INTERPRETING USER QUERIES BASED ON NEARBY LOCATIONS

• US 20150324425A1
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Behzadi, Behshad, Grimsmo, Nils
• Granted Patent: US 10,474,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a query provided from a user device, and determining that the query is implicitly about some entity, and in response: obtaining an approximate location of the user device when the user device provided the query, obtaining a set of entities including one or more entities, each entity in the set of entities being associated with the approximate location, and determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities, and in response: providing a revised query based on the query and the entity, the revised query explicitly referencing the entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a query provided from a user device; and

determining, by the one or more processors, that the query is implicitly about some entity, and in response;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, an approximate location of the user device when the user device provided the query,

obtaining, by the one or more processors, a set of entities comprising one or more entities, each entity in the set of entities being associated with the approximate location, and

determining, by the one or more processors, that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities, and in response;

providing, by the one or more processors, a revised query based on the query and the entity, the revised query explicitly referencing the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the query is implicitly about the entity comprises:

providing a sub-set of entities based on comparing one or more types of one or more entities of the set of entities to one or more types associated with the query, the entity being included in the sub-set of entities; and

selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if a type of a respective entity in the set of entities corresponds to a type associated with the query, the respective entity is included in the sub-set of entities.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more types associated with the query are provided from an index that associates types to respective n-grams of queries.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the sub-set of entities comprises a plurality of entities, and in response, selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing one or more attributes of respective entities in the sub-set of entities, the entity being selected based on respective one or more attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, if a location of a respective entity is within a threshold distance of the approximate location, the respective location is included in the set of entities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a set of entities and determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities are performed in response to determining that the approximate location is sufficiently fresh.

9. A system comprising:

a data store for storing data; and

one or more processors configured to interact with the data store, the one or more processors being further configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a query provided from a user device; and

determining that the query is implicitly about some entity, and in response;

obtaining an approximate location of the user device when the user device provided the query,

obtaining a set of entities comprising one or more entities, each entity in the set of entities being associated with the approximate location, and

determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities, and in response;

providing a revised query based on the query and the entity, the revised query explicitly referencing the entity.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining that the query is implicitly about the entity comprises:

providing a sub-set of entities based on comparing one or more types of one or more entities of the set of entities to one or more types associated with the query, the entity being included in the sub-set of entities; and

selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein, if a type of a respective entity in the set of entities corresponds to a type associated with the query, the respective entity is included in the sub-set of entities.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more types associated with the query are provided from an index that associates types to respective n-grams of queries.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein operations further comprise determining that the sub-set of entities comprises a plurality of entities, and in response, selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein operations further comprise comparing one or more attributes of respective entities in the sub-set of entities, the entity being selected based on respective one or more attributes.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein, if a location of a respective entity is within a threshold distance of the approximate location, the respective location is included in the set of entities.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein receiving a set of entities and determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities are performed in response to determining that the approximate location is sufficiently fresh.

17. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a query provided from a user device; and

determining that the query is implicitly about some entity, and in response;

obtaining an approximate location of the user device when the user device provided the query,

obtaining a set of entities comprising one or more entities, each entity in the set of entities being associated with the approximate location, and

determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities, and in response;

providing a revised query based on the query and the entity, the revised query explicitly referencing the entity.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining that the query is implicitly about the entity comprises:

providing a sub-set of entities based on comparing one or more types of one or more entities of the set of entities to one or more types associated with the query, the entity being included in the sub-set of entities; and

selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein, if a type of a respective entity in the set of entities corresponds to a type associated with the query, the respective entity is included in the sub-set of entities.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more types associated with the query are provided from an index that associates types to respective n-grams of queries.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein operations further comprise determining that the sub-set of entities comprises a plurality of entities, and in response, selecting the entity from the sub-set of entities.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein operations further comprise comparing one or more attributes of respective entities in the sub-set of entities, the entity being selected based on respective one or more attributes.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein, if a location of a respective entity is within a threshold distance of the approximate location, the respective location is included in the set of entities.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein receiving a set of entities and determining that the query is implicitly about an entity in the set of entities are performed in response to determining that the approximate location is sufficiently fresh.