Determining unambiguous geographic references
First Claim
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1. A method performed by a server device, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a communication interface or an input device of the server device, a search query that includes;
a name of a geographic area;
identifying, by a processor of the server device, a particular collection of documents that includes the name of the geographic area;
determining, by the processor, that the name unambiguously corresponds to a particular geographic area, the determining being based on a particular term occurring in at least a threshold percentage of documents in the particular collection of documents; and
performing, by the processor, a local search for the particular geographic area using the search query, when the name unambiguously corresponds to the particular geographic area.
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Abstract
A system receives a search query that includes a set of search terms, determines whether at least one of the search terms corresponds to the name of a geographic area, and determines whether the geographic area corresponds to an unambiguous geographic area when at least one of the search terms corresponds to the name of the geographic area. The system performs a local search, based on one or more of the search terms, to identify documents associated with the geographic area when the geographic area corresponds to an unambiguous geographic area.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method performed by a server device, the method comprising:
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receiving, by a communication interface or an input device of the server device, a search query that includes; a name of a geographic area; identifying, by a processor of the server device, a particular collection of documents that includes the name of the geographic area; determining, by the processor, that the name unambiguously corresponds to a particular geographic area, the determining being based on a particular term occurring in at least a threshold percentage of documents in the particular collection of documents; and performing, by the processor, a local search for the particular geographic area using the search query, when the name unambiguously corresponds to the particular geographic area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system comprising:
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means for receiving a search query that includes one or more search terms corresponding to a name of a geographical area; means for determining whether to classify the one or more search terms as unambiguous, semi-ambiguous, or ambiguous, based on a percentage of documents that include the one or more search terms together with a geographic term in a particular collection of documents; means for performing a local search using the one or more search terms, when the one or more search terms are classified as unambiguous; means for performing a web search and suggesting a local search using the one or more search terms, when the one or more search terms are classified as semi-ambiguous; and means for performing a web search using the one or more search terms, when the one or more search terms are classified as ambiguous. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A memory device that stores instructions executable by at least one processor, comprising:
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instructions for receiving a search query, where the search query does not include a name of a state or a postal code; instructions for identifying one or more terms in the search query corresponding to a name of a city; instructions for determining whether the one or more terms are associated with a label in a database, where the label identifies the one or more terms as corresponding to a particular city when the search query does not include the name of a state or the postal code; instructions for performing a search local for the particular city using the search query, when the one or more terms is associated with the label. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification