Switching between best views of a place

• US 8,935,085 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Szybalski, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US13/963,155
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation

Abstract

A system and method of selecting and presenting geolocated views. Views may encompass various types of visual and audio information. In one aspect, a server receives a request for information associated with a geographic location. The server identifies a feature at the location. The server uses the identified feature to determine a category of views. The server also selects a view which is associated with the determined category of views and with the geographic location of the request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a first request from a first client device including a query identifying a first geographic location;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a second geographic location corresponding to a current location of the first client device;

receiving, by one or more processors, a second request from a second client device including a second query identifying the first geographic location;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a third geographic location corresponding to a current location of the second client device;

determining, by the one or more processors, a feature type of a feature at the first geographic location, the feature type describing an aspect of the feature at the first geographic location;

determining, by the one or more computers, a first distance between the first geographic location and the second geographic location;

determining, by the one or more computers, a second distance between the first geographic location and the third geographic location, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance;

selecting, by the one or more computers, a first type of view from a plurality of different types of views based on the determined first distance and the feature type, wherein each of the plurality of different types of views describes a different way of depicting a geographic location;

selecting, by the one or more computers, a second type of view from the plurality of different types of views based on the determined second distance and the feature type, wherein the first type of view is different from the second type of view;

selecting, by the one or more processors, when available, a first view such that the first view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the first type of view;

selecting, by the one or more processors, a second image such that the second image is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the second type of view; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the first view to the first client device; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the second view to the second client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second view is different from the first view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first type of view includes ranking the plurality of different types of views based on the aspect and wherein the first type of view is a highest ranking type of view of the plurality of different types of views.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when a view that is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the first type of view is not available, the method further includes:

determining a third type of view of the plurality of different types of views based on the determined first distance and the feature type; and

selecting, if available, a third view such that the third view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the third type of view; and

sending the third view to the first client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different types of views include at least a photo, a video, and a map image.

6. A system comprising one or more computers configured to:

receive a first request from a first client device including a query identifying a first geographic location;

identify a second geographic location corresponding to a current geographic location of the first client device;

receive a second request from a second client device including a second query identifying the first geographic location;

identify a third geographic location corresponding to a current location of the second client device;

determine a feature type of a feature at the first geographic location, the feature type describing an aspect of the feature at the first geographic location;

determine a first distance between the first geographic location and the second geographic location;

determine a second distance between the first geographic location and the third geographic location, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance;

select a first type of view from a plurality of different types of views based on the determined first distance and the feature type;

select a second view type from the plurality of different types of views based on the determined second distance and the feature type, the second type of view being different from the first type of view;

select, when available, a first view such that the first view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the first type of view;

select a second view such that the second view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the second type of view;

providing the first view to the first client device; and

providing the second view to the second client device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second view is different from the first view.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more computers are further configured to select the first type of view by ranking the plurality of different types of views based on the aspect and wherein the first type of view is a highest ranking view category of the ranked plurality of different types of views.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein when a view that is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the first type of view is not available, the one or more computers are further configured to:

determine a third type of view from the plurality of different types of views based on the first distance and the feature type; and

select, if available, a third view that third view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the third type of view; and

send the third view to the first client device.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of different types of views include at least a photo, a video, and a map image.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from a first client device including a query identifying a first geographic location;

identifying a second geographic location corresponding to a current location of the first client device;

receiving a second request from a second client device including a second query identifying the first geographic location;

identifying a third geographic location corresponding to a current location of the second client device;

determining a feature type of a feature at the first geographic location, the feature type describing an aspect of the features at the first geographic location;

determining a first distance between the first geographic location and the second geographic location;

determining a second distance between the first geographic location and the third geographic location, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance;

selecting a first type of view from a plurality of different types of views based on the first distance and the feature type, wherein each of the plurality of different types of views describes a different way of depicting a geographic location;

selecting a second type of view from a plurality of different types of views based on the second distance and the feature type;

selecting, when available, a first view such that the first view is associated with the received geographic location and is further associated with the first view category;

selecting a second view such that the second view is associated with the received geographic location and is further associated with the second view category;

sending the first view to the first client device; and

sending the second view to the second client device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises second view is different from the first view.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises selecting the first type of view by ranking the plurality of different types of views based on the aspect and wherein the first type of view is a highest ranking type of view of the plurality of different types of views.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises, when a view that is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with the first type of view is not available:

determining a third type of view of the plurality of different types of views based on the first distance and the feature type; and

selecting, when available, a third view such that the third view is associated with the first geographic location and is further associated with third type of view; and

sending the third view to the first client device.