Location-Activity Recommendations

• US 20160239502A1
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Whiting, Stewart William, Alonso, Omar
• Application Number:
  US14/621,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239502A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems, methods, and media bearing computer-executable instructions are provided for responding to a search query directed to a request for activities in a specified location. In response, a location-action data store storing a plurality of location-activity records is accessed and location-activity responses (each identifying an activity at a specific location) are returned. The location-activity records are aggregated from check-in data from a plurality of users from one or more social networking services.

Claims

1. A computer system for responding to a search query regarding activities at an indicated location, the system comprising a processor and a memory, and further comprising:

a location-activity data store storing a plurality of location-activity records, each location-activity record comprising information regarding a specific location and an associated activity in the specific location and further comprising a number of check-in records indicating the number of check-ins at the specific location for the associated activity;

wherein the processor executes instructions stored in the memory as part of or in conjunction with additional executable components in response to receiving a query from a computer user, the additional components comprising;

a query analysis component configured to analyze the search query to identify the elements of the query;

a location-activity identification component configured to determine whether the search query is a location-activity query comprising a request regarding desired activities at a desired location;

a location-activity results retrieval component configured to obtain a set of location-activity results from the plurality of location-activity records in the location-activity data store that correspond to the desired activities at the desired location; and

a results page generator configured to generate a results page from the set of location-activity results for presentation to the computer user and return the results page to the computer user in response to the search query.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the location-activity identification component is further configured to determine a constraint associated the location-activity query from the identified elements of the search query.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the constraint comprises a temporal constraint indicating a time frame in which the desired activity is to occur.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the constraint comprises a purpose constraint indicating a purpose for requesting the desired activity.

5. The computer system of claim 2, wherein location-activity data store further stores a plurality of additional information, each item of additional information being associated a location-activity record of the plurality of location activity records, the additional information comprising user feedback regarding the associated activity of the location-activity record at the specific location.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the results page generator places a user-actionable control proximate to a location-activity result of the set of location-activity results in the results page, the user-actionable control configured to present the additional information associated with the location activity result upon user activation.

7. The computer system of claim 2, wherein results page generator generates a results page from the set of location-activity results with the location-activity results ordered according to popularity according to the number of check-ins at the desired location for the associated desired activity.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein results page generator generates a results page from the set of location-activity results with the location-activity results ordered according to popularity according to the number of check-ins at the desired location for the associated desired activity, and further according to the determined constraint associated the location-activity query.

9. A computer-implemented method executed on a computing device comprising at least a processor and a memory, the method configured to respond to a search query from a computer user, the method comprising:

providing a location-activity data store storing a plurality of location-activity records, each location-activity record comprising information regarding a specific location and an associated activity in the specific location;

receiving a search query submitted from a computer user over a network; and

determining whether the search query is a location-activity query identifying a desired activity at a desired location and, upon determining that the search query is a location-activity query;

identifying a set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity;

generating a response page from the set of location activity responses, the response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location; and

returning the response page for presentation to the computer user over the network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising analyzing the search query to identify elements of the search query, and

wherein determining whether the search query is a location-activity query identifying a desired activity at a desired location comprises determining whether the search query is a location-activity query identifying a desired activity at a desired location according to the identified elements of the search query.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 further comprising identifying one or more constraints from the identified elements of the search query, and

wherein identifying the set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity comprises identifying the set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity and further according to the one or more identified constraints.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the one or more constraints comprise a temporal constraint indicating a time frame in which the computer user indicates that the desired activity is to occur.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the one or more constraints comprise a purpose constraint indicating an intended purpose of the computer user regarding the desired activity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating a response page from the set of location activity responses comprises generating a response page from the set of location activity responses, the response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location, and including a user-actionable control for modifying one or more constraints with regard to the desired activity.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving an indication of a user action of the user-actionable control;

determining an updated constraint to be applied to the location-activity query according to the user action of the user-actionable control;

identifying a second set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity, and further according to the updated constraint;

generating a second response page from the second set of location activity responses, the second response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location, and the user-actionable control for modifying one or more constraints with regard to the desired activity; and

returning the second response page for presentation to the computer user over the network.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of location-activity records are organized in a hierarchical organization according to a location-activity taxonomy.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more constraints comprise any one or more of a temporal constraint indicating a time frame in which the computer user indicates that the desired activity is to occur, and a purpose constraint indicating an intended purpose of the computer user regarding the desired activity.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

generating a response page from the set of location activity responses comprises generating a response page from the set of location activity responses, the response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location, and including a user-actionable control for modifying one or more constraints with regard to the desired activity; and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving an indication of a user action of the user-actionable control;

determining an updated constraint to be applied to the location-activity query according to the user action of the user-actionable control;

identifying a second set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity, and further according to the updated constraint;

generating a second response page from the second set of location activity responses, the second response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location, and the user-actionable control for modifying one or more constraints with regard to the desired activity; and

returning the second response page for presentation to the computer user over the network.

17. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing system comprising at least a processor, carry out a method for responding to a search query from a computer user, the method comprising:

providing a location-activity data store storing a plurality of location-activity records, each location-activity record comprising information regarding a specific location and an associated activity in the specific location;

receiving a search query submitted from a computer user over a network;

analyzing the search query to identify elements of the search query; and

determining whether the search query is a location-activity query identifying a desired activity at a desired location according to the identified elements of the search query and, upon determining that the search query is a location-activity query;

identifying a set of location-activity responses from the plurality of location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity;

generating a response page from the set of location activity responses, the response page identifying a plurality of activities corresponding to the desired activity in the desired location; and

returning the response page for presentation to the computer user over the network.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises identifying one or more constraints from the identified elements of the search query, and

wherein identifying the set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store comprises identifying the set of location-activity responses from the location-activity records of the location-activity data store according to the desired location and the desired activity and further according to the one or more identified constraints.