Patents Assigned to Zillow, Inc.
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Patent number: 11354701Abstract: A facility for presenting advertising messages on behalf of multiple advertisers is described. The facility determines allocations that each specify a share for an advertiser, the specified shares all being different. The facility causes advertising messages to be presented on behalf of the advertisers in accordance with the shares specified by their allocations.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2020Date of Patent: June 7, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Yiqing Wang, Stanley B. Humphries, Chloe Linden Harford
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Patent number: 11315202Abstract: A facility for representing home attribute values for a plurality of homes and a plurality of home attributes is described. The facility incorporates a data structure comprising, for each of the plurality of homes, for each of the plurality of attribute value sources, the capacity to store values for any of the plurality of home attributes obtained from the attribute value source.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2017Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Timothy VanderMey, Fred Farhad Sadaghiani, Stephen Martin McNamee, Marcin Szuster, Chloe Linden Harford, Jeffrey Thomas Brinker, Randy Winston Puttick
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Patent number: 11288756Abstract: A facility for determining a market rental rate for a distinguished home located in a distinguished geographic area is described. The facility receives home attributes for the distinguished home. The facility obtains a market rental rate for the distinguished home by applying to the received home attributes a valuation model for homes in the distinguished geographic area that has been trained using rental listing price and home attribute data from homes recently listed for rental in the distinguished geographic area. The facility reports the obtained market rental rate for the distinguished home.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Stanley B. Humphries, Dong Xiang, Yeng Bun
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Patent number: 11284006Abstract: Techniques are described for using computing devices to perform automated operations to control acquisition of images in a defined area, including obtaining and using data from one or more hardware sensors on a mobile device that is acquiring the images, analyzing the sensor data (e.g., in a real-time manner) to determine the geometric orientation of the mobile device in three-dimensional (3D) space, and using that determined orientation to control the acquisition of further images by the mobile device. In some situations, the determined orientation information may be used in part to automatically generate and display a corresponding GUI (graphical user interface) that is overlaid on and augments displayed images of the environment surrounding the mobile device during the image acquisition process, so as to control the mobile device's geometric orientation in 3D space.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2020Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Mitchell David Dawson, Li Guan, Andrew H. Otwell, Dun-Yu Hsiao
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Patent number: 11258837Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for sharing electronic content between a plurality of users. The electronic content can be accessed by the users through interactions with a virtual collaborative workspace. The members of a virtual collaborative workspace can be dependent upon the shared electronic content. Certain actions can be asked of various users with regard to the electronic content. Once the action has been performed, the electronic content can be routed to various other users in an automated fashion.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2020Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Austin Allison, Justin Y. Hu, Matthew Allan Vorst
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Patent number: 11256725Abstract: A system for displaying crime data comprises an input interface, a processor, and an output interface. The input interface is configured to receive a crime data and receive a foot traffic density data. The processor is configured to determine a normalized crime data based at least in part on the crime data and the foot traffic density data. The output interface configured to provide display information of the normalized crime data.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2013Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Sha Hwang, Talin Salway, Eric Wu
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Patent number: 11252329Abstract: Techniques are described for using multiple devices to automatically determine the acquisition location of an image from a camera device, such as within a building interior and by using data from the multiple devices (e.g., visual data from the camera device's image, and additional data captured by a separate mobile computing device in the same area as the camera device), and for subsequently using determined image acquisition location information in one or more further automated manners. The image may be a panorama image or of another type, and the determined acquisition location for such an image may be at least a location on the building's floor plan—in addition, the automated image acquisition location determination may be further performed without having or using information from any depth sensors or other distance-measuring devices about distances from an image's acquisition location to walls or other objects in the surrounding building.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2021Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Sean P. Cier, Sing Bing Kang, Mitchell David Dawson, Pierre Moulon
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Patent number: 11244361Abstract: A facility for valuing a distinguished home located in a distinguished geographic area is described. The facility receives home attributes for the distinguished home. The facility obtains valuation for the distinguished home by applying to the received home attributes evaluation model for homes in the distinguished geographic area that has been trained using selling price and home attribute data from homes recently sold in the distinguished geographic area. The facility reports the obtained valuation for the distinguished home.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2018Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Stanley B. Humphries, Dong Xiang, Kyusik Chung, Jonathan Lee Burstein
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Patent number: 11243656Abstract: Techniques are described for using computing devices to perform automated operations involved in analysis of images acquired in a defined area, as part of generating mapping information of the defined area for subsequent use (e.g., for controlling navigation of devices, for display on client devices in corresponding GUIs, etc.). The defined area may include an interior of a multi-room building, and the generated information including a floor map of the building, such as from an analysis of multiple 360° spherical panorama images acquired at various viewing locations within the building (e.g., using an image acquisition device with a spherical camera having one or more fisheye lenses to capture a panorama image that extends 360 degrees around a vertical axis)—the generating may be further performed without detailed information about distances from the images' viewing locations to objects in the surrounding building.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2020Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Yuguang Li, Grant Gingell, Ivaylo Boyadzhiev
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Patent number: 11244412Abstract: A variety of improved techniques for homebuyers to access undeveloped and/or uncompleted communities with homes that are not yet built and lots that are not yet parceled or recognized with addresses are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2018Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Richard Phillips, Alexandria Phillips
