Hierarchial category index navigational system

• US 8,346,751 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Jin, Zhiying, Yin, Fenglin, Philbin, David A., Moon, Hannah Y., Huitema, John S., Walker, Sharon Marie, Stelling, Jennifer Logan, Karis, Demetrios, Smith, William Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCCIO, VINCENT F
• Application Number:
  US10/872,051
• Time in Patent Office: 3,119 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/708, 707722-725
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A map-based search application for map-based category navigation includes geographic data, category data, and categorized data comprising at least one item, wherein each item is associated with each of the geographic data and the category data. Accordingly, a user is enabled to search for categorized data that satisfies at least one condition related to the geographic data and at least one condition related to the category data. The invention further comprises a display for displaying a list of results from a search, wherein the list comprises the at least one item.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

geographic data;

category data organized according to a hierarchical category index;

categorized data comprising at least one item associated with each of the geographic data and the category data; and

a server device that is configured to provide the hierarchical category index to a client, and to further provide to the client, in response to a query that includes a geographic area of interest and a category of interest, a list of items that includes all of the items in the response, wherein, upon receipt by the client and without user intervention, each item included on the list of items is included in a map display in the client,

the server device being further configured to receive as part of the query a search term provided as a category input and an item term provided as an item input, and to use the item term to search for items to be included in the response if the search term provided as a category input does not yield a result.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the geographic data comprises at least one geo-coordinate associated with at least one location on a map.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the map display includes a map image comprising a representation of the geographic area of interest and at least one icon representing the location of the at least one item.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the map image comprises a plurality of icons representing the locations of a plurality of items.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the items is associated with a plurality of categories.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the items is associated with a single category.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an information database that stores at least some of the category data and at least some of the geographic data.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a map database that includes at least some of the geographic data.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a category browser that is included in the display and that allows a user to make a selection from the category data.

10. The system of claim 1, the server device being further configured to determine whether the category input is stored in a synonym table.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving from a client, in a server device, a geographic area of interest;

providing, to the client, a hierarchical category index;

receiving, from the client, a category of interest, wherein the category of interest is included in the hierarchical category index;

receiving, from the client, an item of interest, and using the item of interest to search for items to be included in the response as related to the category of interest if the input provided as the category of interest does not yield a result;

generating a list of items according to the geographic area of interest and the category of interest;

providing the list of items, including all of the items that were generated, to the client, wherein, upon receipt by the client and without user intervention, each item included on the list of items is displayed by the client in a map display.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying in the map display a map image that comprises a representation of the geographic area of interest and at least one icon representing a location of at least one of the items.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising including in the map image a plurality of icons representing the locations of the items.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the items is associated with a plurality of categories.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the items is associated with a single category.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the map display is displayed in a web browser.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing at least some of the category data and at least some of the geographic data in an information database.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing at least some of the geographic data in an information database.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a category browser to be included in the display that allows a user to make a selection from the category data.

20. The method of claim 11, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable medium.

21. A system, comprising:

geographic data;

category data organized according to a hierarchical category index;

categorized data comprising at least one item associated with each of the geographic data and the category data;

a server device that is configured to provide the hierarchical category index to a client, and to further provide to the client, in response to a query that includes a geographic area of interest and a category of interest, a list of items that includes all of the items in the response, wherein, upon receipt by the client and without user intervention, each item included on the list of items is included in a map display in the client, the server device being further configured to receive as part of the query a search term provided as a category input and an item term provided as an item input, and to use the item term to search for items to be included in the response if the search term provided as a category input does not yield a result;

an information database that stores at least some of the category data and at least some of the geographic data;

a map database that includes at least some of the geographic data; and

a category browser that is included in the display and that allows a user to make a selection from the category data.

22. A system, comprising:

a client device, including processor and a non-transitory memory that stores instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including instructions for;

providing, to a server device, an indication of a first geographical area of interest;

receiving, from the server device in response to the indication, a map control that includes a map interface presenting a map for user interaction;

receiving input of a category of interest;

receiving input of an item of interest, and using the item of interest to search for items to be included in the response as related to the category of interest if the input provided as the category of interest does not yield a result;

providing a first list of items that are located in the first geographic area of interest and related to the category of interest;

displaying the first list of items along with an icon on the map for each the items in the first list of items, each icon representing a geographic location of a respective item; and

determining if input has been received via the map control to re-set the first geographical area of interest to a second geographical area of interest, and, if so, submitting to the server device a query requesting a second list of items, the second list of items to include items in the category of interest that are also in the second geographic area of interest.

23. The system of claim 22, the client device further including instructions for:

receiving, from the server device, the second list of items; and

displaying the second list of items along with an icon on the map for each the items in the second list of items, each icon representing a geographic location of a respective item.