Location query processing

• US 9,501,497 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yagnik, Niyati
• Primary Examiner(s): Burke, Jeffrey A
• Application Number:
  US14/457,793
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for processing location queries. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a location search profile for a user. The location search profile specifies, for each geographic location, a set of references to location resources that were previously requested through user interaction, by the user, with previous search results that were provided in response to a previous location query. A current location query is received from a user device that is associated with the user. In response to receiving the current location query a reference to at least one of the location resources from the set of references and search results responsive to the current location query are selected. In turn, data that cause presentation of the selected reference and the search results are provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, by one or more processors, information that identifies;

(i) a previous search query that was submitted by a user and that referenced a geographic location, and

(ii) a selected resource that user input requested through user interaction with presentation of a previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

receiving, by one or more processors from a user device operated by the user, a current location query referencing the geographic location;

identifying, by one or more processors and in response to receiving the current location query, a set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, each of the search results in the set of search results being responsive to the current location query;

determining, by one or more processors and in response to receiving the current location query, that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query;

identifying, by one or more processors in response to determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query, that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the presentation of the previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

identifying, by one or more processors using the information that identifies the previous search query and the selected resource, and in response to identifying that the user input requested the selected resource, that a particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query; and

providing, by one or more processors and for presentation at the user device with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, in response to identifying that the particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results, a search result for the selected resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, for the user, search log data specifying one or more previous location queries including the previous search query that were previously submitted by the user;

identifying, for each of the one or more previous location queries, references to resources that were previously requested by the user when the resources were provided in response to the previous location queries, the resources including the selected resource;

creating a location search profile for the user using the search log data, the location search profile specifying one or more geographic locations including the geographic location that were respectively referenced by the one or more previous location queries; and

storing, in association with each of the geographic locations, data specifying one or more resources that were requested through user interaction with search results presented to the user in response to the previous location queries that referenced the geographic location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query comprises identifying the geographic location in the location search profile that matches the geographic location of the current location query.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the previous search result that was presented to the user in response to the previous search query comprises identifying data representing the selected resource in the location search profile that is associated with the geographic location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, in response to determining that the previous search query references the geographic location, that second user input requested a second selected resource through interaction with presentation of a second previous search result that was presented in response to a second previous search query that was submitted by the user and that referenced the geographic location;

identifying, in response to identifying that the second user input requested the second selected resource, that a search result for the second selected resource is not included in the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query; and

determining that the selected resource was requested by the user more recently than the second selected resource, wherein providing a search result for the selected resource comprises providing, for presentation at the user device with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, the search result for the selected resource in response to determining that the selected resource was requested by the user more recently than the second selected resource without providing a second search result for the second selected resource with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, the search result for the selected resource comprises providing, with the search result for the selected resource, an indication that the user previously requested the selected resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises generating and providing data including instructions that upon execution by the user device cause the user device to present, with the search result for the selected resource, a date or time at which the user previously selected the selected resource.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present a visual representation of the selected resource with the search result for the selected resource.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present the search result for the selected resource at a portion of a display that is visually distinguished from another portion of the display in which the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query are presented.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, the search result for the selected resource comprises providing, with the search result for the selected resource, data that cause the user device to present a visual representation of the selected resource.

11. A system comprising:

a data store storing information that identifies;

(i) a previous search query that was submitted by a user and that referenced a geographic location, and

(ii) a selected resource that user input requested through user interaction with presentation of a previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query; and

one or more data processing apparatus that interact with the data store and execute instructions that cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

storing, in the data store, the information that identifies;

(i) the previous search query that was submitted by the user and that referenced the geographic location, and

(ii) the selected resource that user input requested through user interaction with presentation of the previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

receiving, from a user device operated by the user, a current location query referencing the geographic location;

identifying, in response receiving to the current location query, a set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, each of the search results in the set of search results being responsive to the current location query;

determining, in response to receiving the current location query, that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query;

identifying, by one or more processors in response to determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query, that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the presentation of the previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

identifying, using the information that identifies the previous search query and the selected resource, and in response to identifying that the user input requested the selected resource, that a particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query; and

providing, for presentation at the user device with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, in response to identifying that the particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results, a search result for the selected resource.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, for the user, search log data specifying one or more previous location queries including the previous search query that were previously submitted by the user;

identifying, for each of the one or more previous location queries, references to resources that were previously requested by the user when the resources were provided in response to the previous location queries, the resources including the selected resource;

creating a location search profile for the user using the search log data, the location search profile specifying one or more geographic locations including the geographic location that were respectively referenced by the one or more previous location queries; and

associating, with each of the geographic locations, one or more resources that were requested through user interaction with search results presented to the user in response to the previous location queries that referenced the geographic location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query comprises identifying the geographic location in the location search profile that matches the geographic location of the current location query.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein identifying that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the previous search result that was presented to the user in response to the previous search query comprises identifying data representing the selected resource in the location search profile that is associated with the geographic location.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein providing, with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, the search result for the selected resource comprises providing, with the search result for the selected resource, an indication that the user previously requested the selected resource.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises generating and providing data including instructions that upon execution by the user device cause the user device to present, with the search result for the selected resource, a date or time at which the user previously selected the selected resource.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present a visual representation of the selected resource with the search result for the selected resource.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present the search result for the selected resource at a portion of a display that is visually distinguished from another portion of the display in which the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query are presented.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that upon execution by one or more data processing apparatus cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

storing information that identifies;

(i) a previous search query that was submitted by a user and that referenced a geographic location, and

(ii) a selected resource that user input requested through user interaction with presentation of a previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

receiving, from a user device operated by the user, a current location query referencing the geographic location;

identifying, in response to receiving the current location query, a set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, each of the search results in the set of search results being responsive to the current location query;

determining, in response to receiving the current location query, that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query;

identifying, by one or more processors in response to determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query, that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the presentation of the previous search result that was presented in response to the previous search query;

identifying, using the information that identifies the previous search query and the selected resource, and in response to identifying that the user input requested the selected resource, that a particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query; and

providing, for presentation at the user device with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, in response to identifying that the particular search result for the selected resource is not included in the set of search results, a search result for the selected resource.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, for the user, search log data specifying one or more previous location queries including the previous search query that were previously submitted by the user;

identifying, for each of the one or more previous location queries, references to resources that were previously requested by the user when the resources were provided in response to the previous location queries, the resources including the selected resource;

creating a location search profile for the user using the search log data, the location search profile specifying one or more geographic locations including the geographic location that were respectively referenced by the one or more previous location queries; and

associating, with each of the geographic locations, one or more resources that were requested through user interaction with search results presented to the user in response to the previous location queries that referenced the geographic location.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

determining that the geographic location referenced by the current location query was also referenced by the previous search query comprises identifying the geographic location in the location search profile that matches the geographic location of the current location query; and

identifying that the user input requested the selected resource through interaction with the previous search result that was presented to the user in response to the previous search query comprises identifying data representing the selected resource in the location search profile that is associated with the geographic location.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein providing, with the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query, the search result for the selected resource comprises providing, with the search result for the selected resource, an indication that the user previously requested the selected resource.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises generating and providing data including instructions that upon execution by the user device cause the user device to present, with the search result for the selected resource, a date or time at which the user previously selected the selected resource.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present a visual representation of the selected resource with the search result for the selected resource.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein providing the indication that the user previously requested the selected resource comprises providing data that cause the user device to present the search result for the selected resource at a portion of a display that is visually distinguished from another portion of the display in which the set of search results that are responsive to the current location query are presented.