System and method for displaying both localized search results and internet search results

• US 8,359,300 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shin, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Taelor
• Application Number:
  US11/696,161
• Time in Patent Office: 2,121 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/1, 707/2, 707/4, 707/6, 707/7, 707/208, 715/764, 715/738
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A method of presenting search results includes sending to a server a search query, wherein the search query does not include any term that identifies a geographic location, and receiving a set of search results corresponding to a search query. The search results include first results and second results. The first results match the search query. Each first result corresponds to one or more locations associated with a respective geographic location and include links to additional information about the one or more locations. The respective geographic location is associated with a client or a user of the client. The second results correspond to Internet accessible documents that satisfy the search query and include links to the Internet accessible documents that satisfy the search query. The method further includes presenting the first results and second results in a single web browser window.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of presenting search results, comprising:

on a server system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors;

receiving respective search queries from a plurality of respective clients;

for each received respective search query that does not include any term that identifies a geographic location, performing a set of operations comprising;

searching a primary database to generate a primary set of search results that match the search query;

determining whether a geographic location is associated with a client or a user of the client;

in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is associated with the client or the user of the client,

retrieving location information from a user profile of the user, and

comparing the search query against a first whitelist, but not a second whitelist, wherein the first whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with a secondary database, and conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison,

searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query, the secondary search results corresponding to one or more physical locations associated with the respective geographic location associated with the client or the user of the client, the secondary search results including additional information about the one or more physical locations;

in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is not associated with the client or the user of the client,

comparing the search query against the second whitelist, but not the first whitelist, wherein the second whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with the secondary database, and wherein the first whitelist includes a plurality of terms not included in the second whitelist, and conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison,

requesting and receiving a geographic location from the user of the client; and

searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query and that correspond to one or more physical locations associated with the received geographic location, the secondary search results including additional information about the one or more physical locations; and

sending at least a subset of the primary set of search results and at least a subset of the secondary set of search results, if any, to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes determining whether a user of the client is logged into a service, and when the user of the client is logged into the service, retrieving the geographic location from a user profile of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the search results includes sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a contiguous sub-region of a web browser window that also displays the subset of the primary set of search results.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the search results includes sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a list in a single web browser window, and wherein the subset of the secondary set of search results are to be displayed above the subset of the primary set of search results in the list.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information for at least one of the physical locations comprises address information and/or telephone number information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the secondary set of search results includes a link to an online application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving a cookie that identifies the geographic location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first whitelist and the second whitelist include a set of predefined terms associated with local intent queries.

3. A system for presenting search results, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more programs stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising;

instructions for receiving respective search queries from a plurality of respective clients;

instructions for performing a set of operations for each received respective search query that does not include any term that identifies a geographic location, the instructions comprising;

instructions for searching a primary database to generate a primary set of search results that match the search query;

instructions for determining whether a geographic location is associated with the client or a user of the client;

instructions that are executed in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is associated with the client or the user of the client, including;

instructions for retrieving location information from a user profile of the user or a cookie received from the client, and

instructions for comparing the search query against a first whitelist, but not a second whitelist, wherein the first whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with a secondary database, and conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison, searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query, the secondary search results corresponding to one or more physical locations associated with the geographic location associated with the client or the user of the client and including additional information about the one or more physical locations;

instructions that are executed in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is not associated with the client or the user of the client, including;

instructions for comparing the search query against the second whitelist, but not the first whitelist, wherein the second whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with the secondary database, wherein the first whitelist includes a plurality of terms not included in the second whitelist, and instructions that are executed conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison, including;

instructions for requesting and receiving a geographic location from the user of the client; and

instructions for searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query and that correspond to one or more physical locations associated with the received geographic location, the secondary search results including additional information about the one or more physical locations; and

instructions for sending at least a subset of the primary set of search results and at least a subset of the secondary set of search results, if any, to the client.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions for sending the search results includes instructions for sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a contiguous sub-region of a web browser window that also displays the subset of the primary set of search results.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions for sending the search results includes instructions for sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a list in a single web browser window, and wherein the subset of the secondary set of search results are to be displayed above the subset of the primary set of search results in the list.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein the additional information for at least one of the physical locations comprises address information and/or telephone number information.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the subset of the secondary set of search results includes a link to an online application.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions for receiving includes instructions for receiving a cookie that identifies the geographic location.

16. The system of claim 3, wherein the first whitelist and the second whitelist include a set of predefined terms associated with local intent queries.

17. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions for determining includes instructions for determining whether a user of the client is logged into a service, and when the user of the client is logged into the service, retrieving the geographic location from a user profile of the user.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a computer system having a processor, the computer readable storage medium comprising one or more programs executable by the processor, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for receiving respective search queries from a plurality of respective clients;

instructions for performing a set of operations for each received respective search query that does not include any term that identifies a geographic location, the instructions comprising;

instructions for searching a primary database to generate a primary set of search results;

instructions for determining whether a geographic location is associated with the client or a user of the client;

instructions that are executed in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is associated with the client or the user of the client, including;

instructions for retrieving location information from a user profile of the user or from a cookie received from the client, and

instructions for comparing the search query against a first whitelist, but not a second whitelist, wherein the first whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with a secondary database, and conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison, searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query, the secondary search results corresponding to one or more physical locations associated with the geographic location associated with the client or the user of the client, the secondary search results including additional information about the one or more physical locations;

instructions that are executed in accordance with a determination that a geographic location is not associated with the client or the user of the client, including;

instructions for comparing the search query against the second whitelist, but not the first whitelist, wherein the second whitelist includes a set of predefined terms associated with the secondary database, and wherein the first whitelist includes a plurality of terms not included in the second whitelist, and conditionally, in accordance with a result of the comparison, requesting and receiving a geographic location from the user of the client; and

instructions for searching the secondary database to generate a secondary set of search results that match the search query and that correspond to one or more physical locations associated with the received geographic location, the secondary search results including additional information about the one or more physical locations; and

instructions for sending at least a subset of the primary set of search results and at least a subset of the secondary set of search results, if any, to the client.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions for sending the search results includes instructions for sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a contiguous sub-region of a web browser window that also displays the subset of the primary set of search results.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions for sending the search results includes instructions for sending the subset of the secondary set of search results to be displayed in a list in a single web browser window, and wherein the subset of the secondary set of search results are to be displayed above the subset of the primary set of search results in the list.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the additional information for at least one of the physical locations comprises address information and/or telephone number information.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein at least one of the subset of the secondary set of search results includes a link to an online application.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions for receiving includes instructions for receiving a cookie that identifies the geographic location.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the first whitelist and the second whitelist include a set of predefined terms associated with local intent queries.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions for determining includes instructions for determining whether a user of the client is logged into a service, and when the user of the client is logged into the service, retrieving the geographic location from a user profile of the user.