Location in search queries

• US 8,996,507 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rechis, Leland, Jenson, Scott, Shacham, Yael
• Primary Examiner(s): PYO, MONICA M
• Application Number:
  US13/214,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 707999002-999003, 707/709, 707/721, 707/768
• US Class Current: 707/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving a search query from a remote device, determining if the search query includes location-related information, and if the search query includes location-related information, generating a first result set based on the search query and the location-related information, and if the search query does not include location-related information, determining whether a location indicator is associated with the remote device, and if a location indicator is associated with the remote device, generating a second result set based on the search query and the location indicator.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system comprising:

a request processor configured to receive a search query from a user device and to identify location-related information that is associated with at least one of the user device and the search query;

a search engine to receive requests from the request processor to generate a location-based set of search results and a non-location-based set of search results, and in response, to generate;

the location-based set of search results using the search query and the location-related information, and

the non-location-based set of search results using the search query to the exclusion of the location-related information;

a repository of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information; and

a results sequencer to determine a results sets order that specifies an order that the location-based set of search results and the non-location-based set of search results are to be displayed relative to each other at the user device;

wherein the results sequencer is configured;

(i) to determine, based on the search query, whether a submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the location-based set of search results or the non-location-based set of search results,

(ii) to determine, responsive to a determination that the submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the location-based set of search results than the non-location-based set of search results, whether the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is included in the repository of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information,

(iii) to generate, responsive to a determination that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is included in the repository of queries, the results sets order so that the non-location-based set of search results is to be displayed in preference to the location-based set of search results, and

(iv) to generate, responsive to a determination that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is not included in the repository of queries, the results sets order so that the location-based set of search results is to be displayed in preference to the non-location-based set of search results.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the results sequencer is configured to promote, regardless of whether the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is included in the repository of queries, the location-based set of search results for display above the non-location-based set of search results in response to a determination that user-entered content of the search query includes location-related information.

3. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a search system, a search query from a user device remote from the search system;

determining a location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device;

generating, by the search system and based on the search query and the location, a first results set;

generating, by the search system and based on the search query, a second results set that is substantially independent of location;

making a first determination that a submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the first results set than the second results set;

determining that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is in a set of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information;

in response to determining that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is in the set of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information;

determining that the first determination is likely incorrect and that the submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the second results set than the first results set; and

generating a results sets order that specifies that the second results set is to be displayed before the first results set at the user device; and

transmitting, from the search system to the user device, data representing the first results set, the second results set, and the results sets order.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining the location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device comprises accessing electronic records associated with the user device and determining that the electronic records store default location indicators.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining the location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device comprises determining that current location information is available from either location-pinpointing structures in the user device or location pinpointing structures in a communications network from which the query from the user device is received.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating the first results set comprises generating one or more modified search queries based at least on content of the received search query and the location, wherein the location is determined to be is associated with the user device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein generating the first results set further comprises transmitting the one or more modified search queries to a search engine and, in response, receiving from the search engine the first results set.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising formatting, using the search system, the first results set or the second results set in mark-up documents to be displayed with respective representations of one or more other locations, the other locations corresponding to one or more previous search queries received from the user device or a previous information session initiated by the user device, wherein the mark-up documents allow the user to select one of the representations of the other locations to execute a second search based at least on the search query and a location selected by the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the search system, data that identifies the location selected by the user; and

generating, by the search system in response to receiving the data that identifies the location selected by the user, a third results set based on the search query and the location selected by the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the method further comprises formatting the first results set and the second results set in a mark-up document to be displayed at the user device, the second results set being formatted for display before the first results set according to the results sets order; and

transmitting the information comprises transmitting the mark-up document to the user device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising triggering, using the search system, the user device to generate prompts that request location information from the user device in response to (i) determining that the search query does not include location-related information, and (ii) determining that a location associated with the user device is not available.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising identifying that the search query was entered at a personally configured homepage of a user of the device, wherein the personally configured homepage includes one or more information modules, particular ones of the information modules displaying respective representations of at least one category of location-based information other than the first or second results sets.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the one or more information modules generate the at least one category of location-based information for display based on a current location of the user device, a default location, a location previously selected by the user, or a combination of one or more of them.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the location associated with the user device is identified from a location associated with the one or more information modules and the personally configured homepage of the user.

15. A system comprising:

one or more computers programmed to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the one or more computers, a search query from a user device remote from the one or more computers;

determining a location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device;

providing the search query and the location to a search engine and obtaining in response a first results set;

providing the search query to the search engine and obtaining in response a second results set that is substantially independent of location;

making a first determination that a submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the first results set than the second results set;

determining that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is in a set of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information;

in response to determining that the search query or a substantially similar variation of the search query is in the set of queries that have been previously determined to be likely to be incorrectly associated with location information;

determining that the first determination is likely incorrect and that the submitter of the search query is likely more interested in the second results set than the first results set; and

generating a results sets order that specifies that the second results set is to be displayed before the first results set at the user device; and

transmitting, to the user device, data representing the first results set, the second results set, and the results sets order.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device comprises accessing electronic records associated with the user device and determining that the electronic records store default location indicators.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device comprises determining that current location information is available from either location-pinpointing structures in the user device or location-pinpointing structures in a communication network from which the query from the user device is received.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more computers comprise the search engine, and wherein the operations further comprise generating, by the search engine, the first results set and the second results set.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein generating the first results set comprises generating one or more modified search queries based at least on content of the received search query and the location that is associated with at least one of the search query and the user device, and executing respective searches using the one or more modified search queries.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

formatting the first results set or the second results set in mark-up documents to be displayed with respective representations of one or more other locations, the other locations corresponding to one or more previous search queries received from the user device or a previous information session initiated by the user device, wherein the mark-up documents allow the user to select one of the representations of the other locations to execute a second search based at least on the search query and a location selected by the user.