Search with my location history

• US 8,874,594 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Want, Roy, Schilit, William N.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THU NGUYET T
• Application Number:
  US13/760,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724, 707732-734, 707/751, 707/754, 707768-769
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method for incorporating information pertaining to geographic locations previously visited by a user into a search. The method includes: obtaining location information corresponding to a user account; determining, from the location information, one or more geographic locations that correspond to the location information; providing a user interface that includes a prompt that accepts search terms as input to a search query and an option to include a group of one or more geographic locations in the search query; and providing for display results related to the search terms and to one or more geographic locations in the group of one or more geographic locations when the option to include the group of one or more geographic locations is selected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a set of location information data entries stored at a computer-readable memory location and affiliated with a user account, wherein each location information data entry includes data indicative of a location acquired by a client device associated with the user account as a result of the client device being present at the location;

determining a set of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location in the set of geographic locations corresponds to at least one location information data entry in the set of location information data entries;

providing a user interface that includes a prompt that accepts search terms from the client device associated with the user account as input to a search query and an interface component for including an indication of at least one geographic location as input to the search query;

transmitting the search query to a search engine; and

providing, for display, results provided by the search engine in response to the search query;

wherein the interface component for including an indication of at least one geographic location as input to the search query comprises an option to apply a filter to the set of geographic locations and include the geographic locations that pass the filter as input to the search query, and

wherein the option to apply the filter to the set of geographic locations includes one or more of;

an option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations, wherein the subset is determined through data associated with the set of location information data entries, and wherein the subset of the set of geographic locations includes the geographic locations at which the client device was present during a particular period of time, and

an option to select the entire set of geographic locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface component further comprises an option to individually select one or more geographic locations from the set of geographic locations and include the individually selected geographic locations in the search query.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of contextual information data entries associated with the set of location information data entries; and

linking each entry of the set of contextual information data entries to an entry of the set of location information data entries.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a set of geographic locations wherein each geographic location in the set of geographic locations corresponds to at least one location information data entry in the set of location information data entries comprises:

identifying a set of location information data entries;

identifying, for each entry in the set of location information data entries, one or more geographic locations corresponding to the location information data entry; and

generating the set of geographic locations wherein each geographic location in the set corresponds to at least one entry in the set of location information data entries.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of location information data entries includes at least one of:

one or more global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, the signal strength of one or more wifi access points, an internet protocol (IP) address, one or more near field communication (NFC) tags, one or more quick response (QR) codes, and one or more geographic locations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein geographic locations include at least one of:

a country, a state, a province, a territory, a county, a municipality, a township, a city, a town, a village, a neighborhood, a landmark, a point of interest, and a location name.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the set of location information data entries that determines the composition of the subset includes data that represents at least one of:

a time, a second geographic location, an event, the presence of an individual, the presence of a member of a group, location information associated with a second user, information provided by an application, a granularity of geographic location, and a category of geographic location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations includes at least one of:

an option to select a category of geographic locations as a subset,

an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which the user was present during a particular period of time,

an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which another user had previously been present, and

an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which one or more members of a group had previously been present.

9. A computer readable storage device having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

obtaining a set of location information data entries stored at a computer readable memory location and affiliated with a user account wherein each location information data entry includes data indicative of a location acquired by a client device associated with the user account as a result of the client device being present at the location;

determining a set of one or more geographic locations, wherein each geographic location in the set of geographic locations corresponds to at least one location information data entry in the set of location information data entries;

providing a user interface that includes a prompt that accepts search terms from the client device associated with the user account as input to a search query and an interface component for including an indication of at least one geographic location as input to the search query;

transmitting the search query to a search engine; and

providing for display results provided by the search engine in response to the search query;

wherein the interface component for including an indication of at least one geographic location as input to the search query comprises an option to apply a filter to the set of geographic locations and include the geographic locations that pass the filter as input to the search query, and

wherein the option to apply the filter to the set of geographic locations includes one or more of;

an option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations, wherein the subset is determined through data associated with the set of location information data entries, and wherein the subset of the set of geographic locations includes the geographic locations at which the client device was present during a particular period of time, and

an option to select the entire set of geographic locations.

10. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the interface component further comprises

an option to individually select one or more geographic locations from the set of geographic locations and include the individually selected geographic locations in the search query.

11. The computer readable storage device of claim 9 having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a set of contextual information data entries associated with the set of location information data entries; and

linking each entry of the set of contextual information data entries to an entry of the set of location information data entries.

12. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining a set of geographic locations wherein each geographic location in the set of geographic locations corresponds to at least one location information data entry in the set of location information data entries comprise instructions for:

identifying a set of location information data entries;

identifying, for each entry in the set of location information data entries, one or more geographic locations corresponding to the location information data entry; and

generating the set of geographic locations wherein each geographic location in the set corresponds to at least one entry in the set of location information data entries.

13. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the set of location information data entries includes at least one of:

one or more global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, the signal strength of one or more wifi access points, an internet protocol (IP) address, one or more near field communication (NFC) tags, one or more quick response (QR) codes, and one or more geographic locations.

14. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein geographic locations include at least one of:

a country, a state, a province, a territory, a county, a municipality, a township, a city, a town, a village, a neighborhood, a landmark, a point of interest, and a location name.

15. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the data associated with the set of location information entries that determines the composition of the subset includes data that represents at least one of:

a time, a geographic location, an event, the presence of an individual, the presence of a member of a group, location information associated with a second user, information provided by an application, a granularity of geographic location, and a category of geographic location.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations includes at least one of:

an option to select a category of geographic locations as a subset, an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which the user was present during a particular period of time, an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which another user had previously been present, and an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which one or more members of a group had previously been present.

17. A system comprising:

a database comprising a computer readable storage medium configured to store sets of location information data entries associated with a user account wherein each location information data entry includes data indicative of a geographic location acquired by a client device associated with the user account as a result of the client device being present at the geographic location; and

a server, comprising a user interface engine configured to provide a user interface to a user, the user interface comprising a prompt that accepts search terms from the client device associated with the user account as input to a search query and an interface component for including an indication of a geographic location as input to the search query;

wherein the interface component for including an indication of at least one geographic location as input to the search query comprises an option to apply a filter to a set of geographic locations and include the geographic locations that pass the filter as input to the search query, wherein each geographic location in the set of geographic locations corresponds to at least one location information data entry in a set of location information data entries affiliated with a user account, and

wherein the option to apply the filter to the set of geographic locations includes one or more of;

an option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations, wherein the subset is determined through data associated with the set of location information data entries, and wherein the subset of the set of geographic locations includes the geographic locations at which the client device was present during a particular period of time, and

an option to select the entire set of geographic locations.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the interface component further comprises an option to individually select one or more geographic locations from the set of geographic locations.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data associated with the set of location information data entries affiliated with the user account that determines the composition of the subset includes data entries representative of at least one of:

a time, a geographic location, an event, the presence of an individual, the presence of a member of a group, location information data associated with a second user, and information provided by an application.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the option to select a subset of the set of geographic locations includes at least one of:

an option to select a category of geographic locations, an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which the user was present during a particular period of time, an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which another user had previously been present, and an option to select a subset of geographic locations at which one or more members of a group had previously been present.