Place of interest recommendation

• US 9,702,711 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Tang, Wenrong, Bai, Guangyuan, Wang, Yan, Wang, Daihua
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US14/678,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20150211866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 701522
• 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: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A computer server of a social communication platform may be configured to provide a social communication platform to a first user to chat with a second user over a window displaying on a computer device of the first user; receive chat messages between the first user and second user, the chat message including a current geographical location information of the first user; select at least one candidate POI associated with the second user and based on the current geographical location information of the first user; send location information of at least one candidate POI to the first user through the window; receive from the first user a selection of a target POI from the at least one candidate POI; and send information associated with the target POI to the first user through the social communication platform.

Claims

1. A computer server, comprising:

a processor-readable storage medium storing a program for providing a place of interest (POI) recommendation;

a processor in communication with the storage medium, wherein the processor, when executing the program, is directed to;

provide a social communication platform to a first user to communicate with a second user in an electronic conversation over an application window of the social communication platform displayed on a computer device of the first user;

receive a communication message from the first user to the second user via the electronic conversation, the communication message including a current geographical location information of the first user;

select, upon receiving the communication message, at least one candidate POI from a plurality of POIs, and based on the current geographical location information of the first user included in the communication message, wherein the plurality of POIs is determined based on a search using at least an account information of an user account for the second user in the social communication platform as a keyword;

send location information of the at least one candidate POI to the first user through the application window;

receive from the first user a selection of a target POI from the at least one candidate POI; and

send additional information associated with the target POI to the first user through the social communication platform.

2. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further directed to:

determine whether a location-based services (LBS) query function is enabled in the account of the second user in the social communication platform; and

when the LBS query function is enabled, select the at least one candidate POI;

or

when the LBS query function is not enabled, forward the communication message to a representative of the second user.

3. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate POI is selected so that a distance between each of the at least one candidate POI and the current geographical location of the first user is smaller than a threshold distance.

4. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein

the second user is a merchant for a product or service;

the first user is a customer of the second user;

the at least one candidate POI is at least one candidate local store of the second user;

the location information of the at least one candidate POI is sent to the first user as a list or through a map; and

the additional information associated with the target POI comprises at least one of a name of the target POI, a location of the target POI, a phone number of the target POI, and a service number of the target POI.

5. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate POI and its corresponding information are previously uploaded to the computer server by the second user.

6. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein before sending the location information of the at least one candidate POI, the processor is further direct to:

determine whether the target POI information includes a service page, and

when the target POI information does not include a service page, automatically generate an associated service page according to the target POI information.

7. The computer server according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further direct to:

receive an uploaded navigation request associated with the target POI from the first user through the social communication platform;

generate navigation guidance according to the current geographical location of the first user and the location information of the target POI, and

send the navigation guidance to the first user through the social communication platform.

8. A method for providing a place of interest (POI) recommendation, comprising:

providing a social communication platform to a first user to communication with a second user in an electronic conversation over an application window of the social communication platform displayed on a computer device of the first user;

receiving, by a computer device, a communication message from the first user to the second user via the electronic conversation, the communication message including a current geographical location information of the first user;

selecting, by the computer device, upon receiving the communication message, at least one candidate POI from a plurality of POIs, and based on the current geographical location information of the first user included in the communication message, wherein the plurality of POIs is determined based on a search using at least an account information of an user account for the second user in the social communication platform as a keyword;

sending, by the computer device, location information of the at least one candidate POI to the first user through the application window;

receiving, by the computer device, from the first user a selection of a target POI from the at least one candidate POI; and

sending, by the computer device, additional information associated with the target POI to the first user through the social communication platform.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by a computer device, whether a location-based services (LBS) query function is enabled in the account of the second user in the social communication platform; and

when the LBS query function is enabled, selecting, by a computer device, the at least one candidate POI by a computer;

or

when the LBS query function is not enabled, forwarding, by a computer device, the communication message to a representative of the second user.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one candidate POI is selected so that a distance between each of the at least one candidate POI and the current geographical location of the first user is smaller than a threshold distance.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the second user is a merchant for a product or service;

the first user is a customer of the second user;

the at least one candidate POI is at least one candidate local store of the second user;

the location information of the at least one candidate POI is sent to the first user as a list or through a map; and

the additional information associated with the target POI comprises at least one of a name of the target POI, a location of the target POI, a phone number of the target POI, and a service number of the target POI.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one candidate POI and their corresponding information are previously uploaded to a server of the social communication platform by the second user.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein before sending the location information of the at least one candidate POI, the method further comprises:

determining, by a computer device, whether the target POI information includes a service page, and

when the target POI information does not include a service page, automatically generating, by a computer device, an associated service page according to the target POI information.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by a computer device, an uploaded navigation request associated with the target POI from the first user through the social communication platform;

generating, by a computer device, navigation guidance according to the current geographical location of the first user and the location information of the target POI, and

sending, by a computer device, the navigation guidance to the first user through the social communication platform.

15. A processor-readable non-transitory storage medium, comprising a program for providing place of interest (POI) recommendation, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, directs the processor to perform acts of:

providing a social communication platform to a first user to communication with a second user in an electronic conversation over an application window of the social communication platform displayed on a computer device of the first user;

receiving a communication message from the first user to the second user via the electronic conversation, the communication message including a current geographical location information of the first user;

selecting, upon receiving the communication message, at least one candidate POI from a plurality of POIs, and based on the current geographical location information of the first user included in the communication message, wherein the plurality of POIs is determined based on a search using at least an account information of an user account for the second user in the social communication platform as a keyword;

sending location information of the at least one candidate POI to the first user through the application window;

receiving from the first user a selection of a target POI from the at least one POI; and

sending additional information associated with the target POI to the first user through the social communication platform.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the program further directs the processor to perform acts of:

determining whether a location-based services (LBS) query function is enabled in the account of the second user in the social communication platform; and

when the LBS query function is enabled, selecting the at least one candidate POI by a computer;

or

when the LBS query function is not enabled, forwarding the communication message to a representative of the second user.

17. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the at least one candidate POI is selected so that a distance between each of the at least one candidate POI and the current geographical location of the first user is smaller than a threshold distance.

18. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein

the second user is a merchant for a product or service;

the first user is a customer of the second user;

the at least one candidate POI is at least one candidate local store of the second user;

the location information of the at least one candidate POI is sent to the first user as a list or through a map; and

the additional information associated with the target POI comprises at least one of a name of the target POI, a location of the target POI, a phone number of the target POI, and a service number of the target POI.

19. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the at least one candidate POI and their corresponding information are previously uploaded to a server of the social communication platform by the second user.

20. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the program further directs the processor to perform acts of:

receiving an uploaded navigation request associated with the target POI from the first user through the social communication platform;

generating navigation guidance according to the current geographical location of the first user and the location information of the target POI, and

sending the navigation guidance to the first user through the social communication platform.