Method and system for continuous, dynamic, adaptive recommendation based on a continuously evolving personal region of interest

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to flexible, user-adapted, continuous searching, on behalf of a particular user, for points of interest relevant to the user's current location within a specifically computed personal region of interest. In a general case, the personal region of interest is computed as a function of the user's level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest. The level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest may, in turn, be based on two or more of the user's location, the current date and time, a history of the user's interaction with the POI-searching system, including user-initiated searches and user selections from displayed search results, a user profile developed for, and continuously updated on behalf of, the user, and a current context for the search, as specified by a search query or by other context-specifying means. The personal region of interest generally defines an abstract area, volume, or hypervolume within which method and system embodiments of the present invention search for points of interest.

1 . A location-based points-of-interest searching system comprising:
 stored information; and   searching logic that
 receives a points-of-interest search request from a user, 
 computes a personal region of interest with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request, 
 searches for points of interest within the personal region of interest, and 
 returns, to the user, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the personal region of interest as well as an indication of the contextually relevance of the one or more POIs. 
   
   
   
       2 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the indication of contextual relevance may include:
 an order in which the POIs are displayed;   selection of certain POIs among a larger number of POIs for display; and   a numerical or graphical indication of the contextual relevance to a user to whom the results are displayed.   
   
   
       3 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  further including an agent that continuously, or at regular intervals, searches for POIs and updates POIs already found for a user on behalf of the user. 
   
   
       4 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 3  wherein the agent is implemented as one or more of:
 a software routine;   a network-mobile executable routine;   firmware; and   hardware.   
   
   
       5 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein contextual relevance may be determined considering by one or more of:
 a stored history of a user's selections;   a stored history of a user's actions;   a stored history of a user's locations;   current environmental conditions;   projected environmental conditions;   current traffic conditions;   projected traffic conditions;   a user's projected schedule of locations;   a user's projected schedule of actions;   a user's projected schedule of travel;   a user's projected schedule of purchases;   the current date;   a projected date;   the current time; and   a projected time.   
   
   
       6 . A method for searching for points of interest on behalf of a user, the method comprising.
 receiving a points-of-interest search request from the user,   computing a personal region of interest, with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request;   selecting points of interest within the personal region of interest, and returning, to the user, the selected points of interest as well as an indication of the contextually relevance of the one or more POIs.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the indication of contextual relevance may include:
 an order in which the POIs are displayed;   selection of certain POIs among a larger number of POIs for display; and   a numerical or graphical indication of the contextual relevance to a user to whom the results are displayed.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6  further including searching, by an agent, continuously or at regular intervals, for POIs and updating POIs already found for a user on behalf of the user. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the agent is implemented as one or more of:
 a software routine;   a network-mobile executable routine;   firmware; and   hardware.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6  wherein contextual relevance may be determined considering by one or more of:
 a stored history of a user's selections;   a stored history of a user's actions;   a stored history of a user's locations;   current environmental conditions;   projected environmental conditions;   current traffic conditions;   projected traffic conditions;   a user's projected schedule of locations;   a user's projected schedule of actions;   a user's projected schedule of travel;   a user's projected schedule of purchases;   the current date;   a projected date;   the current time; and   a projected time.