Apparatus and method for searching among and presenting information associated with geographical position data

• US 8,577,877 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Bengtsson, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US12/078,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724, 707/708, 707/736, 707/999.003
• US Class Current: 707/724
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to an apparatus for searching and presenting information associated with geographical position data. The apparatus includes an input device including a user interface. The user interface includes at least a first input text box configured to receive a first text item, wherein said first text item is a general search text item, at least a second input text box configured to receive a second text item, wherein said second text item is a geographical position text item, and a user actuation input device. The apparatus further includes a database selection engine and a database search engine configured to perform a database search based on said at least first and second text input, and an output device configured to present information associated with geographical position data based upon data retrieved from a database selection engine or a database search engine.

Claims

1. A method, using an apparatus, of searching and presenting information associated with geographical position data, said method comprising:

generating a search profile from a first and a second input item, wherein said first input item is a general search input item and said second input item is a geographical position input item,

selecting at least two databases from a plurality of databases based on said search profile,

performing an overall search in said at least two selected databases based on said search profile,

displaying results of the overall search of said at least two databases, the results including first information identifying a first one of the at least two selected databases and second information identifying a second one of the at least two selected data bases, the first information and second information simultaneously displayed, the first information displayed with third information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the first one of the at least two selected databases, and the second information displayed with fourth information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the second one of the at least two selected databases,

selecting said geographical position data from a group consisting of country, user profile preferences and user profile accesses, the geographical position data being selected using a database selection engine,

receiving a user input actuation selecting the first one of the at least two selected databases or the second one of the at least two databases based on the displayed first information, second information, third information, and fourth information,

performing a detailed database search in the first one or the second one of the at least two databases selected based on the user input actuation, and

displaying results of said detailed database search, the displayed results of the detailed database search corresponding to all or a portion of the hits produced by the overall search for the first one or the second one of the at least two databases selected based on the user input actuation.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying advertisement data with the results of at least one of the overall search or the detailed database search, the advertisement data associated with geographical position data corresponding to the search profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

searching information associated with geographical position data by using a client-based database search engine.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

searching information associated with geographical position data by using a server-based database search engine.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

selecting information associated with geographical position data by using a client-based database selection engine.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting information associated with geographical position data by using a server-based database selection engine.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising separating an output device from said apparatus by using a separate output device connected to said apparatus via a wireless transmission.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically retrieving said second input item using a GPS receiver.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two selected databases are remote or local databases relative to geographical position input item.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

selecting said first input item from a group consisting of name, an address and a business category.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising manually entering said second input item as geographical position data.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring an output device to display said geographical position data in a categorised manner.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of databases include subscription databases.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising manually selecting said at least two databases.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said results of the detailed database search includes information corresponding to geographical position data based on data retrieved from said at least one of the two selected databases.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of databases are pre-selected based on preferences of a user included in stored user profile information, and

at least two selected databases are selected from the plurality of databases pre-selected based on the user preferences.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and third information is displayed in a region of a display screen separate from a region of the display screen including the second and fourth information.

18. An apparatus for searching and presenting information associated with geographical position data, said apparatus comprising:

a GPS receiver connected to a processor and adapted to receive geographical position data;

an input device connected to the processor and configured to generate a search profile, the input device including

a user interface including at least a first input field and a second input field, the first input field configured to receive a first input item and the second input field configured to receive a second input item, wherein said first input item is a general search input item and said second input item is a geographical position input item, and

a user actuation input device;

a database selection engine configured to select at least two databases from a plurality of databases based on said first and second input items;

a database search engine configured to perform an overall database search in said at least two selected databases based on said first and second input items, and a detailed database search in a selected one of said at least two selected databases based on said search profile and a user input actuation received via said user actuation input device;

an output device configured to display results of the overall database search and the detailed database search, wherein

the displayed results of the overall database search include first information identifying a first one of the at least two selected databases and second information identifying a second one of the at least two selected data bases, the first and second information simultaneously displayed, the first information displayed with third information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the first one of the at least two selected databases, and the second information displayed with fourth information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the second one of the at least two selected databases,

wherein said database selection engine is based on geographical position data, and wherein said geographical position data is selected from a group consisting of country, user profile capabilities, user profile preferences and user profile accesses,

the database search engine selects said one of the at least two selected databases to perform the detailed database search based on the user input activation received through the user input activation device, and

the displayed results of the detailed database search corresponds to all or a portion of the hits produced by the overall search for the first one or the second one of the at least two databases selected based on the user input actuation.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said first input field includes a first text box and first input item includes a first search text item.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second input field includes a second text box and second input item includes a second search text item.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising an advertisement engine configured to add advertisement data to at least one of the displayed results of the overall database search or the detailed database search.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said database search engine is a client-based database search engine.

23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said database search engine is a server-based database search engine.

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said database selection engine is a client-based database selection engine.

25. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said database selection engine is a server-based database selection engine.

26. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said output device is an output device separately connected to said apparatus via a wireless transmission.

27. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second input item is automatically retrieved from said GPS receiver.

28. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said plurality of databases are remote or local databases.

29. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said first input item is selected from a group consisting of a name, an address and a business category.

30. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second input item is a manually entered geographical position data.

31. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said output device is configured to display said geographical position data in a categorised manner.

32. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a database subscription module including a database of user specific subscription information.

33. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said at least two databases are manually selected.

34. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said output device is further configured to display the results of the detailed database search with information corresponding to geographical position data based on data retrieved from said at least one of the two selected databases.

35. A system for searching and presenting information associated with geographical position data, said system comprising:

a communications network,

an apparatus connected to said communications network, said apparatus including;

a GPS receiver connected to a processor and adapted to receive the geographical position data;

an input device connected to the processor and configured to generate a search profile, the input device including

a user interface including at least a first input field and a second input field, the first input field configured to receive a first input item and the second input field configured to receive a second input item, wherein said first input item is a general search input item and said second input item is a geographical position input item, and

a user actuation input device;

a database selection engine configured to select at least two databases from a plurality of databases based on said first and second input item;

a database search engine configured to perform an overall database search in said at least two selected databases based on said first and second input items, and a detailed database search in a selected one of said at least two selected databases based on said search profile and a user input actuation received via said user actuation input device; and

an output device configured to display results of the overall database search and the detailed database search wherein the plurality of databases are connected to said communications network, and the displayed results of the overall database search include;

first information identifying a first one of the at least two selected databases and second information identifying a second one of the at least two selected databases, the first and second information simultaneously displayed,

the first information displayed with third information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the first one of the at least two selected databases, and

the second information displayed with fourth information providing an indication of a number of hits produced by the overall search of the second one of the at least two selected databases,

wherein said database selection engine is based on geographical position data, and wherein said geographical position data is selected from a group consisting of country, user profile capabilities, user profile preferences and user profile accesses.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said output device is further configured to display the results of the detailed database search with information corresponding to geographical position data based on data retrieved from said at least one of the two selected databases.