Location input mistake correction

• US 8,370,339 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Artax LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahuja, Rajat, Bansal, Ritesh
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, BAI DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/797,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/724
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A system for automatically correcting a mistaken geocoded location input. A wireless device such as a cell phone ranks possible location input based on edit distance, which is a ‘confidence factor’. If there is no perfect match, then a list of geocode options is returned, preferably sorted by the score. The ‘closeness’ is derived by looking at the edit distance to go from the input to the matched address. Edit distance is defined herein as the number of insertion/deletion/replacement operations to go from input location to the possible matched location. In one embodiment, an option list, or ‘pick list’, may be provided based on an edit distance scoring system. The edit distance scoring system is preferably based on a number of keystrokes difference between the input location name and the possible matched location name.

Claims

1. A method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake, comprising:

comparing an input geographic search parameter, formulated by a physical wireless device, to a plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters;

ranking said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters based on an edit distance between said input geographic search parameter and each of said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters, said edit distance being a number of edit operations needed to go from said input geographic search parameter to a possible inexactly matching geographic search parameter; and

providing, to said physical wireless device, a best ranked one of said plurality of inexactly matching possible location parameters based on a geographic proximity between said best ranked one of said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters and a current location of said physical wireless device.

2. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said edit distance is a total edit distance including an edit distance of all remaining letters in said possible inexactly matching geographic search parameter.

3. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a name of a location.

4. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street prefix of said location.

5. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street base name of said location.

6. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street type of said location.

7. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street suffix of said location.

8. The method of automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 1, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a city name of said location.

9. Apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake, comprising:

means for comparing an input geographic search parameter, formulated by a physical wireless device, to a plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters;

means for ranking said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters based on an edit distance between said input geographic search parameter and each of said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters, said edit distance being a number of edit operations needed to go from said input geographic search parameter to a possible inexactly matching geographic search parameter; and

means for providing, to said physical wireless device, a best ranked one of said plurality of inexactly matching possible location parameters based on a geographic proximity between said best ranked one of said plurality of possible inexactly matching geographic search parameters and a current location of said physical wireless device.

10. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said edit distance is a total edit distance including an edit distance of all remaining letters in said possible inexactly matching geographic search parameter.

11. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a name of a location.

12. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street prefix of said location.

13. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street base name of said location.

14. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street type of said location.

15. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a street suffix of said location.

16. The apparatus for automatically correcting an input location including a typographical mistake according to claim 9, wherein:

said input geographic search parameter is a city name of said location.