High precision internet local search
US8219578B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 2, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2209/72
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
High-precision local search is performed on the Internet. A map image-rendering software provider embeds spatial keys into maps, which are then provided to producers of Internet content such as map providers. For example, a homeowner may post a message on a web bulletin board advertising his house for sale, and including a map showing the location of the house. When a search engine's web crawler encounters a page having a spatial key embedded in an image, the spatial key is indexed with the other content on the page. Because the spatial key identifies a small geographic area, indexing the content with the spatial key allows search queries to be limited by area and still provide useful results. Thus, a user of a search engine searching for “house for sale” in a specific area will be directed to web pages that meet the geographic and content search terms.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.