Pivot search results by time and location

• US 8,839,140 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nassar, Aladdin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/126,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20090293011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 715/761, 715/778, 715/779, 715/780
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• 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

Abstract

Aggregating temporal information and location information to form a collective query. A search query is received from a user to identify search results. Temporal information and location information associated with the query inputs from information sources are received. One or more search results associated with the received query are identified in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the received temporal information and the received location information. One or more graphical identifiers on a map are provided representing the one or more identified results. Each one or more provided graphical identifiers has at least one corresponding temporal identifiers on a calendar such that selecting one graphical identifier on the map focuses a corresponding one temporal identifier on the calendar or selecting one temporal identifier on the calendar selects a corresponding one graphical identifier on the map.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating temporal information and location information from a plurality of sources to form a collective query, said method comprising:

receiving a search query from a user, said search query including one or more query inputs for identifying search results related thereto, said query inputs being unrestricted to location-based only searches;

receiving temporal information from an information source independent of receiving the search query;

receiving location information from another information source independent of receiving the search query;

identifying one or more search results associated with the received search query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the received temporal information, and the received location information;

displaying, to the user, a map of a geographic region associated with the received search query, said map being responsive to one or more map-related controls for changing the geographic region displayed by one or more of zooming in on a portion of the map, zooming out on a portion of the map, and repositioning the map;

displaying, to the user, a calendar associated with the received search query, said calendar being responsive to one or more calendar-related controls for changing a time focus displayed;

providing one or more graphical identifiers on the map, said graphical identifiers on the map representing the one or more identified search results within the geographic region, each of said one or more graphical identifiers on the map having one or more temporal identifiers on the calendar corresponding thereto, wherein a selection from the user of one of the graphical identifiers on the map focuses a corresponding selection of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar and a selection from the user of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar focuses a corresponding selection of one of the graphical identifiers on the map;

receiving a user-selection of one or more of the map-related controls and changing the geographic region displayed on the map in response thereto;

receiving a user-selection of one or more of the calendar-related controls and changing the time focus displayed on the calendar in response thereto;

filtering the identified search results based on the change in the geographic region displayed on the map; and

further filtering the identified search results based on the change in the time focus displayed on the calendar, wherein the user-selection of the calendar-related controls acts as a time filter to further refine the temporal identifiers based on the change in the time focus displayed on the calendar, said user-selections of the map-related controls and the calendar-related controls placing additional filter criteria on the one or more identified search results represented by one or more graphical identifiers and the temporal identifiers corresponding thereto for updating the displayed map to represent the filtered search results.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response of the focus, providing additional text information of the one or more identified results on a detail information area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the location information comprises identifying one of the following:

location information from the user, internet protocol (IP) address information, and location information from the information source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the temporal information comprises identifying one of the following:

temporal information from the user, temporal information from the other information source, temporal information when the search query is received, and temporal information when the one or more results are identified.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information source and the other information source comprise a user profile associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user profile includes at least one of the following:

default location information, default time zone location, default IP address, IP history.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user input in addition to the received search query from the user, said user input identifying an overriding temporal information and an overriding location information, and wherein identifying comprises identifying the one or more results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the overriding temporal information and the overriding location information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the one or more included query inputs in the search query to define a temporal information and a location information, and wherein identifying comprises identifying the one or more results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the received temporal information, the received location information, the defined temporal information and the defined location information.

9. A system for aggregating temporal information and location information from a plurality of sources to form a collective query, said system comprising:

an interface for receiving a search query from a user, said search query including one or more query inputs for identifying search results related thereto, said query inputs being unrestricted to location-based only searches, said user having a user profile associated therewith, said user profile storing search queries previously received from the user;

a memory area storing a term scope library, said stored term scope library defining, prior to the search query being received, one or more terms, a temporal scope corresponding to at least one of the terms, and a location scope corresponding to at least one of the terms;

