Resolving queries based on automatic determination of requestor geographic location

• US 9,058,395 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Virdy, Ajaipal Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US13/453,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724, 707/728, 707/730
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

Resolving a query term includes receiving at least one query term from a requestor and determining a geographic location of the requestor. The geographic location of the requestor may be determined by accessing an electronic information store containing a requestor profile including geographic information about the requestor, where the requestor profile is used by more than one program. The query term is resolved against electronic information within at least one electronic information store to determine whether one or more matches exist and a result is generated that accounts for the geographic location of the requestor.

Claims

1. A method of providing an ordered list of search results, comprising the steps of:

receiving a term of a query;

determining a geographical area associated with a requestor of the query;

generating, with at least one processor, search results associated with the term and the geographical area, the search results including first search results relevant to the term and second search results relevant to the geographical area; and

ordering the search results for display, the ordering of the search results comprising;

weighting the first search results more than the second search results if a number of the first search results is less than a number of the second search results;

weighting the second search results more than the first search results if a number of the first search results is more than a number of the second search results; and

ordering the search results for display based on the weighting of the first search results and the weighting of the second search results;

determining computer network information associated with the requestor; and

determining the geographical area using the determined computer network information,

wherein the computer network information comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the requestor or a location of a service provider gateway of the requestor, and

wherein the determining a geographical area includes determining the geographical area using the IP address associated with the requestor or the location of the service provider gateway of the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of weighting the second search results more than the first search results comprises

generating an ordered list based on a comparison of relative geographic proximity of the search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighting the first search results more than the second search results comprises

generating an ordered list based on a comparison of relative subject matter relevancy of the search results.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a geographical area comprises

determining the geographical area without soliciting geographic location information from the requester.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a geographical area comprises

accessing a profile of the requestor, the profile including data associated with the geographical area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the profile is accessed by at least one of a first program to order the search results and a second program performing a function unrelated to ordering the search results.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the profile is preexisting and was created for a purpose other than ordering the search results.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a geocode based on the geographical area; and

associating the geocode with the requestor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the requester to override the determined geographical area.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the term with respect to information in at least one electronic information store to determine the search results.

11. A system for providing ordered search results, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one hardware storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine a geographical area associated with a requestor of a query;

generate search results associated with a term of the query and the geographical area, the search results including first search results relevant to the term and second search results relevant to the geographical area; and

order the search results for display, the ordering of the search results comprising;

weighting the first search results more than the second search results if a number of the first search results is less than a number of the second search results;

weighting the second search results more than the first search results if a number of the first search results is more than a number of the second search results; and

ordering the search results for display based on the weighting of the first search results and the weighting of the second search results;

determine computer network information associated with the requestor; and

determine the geographical area using the determined computer network information,

wherein the computer network information comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the requestor or a location of a service provider gateway of the requestor, and wherein determining the geographical area comprises determining the geographical area using the IP address associated with the requestor or the location of the service provider gateway of the requestor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein weighting the second search results more than the first search results comprises generating an ordered list based on a comparison of relative geographic proximity of the search results.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein weighting the first search results more than the second search results comprises generating an ordered list based on a comparison of relative subject matter relevancy of the search results.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the geographical area is determined by accessing a profile of the requestor, the profile including data associated with the geographical area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one storage medium further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

determine a geocode based on the geographical area; and

associate the geocode with the requestor.

16. A hardware computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a term of a query;

determining a geographical area associated with a requestor of the query;

generating search results associated with the term and the geographical area, the search results including first search results relevant to the term and second search results relevant to the geographical area; and

ordering the search results for display, the ordering of the search results comprising;

weighting the first search results more than the second search results if a number of the first search results is less than a number of the second search results;

weighting the second search results more than the first search results if a number of the first search results is more than a number of the second search results; and

ordering the search results for display based on the weighting of the first search results and the weighting of the second search results;

determining computer network information associated with the requestor; and

determining the geographical area using the determined computer network information,

wherein the computer network information comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the requestor or a location of a service provider gateway of the requestor, and

wherein the determining a geographical area includes determining the geographical area using the IP address associated with the requestor or the location of the service provider gateway of the requestor.