Biasing of search result clustering to ensure more effective point of interest (POI) targeting

• US 7,761,350 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ridgeway, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYLES, ASHFORD S
• Application Number:
  US11/465,009
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30, 701/209, 701/203
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Directory service results responsive to a request for a desired good or service provider may be provided based on one or more user-selected locations. The user may seek a desired good or service provider that is proximate to a location from which the user may begin traveling to the point of interest, referred to as a source location, and satisfies a beneficial objective held by the user. The beneficial objective may relate to, for example, a directional travel preference, avoiding rush hour traffic or proximity to a specific location or another type of good or service provider that differs from the user'"'"'s desired good or service provider that is the subject of the user'"'"'s request. A sequence of geometrical representations, such as, for example, Delauney Triangles, may be generated to provide directory service results that satisfy the user'"'"'s request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing a point of interest, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a point of interest from a user, the request including first user input that reflects a first type of good or service provider;

determining, using a processor, multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider;

receiving, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request, the second type of good or service provider being different than the first type of good or service provider;

determining, using a processor, multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider;

identifying a source location of the user;

determining, using a processor, Delauney Triangles that each intersect the source location, a point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider, and a secondary location of the second type of good or service provider and that each have a circumcircle that does not include any edges of any of the other Delauney Triangles;

identifying the Delauney Triangle that has the smallest area;

selecting, from among the multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider, a point of interest location that satisfies the request, the selected point of interest location being the point of interest location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

selecting, from among the multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider, a secondary location that is related to the selected point of interest location, the selected secondary location being the secondary location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a point of interest result responsive to the request of the user; and

causing the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein selecting the point of interest location comprises selecting a point of interest location that is further from the source location than at least one of the multiple point of interest locations.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to receiving the request, requesting additional information from the user to use in resolving the request of the user;

wherein receiving, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request comprises receiving, from the user, the additional information to use in resolving the request of the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user comprises causing the selected point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only result of the first type of good or service provider; and

causing the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location comprises causing the selected secondary location of the second type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only location of the second type of good or service provider related to the selected point of interest location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user comprises causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed as the only result responsive to the request of the user.

2. A computer program product for providing a point of interest, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a request for a point of interest from a user, the request including first user input that reflects a first type of good or service provider;

determine, using a processor, multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider;

receive, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request, the second type of good or service provider being different than the first type of good or service provider;

determine, using a processor, multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider;

identify a source location of the user;

determine, using a processor, Delauney Triangles that each intersect the source location, a point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider, and a secondary location of the second type of good or service provider and that each have a circumcircle that does not include any edges of any of the other Delauney Triangles;

identify the Delauney Triangle that has the smallest area;

select, from among the multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider, a point of interest location that satisfies the request, the selected point of interest location being the point of interest location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

select, from among the multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider, a secondary location that is related to the selected point of interest location, the selected secondary location being the secondary location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

cause the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a point of interest result responsive to the request of the user; and

cause the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location.

7. The computer program product of claim 2:

wherein the instructions cause the processor to select the point of interest location by selecting a point of interest location that is further from the source location than at least one of the multiple point of interest locations.

8. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

in response to receiving the request, requesting additional information from the user to use in resolving the request of the user,

wherein the instructions cause the processor to receive, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request by receiving, from the user, the additional information to use in resolving the request of the user.

9. The computer program product of claim 2:

wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user by causing the selected point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only result of the first type of good or service provider; and

wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location by causing the selected secondary location of the second type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only location of the second type of good or service provider related to the selected point of interest location.

10. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user by causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed as the only result responsive to the request of the user.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request for a point of interest from a user, the request including first user input that reflects a first type of good or service provider;

determining multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider;

receiving, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request, the second type of good or service provider being different than the first type of good or service provider;

determining multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider;

identifying a source location of the user;

determining Delauney Triangles that each intersect the source location, a point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider, and a secondary location of the second type of good or service provider and that each have a circumcircle that does not include any edges of any of the other Delauney Triangles;

identifying the Delauney Triangle that has the smallest area;

selecting, from among the multiple point of interest locations that match the first type of good or service provider, a point of interest location that satisfies the request, the selected point of interest location being the point of interest location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

selecting, from among the multiple secondary locations that match the second type of good or service provider, a secondary location that is related to the selected point of interest location, the selected secondary location being the secondary location included in the identified Delauney Triangle;

causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a point of interest result responsive to the request of the user; and

causing the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein selecting the point of interest location comprises selecting a point of interest location that is further from the source location than at least one of the multiple point of interest locations.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving the request, requesting additional information from the user to use in resolving the request of the user,

wherein receiving, from the user, second user input that reflects a second type of good or service provider to use in resolving the request comprises receiving, from the user, the additional information to use in resolving the request of the user.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user comprises causing the selected point of interest location of the first type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only result of the first type of good or service provider; and

causing the selected secondary location to be displayed, on the display device, with an indication that the selected secondary location is a location related to the selected point of interest location comprises causing the selected secondary location of the second type of good or service provider to be displayed on the display device as the only location of the second type of good or service provider related to the selected point of interest location.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed, on a display device, with an indication that the selected point of interest location is a result responsive to the request of the user comprises causing the selected point of interest location to be displayed as the only result responsive to the request of the user.