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

determining whether the one or more query inputs match one of the terms in the term scope library in the memory area;

when it is determined from the determining that the one or more query inputs match the one or more terms in the term scope library, identifying one or more search results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the corresponding temporal scope, the corresponding location scope, and the search queries stored in the user profile;

providing, via the interface, one or more graphical identifiers on a map of a geographic region displayed to the user, said graphical identifiers representing the one or more identified search results, each of said one or more graphical identifiers on the map having one or more temporal identifiers on a calendar corresponding thereto, wherein the processor is configured to select a corresponding selection of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar in response to a selection from the user of one of the graphical identifiers on the map and the processor is further configured to select a corresponding selection of one of the graphical identifiers on the map in response to a selection from the user of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar, said map being responsive to one or more map-related controls for changing the geographic region displayed on the map by at least one of zooming in on a portion of the map, zooming out on a portion of the map, and repositioning the map to change the geographic region displayed, said calendar being responsive to one or more calendar-related controls for changing a time focus displayed;

receiving, via the interface, a user-selection of one or more of the map-related controls and changing the geographic region displayed on the map in response thereto;

receiving, via the interface, a user-selection of one or more of the calendar-related controls and changing the time focus displayed on the calendar in response thereto; and

filtering the identified search results based on the change in the geographic region displayed on the map and based on the change in the temporal range displayed on the calendar prior to displaying the filtered search results to the user, said user-selections of the map-related controls and the calendar-related controls placing additional filter criteria on the one or more identified search results to filter the one or more identified search results represented by the one or more graphical identifiers and the temporal identifiers corresponding thereto for updating the displayed map to represent the filtered search results based on the updating of the displayed map.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the interface is further configured to receive a user input in addition to the received search query from the user, said user input identifying an overriding temporal information and an overriding location information, and wherein identifying comprises identifying the one or more results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the overriding temporal information and the overriding location information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the interface further comprises:

temporal information received from a first information source separate from the search query; and

location information received from a second information source separate from the search query.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to identify the one or more results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the received temporal information and the received location information when it is determined from the determining that the one or more query inputs do not match the one or more of the terms in the term scope library.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the received temporal information comprises one of the following:

temporal information from the user, temporal information from the other information source, temporal information when the search query is received, and temporal information when the one or more results are identified.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to provide additional text information of the one or more identified results on a detail information area in response to the processor selecting the corresponding selection of the one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar, and wherein the interface displays the detail information area for the user.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first information source and the second information source comprises the user profile associated with the user.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the user profile includes at least one of the following:

default location information, default time zone location, default IP address, and IP history.

17. A method for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:

providing a first display area for receiving search inputs from a user for identifying search results related to the received search inputs, said search inputs being unrestricted to location-based only searches;

receiving temporal information and location information based on the user'"'"'s search history from a user profile associated with the user prior to the search inputs being received, said information source being separate from the search inputs;

identifying one or more search results associated with the received search inputs in response to and as a function of the search inputs, the received temporal information, and the received location information;

providing a second display area for displaying a map of a geographical region, said map having graphical identifiers, said map responsive to one or more map-related controls to change the geographical region shown in the displayed map;

providing a third display area for displaying a calendar having temporal identifiers, said calendar responsive to one or more calendar-related controls to change a time focus displayed on the calendar, wherein each of the graphical identifiers on the map in the second display area corresponds to at least one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar in the third display area, wherein a selection from the user of one of the graphical identifiers on the map selects a corresponding selection of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar or a selection from the user of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar selects a corresponding selection of one of the graphical identifiers on the map; and

receiving, via the GUI, a user-selection of one of the map-related controls for changing the geographical region shown in the displayed map and a user-selection of one of the calendar-related controls for changing the time focus displayed on the calendar, said user-selection of the map-related controls placing filter criteria on the one or more identified search results to filter the identified search results prior to displaying the identified search results to the user and to change the geographic region displayed, said user-selection of the calendar-related controls placing additional filter criteria on the one or more identified search results to filter the identified search results prior to displaying the identified search results to the user and to change the time focus displayed on the calendar, wherein an updated map is displayed to represent the filtered search results based on the user-selection of the map-related and the calendar-related controls.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising analyzing the search inputs in the first display area to define a temporal information and a location information, and wherein identifying comprises identifying the one or more results associated with the received query in response to and as a function of the one or more query inputs, the received temporal information, the received location information, the defined temporal information and the defined location information.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a fourth display area for displaying additional information of the search results in response a selection of one of the graphical identifiers on the map or a selection of one of the temporal identifiers on the calendar.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the information source includes at least one of the following:

default location information, default time zone location, default IP address, IP history, an additional user input of temporal information, and an additional input of location information.