LOCATION-BASED SERACH AND MAP DISPLAY
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for receiving a location-based search query and displaying results on a map, comprising:
- displaying, on a user interface of a computer, a plurality of search criteria fields for a plurality of categories, wherein each search criteria field corresponds to one of the categories and at least one search criteria field comprises a physical location category;
receiving, through the user interface, a location-based search query for a location area comprising a plurality of search criteria values for the categories;
searching, in response to the location-based search query, a database, stored in computer storage, comprising a plurality of records that comprise information regarding the categories to identify at least one exact matching record that comprises information that exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query and to identify at least one non-exact matching record that comprises information that does not exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query;
calculating a relevance value for the non-exact matches based, in part, on a plurality of weight values, corresponding to the categories, wherein the weight values designate an importance of a category to the user relative to other categories;
selecting, based on the relevance value, a number of non-exact matching records to display in response to the search query; and
displaying, in response to the location-based search query, a map of the location area that displays, by physical location on the map, one or more first symbols that represent one or more exact matching records and one or more second symbols that represent the number of non-exact matching records selected for display.
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Abstract
A user interface for searching records in a database is provided. Each record contains information regarding one or more categories. The user interface receives search criteria of one or more categories and provides search results comprising exact and/or non-exact matching records. A non-exact matching record has a relevance value representing the relevance of the record to the search query, the non-exact matching records being displayed in an ordering based on the relevance values. The user interface provides slider tools for receiving changes in a weight value or search criterion of an associated category. A new ordering of the non-exact matching records is displayed in real-time based on the new received weight values or search criterion. The user interface may also provide a mapping tool, a search-result selection function, and/or one or more drill down tools. The user interface may provide any tool or function alone or in any combination.
6 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for receiving a location-based search query and displaying results on a map, comprising:
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displaying, on a user interface of a computer, a plurality of search criteria fields for a plurality of categories, wherein each search criteria field corresponds to one of the categories and at least one search criteria field comprises a physical location category; receiving, through the user interface, a location-based search query for a location area comprising a plurality of search criteria values for the categories; searching, in response to the location-based search query, a database, stored in computer storage, comprising a plurality of records that comprise information regarding the categories to identify at least one exact matching record that comprises information that exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query and to identify at least one non-exact matching record that comprises information that does not exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query; calculating a relevance value for the non-exact matches based, in part, on a plurality of weight values, corresponding to the categories, wherein the weight values designate an importance of a category to the user relative to other categories; selecting, based on the relevance value, a number of non-exact matching records to display in response to the search query; and displaying, in response to the location-based search query, a map of the location area that displays, by physical location on the map, one or more first symbols that represent one or more exact matching records and one or more second symbols that represent the number of non-exact matching records selected for display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer-implemented search and retrieval system, comprising at least one processor and memory, comprising:
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user interface for; displaying, on a user interface of a computer, a plurality of search criteria fields for a plurality of categories, wherein each search criteria field corresponds to one of the categories and at least one search criteria field comprises a physical location category; receiving, through the user interface, a location-based search query for a location area comprising a plurality of search criteria values for the categories; processor unit for; searching, in response to the location-based search query, a database, stored in computer storage, comprising a plurality of records that comprise information regarding the categories to identify at least one exact matching record that comprises information that exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query and to identify at least one non-exact matching record that comprises information that does not exactly matches all search criteria values of the received search query; calculating a relevance value for the non-exact matches based, in part, on a plurality of weight values, corresponding to the categories, wherein the weight values designate an importance of a category to the user relative to other categories; selecting, based on the relevance value, a number of non-exact matching records to display in response to the search query; and the user interface further for; displaying, in response to the location-based search query, a map of the location area that displays, by physical location on the map, one or more first symbols that represent one or more exact matching records and one or more second symbols that represent the number of non-exact matching records selected. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification