Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02920968 2016-02-12
IDENTIFYING POINTS OF INTEREST
FIELD
[0001] The present specification relates to search engines.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In recent years, online search services have changed the way that
people
obtain information on assets and services of their interest. Users are now
able to
navigate up-to-date listings for assets and services using a variety of
different
communication devices (e.g., smart phones, personal computers, personal
digital
assistants (PDAs), etc.), and are doing so with increasing regularity.
SUMMARY
[0003] Although users of online real estate search services may have vast
amounts
of real estate information at their fingertips, they are often faced with the
burdensome
task of sifting through listings that include outdated information, listings
for properties
that are not available within a relevant timeframe, and listings that include
information
that is unreliable or provided by untrusted sources. The techniques described
herein
may, for instance, be leveraged by websites or mobile applications associated
with
online real estate services to enhance user experience by more quickly
connecting
users with property listings that are reliable and relevant and providing
users with insight
into real estate markets and information that promotes greater financial
awareness.
[0004] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification may
be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region, obtaining a obtaining a set of resources that (i) are
identified as
responsive to the query and (ii) each include listing information for one or
more
properties located within the geographic region, making one or more
determinations
about a particular resource among the set of resources, ranking the particular
resource
among the set of resources based at least on the one or more determinations,
and
providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of
resources.
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[0005] Other implementations of this and other aspects include corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions.
[0006] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification
may be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region, obtaining a set of resources that (i) are identified as
responsive to
the query and (ii) each include listing information for one or more properties
located
within the geographic region, determining that a particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information that was last updated within a
predetermined
amount of time, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based at
least on determining that the particular resource among the set of resources
includes
listing information that was last updated within a predetermined amount of
time, and
providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of
resources.
[0007] Other implementations of this and other aspects include
corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions.
[0008] These other versions may each optionally include one or more of the
following features. In some implementations, the actions may further include
determining that a particular amount of time has elapsed since the particular
resource
was last updated. In these implementations, determining that the particular
resource
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among the set of resources includes listing information that was last updated
within the
predetermined amount of time may include determining that the particular
amount of
time is less than or equal to the predetermined amount of time.
[0009] In some examples, the actions may further include generating one or
more
representations of the particular resource, at least one of which indicates
that the
particular amount of time has elapsed since the particular resource was last
updated. In
such examples, providing the indication of the particular resource's ranking
among the
set of resources may include providing the one or more representations of the
particular
resource, with indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set
of
resources, for output. In addition, the actions may, in some of these
examples, further
include determining that the particular resource includes listing information
for one or
more properties that reside at a particular location within the geographic
region. In
these examples, generating one or more representations of the particular
resource may
include generating one or more representations of the particular resource, at
least one
of which indicates the particular location within the geographic region.
[0010] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification
may be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region, obtaining a set of resources that (i) are identified as
responsive to
the query and (ii) each include listing information for one or more properties
located
within the geographic region, determining whether a particular resource among
the set
of resources includes listing information for one or more properties that are
indicated as
available for occupancy at a particular point in time, ranking the particular
resource
among the set of resources based at least on determining whether the
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information for one or
more
properties that are indicated as available for occupancy at the particular
point in time,
and providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set
of
resources.
[0011] Other implementations of this and other aspects include
corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
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can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions.
[0012] These other versions may each optionally include one or more of the
following features. For instance, determining whether the particular resource
among the
set of resources includes listing information for one or more properties that
are indicated
as available for occupancy at the particular point in time may, in some
implementations,
include determining whether the particular resource among the set of resources
includes listing information for one or more properties that are indicated as
currently
available for occupancy.
[0013] In some examples, receiving the query that specifies the geographic
region
may include receiving, at a first point in time, a query that specifies a
geographic region.
In such examples, determining whether the particular resource among the set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties that are
indicated as
available for occupancy at the particular point in time may include
determining whether
the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information for one or
more properties that are indicated as becoming available for occupancy within
a
particular amount of time after the first point in time.
[0014] In some implementations, the actions may further include determining
whether the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information
that is managed at least in part by one or more users of a sponsored account.
In such
implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
may, for
instance, include ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based
further on determining whether the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information that is managed at least in part by one or more
users of a
sponsored account.
[0015] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification
may be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
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geographic region, obtaining a set of resources that (i) are identified as
responsive to
the query and (ii) each include listing information for one or more properties
located
within the geographic region, determining that a particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information that was supplied through a particular
listing
information interface, ranking the particular resource among the set of
resources based
at least on determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources includes
listing information that was supplied through the particular listing
information interface,
and providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set
of
resources.
[0016] Other implementations of this and other aspects include
corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions.
[0017] These other versions may each optionally include one or more of the
following features. For instance, wherein determining that the particular
resource
among the set of resources includes listing information that was supplied
through the
particular listing information interface may, in some examples, include
determining that
the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information that was
supplied through a user interface.
[0018] In some implementations, determining that the particular resource
among the
set of resources includes listing information that was supplied through the
particular
listing information interface may include determining that the particular
resource among
the set of resources includes listing information that was supplied through an
application
programming interface.
[0019] In some examples, the actions may further include further include
determining
that the particular resource includes listing information for one or more
properties that
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reside at a particular location within the geographic region and generating
one or more
representations of the particular resource, at least one of which indicates
the particular
location within the geographic region. In such examples, providing the
indication of the
particular resource's ranking among the set of resources may include providing
the one
or more representations of the particular resource, with indication of the
particular
resource's ranking among the set of resources, for output.
[0020] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification
may be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region and a price range, obtaining a set of resources that (i) are
identified
as responsive to the query and (ii) each include listing information for one
or more
properties located within the geographic region, determining that a particular
resource
among the set of resources includes listing information for one or more
properties
having prices that exceed the price range by a particular amount, ranking the
particular
resource among the set of resources based at least on determining that the
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information for one or
more
properties having prices that exceed the price range by the particular amount,
and
providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of
resources.
[0021] Other implementations of this and other aspects include
corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions.
[0022] These other versions may each optionally include one or more of the
following features. For instance, receiving the query that specifies the
geographic
region and the price range may, in some implementations, include receiving a
query
that specifies a geographic region and a price range that extends from a lower
limit to
an upper limit. In such implementations, the actions may further include based
at least
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on the received price range, determining a particular price range that (i) is
different from
the received price range and (ii) extends from the upper limit of the received
price range
to another limit that exceeds the upper limit of the price range.
[0023] In some examples, determining that the particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties having
prices that
exceed the price range by the particular amount may include determining that
the
particular resource among the set of resources includes listing information
for one or
more properties having prices that fall within the particular price range.
[0024] In some implementations, the actions may further include generating
one or
more representations of the particular resource, at least one of which
indicates that the
particular resource includes listing information for one or more properties
having prices
that fall within the particular price range. In such implementations,
providing the
indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of resources may
include
providing the one or more representations of the particular resource, with
indication of
the particular resource's ranking among the set of resources, for output.
[0025] In some aspects, the subject matter described in this specification
may be
embodied in methods that may include the actions of receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region, obtaining a set of resources that (i) are identified as
responsive to
the query and (ii) each include listing information for one or more properties
located
within the geographic region, determining that a particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties that have a
particular
attribute that has been indicated as verified by a third party listing
information
verification service, ranking the particular resource among the set of
resources based at
least on determining that the particular resource among the set of resources
includes
listing information for one or more properties that have the particular
attribute that has
been indicated as verified by the third party listing information verification
service, and
providing an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of
resources.
[0026] Other implementations of this and other aspects include
corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions
of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more
computers
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can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of
them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the
actions.
One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue of having
instructions
that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to
perform the
actions,
[0027] These other versions may each optionally include one or more of the
following features. For instance, determining that the particular resource
among the set
of resources includes listing information for one or more properties that have
the
particular attribute that has been indicated as verified by the third party
listing
information verification service may, in some implementations, include
determining that
the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information for one or
more properties that has been indicated by the third party listing information
verification
service as being owned or managed by an entity having earned one or more
certifications.
[0028] In some examples, determining that the particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties that have
the particular
attribute that has been indicated as verified by the third party listing
information
verification service may include determining that the particular resource
among the set
of resources includes listing information for one or more properties that has
been
indicated by the third party listing information verification service as being
owned or
managed by an entity having passed a background check.
[0029] In some implementations, the listing information of the particular
resource
indicates one or more features or amenities of one or more properties. In such
implementations, determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties that have the
particular attribute
that has been indicated as verified by the third party listing information
verification
service may include determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties have been indicated as
verified by
the third party listing information verification service to include the one or
more features
or amenities.
8
[0030] The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the
accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other potential features and advantages
will
become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
[0031] Other implementations of these aspects include corresponding
systems,
apparatus and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the
methods,
encoded on computer storage devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an example search engine system for enhancing point
of
interest identification.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface for displaying a
set of
search results.
[0034] FIGS. 3A-D illustrate exemplary graphical user interfaces for
displaying sets of
search results that are ranked in corresponding exemplary manners.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for enhancing point of
interest
identification.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram of exemplary computing devices.
