Displaying Search Results On A One Or Two Dimensional Graph

• US 20170212901A1
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gordon, Michael, Vespe, David J., Hogue, Andrew W., Reynar, Jeffrey C., Petrou, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,509,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

Embodiments retrieve a set of search results that have been previously identified as having at least one associated date or location. A timeline or map is displayed that visually represents the distribution of the dates or locations within the results. The timeline is displayed with a histogram graph corresponding to the number of dates in the search results at points along the timeline. The map is displayed with markers at the locations corresponding to the locations in the search results. The user can navigate the result set using the displayed timeline or map.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, by one or more server computers, an index that includes a plurality of index entries for respective documents, each index entry including data that includes a geographic location that was extracted from a document on which the index entry is based;

receiving, by the one or more server computers, a search request from a user device that (i) includes at least one keyword and (ii) does not include a parameter that explicitly identifies a geographic location;

generating, by the one or more server computers, a listing of index entries corresponding to one or more indexed documents, based on the search request, including only index documents (i) that are responsive to the search request and (ii) include a geographic location; and

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in a user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of individual indexed documents and data for generating a map using the geographic location for each of the individual indexed documents, wherein the data for generating a map includes data for locating on the map a position marker for each of the individual indexed documents, each indexed document and the position marker associated with that indexed document being linked for user selection.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the geographic location was extracted from the content of at least one document.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the geographic location was extracted from the metadata of at least one document.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

determining that at least one particular indexed document associated with the subset of listing includes multiple geographic locations; and

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in the user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of the particular document and data for generating a map using each of the multiple geographic locations included in the particular document.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

determining that at least one particular indexed document associated with the subset of listing includes multiple geographic locations;

determining a ranking score for each geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations;

selecting a subset of the one or more geographic locations of the multiple geographic locations based on the ranking score;

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in the user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of the particular document and data for generating a map using the subset of the one or more geographic locations selected based on the ranking score.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the subset of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request includes a set of the top n-highest ranked documents.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the search result document includes one or more buttons for modifying the displayed map.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first button of the one or more buttons; and

in response to the selection of the first button, modifying the displayed map to include a satellite photograph of a geographic region represented by the map.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second button of the one or more buttons; and

in response to the selection of the second button of the one or more buttons, modifying the displayed map to include traditional map symbols.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

generating, by the one or more server computers, the map using the geographic location for each of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request, wherein the map includes a position marker for each of the one or more documents that are responsive to search request, wherein generating the map using the geographic locations further includes;

generating a first set of one or more position markers that includes a respective pin for each of at least one of the one or more documents that are response to the search request;

generating a second set of one or more position markers that includes a respective pin for at least a different one of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request; and

visually distinguishing the first set of one or more position markers from the second set of one or more position markers.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

storing, by one or more server computers, an index that includes a plurality of index entries for respective documents, each index entry including data that includes a geographic location that was extracted from a document on which the index entry is based;

receiving, by the one or more server computers, a search request from a user device that (i) includes at least one keyword and (ii) does not include a parameter that explicitly identifies a geographic location;

generating, by the one or more server computers, a listing of index entries corresponding to one or more indexed documents, based on the search request, including only index documents (i) that are responsive to the search request and (ii) include a geographic location; and

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in a user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of individual indexed documents and data for generating a map using the geographic location for each of the individual indexed documents, wherein the data for generating a map includes data for locating on the map a position marker for each of the individual indexed documents, each indexed document and the position marker associated with that indexed document being linked for user selection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the geographic location was extracted the content of at least one document.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the geographic location was extracted from the metadata of at least one document.

15. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

determining that at least one particular indexed document associated with the subset of listing includes multiple geographic locations; and

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in the user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of the particular document and data for generating a map using each of the multiple geographic locations included in the particular document.

16. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

determining that at least one particular indexed document associated with the subset of listing includes multiple geographic locations;

determining a ranking score for each geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations;

selecting a subset of the one or more geographic locations of the multiple geographic locations based on the ranking score;

providing, by the one or more server computers for output in the user interface of the user device at least a subset of the listing that includes an identification of the particular document and data for generating a map using the subset of the one or more geographic locations selected based on the ranking score.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the subset of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request includes a set of the top n-highest ranked documents.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the search result document includes one or more buttons for modifying the displayed map.

19. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first button of the one or more buttons; and

in response to the selection of the first button, modifying the displayed map to include a satellite photograph of a geographic region represented by the map.

20. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second button of the one or more buttons; and

in response to the selection of the second button of the one or more buttons, modifying the displayed map to include traditional map symbols.

21. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

generating, by the one or more server computers, the map using the geographic location for each of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request, wherein the map includes a position marker for each of the one or more documents that are responsive to search request, wherein generating the map using the geographic location further includes;

generating a first set of one or more position markers that includes a respective pin for each of at least one of the one or more documents that are response to the search request;

generating a second set of one or more position markers that includes a respective pin for at least a different one of the one or more documents that are responsive to the search request; and

visually distinguishing the first set of one or more position markers from the second set of one or more position markers.