Method and system for continuous, dynamic, adaptive searching 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, implemented in one or more computer systems, comprising:
 information, stored in one or more database components within the one or more computer systems; and   searching logic, implemented as computer instructions that are executed within the one or more computer systems, that
 receives a points-of-interest search request from a user, 
 computes a current personal region of interest with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request, 
 searches for points of interest within the current personal region of interest, and 
 returns, to the user, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the current personal region of interest. 
   
   
   
       2 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the searching logic:
 computes a level of disposition with respect to the received search request and the user; and   computes the current personal region of interest based on the level of disposition.   
   
   
       3 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 2  wherein the searching logic computes a level of disposition with respect to the received search request and the user based on two or more of:
 a current location of the user;   a future location of the user;   a current time;   a projected, future time,   a current date;   a projected, future date;   the received points-of-interest search request; and   a portion of the stored information.   
   
   
       4 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 3  wherein the stored information includes one or more of:
 a database of maps;   personal preferences for the user;   location and POI selection history for the user;   a database of points of interest; and   time-associated events.   
   
   
       5 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 3  wherein the current and projected location of a user may be a geographical location, a spatial location, a location in time, or a location in a dimensioned space, the search system further including:
 monitoring logic that continuously or periodically update stored information related to the users' preferences and histories.   
   
   
       6 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the current personal region of interest is computed from one or more of:
 a current location of the user;   a context at least in part obtained from the received points-of-interest search request;   user preferences stored in a user profile;   the user's history of interaction with the user's environment and with the location-based points-of-interest search system;   time-associated events stored by the location-based points-of-interest search system; and   the current date and time; and a portion of the stored information, and searches for points of interest within the current personal region of interest.   
   
   
       7 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the current personal region of interest is one of:
 a geographical region;   a spatial, three-dimensional region;   a portion of a timeline; and   a volume or hypervolume in a hyper-dimensional space.   a spatial location, a location in time; and   a location in any dimensioned space.   
   
   
       8 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  further including:
 monitoring logic that monitors the user's interactions with the location-based points-of-interest search system and with the user's environment to continuously or periodically update stored information related to the user's preferences and histories.   
   
   
       9 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the current personal region of interest computed for a search for personal contacts has a first size when the user's location-is within a threshold distance from the user's home, and wherein the current personal region of interest computed for the search for personal contacts has a second size larger than the first size when the user's location is beyond the threshold distance from the user's home. 
   
   
       10 . The location-based points-of-interest search system of  claim 1  wherein the searching logic returns, to the user, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the current personal region of interest by one or more of:
 returning a map that includes the current personal region of interest and annotations;   returning a graphically displayed list of points of interest, accompanied with location specifying text;   returning an audio rendering of a list of for the one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest, accompanied with location specifying text; and;   returning graphically displayed icons.   
   
   
       11 . A method, carried out by computer instructions executed within a location-based points-of-interest searching system implemented in one or more computer systems, for searching for points of interest on behalf of a user, the method comprising.
 receiving, by the location-based points-of-interest searching system, a points-of-interest search request from the user,   computing, by the location-based points-of-interest searching system, a current personal region of interest, with respect-to the user and the, received points-of-interest search request;   selecting, by the location-based points-of-interest searching system, points of interest within the current personal region of interest, and   returning, to the user by the location-based points-of-interest searching system, the, selected points of interest.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the current personal region of interest is one of:
 a geographical region;   a spatial, three-dimensional region;   a portion of a timeline; and   a volume or hypervolume in a hyper-dimensional space.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the level of disposition is computed with respect to the received search request and the user based on two or more of:
 a current location of the user;   a future location of the user;   a current time;   a projected, future time;   a current date;   a projected, future date;   the received points-of-interest search request;   a portion of the stored information;   a context specified, at least in part, by the received points-of-interest search request; and   additional stored information.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the additional stored information includes one or more of:
 a database of maps;   personal preferences for the user;   histories of location and. POI selection interactions for the user;   a database of points of interest; and   time-associated events.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11  further including:
 continuously'or periodically monitoring the user's current location.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the user's current location is one of:
 a geographical location;   a spatial location;   a location in time; and   a location in any dimensioned space.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 11  further including:
 monitoring the user's interactions with the location-based points-of-interest search system and with the user's environment to continuously or periodically update stored information related to the user's preferences and histories.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 11  wherein returning, to the user the selected points-of-interest further includes:
 returning a map that includes the current personal region of interest and annotations for the one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest;   returning a list of one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest; and   displaying one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest on a graphical user interface.