System and methods for determining a desired listing using an intersection of coverage areas and a search region

• US 6,370,523 B1
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Charles Dewey
• Primary Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US09/049,632
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/7, 707/10, 701/202, 701/206, 709/201, 709/219, 379/127, 379/133, 379/88.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13333 Earth satellites
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

A system and method for determining a desired listing by ranking coverage areas based on the intersection of a search region and one or more coverage areas. The desired listing is created by determining the location of a reference point and defining the search region in respect to the reference point. The search region is compared against the coverage areas of the listings. The coverage area of each listing may be defined by default based upon a categorization of the listing or upon selection criteria, such as payment of a fee. The coverage areas that intersect with the search region are typically ranked in descending order based upon the area of the intersection region, which is the area including both the coverage area and the search region. Alternatively, if no intersecting regions exist, the coverage areas may be ranked in descending order based on the proximity of the perimeter of the coverage areas to the reference point. The ranked coverage areas are produced as the desired listing and may be distributed.

Claims

1. A method for determining a desired listing from a plurality of listings using an intersection of a search region and a plurality of coverage areas associated respectively with each of the listings, comprising:

(1) creating a definition with respect to each of the coverage areas, the definition being created without regard to a predefined boundary;

(2) finding each of the coverage areas intersecting the search region as intersecting coverage areas;

(3) identifying one of the listings as the desired listing based upon the desired listing being associated with a predetermined list of intersecting coverage areas;

(4) determining a reference point within the search region based upon provided information about the reference point; and

(5) determining a location of the reference point based upon the provided information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the reference point further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information comprising a telephone number of a telecommunications device;

and

wherein the step of determining the location further comprises determining the location of the reference point based upon the provided information comprising location data providing the location of the reference point, the location data being associated with the telephone number within a lookup table.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining the reference point further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information being received over a first telecommunications device as the telephone number of a second telecommunications device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the reference point further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information comprising location data within a signal generated by a telecommunications device;

and

wherein the step of determining the location further comprises determining the location of the reference point by interpreting the location data.

5. A method for determining a desired listing from a plurality of listings using an intersection of a search region and a plurality of coverage areas associated respectively with each of the listings, comprising:

(1) creating a definition with respect to each of the coverage areas, the definition being created without regard to a predefined boundary;

(2) finding each of the coverage areas interesecting the search region as intersecting coverage areas;

(3) ranking the intersecting coverage areas into a ranked order based upon an amount of area intersecting the search region with respect to each of the intersecting coverage areas;

(4) identifying one of the listings as the desired listing based upon the desired listing being associated with a predetermined one of intersecting coverage areas in the ranked order; and

(5) determining a reference point within the search region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a highest in the ranked order corresponds to one of the intersecting coverage areas having the greatest of the amount of area intersecting the search region.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the ranking step further comprises ranking the intersecting coverage areas into the ranked order based upon a proximity of each of the intersecting coverage areas to the reference point.

8. A method for determining a desired listing from a plurality of listings using an intersection of a search region and a plurality of coverage areas associated respectively with each of the listings, comprising the steps of:

(1) creating a definition with respect to each of the coverage areas, the definition being created without regard to a predefined boundary, and the each of the coverage areas being a predetermined area based upon a categorization of each of the listings;

(2) determining a reference point based upon provided information about the reference point;

(3) determining a location of the reference point based upon the provided information;

(4) selecting the search region based upon a proximity of the search region to the reference point;

(5) finding each of the coverage areas intersecting the search region as intersecting coverage areas;

(6) ranking the intersecting coverage areas into a ranked order; and

(7) identifying one of the listings as the desired listing based upon the listing associated with a highest one of the intersecting coverage areas in the ranked order.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (1) further comprises creating the definition with respect to each of the coverage areas to be a selectable area for each of the listings based upon selection criteria for the selectable area.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein step (2) further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information comprising a telephone number of a telecommunications device;

and

wherein step (3) further comprises determining the location of the reference point based upon the provided information comprising location data providing the location of the reference point, the location data being associated with the telephone number within a lookup table.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (2) further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information being received over a first telecommunications device as the telephone number of a second telecommunications device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (2) further comprises determining the reference point based upon the provided information comprising location data within a signal generated by a telecommunications device;

and

wherein step (3) further comprises determining the location of the reference point by interpreting the location data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the ranking step further comprises ranking the intersecting coverage areas into the ranked order based upon an amount of area intersecting the search region with respect to each of the intersecting coverage areas, wherein the highest in the ranked order corresponds to one of the intersecting coverage areas having the greatest of the amount of area intersecting the search region.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the ranking step further comprises ranking the intersecting coverage areas into the ranked order based upon a proximity of each of the intersecting coverage areas to the reference point.

15. A system for determining a desired listing from a plurality of listings using an intersection of a search region and a plurality of coverage areas associated respectively with each of the plurality of listings, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory storage device coupled to the processor, the memory storage device maintaining an index of the listings, each of listings within the index being categorized based on an association of each of the listings with at least one of a plurality of index categories, each of the listings being associated with at least one of the coverage areas, and the memory storage device also maintaining a lookup table;

a communications interface coupled to the processor, the communications interface for communicating with a remote device; and

the processor being operative to;

create a definition within the index with respect to each of the coverage areas, the definition being created without regards to a predefined boundary and based upon one of the index categories associated with each of the listings,

receive provided information about a reference point from the remote device over the communications interface,

determine a location of the reference point by using the provided information to find location data associated with the reference point, the location data maintained within the lookup table on the memory storage device,

find intersecting coverage areas as each of the coverage areas intersecting the search region;

rank the intersecting coverage areas into a ranked order,

identify one of the listings maintained within the memory storage device as the desired listing based upon the listing associated with a predetermined one of the intersecting coverage areas in the ranked order, and

distribute an identification of the desired listing over the communications interface to the remote device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to create the definition, with respect to each of the coverage areas, to be a selectable area for each of the listings based upon selection criteria for the selectable area.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to determine the location of the reference point based upon receiving the provided information from the remote device as a telephone number of the remote device;

and

wherein the processor is further operative to determine the location of the reference point based upon the provided information being location data maintained within the lookup table in the memory storage device, the location data providing the location of the reference point, and the location data being associated with the telephone number within the lookup table.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to determine the reference point based upon the provided information being location data within a signal generated by the remote device;

and

wherein the processor is further operative to determine the location of the reference point by interpreting the location data.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to rank the intersecting coverage areas into the ranked order, wherein a highest in the ranked order corresponds to one of the intersecting coverage areas having the greatest of the amount of area intersecting the search region.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to rank the intersecting coverage areas into the ranked order based upon a proximity of each of the intersecting coverage areas to the reference point.