REGION OF SEARCH BASED ON CONTEXT

• US 20170091202A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Naroo, Yiu, Paul, Rajan, Suju
• Granted Patent: US 10,621,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

Techniques are described by which information needs are satisfied by taking into account a variety of contextual cues that constrain the information searched. Contextual data such as the location, speed, and direction of travel of a mobile device are used to generate or modify a search query in a way that constrains the geographic region being searched to improve the relevance of search results or recommendations provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying an information need for a user of a device;

identifying contextual data including a current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device;

constructing a search query based on the information need and using the contextual data, the search query corresponding to a geographical search region constrained by the current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device;

processing the search query to generate search results responsive to the information need; and

transmitting the search results to the device for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the information need includes receiving a user-generated query expressing the information need.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the information need includes deriving the information need from the contextual data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual data include a destination of the device, and wherein the geographical search region is also constrained by one or more routes to the destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual data include a temporal constraint, and wherein a domain within the geographical search region is constrained by the temporal constraint.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the temporal constraint implies a future location of the device, and wherein the geographical search region includes the future location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual data also identify a second person associated with the user of the device, and wherein a domain within the geographical search region is constrained by profile data associated with the second person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual data include one or more of text extracted from a message sent or received by the device, calendar data obtained from a calendar accessible to the device, profile data of the user, profile data of a person associated with the user, behavioral data of the user, preferences of the user, navigation data of the user, financial transactions of the user, or previous search queries of the user.

9. A system, comprising:

memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to;

receive a user-generated search query from a device expressing an information need of a user of the device;

identify contextual data representing a real-time context of the device;

construct a modified search query based on the information need and using the contextual data, the modified search query corresponding to a geographical search region constrained by at least some of the contextual data;

process the search query to generate search results responsive to the information need; and

transmit the search results to the device for presentation.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify the information need from user-generated search query and a subset of the contextual data.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the contextual data include a current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device, and wherein the geographical search region is constrained by the current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the contextual data include a destination of the device, and wherein the geographical search region is constrained by one or more routes to the destination.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the contextual data include a temporal constraint, and wherein a domain within the geographical search region is constrained by the temporal constraint.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the temporal constraint implies a future location of the device, and wherein the geographical search region includes the future location.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the contextual data also identify a second person associated with the user of the device, and wherein a domain within the geographical search region is constrained by profile data associated with the second person.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the contextual data include one or more of text extracted from a message sent or received by the device, calendar data obtained from a calendar accessible to the device, profile data of the user, profile data of a person associated with the user, behavioral data of the user, preferences of the user, navigation data of the user, financial transactions of the user, or previous search queries of the user.

17. A device, comprising:

a display, memory, and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory and the display, the one or more processors being configured to;

transmit a communication representing an information need of a user of the device to a remote platform;

generate contextual data including a current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device;

transmit the contextual data to the remote platform;

receive search results, the search results being responsive to a search query constructed based on the information need and the contextual data, the search query corresponding to a geographical search region constrained by the current location, direction of travel, and speed of the device; and

present the search results on the display of the device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the communication includes a user-generated query expressing the information need.