Location Searching with Category Indices

• US 20150088860A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Decarta (Uber Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamby, Brent, Song, Zhaolei
• Granted Patent: US 9,727,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• 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 map searching system determines locations responsive to a search query. The map searching system parses the search query to generate a set of search tokens and searches a plurality of location category indices using the search tokens. The location category indicies specify indexes of locations according to various location categories, such as points of interest and cross streets. The resulting records selected from the search tokens are scored based on scoring weights specific to the location category index that a record was selected from. After scoring, a number of high-scoring records are selected as the responsive records to the location search.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a location responsive to a location search query, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a location search query comprising a textual string;

parsing, by the computer, the textual string to generate a set of search tokens;

searching, by the computer, a plurality of location category indices to select a set of index search results, each index search result selected from a location category index;

scoring each index search result in the set of index search results using scoring weights associated with the location category index from which the index search result was selected; and

selecting an index search result based on the scoring.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring weights designate weights for a set of matching fields in the associated location category index.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring for each index search result includes a distance score using a distance of the index search result from a determined location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the scoring excludes index search results that exceed a maximum distance from the determined location.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determined location is based on a search result.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of category location indicies include location category indices describing points of interest, point addresses, address ranges, streets, cross streets, geographies, and any combination thereof.

7. A computer program product for selecting a location responsive to a location search query, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code for:

receiving a location search query comprising a textual string;

parsing the textual string to generate a set of search tokens;

searching a plurality of location category indicies to select a set of index search results, each index search result selected from a location category index;

scoring each index search result in the set of index search results, the scoring using scoring weights associated with the location category index from which the index search result was selected; and

selecting an index search result based on the scoring.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the scoring weights designate weights for a set of matching fields in the associated location category index.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the scoring for each index search result includes a distance score using a distance of the index search result from a determined location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the scoring excludes index search results that exceed a maximum distance from the determined location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined location is based on a search result.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of category location indicies include location category indices describing points of interest, point addresses, address ranges, streets, cross streets, geographies, and any combination thereof.

13. A system for selecting a location responsive to a location search query, comprising:

a processor configured for executing instructions; and

a non-volatile storage medium, storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive a location search query comprising a textual string;

parse the textual string to generate a set of search tokens;

search a plurality of location category indicies to select a set of index search results, each index search result selected from a location category index;

score each index search result in the set of index search results, the scoring using scoring weights associated with the location category index from which the index search result was selected; and

select an index search result based on the scoring.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the scoring weights designate weights for a set of matching fields in the associated location category index.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the scoring for each index search result includes a distance score using a distance of the index search result from a determined location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the scoring excludes index search results that exceed a maximum distance from the determined location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the determined location is based on a search result.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of category location indicies include location category indices describing points of interest, point addresses, address ranges, streets, cross streets, geographies, and any combination thereof.