LOCATION AWARE RECOMMENDATION ENGINE

• US 20110184945A1
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Das, Saumitra Mohan, Khorashadi, Behrooz, Gupta, Rajarshi
• Application Number:
  US12/846,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184945A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/724
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a location aware recommendation engine. In response to a recommendation request, relevant recommendations may be ranked based on the current location of a user, location associated with an entity, and/or accessibility criteria.

Claims

1. A method for ranking recommendations for a pedestrian environment, comprising:

receiving a search request; and

in response to the search request;

determining one or more search results associated with the pedestrian environment;

determining a location of a mobile station associated with the search request;

ranking at least a portion of the one or more search results based at least in part on the location of the mobile station and at least one of;

location associated with the at least a portion of the one or more search results, and/or accessibility criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request comprises at least one of:

user input and/or an automated search request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing navigation guidance to at least one of the one or more search results.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more search results comprises:

determining attributes of the search request;

matching the attributes of the search request with attributes of one or more entities associated with the pedestrian environment; and

inserting each matched entity in the one or more search results.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessibility criteria comprise at least one of route travel time criteria, route complexity criteria, and/or availability criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each accessibility criterion is assigned a weight.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the route travel time criteria comprise at least one of:

a route distance between the location of the mobile station and the location associated with each of the at least a portion of the one or more search results;

speed of travel;

congestion on the route;

time on stairs;

time on an escalator; and

/or

time in an elevator.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the route complexity criteria comprise at least one of:

whether a route includes an escalator;

whether the route includes stairs;

whether the route includes an elevator;

current travel direction; and

/or

whether the route includes leaving a current venue.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the availability criteria comprise at least one of:

whether an entity associated with the pedestrian environment is open or closed;

whether the entity has access restrictions;

money required at the entity; and

/or

time required at the entity.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically reordering the ranked portion of the one or more search results as the mobile station changes position in the pedestrian environment.

11. An apparatus for ranking recommendations for a pedestrian environment, comprising:

a processing unit configured to;

receive a search request; and

in response to the search request;

determine one or more search results associated with the pedestrian environment;

determine a location of a mobile station associated with the search request;

rank at least a portion of the one or more search results based at least in part on the location of the mobile station and at least one of;

location associated with the at least a portion of the one or more search results, and/or accessibility criteria.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the search request comprises at least one of:

user input and/or an automated search request.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to provide navigation guidance to at least one of the one or more search results.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine attributes of the search request;

match the attributes of the search request with attributes of one or more entities associated with the pedestrian environment; and

insert each matched entity in the one or more search results.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the accessibility criteria comprise at least one of route travel time criteria, route complexity criteria, and/or availability criteria.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each accessibility criterion is assigned a weight.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the route travel time criteria comprise at least one of:

a route distance between the location of the mobile station and the location associated with each of the at least a portion of the one or more search results;

speed of travel;

congestion on the route;

time on stairs;

time on an escalator; and

/or

time in an elevator.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the route complexity criteria comprise at least one of:

whether a route includes an escalator;

whether the route includes stairs;

whether the route includes an elevator;

current travel direction; and

/or

whether the route includes leaving a current venue.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the availability criteria comprise at least one of:

whether an entity associated with the pedestrian environment is open or closed;

whether the entity has access restrictions;

money required at the entity; and

/or

time required at the entity.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to dynamically reorder the ranked portion of the one or more search results as the mobile station changes position in the pedestrian environment.

21. An apparatus for ranking recommendations for a pedestrian environment, comprising:

means for receiving a search request;

means for determining one or more search results associated with the pedestrian environment in response to the search request;

means for determining a location of a mobile station associated with the search request; and

means for ranking at least a portion of the one or more search results based at least in part on the location of the mobile station and at least one of;

location associated with the at least a portion of the one or more search results, and/or accessibility criteria.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the search request comprises at least one of:

user input and/or an automated search request.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for providing navigation guidance to at least one of the one or more search results.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for determining the one or more search results comprises:

means for determining attributes of the search request;

means for matching the attributes of the search request with attributes of one or more entities associated with the pedestrian environment; and

means for inserting each matched entity in the one or more search results.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the accessibility criteria comprise at least one of route travel time criteria, route complexity criteria, and/or availability criteria.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each accessibility criterion is assigned a weight.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the route travel time criteria comprise at least one of:

a route distance between the location of the mobile station and the location associated with each of the at least a portion of the one or more search results;

speed of travel;

congestion on the route;

time on stairs;

time on an escalator; and

/or

time in an elevator.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the route complexity criteria comprise at least one of:

whether a route includes an escalator;

whether the route includes stairs;

whether the route includes an elevator;

current travel direction; and

/or

whether the route includes leaving a current venue.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the availability criteria comprise at least one of:

whether an entity associated with the pedestrian environment is open or closed;

whether the entity has access restrictions;

money required at the entity; and

/or

time required at the entity.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for dynamically reordering the ranked portion of the one or more search results as the mobile station changes position in the pedestrian environment.

31. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which are adapted to direct a processing unit to perform ranking of recommendations for a pedestrian environment, the instructions comprising:

code to receive a search request; and

code to;

in response to the search request;

determine one or more search results associated with the pedestrian environment;

determine a location of a mobile station associated with the search request;

rank at least a portion of the one or more search results based at least in part on the location of the mobile station and at least one of;

location associated with the at least a portion of the one or more search results, and/or accessibility criteria.