LOCATION-AWARE BUSINESS DATA RETRIEVAL

• US 20110218985A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp.
• Inventors: Camper, Daniel Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

There is provided a method that includes (a) sending to a geocoding service, an indicator of a location, where the geocoding service returns a bounding box that defines a geographic area, (b) sending to a search engine, a first query that includes the bounding box and a first parameter, where the search engine returns an identifier of a first business entity located within the geographic area and an indicator of an industry in which the first business entity is engaged, and (c) sending to the search engine, a second query that includes the bounding box and the indicator of the industry in which the first business entity is engaged, where the search engine returns coordinates of a second business entity located within the geographic area.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending to a geocoding service, an indicator of a location, wherein said geocoding service returns a bounding box that defines a geographic area;

sending to a search engine, a first query that includes said bounding box and a first parameter, wherein said search engine returns an identifier of a first business entity located within said geographic area and an indicator of an industry in which said first business entity is engaged; and

sending to said search engine, a second query that includes said bounding box and said indicator of said industry in which said first business entity is engaged, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second business entity located within said geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a map that indicates a location of said second business entity, based on said coordinates.

3. A method comprising:

sending to a geocoding service, a search string that includes an indicator of a location and other information, wherein said geocoding service returns (i) a bounding box that defines a geographic area, and (ii) a set of terms that said geocoding service utilized to produce said bounding box;

identifying a term from said search string that is not in said set of terms; and

sending to a search engine, a query that includes said term and said bounding box, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a set of business entities located within said geographic area.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein said bounding box is a first bounding box and said geographic area is a first geographic area, and

wherein said method further comprises:

computing a second bounding box that defines a second geographic area that is within said first geographic area and that encompasses said coordinates of said set of business entities.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein said set of business entities is a first set of business entities and said query is a first query, and

wherein said method further comprises:

sending to said search engine, a second query that includes said second bounding box and an additional parameter, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second set of business entities located within said second geographic area.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying a map that indicates locations of said second set of business entities, based on said coordinates of said second set of business entities.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that contains instructions that are readable by said processor and cause said processor to;

send to a geocoding service, an indicator of a location, wherein said geocoding service returns (i) a bounding box that defines a geographic area, and (ii) a set of terms that said geocoding service utilized to produce said bounding box;

send to a search engine, a first query that includes said bounding box and a first parameter, wherein said search engine returns an identifier of a first business entity located within said geographic area and an indicator of an industry in which said first business entity is engaged; and

send to said search engine, a second query that includes said bounding box and said indicator of said industry in which said first business entity is engaged, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second business entity located within said geographic area.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

display a map that indicates a location of said second business entity, based on said coordinates.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that contains instructions that are readable by said processor and cause said processor to;

send to a geocoding service, a search string that includes an indicator of a location and other information, wherein said geocoding service returns (i) a bounding box that defines a geographic area, and (ii) a set of terms that said geocoding service utilized to produce said bounding box;

identify a term from said search string that is not in said set of terms; and

send to a search engine, a query that includes said term and said bounding box, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a set of business entities located within said geographic area.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein said bounding box is a first bounding box and said geographic area is a first geographic area, and

wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

compute a second bounding box that defines a second geographic area that is within said first geographic area and that encompasses said coordinates of said set of business entities.

11. The apparatus of claim 10,

wherein said set of business entities is a first set of business entities and said query is a first query, and

wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

send to said search engine, a second query that includes said second bounding box and an additional parameter, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second set of business entities located within said second geographic area.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

display a map that indicates locations of said second set of business entities, based on said coordinates of said second set of business entities.

13. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions that are readable by a processor and cause said processor to:

send to a geocoding service, an indicator of a location, wherein said geocoding service returns (i) a bounding box that defines a geographic area, and (ii) a set of terms that said geocoding service utilized to produce said bounding box;

send to a search engine, a first query that includes said bounding box and a first parameter, wherein said search engine returns an identifier of a first business entity located within said geographic area and an indicator of an industry in which said first business entity is engaged; and

send to said search engine, a second query that includes said bounding box and said indicator of said industry in which said first business entity is engaged, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second business entity located within said geographic area.

14. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 13, wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

display a map that indicates a location of said second business entity, based on said coordinates.

15. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions that are readable by a processor and cause said processor to:

send to a geocoding service, a search string that includes an indicator of a location and other information, wherein said geocoding service returns (i) a bounding box that defines a geographic area, and (ii) a set of terms that said geocoding service utilized to produce said bounding box;

identify a term from said search string that is not in said set of terms; and

send to a search engine, a query that includes said term and said bounding box, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a set of business entities located within said geographic area.

16. The non-transitory storage media of claim 15,

wherein said bounding box is a first bounding box and said geographic area is a first geographic area, and

wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

compute a second bounding box that defines a second geographic area that is within said first geographic area and that encompasses said coordinates of said set of business entities.

17. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16,

wherein said set of business entities is a first set of business entities and said query is a first query, and

wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

send to said search engine, a second query that includes said second bounding box and an additional parameter, wherein said search engine returns coordinates of a second set of business entities located within said second geographic area.

18. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16, wherein said instructions also cause said processor to:

display a map that indicates locations of said second set of business entities, based on said coordinates of said second set of business entities.