Information searching method and system based on geographic location

• US 9,390,103 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Peng, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwivedi, Mahesh
• Application Number:
  US13/892,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to an information searching method based on geographic location, an information searching system based on geographic location, and a computer program product for searching for information based on geographic location. An information searching method based on geographic location is provided. The method includes acquiring need information and geographic location information corresponding to a mobile terminal user, looking up a preset geographic location zone threshold value based on the need information, preconfigured mappings of preset geographical location zone information and category information, and searching for target information corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value.

Claims

1. An information searching method based on geographic location, comprising:

acquiring, using one or more processors, need information and geographic location information corresponding to a mobile terminal user;

looking up, using the one or more processors, a preset geographic location zone threshold value based on the need information, preconfigured mappings of preset geographical location zone information and category information, comprising;

determining a category level of the finest category level to which the need information belongs; and

looking up the preset geographic location zone threshold value corresponding to the category level of the finest category level;

searching for, using the one or more processors, target information corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value;

acquiring target information that satisfies a voice communication requirement from the found target information;

sequencing the found target information based on target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement and target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement, comprising;

grouping the target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement; and

grouping the target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement; and

sending the sequenced found target information to the mobile terminal user to be displayed, wherein the mobile terminal user is to display the grouped target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement above the grouped target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement.

2. The information searching method based on geographic location as desrcibed in claim 1, further comprising, before the acquiring of the need information and the geographic location information corresponding to the mobile terminal user, receiving a location service request sent by the mobile terminal user, the location service request including a keyword indicating the need information corresponding to a first terminal.

3. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 2, wherein the acquiring of the need information corresponding to the mobile terminal user comprises:

extracting the keyword from the location service request; and

querying a local database of a server to acquire the need information corresponding to the mobile terminal user based on the keyword.

4. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 2, wherein the acquiring of the need information corresponding to the mobile terminal user comprises:

extracting the keyword from the location service request; and

establishing the keyword as the need information corresponding to the mobile terminal user.

5. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, further comprising after the looking up of the preset geographic location zone threshold value corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value and before the searching for the target information corresponding to the need information falling within the geographic location zone threshold value:

searching in a database for product information based on the need information;

classifying the found product information into a category; and

acquiring product type-related need information corresponding to the need information based on the category.

6. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, wherein the acquiring of the target information that satisfies the voice communication requirements from the found target information comprises:

acquiring a preset activity time period corresponding to the found target information; and

regarding the target information having an activity time period including a current time as the target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement.

7. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request sent by a mobile terminal of the mobile terminal user to revise the geographic location zone threshold value.

8. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, further comprising, after the searching for the target information corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value:

providing the found target information to a mobile terminal of the mobile terminal user.

9. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, wherein the looking up of the preset geographic location zone threshold value further comprises:

determining a number of pieces of target information located within the found preset geographic location zone threshold value; and

in the event that the number of pieces of target information exceeds a preset target information threshold value, decreasing the preset geographic location zone threshold value.

10. The information searching method based on geographic location as described in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether to push product discount information related to the need information to the mobile terminal user based on the geographic location information corresponding to the mobile terminal user; and

in the event that the mobile terminal user is determined to be pushed the product discount information, pushing the product discount information to the mobile terminal user.

11. An information searching system based on geographic location, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

acquire need information and geographic location information corresponding to a mobile terminal user;

look up a preset geographic location zone threshold value based on the need information, preconfigured mappings of preset geographical location zone information and category information, comprising to;

determine a category level of the finest category level to which the need information belongs; and

look up the preset geographic location zone threshold value corresponding to the category level of the finest category level;

search for target information corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value;

acquire target information that satisfies a voice communication requirement from the found target information;

sequence the found target information based on target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement and target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement, comprising to;

group the target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement; and

group the target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement; and

send the found sequenced target information to the mobile user to be displayed, wherein the mobile terminal user is to display the grouped target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement above the grouped target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor and configured to provide the at least one processor with instructions.

12. The information searching system based on geographic location as described in claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

before the acquiring of the need information and the geographic location information corresponding to the mobile terminal user, receive a location service request sent by the mobile terminal user, the location service request including a keyword indicating the need information corresponding to a first terminal.

13. A computer program product for searching for information based on geographic location, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

acquiring need information and geographic location information corresponding to a mobile terminal user;

looking up a preset geographic location zone threshold value based on the need information, preconfigured mappings of preset geographical location zone information and category information, comprising;

determining a category level of the finest category level to which the need information belongs; and

looking up the preset geographic location zone threshold value corresponding to the category level of the finest category level;

searching for target information corresponding to the need information based on the geographic location information of the mobile terminal user and the preset geographic location zone threshold value;

acquiring target information that satisfies a voice communication requirement from the found target information;

sequencing the found target information based on target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement and target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement, comprising;

grouping the target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement; and

grouping the target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement; and

sending the found sequenced target information to the mobile user to be displayed, wherein the mobile terminal user is to display the grouped target information that satisfies the voice communication requirement above the grouped target information that does not satisfy the voice communication requirement.

14. The computer program product for searching for information based on geographic location as described in claim 13, further comprising, before the acquiring of the need information and the geographic location information corresponding to the mobile terminal user, receiving a location service request sent by the mobile terminal user, the location service request including a keyword indicating the need information corresponding to a first terminal.