Using geographic familiarity to generate search results

• US 9,619,523 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Voronel, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Hanh
• Application Number:
  US14/230,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20150278211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 707706, 707728-729
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• 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: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention customize services, including search results, that are customized based on the user'"'"'s familiarity with a geographic area. The search results may be customized by including different information in a search result, emphasizing different information in a search result, adjusting a relevance rank of different search results, and such. The search results may be customized based on the understanding that a user'"'"'s familiarity with a particular area may influence the type of information that can be useful to the user. Different levels of familiarity may cause different types and levels of search result customization to be performed.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method of providing search results that are customized to a user'"'"'s familiarity with an area of interest, the method comprising:

receiving a search input submitted by a user;

associating an area of interest with the search input, wherein the area of interest is formed by a virtual boundary extending a threshold distance from a present location of the user;

determining for the user a familiarity level with the area of interest; and

providing a plurality of area-customized search results that are customized to the familiarity level.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining the familiarity level with the area of interest by analyzing location data associated with the user to determine an amount of time the user spent within the area of interest during a threshold period.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the plurality of area-customized search results are customized by assigning a relevance rank that is determined by using the familiarity level.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the plurality of area-customized search results are customized by selecting information for inclusion within a search result based on the familiarity level.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein navigation information is not included in the search result when an entity described by the search result is located in the area of interest and the familiarity level is above a high threshold indicating a high level of familiarity.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining the familiarity level with the area of interest by determining one or more of the user'"'"'s home address and work address.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the present location is a present location of a computing device through which the search input was submitted.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the area of interest is indicated within the search input.

9. A method for providing search results that are customized to a user'"'"'s familiarity with an area of interest, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a search input submitted by a user;

determining a present location of the computing device;

assigning an area of interest to the search input based on the present location, wherein the area of interest is formed by a virtual boundary extending a threshold distance from the present location;

determining for the user a familiarity level with the area of interest, wherein determining the familiarity level comprises determining one or more of the user'"'"'s home address or work address; and

providing a plurality of area-customized search results that are customized to the familiarity level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the area of interest is a city.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises determining the familiarity level with the area of interest by analyzing location data associated with the user to determine an amount of time the user spent within the area of interest during a threshold period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user is assigned a low level of familiarity when the location data indicates the user has been present within the area of interest two or less times during a threshold duration of time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the familiarity level is divided into three or more categories comprising at least a high level, a medium level, and a low level.

14. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method of providing search results that are customized to a user'"'"'s familiarity with an area of interest, the method comprising:

receiving a search input submitted by a user;

determining for the user a familiarity level with an area of interest by analyzing location data associated with the user to determine an amount of time the user spent within the area of interest during a threshold period, wherein the area of interest is formed by a virtual boundary extending a threshold distance from a present location of the user; and

providing an area-customized search result that is customized based on the user'"'"'s familiarity level with the area of interest in which an entity described in the area-customized search result is located.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein when the familiarity level indicates a high level of familiarity with the area of interest then a relevance ranking assigned to online content that has been indexed for a first time within less than a threshold period of time is increased, thereby elevating new online content.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the familiarity level is divided into three or more categories comprising at least a high level, a medium level, and a low level.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises outputting for display a plurality of area-customized search results, wherein different area-customized search results within the plurality are associated with different areas of interest having different familiarity levels for the user.

18. The media of claim 15, wherein the location data indicates that the user was present at a business entity.

19. The media of claim 14, wherein the location data comprises profile information indicating a home address.