[0037] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] FIG. 1 depicts an example search engine system 100 for enhancing point
of
interest identification, according to one example implementation. The system
100 may
include a client device 110, a network 120, a front-end application server
130, a location
based search engine 140, a search corpus database 150, and a ranking engine
160.
[0039] Client device 110 may be representative of one, or multiple, client
devices.
The client device 110 may include a mobile computing platform or a non-mobile
computing platform. Mobile computing platforms may include, for example, a
smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, or other thin client devices. Non-mobile
computing platforms may include, for example, desktop computers, set top box
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entertainment systems, video game consoles, or the like. Client device 110 may
be
configured to communicate with front-end application server 130 via network
120 using
one or more communication protocols.
[0040] The client device 110 of system 100 may include at least a processor
111 and
a memory 112. The memory 112 may provide for the storage of computer program
code associated with one or more applications installed on client 110. The
applications
may include, for example, a browser 113 or mobile application 114. Processor
111 may
be configured to execute the stored computer program code in a manner that
allows
client 110 to realize the functionality provided by the applications.
Processor 111 may
also be configured to execute instructions to realize the functionality
associated with any
of the actions attributed to client 110 below.
[0041] The client 110 may be able to access one or more web based applications
133
hosted by front-end application server 130 via network 120 using browser 113.
Such
web based applications may include, for example, an application that
facilitates
identification of resources that include information for one or more
properties or other
entities that may be available for sale, for lease, or that provide a
particular service. An
entity may include any item that may be available for sale or lease such as,
for example,
a book, a clothing item, a motor vehicle, a consumer electronic item, a house,
an
apartment, or the like. Alternatively, an entity may include a party that
provides a
service such as, for example, a restaurant, a barber shop, a day care
facility, a school, a
doctor's office, a law office, a government agency, or the like. Web
application 133 may
utilize one or more back-end components in order to identify one or more
resources that
include information for one or more entities based on search input parameters.
In
certain instances, web application 133 may utilize the methods set forth
herein to
identify a set of one or more resources that are responsive to a query and
include listing
information for one or more properties, or information for one or more other
entities.
[0042] Identification of resources may be achieved by using client device 110
to
search one or more databases such as, for example, search corpus database 150
and
then using one or more back-end components to identify and return ordered
search
results to client device 110. In some examples, the returned search results
include
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
graphical and/or textual representations of corresponding resources and the
information
included in the corresponding resources. A user may initiate a search with
client device
110 by interacting with one or more search fields provided by web application
133 via a
browser 113. For instance, a user may provide an input into a search field
that can be
used as at least a portion of a search query. Then, the user may instruct the
client
device 110 to transmit the search query to front-end application server 130
via network
120. Alternatively, or in addition, a user may input a search query by drawing
one or
shapes around a location of interest on a map provided by a graphical user
interface.
Client device 110 may then generate a query to identify resources that include
listing
information for one or more properties that may reside within geographic
locations
associated with the one or more shapes drawn by the user on the map provided
by a
graphical user interface, and transmit the query to front-end application
server 130. The
front-end application server 130 may then forward the query to one or more
back-end
data processing systems that may execute the search query. The backend system
may
identify a set of search results in response to the search query, such as a
set of
resources that include listing information for one or more properties, rank
each search
result in the set of search results, and then return the set of search results
that are
responsive to the received query to the front-end application server 130. The
front-end
application server 130 may then forward the search results back to client
device 110.
[0043] The search results may be displayed on a graphical user interface
associated
with client device 110 in a variety of different ways that may assist a user
in
understanding and interpreting the search results. For instance,
representations of the
search results may be displayed as a list, wherein each representation in the
list is
ordered according to a rank determined by one or more backend components of
system
100 such as, for example, ranking engine 160. Alternatively or additionally,
the search
results may be represented as graphical icons that are plotted on a map of a
geographical area and each correspond to a particular resource identified as a
search
result that is responsive to a received search query. The location of each
graphical icon
on the map may be indicative of the location of one or more properties for
which the
corresponding resource includes listing information. In certain instances,
search results
may be displayed as both a ranked list in a first portion of the graphical
user interface
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and as a plot of graphical icons on a map in a second portion of the graphical
user
interface. Other ways of displaying search results also fall within the scope
of this
specification.
[0044] Separate from browser 113, a client device 110 may also be able to use
a
mobile application 114 in order for a user of client device 110 to avail
himself of the
same, or similar, functionality that was described above as being provided by
a web
application 133 via browser 113. Mobile application 114 may include an
executable
software program that was previously downloaded from a mobile application
provider.
Mobile application 114 may be configured to relay commands input by a user
such as,
for example, search queries to the front-end application server 130. After
receiving a
search query from mobile application 114, the front-end application server 130
may
request that one or more backend components execute the search query, rank the
search results, and then return the ranked search results to mobile
application 114,
which may display the search results as a ranked list of resources that each
include
listing information for one or more properties, as plotted graphical icons on
a map, or a
combination thereof.
[0045] Network 120 may be configured to facilitate connectivity between a
client
device 110 and the front-end application server 130. Client 110 and front-end
application server 130 may be connected to network 120 via one or more wired,
or
wireless, communication links. Network 120 may include any combination of one
or
more types of public and/or private networks including but not limited to a
local area
network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a cellular data network,
or any
combination thereof.
[0046] Front-end application server 130 may include at least a processor 131
and a
memory 132. The memory 132 may provide for the storage of computer program
code
associated with one or more applications hosted by front-end application
server 130.
The applications may include, for example, a web application 133 that may
facilitate
identification of resources that include listing information for one or more
particular
properties that may be available for sale, for lease, or that provide a
particular service.
Processor 131 may be configured to execute the stored computer program code in
a
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manner that allows front-end application server 130 to realize the
functionality provided
by the applications. Processor 131 may also be configured to execute
instructions to
realize the functionality associated with any of the actions attributed to
front-end
application server 130 below.
[0047] Front-end application server 130 may serve as an interface between the
client
110 and the back-end components of system 100 that may include, for example, a
location based search engine 140, search corpus database 150, and ranking
engine
160. Front-end application server 130 may be comprised of one or more server
computers. Front-end application server 130 may be configured to receive
commands
from a client device 110, and translate those commands, if necessary, into a
format that
is compatible with one or more back-end network components. Front-end
application
server 130 may also employ network security applications such as, for example,
a
firewall, user authentication, subscription verification, or the like in an
effort to supervise
access to one or more back-end network components, if necessary.
[0048] Front-end application server 130 may also facilitate session management
for
each browsing session initiated by each respective client device 110 that is
currently
using a browser 113, or mobile application 114, to avail itself of the
services provided by
the web application 133. For instance, front-end application server 130 may
employ
functionality to associate an identifier with each query received by the front-
end
application server 130 from a particular client 110. The front-end application
server 130
may later utilize the identifier in order to associate ordered search results
received from
a ranking engine 160 with a query received from a particular client 110. The
identifier
may then be used to return the set of ordered search results to the client
device 110
that initiated the query. The identifier may include a user identifier, device
identifier,
transaction identifier, or the like.
[0049] System 100 may also include a location based search engine 140.
Location
based search engine 140 may be configured to receive and execute search
queries that
are associated with a location component. The location component of the search
query
may be based on a particular location that was input by a user via client
device 110.
The location component may be the location of the particular client device
110, or some
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other location that the user of client device 110 has input as a search
parameter.
Alternatively, the location component of the search query may be obtained by
front-end
application server 130, a back-end network component, or another network
component
associated with system 100 based on one or more attributes associated with a
client
device 110. For instance, one of the aforementioned network components may
determine the current location of a client device 110. Alternatively, the
current location
of a client device 110 may be provided to one or more network components of
system
100 by a third party. Alternatively, the location component may be determined
based on
locations that the client device 110 has recently traveled. The location
component may
include, for example, a neighborhood, a city, a state, a zip code, GPS
coordinates,
longitude and latitude coordinates, or the like.
[0050] Location based search engine 140 may include a web crawler 141, an
indexer
142, and a query processor 143. The location based search engine 140 may be
hosted
by one or multiple server computers. The server computer(s) hosting the
location
based search engine 140 may be the same server computer(s) that provide the
front-
end application server 130. Alternatively, however, the server computer(s)
hosting the
location based search engine 140 may be a different set of one or more server
computer(s) that are configured to communicate with the front-end application
server
130 via one or more public or private networks.
[0051] Web crawler 141 may be configured to traverse computers connected to a
computer network such as, for example, the Internet, to scan and identify data
associated with particular properties. For instance, web crawler 141 may scan
computers associated with a computer network in order to identify resources
such as
web pages and other files accessible via the computer network that may include
data
associated with one or multiple properties that are currently being offered
for sale or
lease. Alternatively, or in addition, web crawler 141 may scan computers
associated
with a computer network in order to identify resources that may include data
associated
with one or more services. The identified resources or a subset of the raw
data
associated therewith may be stored in search corpus database 150. In some
implementations, web crawler 141 may be autonomous software that is configured
to
periodically scan computer networks in order to identify new, or previously
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undiscovered, web pages, network accessible files, or other resources
associated with
one or more properties that are currently being offered for sale, for lease,
or resources
associated with one or more services. Alternatively, or in addition, the
functionality of
web crawler 141 may be performed by one or more operators of location based
search
engine 140. For instance, a group of one or more analysts may obtain raw data
associated with a property, and store the raw data in search corpus database
150.
Alternatively, or in addition, it is contemplated that a party that offers a
property for sale,
for lease, or that provides a service may also upload raw data associated with
the
property to search corpus database 150.
[0052] The aggregated set of raw data stored in search corpus database 150 may
comprise a wealth of data describing a wide spectrum of different properties.
For
instance, search corpus database 150 may include for each known property, for
example, the name of the property, the property's location, a description of
the property,
a value associated with the property, or the like. The value for the property
may
include, for example, the price of a property that is being offered for sale
or for lease.
Alternatively, however, the value for a property may include, for example, a
property
rating. Other types of raw data associated with a property may be obtained via
the data
crawling process and stored in search corpus database 150.
[0053] In some examples, the system 100 further includes a resource management
console 170, through which a variety of third parties may manage one or more
resources or other information contained in search corpus database 150. Third
parties,
such as property managers, landlords, property owners, and real estate agents
may
access one or more resources that are associated with the respective third
party's
account. In this way, such third parties may be able to post and manage
listing
information for various properties that are searchable to users. A third party
may, for
instance, initially register an account through interaction with the resource
management
console 170, and later access their account to, for example, add a new listing
information for properties that properties that are currently available or
will become
available in the near future, remove listing information for properties that
have been
taken off of the market, update listing information for properties, and the
like. Third
parties may use any of a variety of client devices, such as third party
clients 171a-171b,
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
to interact with resource management console and search corpus database 150.
Such
third party clients 171a-171b may function in a manner similar to that of
client 110, and
may communicate with resource management console 170 over network 120 or one
or
more networks that are similar to that of network 120. In some examples, such
third
parties may manage resources for properties on any of a number of scales. For
instance, a property management company may manage a web page for a particular
apartment building or community, and may further manage elements or sub-pages
of
this web page for apartments or units within the particular apartment building
or
community.
[0054] Indexer 142 may be configured to analyze the raw data obtained during
the
crawling process in order to make the raw data searchable. For instance,
indexer 142
parse the raw data and extract one or more types of relevant data. For
example, the
indexer 142 may analyze the raw data to extract a property's name, a
property's
location, and a value associated with the property. Indexer 142 may than
associate the
extracted data with one or more keywords. The associated keywords may be
compared
to aspects of received search queries in order to determine whether the
extracted data
associated with the keywords is responsive to the search query.
[0055] Query processor 143 may be configured to receive a search query from
front-
end application server 130 that originated at a client device 110. Query
processor 143
may be configured to parse the received query, extract any relevant keyword(s)
from
the received query, and then execute the query against the index generated by
indexer
142. Query processor 143 may alter the form of one or aspects of the received
query.
For instance, query processor 143 may alter one or more keywords in order to
expand
or narrow the scope of a received query, as necessary. Such alterations to
keywords of
a query may include, for example, utilizing a root expander, replacing one or
more
characters with a wildcard character, insertion of one or more Boolean
operators
between keywords, dynamically altering location information associated with
the query,
or the like. Query processor 143 may also translate one or more aspects of the
received query in order to make the query compatible with the index that is
associated
with the search corpus database 150. Query processor 143 may then execute the
query against the search corpus database 150. Execution of the search query
against
16
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
the search corpus 150 may yield a set of one or multiple search results. The
search
results may identify, for example, a group of one or multiple links that are
associated
with resources that are responsive to the query received from client 110. The
search
result links may reference a resource that includes information associated
with one or
more properties. For instance, the search result links may reference web pages
that
include listing information for one or more properties. The information
included in each
resource may be drawn from search corpus database 150. The set of search
results
may be substantially unordered, or otherwise arranged in an order that is not
based on
entity value. The search results identified by the query processor 143 in
response to
the received search query may then be passed to the ranking engine 160. In
some
implementations, additional information for each resource may also be passed
to
ranking engine 160 by location based search engine 140, such as data
indicating the
amount of time that has elapsed since each resource was last updated, the
availability
of one or more properties for which the particular resource includes listing
information,
the interface through which the particular resource's listing information is
supplied
and/or modified, the value by which one or more properties associated with the
listing
information of the particular resource exceed the maximum desired value,
various
verifications associated with the particular resource and properties, or a
combination
thereof. The location based search engine 140 may communicate with the ranking
engine using one or more public or private networks.
[0056] System 100 may also include a ranking engine 160. Ranking engine 160
may
be hosted by one or multiple server computers. The server computer(s) hosting
the
ranking engine 160 may be the same server computer(s) that provide the front
application server 130. Alternatively, however, the server computer(s) hosting
the
location based ranking engine 160 may be a different set of one or more server
computer(s) that are configured to communicate with the front-end application
server
130 via one or more public or private networks.
[0057] Ranking engine 160 may be configured to perform a series of post
processing
operations on the set of identified search results. The post processing
operations may
determine a ranking score that may be associated with each resource in the set
of
search resources based at least on the analysis of a metric associated with
each entity
17
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
responsive to a query. For instance, a ranking score may be determined for a
particular
resource based on the amount of time that has elapsed since the particular
resource
has been updated, the availability of one or more properties for which the
particular
resource includes listing information, the interface through which the
particular
resource's listing information is supplied and/or modified, the value by which
one or
more properties associated with the listing information of the particular
resource exceed
the maximum desired value, various verifications associated with the
particular resource
and properties, or a combination thereof. Ranking engine 160 may utilize make
such
determinations based on information provided by location based search engine
140,
information included in search corpus 150, historical information that is
managed or
accessed by ranking engine 160, and the like. Ranking engine 160 may then
return the
set of ordered results to the front-end application server 130 via one or more
public or
private networks. Front-end application server may then provide the ordered
search
results to client device 110 via network 120.
[0058] Ranking engine 160 may be configured to isolate and analyze search
results
based on a predetermined geographic region. A geographic region may include,
for
example, a neighborhood, a city, a state, a zip code, GPS coordinates,
longitude and
latitude coordinates, a shape drawn by a user on a graphical user interface
map, or the
like. Once a set of search results are isolated by geographic region, the
ranking engine
may analyze characteristics each resource and the one or more properties for
which
each resource includes listing information. For instance, the ranking engine
160 may
determine how much time has elapsed since the particular resource was last
updated,
whether one or more properties for which the particular resource includes
listing
information are currently available or will become available within an
upcoming
timeframe, whether the information included in the particular resource is
supplied
manually through a user interface or automatically through an application
programming
interface, whether one or more properties for which the particular resource
includes
listing information have prices that exceed a specified price range, whether
any
attributes of the particular resource or one or more properties associated
with the
particular resource, and the like. Ranking engine 160 may utilize make such
determinations based on information provided by location based search engine
140,
18
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
information included in search corpus 150, historical information that is
managed or
accessed by ranking engine 160, and the like. Ranking engine 160 may assign a
score
to each resource identified as responsive a given search query.
[0059] Ranking engine 160 may be configured to make one or more determinations
about a particular resource and assign a ranking score based on such
determinations,
as appropriate. The ranking engine 160 may rank a set of resources based on
the
ranking score assigned to each resource in the set of resources. In some
examples,
the ranking engine 160 may, before making one or more of such determinations,
determine a ranking score for a particular resource based on default criteria
and, after
making one or more determinations, adjusting the ranking score for the
particular
resource based on one or more of such determinations. In some implementations,
such
ranking scores may be weighted scores, where results of each determination
carry a
respective weight. For instance, there may be situations in which it is
beneficial to
assign ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include
information that
has been recently updated over resources that include information that has
less recently
been updated. In this way, users may be presented with listing information
that is
known to be relatively fresh and up-to-date, which may be especially important
in
competitive rental markets. As described in more detail below in the
discussion of FIG.
3A, the ranking engine 160 may assign rank resources in such a manner by
determining
the amount of time that has elapsed since each resource has been updated.
[0060] In addition, there may be situations in which it is beneficial to
assign ranking
scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing information for
properties
that are currently available over resources that only include listing
information for
properties that are not yet available or listing information for properties
with unknown
availability. In this way, users may be presented with listing information for
properties
whose availability is known and temporally-relevant. As described in more
detail below
in the discussion of FIG. 3B, the ranking engine 160 may assign rank resources
in such
a manner by determining the availability of the one or more properties
associated with
each resource.
19
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0061] In a further example, there may be situations in which it is beneficial
to assign
ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing
information for one
or more properties that are within a desired price range or exceed the desired
price
range by a relatively small extent over resources that only include listing
information for
one or more properties that are not within the desired price range or exceed
the desired
price by a relatively large extent. In this way, users may be presented with
listing
information for properties that are within their desired price range, as well
as listing
information for properties that are just outside of their price range in order
to provide
users with a better understanding of the types of properties that could be
rented at a
slightly higher price. This may be a helpful feature for users that are
unfamiliar with the
rental market they are exploring, as well as users that may have flexible a
budget. As
described in more detail below in the discussion of FIG. 3C, the ranking
engine 160 may
assign rank resources in such a manner by determining the value by which one
or more
properties associated with each resource exceed a specified price range.
[0062] In another example, there may be situations in which it is beneficial
to assign
ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing
information for one
or more properties with attributes that have been verified by a third party
over resources
that include listing information for one or more properties with relatively
few attributes
have been verified by a third party. In this way, users may be presented with
listing
information for properties with one or more trustworthy characteristics. As
described in
more detail below in the discussion of FIG. 3D, the ranking engine 160 may
assign rank
resources in such a manner by determining which third party verifications are
associated with the particular resource and properties.
[0063] In another aspect, there may be situations in which it is beneficial to
assign
ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing
information that is
supplied or modified through a user interface over resources that include
listing
information that is supplied or modified through an application programming
interface.
In this way, users may be presented with listing information that is reliably
maintained.
As described in more detail below in the discussion of FIG. 3D, the ranking
engine 160
may assign rank resources in such a manner by determining the interface
through
which each resource's listing information is supplied and/or modified.
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0064] In some aspects of the present disclosure, ranking engine 160 may be
utilized
only when requested by a user of client device 110. If a user decides to not
use ranking
engine 160, the search results may be provided to the client device in the
order
determined by location search engine 140. Such order may be, for example,
based on
most expensive price, lowest price, based on an analysis of keyword frequency
in a web
page associated with the search result corresponding to the entity, based on
payments
received to increase a ranking score associated with each entity, or the like,
or any
combination thereof. Accordingly, client 110 may be able to toggle ranking
engine 160
on and off. In some instances, client 110 may be able to adjust ranking engine
160
such that ranking scores are assigned based on specific characteristics of
resources.
[0065] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface 200 for
displaying a set
of search results that include representations of resources identified as
responsive to a
search query. The graphical user interface 200 may be accessed through a
browser or
other application running on a personal or mobile computing device, such as
browser
113 or application 114 running on client device 110, and may represent a page
or
screen provided in association with an online real estate marketplace,
directory, or
search engine. For example, the graphical user interface 200 may represent a
webpage of an apartment-finding website showing results returned in response
to a
user-submitted search query. The graphical user interface 200 may include a
search
query interface 202a, a map 204, and a listing of search results 206a.
Briefly, as
described in more detail below, the search query interface 202a may receive
one or
more search parameters from a user that may be utilized to generate search
queries,
while the map 204 and listing of search results 206a may present various
representations of the search results that are identified responsive to
generated search
queries.
[0066] The search query interface 202a may include a floor plan field 203a
that allows
user to specify a desired floor plan, a minimum rent field 203b that allows
user to
specify a minimum desired rental price, a maximum rent field 203c that allows
users to
specify a maximum desired rental price, a general location field 203d that
allows users
to specify a desired geographic region on a city, state, or zip-code scale,
and a
neighborhood field 203e that allows users to specify a desired geographic
region on a
21
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
neighborhood scale. In some examples, the search query interface 202a may
include
additional drop-down menus and other fields that receive open-ended textual
input, data
indicating one or more user preferences or selections, or a combination
thereof.
[0067] In the example of FIG. 2, a user has provided input to search query
interface
202a that corresponds to a one bedroom floor plan, a minimum desired rental
price of
$1400 per month, a maximum desired rental price of $2000 per month, and a
desired
geographic region of the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington, District of
Columbia.
The application running on client device may generate a query based on the
search
parameters or criteria received through the search query interface 202a,
forward the
query to front-end application server 130, and the search query may be
executed by
one or more back-end components of system 100 such as, location search engine
140.
Alternatively, any unstructured search criteria entered by a user via
graphical user
interface 200A may be transmitted to front-end application server 130, front-
end
application server 130 may then generate a search query based on the received
search
criteria, and then the search query may be executed by one or more back-end
components of system 100 such as, location search engine 140. Then search
results
such as, for example, resources that include listing information for the
apartments
shown on map 204 and within listing 206a may be returned to client device 110,
and
presented through graphical user interface 200.
[0068] Representations of the initial set of search results may be displayed
as a list of
search results 206a that may include, for example, a representation 210a of a
listing for
the Bixby House, a representation 220a of a listing for L'Enfant Towers, a
representation 230a of a listing for Farragut Terrace, and a representation
240a of a
listing for Dupont Apartments. That is, representations 210a-240a correspond
to listings
for one or more properties within the Bixby House, L'Enfant Towers, Farragut
Terrace,
and Dupont Apartments communities, respectively, each of which may represent
search
results returned in response to a search query generated based on information
provided
to search query interface 202a for rental property listings within the
"Downtown"
geographic region of the District of Columbia. In some implementations,
representations of search results, such as resources, may be presented within
list of
search results 206a in an order that corresponds to rankings of the search
results, such
22
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
as those provided at least in part by ranking engine 160. Representations 210a-
240a
as shown in FIG. 2 are not, however, arranged in list of search results 206a
according
to any particular order or ranking. That is, the depicted state of graphical
user interface
200 is an example of the graphical user interface that may appear when the
ranking
engine 160 has been toggled off. Each representation included in the list of
search
results 206a may, for instance, include an image of the respective rental
property, a
textual overview of the details of the listing, one or more graphical or
textual elements
that indicate characteristics of the respective rental property or the
resource that
includes listing information for the respective property, and the like.
[0069] For instance, representation 210a may include text indicating the name
of the
community to which one or more rental properties belongs, or "The Bixby
House," an
image of the Bixby House community from an aerial perspective, and text
indicating the
monthly rental fee of the one or more properties, or $1600. In addition, each
representation may also include one or more indications of characteristics of
the
respective community, individual properties within the respective community,
and the
resource that includes listing information for one or more properties within
the
respective community. In some examples, each of representations 210a-240a may
include one or more graphical or textual elements that indicate the amount of
time that
has elapsed since the corresponding resource has been updated, e.g., quantity
of
hours, days, or weeks since the web page that includes listing information was
last
updated, the availability of one or more properties within the respective
community, e.g.,
whether properties are available now or will be available in the near future,
the interface
through which the corresponding resource's listing information is supplied
and/or
modified, e.g., application programming interface, user interface, etc., the
amount by
which one or more properties within the respective community exceed the
maximum
desired rental price specified, various verifications associated with the
corresponding
resource and properties, e.g., third party verification of features of
properties, owners or
managers of the community or properties, building certifications, etc., or a
combination
thereof. Such elements may be generated based on information that is utilized
to make
one or more of the determinations about resources, such as those which are
used for
assigning ranking scores as described above in reference in reference to FIG.
1. For
23
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
example, representations 210a-240a are shown as including some of such
graphical
and/or textual elements.
[0070] In the example of FIG. 2, representation 210a includes an element 212a
indicating that one or more apartments in the Bixby House community are
currently
available for tenancy and element 214a indicating that the web page that
includes the
listing information for the Bixby House was last updated a week ago.
Similarly,
representation 220a includes elements 222a and 224a indicating that one or
more
apartments in L'Enfant Towers will become available soon and that the web page
that
includes the listing information for L'Enfant Towers was last updated one day
ago,
respectively. It can be seen that representation 230a includes an element 236a
indicating that one or more attributes of Farragut Terrace have been verified
by a third
party. In addition, representation 240a as provided in the example of FIG. 2
includes an
element 246a indicating that one or more units in the Dupont Apartments
communities
exceed the desired price range received by search interface 202a by $50. It is
to be
understood that search result representations provided by the techniques
described
herein may each include some or all of the types of elements described above.
In some
implementations, search result representations may only include elements that
indicate
information that is known to the search engine system 100.
[0071] In addition, one or more portions of each representation may serve as
hyperlinks that point to other resources associated with the respective rental
property
listing. Representations 210a-240a may further include one or more hyperlinks
or other
interactive components that direct users to a resource that includes the
corresponding
listing information, or other information related to the particular units or
properties
available for tenancy, the communities, the area surrounding the location of
the
particular units available for tenancy, and the like.
[0072] Alternatively, or in addition, the search results may be represented on
map
204 of the geographic location associated with the apartments. In some
implementations, the map 204 may include a graphical icon associated with the
geographic location of each identified search result. For instance, the map
204 may
show topographical information for Washington, D.C., and more specifically the
24
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
Downtown neighborhood 205 of Washington, D.C., and further provides a
graphical icon
210b that represents the listing for the Bixby House, a graphical icon 220b
that
represents the listing for L'Enfant Towers, a graphical icon 230b that
represents the
listing for Farragut Terrace, and a graphical icon 240b that represents the
listing for
Dupont Apartments. In some examples, graphical icons 210b-240b may be
interactive
elements that point to each of representations 210a-240a, respectively, or to
each of the
resources to which representations 210a-240a correspond, respectively.
[0073] In some examples, representations of resources that are identified as
responsive to search queries may be presented within list of search results
206a
according their respective rankings. Each resource that is identified as
responsive to a
search query may, for instance, be ranked among the set of identified
resources
according to the ranking score provided by ranking engine 160 based on one or
more
determinations about the respective resource. Examples of the impact that such
determinations may have on the rankings of resources that are identified as
responsive
to search queries are described in more detail below in reference to FIGS. 3A-
3D and 4.
In some implementations, such ranking scores may be weighted scores, where
results
of each determination carry a respective weight.
[0074] FIG. 3A illustrates an example graphical user interface 300A for
displaying a
set of search results that include representations of resources that are
ranked by
amount of time having elapsed since each resource was last updated. The
graphical
user interface 300A may be similar to at least a portion of the graphical user
interface
200 as described above, and may at least include a search query interface
302a, a map
(not shown), and a listing of search results 206a. Briefly, as described in
more detail
below, the search query interface 302a may receive one or more search
parameters
from a user that may be utilized to generate search queries, while the listing
of search
results 306a presents representations 210a-240a of the search results that are
identified responsive to generated search queries as ranked according to
rankings
350a, or by amount of time having elapsed since each resource was last
updated.
[0075] In the example of FIG. 3A, a user has provided input to search query
interface
302a that corresponds to a one bedroom floor plan, a minimum desired rental
price of
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
$1400 per month, a maximum desired rental price of $2100 per month, and a
desired
geographic region of the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington, District of
Columbia.
Representations of the initial set of search results obtained in response to
the input
provided to search query interface 302a may correspond or be similar to
representations 210a-240a as described above with reference to FIG. 2, and may
be
displayed as a list of search results 306a in an order that corresponds to
rankings 350a.
The example depicted in FIG. 3A shows representations 210a-240a as ranked
entirely
or largely on the basis of the amount of time having elapsed since each
corresponding
resource was last updated. That is, the ranking scores that are assigned to
the search
results of FIG. 3A may place disproportionate weight on such amounts of
elapsed time.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 3A, the rankings 350a of list of search results 306a
correspond to representation 220a of the listing for L'Enfant Towers being
ranked first,
representation 210a of the listing for the Bixby House being ranked second,
representation 240a of a listing for Dupont Apartments being ranked third, and
representation 230a of the listing for Farragut Terrace being ranked fourth.
In this
example, the ranking engine 160 may have, for instance, determined that the
web page
that includes information for L'Enfant Towers was the most recently updated
resource
identified as responsive to the search query generated based on the input
provided to
search query interface 302a, followed by the resources that include
information for the
Bixby House, Dupont Apartments, and Farragut Terrace, respectively. It can be
seen
that, in this example, the ranking engine 160 may has assigned ranking scores
in a
manner that favors resources that include information that has been recently
updated
over resources that include information that has less recently been updated.
In this
way, users may be more quickly connected with relevant listing information,
and may
spend less time browsing or following up on outdated property listings.
[0077] In some examples, representations 210a-240a may further include
elements
314a-344a, respectively, that indicate the amount of time having elapsed since
each
represented resource was last updated. Each of elements 314a-344a may also be
generated on determinations made by ranking engine 160. For instance, ranking
engine 160 may have determined that the web page that includes information for
L'Enfant Towers was updated one day ago, that the web page that includes
information
26
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
for the Bixby House was updated one week ago, that the web page that includes
information for Dupont Apartments was updated one and a half weeks ago, and
that the
web page that includes information for Farragut Terrace was updated two weeks
ago.
In some implementations, the difference between the time at which a search
query is
generated from input provided to search query interface 302a and the time at
which
each resource was last updated is utilized as the amount of elapsed time that
is relied
upon to rank results and generate the textual and/or graphical elements that
are
presented with the representation of each result.
[0078] FIG. 3B illustrates an example graphical user interface 300B for
displaying a
set of search results that include representations of resources that are
ranked by
property availability. The graphical user interface 300B may be similar to at
least a
portion of the graphical user interface 300A as described above, and may at
least
include a search query interface 302b, a map (not shown), and a listing of
search
results 206b. Briefly, as described in more detail below, the search query
interface
302b may receive one or more search parameters from a user that may be
utilized to
generate search queries, while the listing of search results 306b presents
representations 210a-240a of the search results that are identified responsive
to
generated search queries as ranked according to rankings 350b, or by property
availability.
[0079] In the example of FIG. 3B, a user has provided input to search query
interface
302b that corresponds to a one bedroom floor plan, a minimum desired rental
price of
$1400 per month, a maximum desired rental price of $2100 per month, and a
desired
geographic region of the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington, District of
Columbia.
Representations of the initial set of search results obtained in response to
the input
provided to search query interface 302b may correspond or be similar to
representations 210a-240a as described above with reference to FIG. 2, and may
be
displayed as a list of search results 306b in an order that corresponds to
rankings 350b.
The example depicted in FIG. 3B shows representations 210a-240a as ranked
largely
on the basis of property availability.
27
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0080] As shown in FIG. 3B, the rankings 350b of list of search results 306b
correspond to representation 210a of the listing for the Bixby House being
ranked first,
representation 240a of a listing for Dupont Apartments being ranked second,
representation 220a of the listing for L'Enfant Towers being ranked third, and
representation 230a of the listing for Farragut Terrace being ranked fourth.
In this
example, the ranking engine 160 may have, for instance, determined that one or
more
apartments within the Bixby House and Dupont Apartments are currently
available, and
that one or more apartments within L'Enfant Towers and Farragut Terrace will
become
available soon. It can be seen that, in this example, the ranking engine 160
may has
assigned ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing
information for properties that are currently available over resources that
only include
listing information for properties that are not yet available or listing
information for
properties with unknown availability. By providing search results in this
manner, users
may spend less time browsing or following up on listings for properties that
are not
available within a relevant timeframe. For this reason, rankings 350b can be
seen as
favoring search results corresponding to the Bixby House and Dupont Apartments
over
those corresponding to L'Enfant Towers and Farragut Terrace. In addition, the
rankings
350b may further favor search results corresponding to the Bixby House over
those
corresponding to Dupont Apartments on the basis of a secondary consideration,
such
as the amount of time having elapsed since the web page that includes
information for
the Bixby House being less than that of the web page that includes information
for
Dupont Apartments. Similarly, the rankings 350b may also favor search results
corresponding to L'Enfant Towers over those corresponding to Farragut Terrace
on the
basis of the amount of time having elapsed since the web page that includes
information for L'Enfant Towers being less than that of the web page that
includes
information for Farragut Terrace. That is, the ranking scores that are
assigned to the
search results of FIG. 3B may place weight on both property availability and
amount of
time elapsed since last update, with more weight being placed on property
availability.
In this way, the amount of time elapsed since last update can be seen as a tie-
breaker
in this example.
28
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0081] In some implementations, a level of membership of users that manage
such
resources may be taken into account when evaluating property availability or
ranking
one or more resources on the basis of property availability. For example, the
ranking
engine 160 may boost ranking scores that are assigned to resources that
include
information for one or more properties that are not currently available, will
not become
available in the near future, or whose availability is unknown, as long as
such
information is managed at least in part by one or more users of a sponsored
account.
In this way, paying members of an apartment-finding website or service that
provides
graphical user interface 300B may receive the added benefit of having the
listing
information that they manage be returned irrespective of the availability of
the properties
at hand.
[0082] In some examples, representations 210a-240a may further include
elements
312b-342b, respectively, that indicate the availability of one or more
properties
associated with each resource. Each of elements 312b-342b may also be
generated on
determinations made by ranking engine 160. In some implementations, the
difference
between the time at which a search query is generated from input provided to
search
query interface 302b and property availability dates indicated in listing
information is
utilized to determine property availability conditions that are relied upon to
rank results
and generate the textual and/or graphical elements that are presented with the
representation of each result. Data indicating such property availability may
be
managed by or accessible to the ranking engine 160 or other components of
system
100.
[0083] FIG. 3C illustrates an example graphical user interface 300C for
displaying a
set of search results that include representations of resources that are
ranked at least in
part by property price with respect to a desired price range. The graphical
user
interface 300C may be similar to at least a portion of the graphical user
interfaces 300A-
B as described above, and may at least include a search query interface 302c,
a map
(not shown), and a listing of search results 206c. Briefly, as described in
more detail
below, the search query interface 302c may receive one or more search
parameters
from a user that may be utilized to generate search queries, while the listing
of search
results 306c presents representations 210a-240a of the search results that are
identified
29
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
responsive to generated search queries as ranked according to rankings 350c,
or by
property price with respect to a desired price range.
[0084] In the example of FIG. 3C, a user has provided input to search query
interface
302c that corresponds to a one bedroom floor plan, a minimum desired rental
price of
$1400 per month, a maximum desired rental price of $1950 per month, and a
desired
geographic region of the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington, District of
Columbia.
Representations of the initial set of search results obtained in response to
the input
provided to search query interface 302c may correspond or be similar to
representations 210a-240a as described above with reference to FIG. 2, and may
be
displayed as a list of search results 306c in an order that corresponds to
rankings 350c.
[0085] In some implementations, the initial set of search results may be
obtained in
response to a subset of the input provided to search query interface 302c. For
instance,
the set of resources identified as responsive to the search query generated in
association with search query interface 302c may each include listing
information for
one or more properties located in the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington,
D.C.,
but such properties may not necessary fall within the specified price range of
$1400 to
$1950 per month. That is, the initial set of search results may be obtained
irrespective
of the minimum and maximum desired rental prices that have been specified, in
this
example, by the user of search query interface 302c. In such implementations,
the
location based search engine 140 may identify resources that include listing
information
for properties whose prices fall within the specified price range of $1400 to
$1950 per
month, as well as resources that include listing information for properties
whose prices
exceed the specified price range of $1400 to $1950 per month by less than a
predetermined amount. Additionally or alternatively, the location based search
engine
140 may identify resources that include listing information for properties
whose prices
fall outside of the specified price range of $1400 to $1950 per month, and the
ranking
engine 160 may prune back the set of search results provided by location based
search
engine 140 to exclude resources that include listing information for
properties whose
prices exceed the specified price range of $1400 to $1950 per month by more
than the
predetermined amount, or the ranking engine 160 may simply assign relatively
low
ranking scores to resources that include listing information for properties
whose prices
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
exceed the specified price range of $1400 to $1950 per month by more than the
predetermined amount. In some examples, the predetermined amount may user-
defined. Additionally or alternatively, the predetermined amount may
correspond to a
predetermined percentage of the specified price range.
[0086] The rankings 350c of search results 306c can be seen as being similar
to that
of the rankings 350b of search results 306b, as described above in reference
to FIG.
3B. That is, the ranking scores that are assigned to the search results of
FIG. 3C may
place weight on both property availability and amount of time elapsed since
last update,
with more weight being placed on property availability, and may at least
partially place
weight on property price with respect to a desired price range. For resources
that
include listing information for properties whose prices exceed a desired price
range by
less than the predetermined amount, the amount of weight placed on property
price with
respect to a desired price range may, in some examples, be inversely
proportional to
the extent to which such prices exceed the desired price range. In this way,
users may
be presented with properties that are just slightly beyond their specified
price range,
which may allow users to gain greater perspective of the real estate market
they are
exploring and reevaluate their budgets.
[0087] As shown in FIG. 3C, the rankings 350c of list of search results 306c
correspond to representation 210a of the listing for the Bixby House being
ranked first,
representation 220a of the listing for L'Enfant Towers being ranked second,
representation 240a of a listing for Dupont Apartments being ranked third, and
representation 230a of the listing for Farragut Terrace being ranked fourth.
It can be
noted that, with the exception of representation 220a of the listing for
L'Enfant Towers
being ranked second and representation 240a of a listing for Dupont Apartments
being
ranked third, the rankings 350c of search results 306c are substantially the
same as that
of the rankings 350b of search results 306b, as described above in reference
to FIG.
3B. In this example, the ranking engine 160 may have, for instance, determined
that
one or more apartments within the Bixby House have prices that fall within the
specified
price range of $1400 to $1950 per month, that one or more one or more
apartments
within L'Enfant Towers have prices that exceed the specified price range of
$1400 to
$1950 per month by $25 per month, that one or more apartments in the Dupont
31
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
Apartment community have prices that exceed the specified price range of $1400
to
$1950 per month by $100 per month, and that one or more apartments within
Farragut
Terrace have prices that fall within the specified price range of $1400 to
$1950 per
month. It can be seen that, in this example, the ranking engine 160 may have
assigned
ranking scores in a manner that favors resources that include listing
information for one
or more properties that are within a desired price range or exceed the desired
price
range by a relatively small extent over resources that only include listing
information for
one or more properties that are not within the desired price range or exceed
the desired
price by a relatively large extent. For this reason, rankings 350c can be seen
as
favoring search results corresponding to L'Enfant Towers over those
corresponding to
Dupont Apartments, such that rankings 350c of search results 306c differ from
rankings
350b of search results 306b.
[0088] For instance, rankings 350c may favor search results corresponding to
the
Bixby House over those of L'Enfant Towers, Dupont Apartments, and Farragut
Terrace
at least in part because it was determined that the web page for the Bixby
House was
updated relatively recently and includes listing information for one or more
apartments
are currently available and have prices that fall within the specified price
range of $1400
to $1950 per month. Furthermore, rankings 350c may favor search results
corresponding to L'Enfant Towers over those of Dupont Apartments because the
extent
to which prices of apartments within the Dupont Apartment community exceed the
desired price range, or $100 per month, may have more of an adverse impact on
ranking score than the extent to which prices of apartments within L'Enfant
Towers
exceed the desired price range, or $25 per month, does. Lastly, rankings 350c
may
favor search results corresponding to Dupont Apartments over those of Farragut
Terrace because the adverse impact that the prices of apartments in the Dupont
Apartment community may not have been enough to negate the advantages in
property
availability and amount of time elapsed since last update that Dupont
Apartments has
over Farragut Terrace.
[0089] In some examples, representations 220a and 240a may further include
elements 326c and 346c that indicate that one or more properties associated
with the
resources that correspond to representations 220a and 240a, respectively, have
prices
32
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
that exceed the maximum desired rent that has been provided as input to search
query
interface 302c, and the extent to which such prices exceed the maximum desired
rent.
Each of elements 326c and 346c may also be generated on determinations made by
ranking engine 160. In some implementations, the difference between the
maximum
desired rent price that is provided as input to search query interface 302c
and the price
of one or more properties indicated in listing information is utilized to
determine the
pricing conditions that are relied upon to rank results and generate the
textual and/or
graphical elements that are presented with the representation of each result.
[0090] FIG. 3D illustrates an example graphical user interface 300D for
displaying a
set of search results that include representations of resources that are
ranked by
property verifications. The graphical user interface 300D may be similar to at
least a
portion of the graphical user interfaces 300A-C as described above, and may at
least
include a search query interface 302d, a map (not shown), and a listing of
search
results 206d. Briefly, as described in more detail below, the search query
interface
302d may receive one or more search parameters from a user that may be
utilized to
generate search queries, while the listing of search results 306d presents
representations 210a-240a of the search results that are identified responsive
to
generated search queries as ranked according to rankings 350d, or by property
verifications.
[0091] In the example of FIG. 3D, a user has provided input to search query
interface
302c that corresponds to a one bedroom floor plan, a minimum desired rental
price of
$1400 per month, a maximum desired rental price of $2100 per month, and a
desired
geographic region of the "Downtown" neighborhood of Washington, District of
Columbia.
Representations of the initial set of search results obtained in response to
the input
provided to search query interface 302d may correspond or be similar to
representations 210a-240a as described above with reference to FIG. 2, and may
be
displayed as a list of search results 306c in an order that corresponds to
rankings 350d.
The example depicted in FIG. 3D shows representations 210a-240a as ranked
largely
on the basis of quantity and/or type of property verifications. That is, the
ranking scores
that are assigned to the search results of FIG. 3D may place disproportionate
weight on
such quantity and/or type of property verifications.
33
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0092] As shown in FIG. 3D, the rankings 350d of list of search results 306d
correspond to representation 230a of the listing for Farragut Terrace being
ranked first,
representation 220a of the listing for L'Enfant Towers being ranked second,
representation 210a of the listing for the Bixby House being ranked third, and
representation 240a of a listing for Dupont Apartments being ranked fourth. In
this
example, the ranking engine 160 may have, for instance, determined that the
listing
information provided in association with Farragut Terrace has been verified by
a third
party verification service, that the owner or manager of Farragut Terrace has
passed a
background check administered by a third party verification service, and
further that
Farragut Terrace is verified by a third party verification service as being a
Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED") certified building. For instance, the
listing
information provided in association with Farragut Terrace has been verified by
a third
party verification service to indicate that features and/or amenities that are
described as
being part of or included in apartments within Farragut Terrace are accurate.
In some
examples, such a third party verification service may visit Farragut Terrace
to confirm
that the listing information provides an accurate representation of Farragut
Terrace and
its units.
[0093] In addition, the ranking engine 160 may have, for instance, determined
that the
listing information provided in association with L'Enfant Towers has also been
verified
by a third party verification service and that the owner or manager of
L'Enfant Towers
has passed a background check administered by a third party, and that the
Bixby House
Dupont Apartment buildings are LEED certified. It can be seen that, in this
example, the
ranking engine 160 may has assigned ranking scores in a manner that favors
resources
that include listing information for one or more properties with attributes
that have been
verified by a third party over resources that include listing information for
one or more
properties with relatively few attributes have been verified by a third party.
For this
reason, rankings 350d can be seen as favoring search results corresponding to
Farragut Terrace over those corresponding to L'Enfant Towers, the Bixby House,
and
Dupont Apartments.
[0094] In addition, the rankings 350d may further favor search results
corresponding
to the Bixby House over those corresponding to Dupont Apartments on the basis
of a
34
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
secondary consideration. For instance, the rankings 350d may favor the Bixby
House
over Dupont Apartments because ranking engine 160 may have determined that
listing
information included in the Bixby House web page is supplied or modified
through a
user interface, and further determined that listing information included in
the Dupont
Apartments web page is supplied or modified through an application programming
interface. That is, the ranking scores that are assigned to the search results
of FIG. 3D
may place weight on both quantity and/or type of property verifications and
type of
interface through which listing information is supplied and/or provided, with
more weight
being placed on quantity and/or type of property verifications. In this way,
the type of
interface through which listing information is supplied and/or provided can be
seen as a
tie-breaker in this example. It is, however, to be understood that, in some
examples,
representations 210a-240a as ranked largely or entirely on the basis of the
type of
interface through which listing information is supplied and/or provided. By
providing
search results in this manner, users may be able to spend less time browsing
or
following up on property listings that include information that is unreliable,
provided by
untrusted sources, or both.
[0095] In some examples, representations 210a-240a may further include
elements
336d-348d, respectively, that indicate various verifications of one or more
properties
associated with each resource. Each of elements 336d-348d may also be
generated on
determinations made by ranking engine 160. In some implementations, an entity
or
service that is at least in part responsible for providing graphical user
interface 300D
may serve as one or more of the third parties that verify attributes of
properties. For
instance, such attributes may include features of properties, amenities of
properties,
authenticity of listing information, environmental or structural
characteristics of
properties, certifications and licensure held by one or more entities
associated with
properties, and the like. Data indicating such attributes, along with any
corresponding
verifications may be provided, modified, and managed by one or more third
party
verification services that communicate with the resource management console
170, and
may be accessible to or further managed by the ranking engine 160 or other
components of system 100.
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0096] In some examples, the ranking engine 160 may determine whether each
resource includes information that is supplied or modified through a user
interface or an
application programming interface based on analysis that is performed on data
included
in search corpus 150. In some instances, such a determination may be made
based on
monitoring one or more administrative tools, such as those provided by the
resource
management console 170, and allow members or account holders, such as realtors
and
property managers, to supply and/or modify to one or more resources. In this
way, the
ranking engine 160 may determine, based on monitoring of such administrative
tools,
whether information included in various resources is being supplied and/or
modified by
corresponding members through a user interface or other interface that
receives manual
input from users, or an application programming interface or other interface
that
automatically receives input from one or more computing modules in an
automated
manner. Data indicating the listing information interface associated with each
resource
may be managed by or accessible to the ranking engine 160 or other components
of
system 100.
[0097] FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary process 400 for enhancing point of
interest
identification. The following describes the process 400 as being performed by
components of system 100 described above with reference to FIG. 1 and in
association
with one or more components described above with reference to FIGS. 2-3D.
However,
the process 400 may be performed by other systems or system configurations.
Briefly,
the process 400 may include receiving a query that specifies a geographic
region (410),
obtaining a obtaining a set of resources that (i) are identified as responsive
to the query
and (ii) each include listing information for one or more properties located
within the
geographic region (420), making one or more determinations about a particular
resource among the set of resources (430), ranking the particular resource
among the
set of resources based at least on the one or more determinations (440), and
providing
an indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of resources
(450).
[0098] In more detail, process 400 may include receiving a query that
specifies a
geographic region (410). For example, this may correspond to receiving a
search query
that corresponds to input that is provided to search query interface 202a,
such as input
that is provided to general location field 203d and/or neighborhood field
203e.
36
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0099] The process 400 may include obtaining a obtaining a set of resources
that (i)
are identified as responsive to the query and (ii) each include listing
information for one
or more properties located within the geographic region (420). For example,
this may
correspond to obtaining a set of resources, such as those which correspond to
representations 210a-240a, that are each identified as responsive to a search
query
that corresponds to at least a portion of the input that is provided to search
query
interface 202a and include listing information for one or more properties
located within
the geographic region, such as listing information for apartments within the
Bixby
House, L'Enfant Towers, Farragut Terrace, and Dupont Apartments, each of which
are
located within geographic region 205.
[0100] The process 400 may include making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources (430). This may, for instance,
correspond to the ranking engine 160 making one or more of the determinations
that
are used for providing rankings 350a-350d, as described above in reference to
FIGS.
3A-3D, respectively. For example, one or more determinations may be made about
a
particular resource regarding the amount of time that has elapsed since
particular
resource was last updated, the availability of one or more properties for
which the
particular resource includes listing information, the interface through which
the particular
resource's listing information is supplied and/or modified, the value by which
one or
more properties associated with the listing information of the particular
resource exceed
the maximum desired value, various verifications associated with the
particular resource
and properties, or a combination thereof.
[0101] The process 400 may include ranking the particular resource among the
set of
resources based at least on the one or more determinations (440). This may,
for
instance, correspond to the ranking engine 160 providing rankings 350a-350d,
as
described above in reference to FIGS. 3A-3D, respectively, based on one or
more
determinations. For example, the set of resources may be ranked based on one
or
more determinations may be made about a particular resource regarding the
amount of
time that has elapsed since particular resource was last updated, the
availability of one
or more properties for which the particular resource includes listing
information, the
interface through which the particular resource's listing information is
supplied and/or
37
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
modified, the value by which one or more properties associated with the
listing
information of the particular resource exceed the maximum desired value,
various
verifications associated with the particular resource and properties, or a
combination
thereof.
[0102] The process 400 may include providing an indication of the particular
resource's ranking among the set of resources (450). For example, this may
correspond to presenting search results or representations of resources in an
order
similar to that which has been described above in reference to rankings 350a-
350d.
[0103] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining that a
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information that was last
updated
within a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time may,
for
instance, be defined by one or more users or administrators of system 100, and
may
additionally be adjusted over time or for specific search queries. In these
implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based at
least on the one or more determinations may include ranking the particular
resource
among the set of resources based at least on determining that the particular
resource
among the set of resources includes listing information that was last updated
within a
predetermined amount of time. For instance, this may correspond to determining
that a
particular resource described in association with FIG. 3A, such as those
corresponding
to any of representations 220a-240a, includes listing information that was
last updated
within a predetermined amount of time, and ranking the particular resource
according to
rankings 350a, or by amount of time having elapsed since each resource was
last
updated.
[0104] In such implementations, the process 400 may further include generating
one
or more representations of the particular resource, at least one of which
indicates that
the particular amount of time has elapsed since the particular resource was
last
updated. In such examples, providing the indication of the particular
resource's ranking
among the set of resources may include providing the one or more
representations of
the particular resource, with indication of the particular resource's ranking
among the
38
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
set of resources, for output. For instance, this may correspond to generating
any of
representations 210a-240a described in association with FIG. 3A that include
elements
314a-344a, respectively, that indicate the amount of time having elapsed since
each
represented resource was last updated. The process 400 may, in some of these
examples, further include determining that the particular resource includes
listing
information for one or more properties that reside at a particular location
within the
geographic region. In these examples, generating one or more representations
of the
particular resource may include generating one or more representations of the
particular
resource, at least one of which indicates the particular location within the
geographic
region. For instance, this may correspond to generating any of graphical icons
210b-
240b that are depicted within geographical region 205 on the map 204 as
provided by
the graphical user interface 200 as described above in association with FIG.
2.
[0105] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining whether
a
particular resource among the set of resources includes listing information
for one or
more properties that are indicated as available for occupancy at a particular
point in
time. In these implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set
of
resources based at least on the one or more determinations may include ranking
the
particular resource among the set of resources based at least on determining
whether
the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information for one or
more properties that are indicated as available for occupancy at the
particular point in
time. For instance, this may correspond to determining that a particular
resource
described in association with FIG. 3B, such as those corresponding to any of
representations 220a-240a, includes listing information for one or more
properties that
are currently available or will become available soon, and ranking the
particular
resource according to rankings 350b, or property availability.
[0106] In such implementations, determining whether the particular resource
among
the set of resources includes listing information for one or more properties
that are
indicated as available for occupancy at the particular point in time may, in
some
implementations, include determining whether the particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties that are
indicated as
39
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
currently available for occupancy. In some examples, receiving the query that
specifies
the geographic region may include receiving, at a first point in time, a query
that
specifies a geographic region. In such examples, determining whether the
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information for one or
more
properties that are indicated as available for occupancy at the particular
point in time
may include determining whether the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties that are indicated as
becoming
available for occupancy within a particular amount of time after the first
point in time. In
some implementations, the process 400 may further include determining whether
the
particular resource among the set of resources includes listing information
that is
managed at least in part by one or more users of a sponsored account. In such
implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
may, for
instance, include ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based
further on determining whether the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information that is managed at least in part by one or more
users of a
sponsored account. This may, for instance, correspond to the example described
above in association with FIG. 3B in which the ranking engine 160 may boost
ranking
scores that are assigned to resources that include information for one or more
properties that are not currently available, will not become available in the
near future,
or whose availability is unknown, as long as such information is managed at
least in part
by one or more users of a sponsored account.
[0107] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining that a
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information that was
supplied
through a particular listing information interface. In these implementations,
ranking the
particular resource among the set of resources based at least on the one or
more
determinations may include ranking the particular resource among the set of
resources
based at least on determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information that was supplied through the particular listing
information
interface. For instance, this may correspond to determining that a particular
resource
described in association with FIG. 3D, such as those corresponding to any of
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
representations 220a-240a, includes listing information for one or more
properties that
having been supplied or modified through a given interface, and ranking the
particular
resource according to rankings 350d, or by listing information interface.
[0108] In such implementations, determining that the particular resource among
the
set of resources includes listing information that was supplied through the
particular
listing information interface may, in some examples, include determining that
the
particular resource among the set of resources includes listing information
that was
supplied through a user interface. In addition, determining that the
particular resource
among the set of resources includes listing information that was supplied
through the
particular listing information interface may, in some instances, include
determining that
the particular resource among the set of resources includes listing
information that was
supplied through an application programming interface. For instance, this may
correspond to the example described in association with FIG. 3D in which
rankings
350d favor search results corresponding to the Bixby House over those
corresponding
to Dupont Apartments, on the basis of the web page for the Bixby House
including
listing information that is supplied and/or modified through a user interface
and the web
page for Dupont Apartments including listing information that is supplied
and/or modified
through an application programming interface.
[0109] In some examples, the process 400 may further include further include
determining that the particular resource includes listing information for one
or more
properties that reside at a particular location within the geographic region
and
generating one or more representations of the particular resource, at least
one of which
indicates the particular location within the geographic region. In such
examples,
providing the indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of
resources
may include providing the one or more representations of the particular
resource, with
indication of the particular resource's ranking among the set of resources,
for output.
