Providing results to parameterless search queries

• US 8,504,286 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Sumit, Gundotra, Vic, Nicolaou, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/249,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 701/408, 701/414, 701/417, 701/424, 701/425, 701/426, 701/418, 340/995.17, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/418
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a parameterless search request, which was provided to a mobile computing device, for information that is relevant to a user of the mobile computing device. The method also includes, in response to the received parameterless search request, identifying with a digital computer system one or more results that are determined to be relevant to the user of the mobile computing device based upon a current context of the mobile computing device. The method further includes providing the results for display to a user of the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a parameterless search request, which was provided to a mobile computing device, for information that is currently relevant to a user of the mobile computing device, the parameterless search request being received without the user identifying a topic on which the user currently wants to receive information;

in response to the received parameterless search request, determining for the mobile computing device a current context that includes, at least, information that identifies i) one or more current activities that the user is currently performing, as detected by the mobile computing device, and ii) one or more future activities that the user is scheduled to perform;

identifying with a digital computer system one or more results that are determined to be relevant to the user of the mobile computing device based upon a current context of the mobile computing device; and

providing the results for display to the user of the mobile computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the parameterless search request comprises an indication that the user shook the mobile computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current context includes a current geographic location of the mobile computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the identified one or more results include information regarding one or more entities located within a threshold distance of the current geographic location of the mobile computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current context includes a current time of day, a current date, and calendar appointments for the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein, when one or more of the calendar appointments for the user that are determined to occur within a threshold period of time of the current time of day and the current date, the identified one or more results include information regarding the one or more of the calendar appointments.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current context includes the user'"'"'s recent activity on the mobile computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein, when information associated with at least a portion of the user'"'"'s recent activity is determined to have been updated since the user'"'"'s associated activity, the identified one or more results includes at least a portion of the updated information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying one or more result categories that are likely to be relevant to the user of the mobile computing device based upon the current context of the mobile computing device;

and

wherein the one or more identified results are associated with the identified one or more result categories.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving first data that indicates whether the user found result categories previously identified in response to previously received parameterless search requests to be relevant;

selecting a portion of the retrieved first data associated with previous contexts for the mobile computing device that are determined to have a threshold degree of similarity to the current context for the mobile computing device; and

wherein the one or more result categories are identified based upon the selected portion of the retrieved first data.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the identified one or more result categories are selected from the group consisting of:

a travel category, a geographic proximity category, an environment category, a recent updated information category, and a personal information category.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving second data that indicates whether the user found results previously identified in response to previously received parameterless search requests to be relevant;

selecting a portion of the retrieved second data associated with previous contexts for the mobile computing device that are determined to have a threshold degree of similarity to the current context for the mobile computing device; and

wherein the one or more result are identified based upon the selected portion of the retrieved second data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a subsystem of the mobile computing device to use for providing the selected information to the user based upon, at least in part, a manner in which the input was received by the mobile computing device;

and

wherein the selected information is provided using the selected subsystem of the mobile computing device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital computer system is remote from the mobile computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital computer system comprises the mobile computing device.

16. An electronic system for providing results that are relevant to a user, the system comprising:

a mobile computing device;

an input subsystem of the mobile computing device that is configured to receive a parameterless search request for information that is currently relevant to a user of the mobile computing device, the parameterless search request being received without the user identifying a topic on which the user currently wants to receive information;

a context determination unit of the mobile computing device to determine for the mobile computing device a current context that includes, at least, information that identifies i) one or more current activities that the user is currently performing, as detected by the mobile computing device, and ii) one or more future activities that the user is scheduled to perform;

a result identification unit of the mobile computing device that is configured to, in response to a parameterless search request received by the input subsystem, identify one or more results that are determined to be relevant to the user of the mobile computing device based upon a current context of the mobile computing device; and

an output subsystem of the mobile computing device that is configured to provide the results to the user of the mobile computing device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more accelerometers to detect motion of the mobile computing device; and

an input parser to interpret one or more types of motion of the mobile computing device as parameterless search requests.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more types of motion include the mobile computing device being shaken.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a parameterless search request, which was provided to a mobile computing device, for information that is relevant to a user of the mobile computing device;

in response to the received parameterless search request, identifying with a digital computer system one or more results that are determined to be relevant to the user of the mobile computing device based upon a current context of the mobile computing device, wherein the current context describes a recent activity of the user, a current activity of the user, or a future activity of the user within a threshold period of a current time, and wherein the current context further includes a current rate of speed at which the mobile computing device is travelling; and

providing the results for display to the user of the mobile computing device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein, when the current rate of speed is determined to exceed a threshold rate of speed, the identified one or more results include information regarding current traffic conditions for a route along which the mobile computing device is travelling.