Switching between best views of a place

• US 8,175,794 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Szybalski, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim
• Application Number:
  US12/574,168
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation

Abstract

A system and method of selecting and presenting geolocated views. Views may encompass various types of visual and audio information. In one aspect, a server receives a request for information associated with a geographic location. The server identifies a feature at the location. The server uses the identified feature to determine a category of views. The server also selects a view which is associated with the determined category of views and with the geographic location of the request.

Claims

1. A method of providing a view associated with a geographic location, wherein the view is one of a plurality of views each associated with one of a plurality of categories, the method comprising:

receiving a request for information from a user, the request including a location;

determining a type of a feature disposed at the requested location;

accessing a matrix defining ranked relationships between feature types and view categories, wherein the feature types include the type of the feature disposed at the requested location;

selecting, with a processor, a view associated with the requested location based on a ranked relationship between the type of the feature and the category of the view defined in the matrix;

when the selected view is unavailable, selecting a next view based on a ranked relationship between the type of the feature and the category of the next view defined in the matrix; and

displaying the selected view to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested location is a street address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested location is the name of a business.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected next view is an image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected next view is a video.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected next view is a map.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an additional view based on a correspondence between the requested location and the geographic location of the additional view and a ranked relationship between the type of the feature and the category of the additional view defined in the matrix;

transmitting the additional view with an indication that the additional view is to be displayed less predominantly than the selected next view.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a local time of the request, wherein the next view is selected based upon a correspondence between the local time of the request and a time of day associated with the selected next view.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a date of the request, wherein the next view is selected based upon a correspondence between the date of the request and a time of day associated with the selected next view.

10. A system comprising:

a first computer at a first node of a network, the first computer having access to instructions operable by the first computer, a set of views associated with a geographic location, each view associated with one of a plurality of view categories;

a client device at a second node of the network different from the first node, the client device comprising a user input device, an electronic display, a processor and instructions operable by the processor;

the instructions of the first computer comprising;

receiving a geographic location from a client device;

determining a feature type of a feature at the geographic location, wherein the feature type is associated with a ranked set of view categories of the plurality of view categories;

determining a highest ranked view category associated with the feature type;

selecting, if available, a view of the geographic location such that the selected view is associated with the received geographic location and is further associated with the highest ranked view category, and when a view of the geographic location associated with the received geographic location and further associated with the highest ranked view category is not available, determining a next highest ranked view category and selecting, if available, a next view of the geographic location such that the next view is associated with the geographic location and is further associated with the next highest ranked view category; and

transmitting the selected next view to the client device over the network; and

the instructions of the client device comprising;

transmitting a geographic location to the first computer; and

displaying, on the electronic display, the selected view transmitted by the first computer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions of the first computer further comprise transmitting the next view to the client device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein if the next view is not available, transmitting a default view.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein a view is unavailable if the view is of poor quality.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein a view is unavailable if the first computer cannot access the view.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computer is a web server.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the client device is a mobile phone.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the client device is a personal computer.

18. A computer-usable recording medium recorded with a program for use by a computing device, the program comprising:

computer code that receives a request for information, the request including a location;

computer code that determines a feature type of an object at the requested location;

computer code that accesses a matrix defining ranked relationships between feature types and view categories, wherein the feature types include the type of the feature disposed at the requested location;

computer code that selects a view of the requested location based on a correspondence between the requested location and the geographic location of the view and a based on a ranked relationship between the feature type and the category of the view defined in the matrix; and

computer code that, when the selected view is unavailable, selects a next view based on a ranked relationship between the type of the feature and the category of the next view defined in the matrix; and

computer code that transmits the selected next view over a network.

19. The computer-usable recording medium of claim 18, the program further comprising:

computer code that receives a user attribute from the client device;

computer code that extracts information from the user attribute, and wherein the category of the view of the selected next view is further associated with the extracted information attribute.

20. The computer-usable recording medium of claim 19, wherein the user attribute is latitude and longitude of the user device.

21. The computer-usable recording medium of claim 19, wherein the user attribute is the identification of a wireless base station.

22. The computer-usable recording medium of claim 19, wherein the user attribute is an IP address.

23. The computer-usable recording medium of claim 19, wherein the extracted information is a geographic location of the user device.