:

JSON, XML or HTML.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying text descriptions of the second set of listings.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the text descriptions are displayed adjacent to the map.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving text data representing the location of the first set of listings relative to the displayed map, and displaying information relating to one of the second set of listings when a user actuates the displayed map at the location of the listing.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the actuation comprises using a mouse to select the location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the image data comprises overlaying the image data representing the first set of listings on the image data representing the map.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the image data representing the first set of listings comprises icons on a transparent background.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the letters of the word are typed on a keyboard and not selected from a list of words received over a network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of listings were selected by selecting those listings having the greatest correspondence between words associated with the listing and the transmitted words.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first set of listings were also selected based on their proximity to other matching listings.

13. A system comprising:

a memory storing data and instructions;

a processor processing the data in accordance with the instructions;

a display in communication with, and displaying information received from, the processor;

the instructions comprising;

transmitting, from a first computer at a first node of a network to a second computer at a second node of the network, a location and a word selected by a user;

receiving image data representing a map covering an area;

receiving image data representing a first set of listings;

receiving text data representing a second set of listings, the listings in the second set being different than the listings in the first set;

displaying the first and second set of listings on the map;

wherein;

the map data was selected by the second computer based on the location; and

both sets of listings were selected by the second computer based on whether a listing matched the same transmitted word and whether the location of the listing is within the area.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the instructions comprise Javascript provided by a server.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

calculating a score value for each listing, where each listing is associated with a name and category, and where the amount of the value depends on the extent to which the received words match the name and category;

selecting a second set of listings based on the score value of the listing; and

transmitting the names and categories of the second set of listings.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising filtering, with a processor of the second computer, listings based on the amount of listings that are within one region of the map relative to another region of the map.

15. A method of transmitting a map comprising:

receiving, at a first computer at a first node of a network from a second computer at a second node of the network, a location and arbitrary words selected by a user;

selecting, with a processor of the second computer, data representing a map of the location;

selecting, with a processor of the second computer, listings based on whether a description associated with the listing corresponds with the received words and whether a location associated with the listing corresponds with the received location;

transmitting the map data as image data;

generating image data based on the selected listings, where each selected image is associated with an icon and where the positions of an icon corresponds with the location of the listings relative to the other listings; and

transmitting the image data based on the selected listings.

18. A system comprising:

means for transmitting, from a first computer at a first node of a network to a second computer at a second node of the network, a location and words arbitrarily selected by a user;

means for receiving image data representing a map covering an area;

means for receiving image data representing a first set of listings;

means for receiving text data representing a second set of listings; and

means for displaying the map, with the first set of listings and the second set of listings on the map based on the data;

wherein the map data was selected by the second computer based on the location and wherein the listings represented by the listing data were selected by the second computer based on whether a listing matched, where a listing matches when there is a correspondence between words associated with the listing and the transmitted words and a correspondence between a location associated with the listing and the area.