Geotext searching and displaying results

• US 7,917,464 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metacarta, Inc.
• Inventors: Frank, John R., Rauch, Erik M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US11/537,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method for displaying information about documents in a corpus of documents, the method involving: accepting search criteria including a free text entry query and a domain identifier identifying a domain; in response to accepting the search criteria, identifying a set of documents among the corpus of documents, wherein each document of the set of documents: (1) contains anywhere within the document location-related information that locates that document within the domain; and (2) contains anywhere within the document information that is responsive to the free text entry query, wherein said identified documents are identified by a plurality of document identifiers; displaying a multi-dimensional representation of the domain on the display device; and displaying within the representation of the domain a plurality of visual indicators as representations of the documents identified by the plurality of document identifiers, wherein each visual indicator of the plurality of visual indicators represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each visual indicator is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate that corresponds to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information about documents in a corpus of documents, said method comprising:

accepting search criteria from a user, said search criteria including a free text entry query and a domain identifier identifying a domain;

in response to accepting said search criteria from the user, identifying a set of documents among the corpus of documents, wherein each document of the set of documents;

(1) contains anywhere within the document location-related information referring to a location within the domain; and

(2) contains anywhere within the document information responsive to the free text entry query, wherein said identified documents are identified by a plurality of document identifiers;

displaying a multi-dimensional representation of said domain on a display device; and

displaying within the representation of the domain displayed on the display device a plurality of visual indicators as representations of the documents identified by said plurality of document identifiers, wherein each visual indicator of the plurality of visual indicators represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each visual indicator is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate corresponding to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual indicators is a plurality of icons.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the plurality of icons involves displaying a plurality of icon types, wherein each icon type of the plurality of icon types represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each icon type is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate corresponding to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising varying a visual characteristic of the plurality of icons depending on icon type.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual characteristic is a color of the icon.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual characteristic is a shape of the icon.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein varying the visual characteristic involves varying the visual characteristic to reflect a relevance measure of underlying documents.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other on the displayed representation of the domain.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing a single document and wherein the second icon type has a visual appearance different from the visual appearance of the first icon type.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are identical.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other but not all identical.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second icon types have different visual appearances.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a legend for a selected one of the icons of the plurality of icons, wherein said legend lists information about the documents represented by that icon said selected one of the icons.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising ordering the information about documents in the legend according to relevance scores.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising grouping the information about the documents in the legend by topical category.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain is a spatial domain.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain is a physical region.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain is a representation.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain is a geographical region and said representation is a multi-dimensional map of the geographical region.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain identifier is a word or phrase corresponding to a location.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain identifier is spatial criteria entered into a spatial criteria entry control.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain identifier is a map.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain identifier is a map border of a multi-dimensional representation of a domain displayed on the display device.

24. A method for displaying information about documents in a corpus of documents, said method comprising:

accepting search criteria from a user, said search criteria including a free text entry query and a domain identifier identifying a domain;

in response to accepting said search criteria from the user, identifying a set of documents among the corpus of documents, wherein each document of the set of documents;

(1) contains anywhere within the document location-related information referring to a location within the domain; and

(2) contains anywhere within the document text responsive to the free text entry query, wherein said identified documents are identified by a plurality of document identifiers;

displaying a representation of said domain on a display device, wherein the domain is a geographical region and said representation is a multi-dimensional map of the geographical region; and

displaying within the representation of the domain displayed on the display device a plurality of icon types, wherein each icon type of the plurality of icon types represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each icon type is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate corresponding to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein icon types among the plurality of icon types have different visual appearances.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other on the displayed representation of the domain.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing a single document and wherein the second icon type has a visual appearance different from the visual appearance of the first icon type.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are identical.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other but not all identical.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first and second icon types have different visual appearances.

31. An interface program stored on a computer-readable medium for causing a computer system with a display device to perform the functions of:

accepting search criteria from a user, said search criteria including a free text entry query and a domain identifier identifying a domain;

in response to accepting said search criteria from the user, identifying a set of documents among the corpus of documents, wherein each document of the set of documents;

(1) contains anywhere within the document location-related information referring to a location within the domain; and

(2) contains anywhere within the document information responsive to the free text entry query, wherein said identified documents are identified by a plurality of document identifiers;

displaying a multi-dimensional representation of said domain on the display device; and

displaying within the representation of the domain displayed on the display device a plurality of visual indicators as representations of the documents identified by said plurality of document identifiers, wherein each visual indicator of the plurality of visual indicators represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each visual indicator is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate corresponding to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

32. The interface program of claim 31, wherein the plurality of visual indicators is a plurality of icons.

33. The interface program of claim 32 for causing the computer to perform the function of displaying the plurality of icons involves by displaying a plurality of icon types, wherein each icon type of the plurality of icon types represents a corresponding different subset of documents among the identified documents and wherein each icon type is positioned within the representation of the domain at a coordinate corresponding to the location-related information for the corresponding subset of documents.

34. The interface program of claim 33, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other on the displayed representation of the domain.

35. The interface program of claim 34, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing a single document and wherein the second icon type has a visual appearance different from the visual appearance of the first icon type.

36. The interface program of claim 35, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a first icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are identical.

37. The interface program of claim 36, wherein the plurality of icon types includes a second icon type for representing multiple documents for which the specific locations to which those documents refer are close to each other but not all identical.

38. The interface program of claim 37, wherein the first and second icon types have different visual appearances.