Suggestion refinement

• US 9,563,641 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tomkins, Andrew, Ravikumar, Shanmugasundaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Binh V
• Application Number:
  US13/927,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• 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 and apparatus related to adjusting the ranking of a suggestion for a geographic location based on determining how many of one or more users visited the geographic location after receiving the suggestion. In some implementations the one or more users may belong to first grouping of users and the ranking may be adjusted only for suggestions to the first grouping of users. In some implementations it may be determined if a second grouping of users visited the geographic location after receiving the suggestion. In some implementations a property of the given geographic location may be determined based on a comparison of how many of the second grouping of users visited the given geographic location after receiving the suggestion and how many of the one or more users visited the given geographic location after receiving the suggestion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, using one or more processors, a suggestion to a plurality of users, the suggestion being indicative of a potential user activity at a first geographic location;

determining, after providing the suggestion and using the one or more processors, locational data for the one or more users;

determining, using one or more processors and the locational data, a first score based on how many of the plurality of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion;

determining, using one or more processors, a second score associated with a second geographic location different from the first geographic location;

ranking, using the one or more processors, the first geographic location and second geographic location based on the first score and second score;

selecting, using one or more processors, one of the first geographic location or the second geographic location based on the ranking; and

providing for display, using one or more processors, an identification of the selected geographic location to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on the physical location of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the locational data includes data indicative of locational queries of users to the first geographic location and wherein the determining the first score further comprises identifying the data indicative of locational queries of users to the first geographic location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the locational data includes data indicative of check-ins to the first geographic location and wherein the step of determining, based on the locational data, how many of the plurality of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion includes identifying the data indicative of check-ins to the first geographic location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the locational data includes data based on at least one of cellular tower signals and Wi-Fi signals.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining, based on the locational data, that a threshold number of the plurality users failed to visit the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion; and

wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on the determination that the threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of users are a grouping of users and wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on whether the user to whom the selected geographic location is provided for display is a member of the grouping of users.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a visit duration time of one or more users at the first geographic location, wherein determining the first score is further based on the visit duration time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of users are a first grouping of users, the method further comprising:

providing the suggestion to one or more users in a second grouping of users;

identifying locational data for the one or more users in the second grouping of users;

determining, based on the locational data, how many of the one or more users in the second grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion; and

determining a property of the first geographic location based on a comparison of how many of the first grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion and how many of the second grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first grouping of users and the second grouping of users include one or more overlapping users.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the locational data, that a threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location within a time period after receiving the suggestion; and

wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on the determination that the threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location within the time period after receiving the suggestion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the users are a grouping of users and wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on whether the user to whom the selected geographic location is provided for display is a member of the grouping of users.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggestion includes a group of suggestions sharing one or more characteristics.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second suggestion for the first geographical location to one or more users in a second grouping of users, the second suggestion being unique from the suggestion;

identifying locational data for the one or more users in the second grouping of users;

determining, based on the locational data, how many of the one or more users in the second grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the second suggestion; and

determining a third score associated with the first geographic location based on a determination of how many of the one or more users in the second grouping of users visited the geographic location after receiving the second suggestion.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an identification of the selected geographic location for display to a user further comprises providing an identification of both the first geographic location and the second geographic location such that the selected geographic location is ranked higher than the other geographic location.

16. A system including memory and one or more processors operable to execute instructions stored in the memory, comprising instructions for:

providing an initial suggestion to a plurality of users, a suggestion being indicative of a potential user activity at a first geographic location;

determining, after providing the suggestion, locational data for the one or more users;

determining a first suggestion based on the initial suggestion, wherein at least one of the potential user activity or the geographic location of the first suggestion is based on the potential user activity or the geographic location, respectively, of the initial suggestion;

determining, based on the locational data, a first score associated with the first suggestion based on how many of the plurality of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the suggestion;

determining a second score for a second suggestion, wherein at least one of the potential user activity or the geographic location of the second suggestion is different from the potential user activity or the geographic location, respectively, of the first suggestion;

ranking the first suggestion and second suggestion based on the first score and second score;

selecting one of the first suggestion or the second suggestion based on the ranking;

providing for display, using one or more processors, the selected suggestion to a user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the locational data includes data indicative of locational queries of users to the first geographic location and wherein the step of determining, based on the locational data, a first score based on how many of the plurality of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion includes identifying the data indicative of locational queries of users to the first geographic location.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions further include instructions for:

determining, based on the locational data, that a threshold number of the plurality of users failed to visit the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion; and

wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on the determination that the threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions further include instructions for:

providing the initial suggestion to one or more users in a second grouping of users;

identifying locational data for the one or more users in the second grouping of users;

determining, based on the locational data, how many of the one or more users in the second grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion; and

determining a property of the first geographic location based on a comparison of how many of the first grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion and how many of the second grouping of users visited the first geographic location after receiving the initial suggestion.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

determining, based on the locational data, that a threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location within a time period after receiving the initial suggestion; and

wherein determining the first score further comprises determining the first score based on the determination that the threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the first geographic location within the time period after receiving the initial suggestion.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein providing the selected suggestion for display to a user further comprises providing both the first suggestion and the second suggestion such that the selected suggestion is ranked higher than the other suggestion.

22. A system including memory and one or more processors operable to execute instructions stored in the memory, comprising instructions for:

providing a suggestion to one or more users, the suggestion being indicative of a potential user activity at a given geographic location;

determining locational data for the one or more users;

determining, based on the locational data, how many of the one or more users visited the given geographic location after receiving the suggestion;

adjusting a ranking of the suggestion based on a determination of how many of the one or more users visited the geographic location after receiving the suggestion;

determining, based on the locational data, that a threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the given geographic location after receiving the suggestion; and

demoting the ranking of the suggestion based on the determination that the threshold number of the one or more users failed to visit the given geographic location after receiving the suggestion.