This may, for instance, correspond to generating and outputting any of the
representations or graphical icons described herein in a manner that indicates
respective rank. In the example of FIG. 3D, this may correspond to providing
search
results 306d for output at graphical user interface 300D in an order that
corresponds to
the rankings 350d.
41
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0110] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining that a
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information for one or
more
properties having prices that exceed the price range by a particular amount.
In these
implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based at
least on the one or more determinations may include ranking the particular
resource
among the set of resources based at least on determining that the particular
resource
among the set of resources includes listing information for one or more
properties
having prices that exceed the price range by the particular amount. For
instance, this
may correspond to determining that a particular resource described in
association with
FIG. 3C, such as those corresponding to any of representations 220a-240a,
includes
listing information for one or more properties having prices that fall within
a price range
specified by search query interface 302d or exceed the price range specified
by search
query interface 302c by a particular amount, and ranking the particular
resource
according to rankings 350c, or at least in part by property price with respect
to a desired
price range.
[0111] In some examples, receiving the query that specifies the geographic
region
and the price range may, in some implementations, include receiving a query
that
specifies a geographic region and a price range that extends from a lower
limit to an
upper limit. This may, for instance, correspond to the price range described
in
association with FIG. 3C that extends from a lower limit of $1400 per month to
an upper
limit of $1950 per month, as indicated by input that is received through
search query
interface 302d. In such implementations, the process 400 may further include
determining, based at least on the received price range, a particular price
range that (i)
is different from the received price range and (ii) extends from the upper
limit of the
received price range to another limit that exceeds the upper limit of the
price range. In
some implementations, determining that the particular resource among the set
of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties having
prices that
exceed the price range by the particular amount may, in some instances,
include
determining that the particular resource among the set of resources includes
listing
information for one or more properties having prices that fall within the
particular price
42
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
range. For instance, this may correspond to determining a particular price
range that
extends from the maximum rent price of $1950 per month to another limit that
exceeds
the maximum rent price of $1950 per month, and also exceeds rent prices of
$1975 and
$2050 per month, such that properties within L'Enfant Towers and Dupont
Apartments
have prices that fall within the particular price range. In some examples, the
process
400 may further include generating one or more representations of the
particular
resource, at least one of which indicates that the particular resource
includes listing
information for one or more properties having prices that fall within the
particular price
range. In such implementations, providing the indication of the particular
resource's
ranking among the set of resources may include providing the one or more
representations of the particular resource, with indication of the particular
resource's
ranking among the set of resources, for output. For instance, this may
correspond to
generating any of representations 220a and 240a described in association with
FIG. 3C
that include elements 326c and 346c, respectively, that indicate that one or
more
properties associated with the resources that correspond to representations
220a and
240a, respectively, have prices that exceed the maximum desired rent that has
been
provided as input to search query interlace 302c, and the extent to which such
prices
exceed the maximum desired rent.
[0112] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining that a
particular
resource among the set of resources includes listing information for one or
more
properties that have a particular attribute that has been indicated as
verified by a third
party listing information verification service. In these implementations,
ranking the
particular resource among the set of resources based at least on the one or
more
determinations may include ranking the particular resource among the set of
resources
based at least on determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties that have the
particular attribute
that has been indicated as verified by the third party listing information
verification
service. For instance, this may correspond to determining that a particular
resource
described in association with FIG. 3D, such as those corresponding to any of
representations 220a-240a, includes listing information for one or more
properties
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having attributes that have been verified, and ranking the particular resource
according
to rankings 350d, or by quantity and/or type of property verifications.
[0113] In some examples, determining that the particular resource among the
set of
resources includes listing information for one or more properties that have
the particular
attribute that has been indicated as verified by the third party listing
information
verification service may, in some implementations, include determining that
the
particular resource among the set of resources includes listing information
for one or
more properties that has been indicated by the third party listing information
verification
service as being owned or managed by an entity having earned one or more
certifications. This may, for instance, correspond to the example described
above in
reference to FIG. 3D in which the ranking engine 160 determines that Farragut
Terrace
and the Dupont Apartment building are LEED certified. In some implementations,
determining that the particular resource among the set of resources includes
listing
information for one or more properties that have the particular attribute that
has been
indicated as verified by the third party listing information verification
service may include
determining that the particular resource among the set of resources includes
listing
information for one or more properties that has been indicated by the third
party listing
information verification service as being owned or managed by an entity having
passed
a background check. This may, for instance, correspond to the example
described
above in reference to FIG. 3D in which the ranking engine 160 determines that
Farragut
Terrace and L'Enfant Towers are owned or managed by verified property managers
that
have passed one or more background checks administered by the third party
verification service.
[0114] In some implementations, the listing information of the particular
resource
indicates one or more features or amenities of one or more properties. In such
implementations, determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties that have the
particular attribute
that has been indicated as verified by the third party listing information
verification
service may include determining that the particular resource among the set of
resources
includes listing information for one or more properties have been indicated as
verified by
the third party listing information verification service to include the one or
more features
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or amenities. This may, for instance, correspond to the example described
above in
reference to FIG. 3D in which the ranking engine 160 determines that the
listings for
Farragut Terrace and L'Enfant Towers are verified, and thus include
information that is
considered to be relatively reliable and/or accurate.
[0115] In some implementations, making one or more determinations about a
particular resource among the set of resources may include determining that a
particular
resource among the set of resources includes a particular type of content. In
these
implementations, ranking the particular resource among the set of resources
based at
least on the one or more determinations may include ranking the particular
resource
among the set of resources based at least on determining that the particular
resource
among the set of resources includes the particular type of content. For
instance, this
may correspond to determining that a particular resource includes content such
as
images, video, audio, and the like, and ranking the particular resource among
the set of
resources by quantity and/or type of included content. In some examples, such
rankings may favor resources that include more content than those that include
less
content.
[0116] Although described within the exemplary context of situations in which
multiple
search results are identified as responsive to a query, it is to be understood
that the
principles of the techniques described in association with FIGS. 1-4 may be
applied, at
least in part, in situations in which zero or more search results are
identified as
responsive to a query. It is to be further understood that services and
communications
provided in association with the techniques described herein may be provided
in any
number of different languages, such as English and Spanish.
[0117] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of a generic computer
system
500. The system 500 can be used for the operations described in association
with
FIGS. 1-3 according to some implementations. The system 500 may include system
100, may provide one or more of graphical user interfaces 200 and 300A-300D,
and
may perform process 400.
[0118] The system 500 includes a processor 510, a memory 520, a storage device
530, and an input/output device 540. Each of the components 510, 520, 530, and
540
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
are interconnected using a system bus 550. The processor 510 is capable of
processing instructions for execution within the system 500. In one
implementation, the
processor 510 is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, the
processor 510 is a multi-threaded processor. The processor 510 is capable of
processing instructions stored in the memory 520 or on the storage device 530
to
display graphical information for a user interface on the input/output device
540.
[0119] The memory 520 stores information within the system 500. In one
implementation, the memory 520 is a computer-readable medium. In one
implementation, the memory 520 is a volatile memory unit. In another
implementation,
the memory 520 is a non-volatile memory unit.
[0120] The memory 520 stores information within the system 500. In one
implementation, the memory 520 is a computer-readable medium. In one
implementation, the memory 520 is a volatile memory unit. In another
implementation,
the memory 520 is a non-volatile memory unit.
[0121] The storage device 530 is capable of providing mass storage for the
system
500. In one implementation, the storage device 530 is a computer-readable
medium.
In various different implementations, the storage device 530 may be a floppy
disk
device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device.
[0122] The input/output device 540 provides input/output operations for the
system
500. In one implementation, the input/output device 540 includes a keyboard
and/or
pointing device. In another implementation, the input/output device 540
includes a
display unit for displaying graphical user interfaces.
[0123] The features described can be implemented in digital electronic
circuitry, or in
computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The
apparatus can
be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an
information
carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a
programmable
processor; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor
executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described
implementations by operating on input data and generating output. The
described
features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs
that
46
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable
processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data
and
instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at
least one output
device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly
or
indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a
certain result. A
computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including
compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form,
including as a
stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit
suitable for
use in a computing environment.
[0124] Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions
include, by
way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole
processor or one of multiple processors of any kind of computer. Generally, a
processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a
random
access memory or both. The elements of a computer are a processor for
executing
instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data.
Generally, a
computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one
or more
mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic
disks, such
as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical
disks.
Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions
and
data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example
semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory
devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;
magneto-
optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can
be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated
circuits).
[0125] To provide for interaction with a user, the features can be implemented
on a
computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD
(liquid
crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard
and a
pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide
input to
the computer.
47
Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
[0126] The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a
back-
end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component,
such
as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end
component,
such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet
browser, or
any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any
form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network.
Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the
computers
and networks forming the Internet.
[0127] The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and
server are
generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network,
such as the
described one. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of
computer
programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server
relationship to
each other.
[0128] A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will
be
understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the
spirit
and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the
scope of
the following claims.
[0129] What is claimed is:
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Date recue/Date received 2023-05-24
