Enhanced identification of interesting points-of-interest

• US 9,057,617 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lopatenko, Andrei, Kim, Hyung-Jin, Mazumdar, Soham
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/615,429
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 701400-541
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3874 Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying points-of-interest. In one aspect, a method includes identifying points-of-interest (POIs) associated with one or more of multiple, selected geographic areas, and determining, for each of the multiple geographic areas, a score associated with the identified POIs. The actions also include generating a combined score for each identified POI based on the determined scores associated with the respective POI, selecting a subset of the identified POIs based at least on the combined scores, and displaying a link to the POIs in the subset.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a search system that includes one or more processors and from a mobile device, one or more characters of a query term;

receiving, by the search system, location information generated from one or more sensors, the location information representing a location of the mobile device, the one or more sensors comprising a compass, a global positioning system sensor, a WiFi receiver, a cellular receiver, or a camera;

determining, by the search system, a location of the mobile device using the location information, and a local time at the location when the characters were received;

identifying, by the search system, a time interval associated with the local time;

selecting, by the search system, one of multiple databases associated with a geographic location that is associated with the location based on the time interval, wherein each of the multiple databases is associated with a different time interval;

identifying, by the search system, one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that is associated with the location and the time interval; and

providing, by the search system and to the mobile device, the one or more suggested items in response to receiving the one or more characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that are associated with the location and the local time comprises determining one or more most popular POIs based on a time interval associated with the local time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a category of a user cluster associated with a user that provided input to the mobile device that corresponds to the one or more characters, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases associated with the location and the local time comprises identifying one or more suggested items that match the category of the user cluster.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving indication of a user selection of one of the suggested items associated with the location and the local time;

identifying a database associated with the local time; and

updating the database in response to the indication of the user selection of using the one of the suggested items.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an end of a particular time interval;

providing to the mobile device one or more suggested items associated with a next time interval.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the search system, the local time from a clock.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving, by the search system, the local time from the clock comprises receiving the local time from a clock in the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the time interval comprises the particular time interval.

6. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a search system implemented on the one or more computers and from a mobile device, one or more characters of a query term;

receiving, by the search system, location information generated from one or more sensors, the location information representing a location of the mobile device, the one or more sensors comprising a compass, a global positioning system sensor, a WiFi receiver, a cellular receiver, or a camera;

determining, by the search system, a location of the mobile device using the location information, and a local time at the location when the characters were received;

identifying, by the search system, a time interval associated with the local time;

selecting, by the search system, one of multiple databases associated with a geographic location that is associated with the location based on the time interval, wherein each of the multiple databases is associated with a different time interval;

identifying, by the search system, one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that is associated with the location and the time interval; and

providing, by the search system and to the mobile device, the one or more suggested items in response to receiving the one or more characters.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that are associated with the location and the local time comprises determining one or more most popular POIs based on a time interval associated with the local time.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a category of a user cluster associated with a user that provided input to the mobile device that corresponds to the one or more characters, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases associated with the location and the local time comprises identifying one or more suggested items that match the category of the user cluster.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving indication of a user selection of one of the suggested items associated with the location and the local time;

identifying a database associated with the local time; and

updating the database in response to the indication of the user selection of the one of the suggested items.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an end of a particular time interval;

providing to the mobile device one or more suggested items associated with a next time interval.

19. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the search system, the local time from a clock.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a search system that includes one or more processors and from a mobile device, one or more characters of a query term;

receiving, by the search system, location information generated from one or more sensors, the location information representing a location of the mobile device, the one or more sensors comprising a compass, a global positioning system sensor, a WiFi receiver, a cellular receiver, or a camera;

determining, by the search system, a location of the mobile device using the location information, and a local time at the location when the characters were received;

identifying, by the search system, a time interval associated with the local time;

selecting, by the search system, one of multiple databases associated with a geographic location that is associated with the location based on the time interval, wherein each of the multiple databases is associated with a different time interval;

identifying, by the search system, one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that is associated with the location and the time interval; and

providing, by the search system and to the mobile device, the one or more suggested items in response to receiving the one or more characters.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases that are associated with the location and the local time comprises determining one or more most popular POIs based on a time interval associated with the local time.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a category of a user cluster associated with a user that provided input to the mobile device that corresponds to the one or more characters, wherein identifying one or more suggested items in the one of the multiple databases associated with the location and the local time comprises identifying one or more suggested items that match the category of the user cluster.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving indication of a user selection of one of the suggested items associated with the location and the local time;

identifying a database associated with the local time; and

updating the database in response to the indication of the user selection of the one of the suggested items.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an end of a particular time interval;

providing to the mobile device one or more suggested items associated with a next time interval.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the search system, the local time from a clock.