Location-Based Search Refinements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017067748-A1
Application number	US-201514847770-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 8, 2015
Priority date	Sep 8, 2015
Publication date	Mar 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method includes receiving a search query and one or more context parameters from a user device. The search query indicates a search string. The method includes determining a search area based on at least one of the search string or the one or more context parameters, and obtaining a set of point of interest records based on the search area. The method includes clustering the point of interest records into clusters based at least on locations of the respective points of interest and generating one or more location-based refinements based on the clusters of the of point of interest records. Each location-based refinement is based on one of the clusters of the point of interest records and includes a display portion and a refined search query that is constrained by the refined search area. The method includes transmitting the one or more location-based refinements to the user device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, at data processing hardware, a search query related to a point of interest search on a user device; determining, by the data processing hardware, a search area based on the search query; identifying, by the data processing hardware, points of interest in the search area; generating, by the data processing hardware, one or more location-based refinements based on the search query and the identified points of interest in the search area, each location-based refinement being a modification of the search query that includes a geographical location constraint narrowing the search area; and transmitting the one or more location-based refinements from the data processing hardware to the user device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the search area based on one or more context parameters from the user device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein search query comprises a search string, and determining the search area comprises:
parsing the search string to determine whether the search string explicitly defines a known location; when the search string includes a name of a known location, setting the search area based on the known location; and when the search string fails to include the known location:
determining a current location of the user device based on the one or more context parameters; and
setting the search area based on the current location of the user device.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein setting the search area based on the known location comprises:
identifying a geographic coordinate representing the known location; and determining a geographic perimeter about the known location.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein setting the search area based on the current location of the user device comprises:
identifying a geographic coordinate representing the current location; and determining a geographic perimeter about the geographic coordinate.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the points of interest in the search area comprises obtaining, by the data processing hardware, a set of point of interest records based on the search area, each point of interest record identifying a point of interest, a location of the point of interest, and one or more features of the point of interest.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
clustering, by the data processing hardware, the point of interest records into clusters based at least on the locations of the respective points of interest; and generating, by the data processing hardware, the one or more location-based refinements based on the clusters of the of point of interest records, each location-based refinement being based on one of the clusters of the of point of interest records and including i) a display portion indicating an entity and a refined search area corresponding to one or more points of interest defined in the cluster, and ii) a refined search query constrained by the refined search area.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more features of each point of interest record include classification data indicating one or more categories of the point of interest, and the point of interest records are clustered based on the respective locations identified in the point of interest records and the classification data defined in the point of interest records.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the data processing hardware, one of the refined search queries from the user device in response to a user selection of a respective location-based refinement; generating, by the data processing hardware, search results based on the received refined search query and the refined search area; and transmitting, by the data processing hardware, the search results to the user device.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each search result comprises:
a header for an application executable by the user device; and one or more application access mechanisms associated with the application and the search area, each application access mechanism having a reference to the application and indicating a performable operation for the application, the performable operation associated with the search area.

11 . A method comprising:
receiving, at data processing hardware, a search query and one or more context parameters from a user device, the search query indicating a search string; determining, by the data processing hardware, a search area based on at least one of the search string or the one or more context parameters; obtaining, by the data processing hardware, a set of point of interest records based on the search area, each point of interest record identifying a point of interest, a location of the point of interest, and one or more features of the point of interest; clustering, by the data processing hardware, the point of interest records into clusters based at least on the locations of the respective points of interest; generating, using the data processing hardware, one or more location-based refinements based on the clusters of the point of interest records, each location-based refinement being based on one of the clusters of the of point of interest records and including i) a display portion indicating an entity and a refined search area corresponding to one or more points of interest defined in the cluster, and ii) a refined search query constrained by the refined search area; and transmitting, by the data processing hardware, the one or more location-based refinements to the user device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, at the data processing hardware, one of the refined search queries from the user device in response to a user selection of a respective location-based refinement; generating, by the data processing hardware, search results based on the received refined search query and the refined search area; and transmitting, by the data processing hardware, the search results to the user device.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein each search result comprises:
a header for an application executable by the user device; and one or more application access mechanisms associated with the application and the search area, each application access mechanism having a reference to the application and indicating a performable operation for the application, the performable operation associated with the search area.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the search area comprises:
parsing the search string to determine whether the search string explicitly defines a known location; when the search string includes a name of a known location, setting the search area based on the known location; and when the search string fails to include the known location:
determining a current location of the user device based on the one or more context parameters; and
setting the search area based on the current location of the user device.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein setting the search area based on the known location comprises:
identifying a geographic coordinate representing the known location; and determining a geographic perimeter about the known location.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein setting the search area based on the current location of the user device comprises:
identifying a geographic coordinate representing the current location; and determining a geographic perimeter about the geographic coordinate.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more features of

Assignees

• Quixey Inc

Inventors

• Glover Eric J
• Delli Santi James

Classifications

• G01C21/3476 Primary

  using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs · CPC title

• G01C21/3679 Primary

  Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities (G01C21/3611 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title