Computerized system and method for tracking the geographic relevance of website listings and providing graphics and data regarding the same

• US 20110218961A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Birch Hill LLC
• Original Assignee: Geodex LLC
• Inventors: Holmes, Chris, Pool, Gregory A., Tisdale, Edward, Johnson, Jeremiah L., McArthur, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• 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 computer-implemented method includes the steps of accessing, using one or more processors, data relating to visitors who have visited one or more websites, determining, using one or more processors, geographic areas corresponding to locations of the visitors, receiving, using one or more processors, one or more signals indicating a first request to provide at least a portion of data to be provided on a webpage, determining, using one or more processors, a geographic area from where the request originates; generating, using one or more processors, a subset of the data that pertains to the requested data based on: relevancy of the requested data to the geographic area from where the request originates, and relevancy of the requested data to the visitors that are located in or near the geographic area from where the request originates; and providing, using one or more processors, the subset of the data; and providing, using one or more processors, data that indicates whether or not the visitors found each item in the subset to be relevant to one or more geographic regions related to the geographic area from where the request originates.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) accessing, using one or more processors, data relating to visitors who have visited one or more websites;

(b) determining, using one or more processors, geographic areas corresponding to locations of the visitors;

(c) receiving from a requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, one or more signals indicating a first request to provide at least a portion of data to be provided on a webpage;

(d) determining, using one or more processors, a geographic area from where the request originates;

(e) generating, using one or more processors, a subset of the data that pertains to the requested data based on;

i. relevancy of the requested data to the geographic area from where the request originates, and

ii. relevancy of the requested data to the visitors that are located in or near the geographic area from where the request originates; and

(f) providing, using one or more processors, the subset of the data; and

(g) providing to the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, data that indicates whether or not the visitors found each item in the subset to be relevant to one or more geographic regions related to the geographic area from where the request originates.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data provided to the requestor'"'"'s computer that indicates whether or not the visitors found each item in the subset to be relevant further comprises an indication of whether or not the visitors found each item in the subset to be relevant to a plurality of geographic regions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising a step of providing to the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, an interface for reorganizing the subset according to each of the plurality of geographic regions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the interface comprises a bar indicating, by use of one or more colors, the relevance of each set in the subset of data to the respective geographic regions.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the one or more geographic regions comprise at least one of:

(a) a geographic region local to the geographic area from where the request originates;

(b) a geographic region within a state of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(c) a geographic region within a region of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(d) a geographic region within a nation of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(e) a geographic region within a city of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(f) a geographic region within a specified distance from the geographic area from where the request originates;

or

(g) a geographic region near the geographic area from where the request originates.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) accessing, using one or more processors, data relating to visitors who have visited one or more websites;

(b) determining, using one or more processors, the geographic areas corresponding to locations of the visitors;

(c) receiving from a requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, one or more signals indicating a first request to provide at least a portion of data to be provided on a webpage;

(d) determining, using one or more processors, a geographic area from where the request originates;

(e) generating, using one or more processors, a subset of the data that pertains to the requested data based on;

i. relevancy of the requested data to the geographic area from where the request originates, and

ii. relevancy of the requested data to the visitors that are located in or near the geographic area; and

(f) providing to the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, the subset of the data, wherein;

i. the subset is organized with each item of data associated with one of a plurality of geographic regions related to the geographic area from where the request originates,

ii. items of data in the subset that are most relevant to the geographic area from where the request originates are associated with a first geographic region; and

iii. items of data in the subset that are less relevant to the geographic area from where the request originates are associated with a second geographic region.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising a step of providing to the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, an interface for reorganizing the subset of data according to each of the plurality of geographic regions.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the interface comprises a bar indicating, by use of one or more colors, the relevance of each set in the subset of data to the respective geographic regions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising steps of:

(a) receiving from the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, one or more signals indicating a second request to provide at least a second portion of the data, wherein the second request originates from a second geographic area location different from the geographic area from where the first request originates;

(b) determining, using one or more processors, the location of the second geographic area from where the second request originates; and

(c) generating, using one or more processors, a second subset of the data responsive to the second request based on;

i. relevancy of the requested data to the second geographic area, and

ii. relevancy of the requested data to the visitors in or near the second geographic area.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of geographic regions comprises at least one of:

(a) a geographic region local to the geographic area from where the request originates;

(b) a geographic region within a state of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(c) a geographic region within a region of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(d) a geographic region within a nation of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(e) a geographic region within a city of the geographic area from where the request originates;

(f) a geographic region within a specified distance from the geographic area from where the request originates;

or

(g) a geographic region near the geographic area from where the request originates.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the at least a portion of the subset of data comprises at least one of the following:

(a) boxes containing a number representing a number of times visitors have visited each of the one or more websites;

(b) graphics containing a number representing a number of times visitors have visited each of the one or more websites;

(c) graphics containing text relating to a number of times visitors have visited each of the one or more websites;

or

(d) geographic data pertaining to the visitors.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the at least a portion of the subset of data comprises at least one of the following:

(a) a bar indicating the relevance of a website of the one or more websites to the geographic area from where the request originates;

(b) a bar indicating, by the use of one or more colors, the relevance of each of the one or more websites to the geographic area from where the request originates;

(c) a bar indicating, by the use of text, the relevance of each of the one or more websites to the geographic area from where the request originates;

(d) a map indicating geographic information pertaining to the visitors;

or

(e) a map automatically indicating, via colored markers, a unit of distance between at least one of relevant geographic information pertaining to the visitors and the geographic area from where the request originates.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) receiving from the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, one or more signals indicating a first request to provide at least a portion of data to be provided on a webpage;

(b) determining, using one or more processors, the geographic area from where the request originates;

(c) generating, using one or more processors, a subset of the data from the database that pertains to the data requested based on;

relevancy of the requested data to the geographic area from where the request originates, wherein the subset of data further comprises information that pertains to at least one other geographic region related to the geographic area from where the request originates; and

(d) providing to the requestor'"'"'s computer, using one or more processors, an interface for reorganizing the order of the subset of data based on the at least one other geographic region and the geographic area from where the request originates.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein the interface for reorganizing the order of the subset of the data reorganizes the order in response to a command.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein the at least one other geographic region comprises at least one of:

(a) a geographic region local to a city in the geographic area from where the request originates;

(b) a geographic region within a state of the geographic area from where the request originates;

or

(c) a geographic region within a region of the geographic area from where the request originates.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein the order of the subset changes when the at least one other geographic region changes.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein the interface comprises at least one of the following:

(a) a map;

(b) text;

(c) images;

(d) hyperlinks;

(e) graphical data;

(f) videos;

(g) charts;

or

(h) forms.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising updating the map to reflect another selected geographic region upon selection of another geographic region.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising manually inputting a geographic region different from the geographic area from where the request originates.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 wherein the interface for reorganizing the order of the subset of the data reorganizes the order in response to the manual input of the geographic region different form the geographic area from where the request originates.