System and method for displaying both time information search results and internet search results

• US 7,836,041 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Sanjay, Kumar, Vivek, Czuba, Krzysztof Wieslaw
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US12/075,420
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.003, 707/999.005, 707/999.01, 707/999.107, 707/706, 707/707, 707/708, 707/725, 707/728, 707/729, 707/731, 707/764
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method of processing information and producing search response is performed at a server system. A search query is received from a client system or device. An Internet database is searched to identify a set of documents accessible via the Internet that match the search query, and a first response having information identifying at least a portion of the identified set of documents is generated. In addition, a determination is made as to whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries. If the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, a second response specifying a current time for at least one location is generated, and the first response and second response are returned to the client system or device for simultaneous display at the client system or device.

Claims

1. A method of processing information inquiries, comprising:

at a server system;

receiving a search query from a client system or device;

searching an Internet database to identify a set of documents accessible via the Internet that match the search query;

generating a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of the identified set of documents;

determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries;

if the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, generating a second response specifying a current time in a plurality of locations, and returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

if the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

formatting for display a first result, for a first location of the plurality of locations, and in a visually distinctive manner relative to formatting of a second result, for a second location of the plurality of locations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

formatting for display the first result to include both an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at the first location and text having a digital representation of the current time at the first location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of locations include locations in at least two distinct time zones.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

if the search query specifies a geographic location having a plurality of different time zones, generating the second response to specify the current time in at least one location in each of the different time zones of the specified geographic location.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

if the search query specifies a geographic location having a plurality of different time zones, generating the second response to specify the current time in a capital city corresponding to the geographic location and the current time in at least one time zone other than the time zone in which the capital city is located.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

if the search query specifies a location name corresponding to a plurality of geographic locations, generating the second response to specify the current time at two or more of the geographic locations.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the plurality of geographic locations include at least two of the set consisting of a country location, a state location, a capital city location and one or more city locations that are not capital city locations, and

generating said second response comprises generating the second response to specify the current time at each of the two or more geographic locations in the following order:

the country location if any, the state location if any, the capital city location if any, and the one or more city locations if any.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

if the search query specifies a location name corresponding to a plurality of geographic locations in different time zones, generating the second response to specify the current time at two or more of the geographic locations in different time zones.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating said second response further comprises:

after a predetermined period of time, updating said second response to comport with a new current time.

11. A method of processing information inquiries, comprising:

at a server system;

receiving a search query from a client system or device having an IP address;

searching an Internet database to identify a set of documents accessible via the Internet that match the search query;

generating a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of the identified set of documents;

determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and does not specify a location;

if the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and if the search query does not specify a location, determining a location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, generating a second response specifying a current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, and returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

if the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquires, returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating said second response further comprises:

determining a country associated with the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device; and

generating the second response to additionally specify the current time at one or more locations within the country associated with the IP address.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

filtering the second response to remove one or more locations within the country having the same time as the current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

filtering the second response to remove a duplicate location from the second response.

15. A method of processing information inquiries, comprising:

at a client system or device;

receiving a search query from a user, wherein the search query comprises a current time inquiry meeting predefined criteria;

transmitting the search query to a search engine server system;

receiving from the search engine server system a first response and a second response, the first response comprising information identifying a set of documents accessible via the Internet that match the search query, and the second response specifying a current time in a plurality of locations; and

simultaneously displaying the first response and the second response, wherein the second response is formatted for display in a visually distinctive manner relative to formatting of the first response, and wherein, if the search query specifies a geographic location having a plurality of different time zones, the second response includes the current time in at least one location in each of the different time zones of the specified geographic location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at a first location of the plurality of locations and text having a digital representation of the current time at the first location.

17. A method of processing information inquiries, comprising:

at a client system or device having an IP address;

receiving a search query from a user, wherein the search query comprises a current time inquiry meeting predefined criteria and does not specify a location;

transmitting the search query to a search engine server system;

receiving from the search engine server system a first response and a second response, the first response comprising information identifying a set of documents accessible via the Internet that match the search query, and the second response specifying a current time at a location associated with the IP address of the client system or device; and

simultaneously displaying the first response and second response, wherein the second response is formatted for display in a visually distinctive manner relative to formatting of the first response, and wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device and text having a digital representation of the current time at the location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second response includes the current time at a plurality of locations within a country associated with the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device.

19. A server system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions for receiving a search query from a client system or device;

instructions for obtaining a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of an identified set of documents, accessible via the Internet, that match the search query;

instructions for determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries;

instructions, for execution when the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, for generating a second response specifying a current time in a plurality of locations, and for returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

instructions, for execution when the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, for returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

20. The server system of claim 19, wherein the second response is formatted for display in a visually distinctive manner relative to formatting of the first response.

21. The server system of claim 19, wherein, if the search query specifies a geographic location having a plurality of different time zones, the second response includes the current time in at least one location in each of the different time zones of the specified geographic location.

22. The server system of claim 19, wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at a first location of the plurality of locations and text having a digital representation of the current time at the first location.

23. A server system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions for receiving a search query from a client system or device having an IP address;

instructions for obtaining a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of an identified set of documents, accessible via the Internet, that match the search query;

instructions for determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and does not specify a location;

instructions, for execution when the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and the search query does not specify a location, for determining a location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, generating a second response specifying a current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, and for returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

instructions, for execution when the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquires, for returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

24. The server system of claim 23, wherein the second response includes the current time at a plurality of locations within a country associated with the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device.

25. The server system of claim 23, wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device and text having a digital representation of the current time at the location.

26. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

instructions for receiving a search query from a client system or device;

instructions for obtaining a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of an identified set of documents, accessible via the Internet, that match the search query;

instructions for determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries;

instructions for execution when the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, for generating a second response specifying a current time in a plurality of locations, and for returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

instructions for execution when the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries, for returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the second response is formatted for display in a visually distinctive manner relative to formatting of the first response.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein, if the search query specifies a geographic location having a plurality of different time zones, the second response includes the current time in at least one location in each of the different time zones of the specified geographic location.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at a first location of the plurality of locations and text having a digital representation of the current time at the first location.

30. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

instructions for receiving a search query from a client system or device having an IP address;

instructions for obtaining a first response comprising information identifying at least a portion of an identified set of documents, accessible via the Internet, that match the search query;

instructions for determining whether the search query meets predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and does not specify a location;

instructions for execution when the search query is determined to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquiries and if the search query does not specify a location, for determining a location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, for generating a second response specifying a current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device, and for returning to the client system or device the first response and the second response for simultaneous display at the client system or device; and

instructions for execution when the search query is determined not to meet the predefined criteria associated with current time inquires, for returning to the client system or device the first response for display at the client system or device.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the second response includes the current time at a plurality of locations within a country associated with the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the second response includes an image of an analog clock having hands indicating the current time at the location associated with the IP address of the client system or device and text having a digital representation of the current time at the location.