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Patent number: 11238652Abstract: Techniques are described for using computing devices to perform automated operations related to providing visual information of multiple types in an integrated manner about a building or other defined area. The techniques may include generating and presenting a GUI (graphical user interface) on a client device that includes a computer model of the building's interior with one or more first types of information (e.g., in a first pane of the GUI), and simultaneously presenting other types of related information about the building interior (e.g., in additional separate GUI pane(s)) that is coordinated with the first type(s) of information being currently displayed. The computer model may be a 3D (three-dimensional) or 2.5D representation generated after the house is built and showing the actual house's interior (e.g., walls, furniture, etc.), and may be displayed to a user of a client computing device in a displayed GUI with various user-selectable controls.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Romualdo Impas, Ivaylo Boyadzhiev, Joshuah Vincent, Yuguang Li, Pierre Moulon
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Patent number: 11232142Abstract: A facility for adjusting a display of a result of searching a property database is described. The facility, after displaying a list of properties satisfying a search filter, allows a user to specify property attributes the values of which are not currently shown for the properties, and redisplays the list of properties by additionally showing the values of those property attributes for the properties.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2020Date of Patent: January 25, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Matthew Scott Daimler, Susan Beth Daimler
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Patent number: 11217019Abstract: Techniques are described for, given two images taken at two viewing locations, generating and presenting an image transition sequence that simulates viewer movement between the viewing locations, such as without using information about relative distance between the viewing locations and other depth information to objects in an environment around the viewing locations. The start and end images for an image transition sequence may be part of panorama images acquired at the viewing locations, and generating of the image transition sequence may include selecting and using one of multiple types of transition sequences to perform rotating (e.g., from a start image's viewing direction to face toward the viewing location for the end image), zooming (e.g., to simulate moving forward), and/or blending of the end image with a modified version of the start image, with the resulting image transition sequence played as a video or other animation.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2020Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Yuguang Li, Li Guan
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Patent number: 11176518Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for generating electronic transactional documents using a form generating system. The electronic transactional document may be created using a design tool that allows a user to place data entry fields over an image or snap shot of a transactional document. Rules, default values, and attributes associated with the date entry fields may be established as the electronic transactional document is being created.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2018Date of Patent: November 16, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Austin Allison, Matthew Allan Vorst, Nandagopal Mysoro Jayaram
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Patent number: 11164361Abstract: Techniques are described for using computing devices to perform automated operations for analyzing video (or other image sequences) acquired in a defined area, as part of generating mapping information of the defined area for subsequent use (e.g., for controlling navigation of devices, for display on client devices in corresponding GUIs, etc.). The defined area may include an interior of a multi-room building, and the generated information may include a floor map of the building, such as from an analysis of some or all image frames of the video (e.g., 360° image frames from 360° video) using structure-from-motion techniques to identify objects with associated plane and normal orthogonal information, and then clustering detected planes and/or normals from multiple analyzed images to determine likely wall locations. The generating may be further performed without using acquired depth information about distances from the video capture locations to objects in the surrounding building.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Pierre Moulon, Ivaylo Boyadzhiev
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Patent number: 11164368Abstract: Using computing devices to perform automated operations related to, with respect to a computer model of a house or other building's interior, generating and displaying simulated lighting information in the model based on sunlight or other external light that is estimated to enter the building and be visible in particular rooms of the interior under specified conditions, such as using ambient occlusion and light transport matrix calculations. The computer model may be a 3D (three-dimensional) or 2.5D representation that is generated after the house is built and that shows physical components of the actual house's interior (e.g., walls), and may be displayed to a user of a client computing device in a displayed GUI (graphical user interface) via which the user specifies conditions for which the simulated lighting display is generated.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Joshuah Vincent, Pierre Moulon, Ivaylo Boyadzhiev, Joshua David Maruska
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Patent number: 11165959Abstract: Techniques are described for automated operations involving acquiring and analyzing information from an interior of a house, building or other structure, for use in generating and providing a representation of that interior. Such techniques may include using a user's mobile device to capture video data from multiple viewing locations (e.g., 360° video at each viewing location) within multiple rooms, and capturing data linking the multiple viewing locations (e.g.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Qi Shan, Alex Colburn, Li Guan, Ivaylo Boyadzhiev
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Patent number: 11093982Abstract: A facility for estimating a home improvement rate of return for a geographic area is described. The facility accesses information about homes in the geographic area including sale prices and data describing home improvements performed on the homes, such that some of the sale prices are associated with homes having a home improvement of a particular type. The facility obtains automatic valuations for the homes based on the homes' attribute values, and calculates the differences between the automatic valuations and the sale prices. The facility analyzes the differences and the home improvement data and, based on the analysis, estimates a rate of return of the particular type of home improvement.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2015Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Stanley B. Humphries, Matthew Carl Fix, Svenja Maarit Gudell
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Patent number: 11068911Abstract: A facility for determining a market rental rate index for homes located in a distinguished geographic area is described. The facility accesses a current market rental rate attributed to substantially every home in the named geographic area based on automatically comparing the attributes of each home to attributes of homes recently listed for rental in the named geographic area. The facility then applies an aggregation function to the accessed current market rental rates to obtain an aggregation result. The facility causes to be displayed a characterization of the current market rental rate of homes in the named geographic area that is based on the aggregation result.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2018Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Stanley B. Humphries, Dong Xiang, Yeng Bun
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Patent number: 11057561Abstract: Techniques are described for automated operations involving capturing and analyzing information from an interior of a house, building or other structure, for use in generating and providing a representation of that interior. Such techniques may include using a user's mobile device to capture visual data from multiple viewing locations (e.g., video captured while the mobile device is rotated for some or all of a full 360 degree rotation at each viewing location) within multiple rooms, capturing data linking the multiple viewing locations, analyzing each viewing location's visual data to create a panorama image from that viewing location, analyzing the linking data to determine relative positions/directions between at least some viewing locations, creating inter-panorama links in the panoramas to each of one or more other panoramas based on such determined positions/directions, and providing information to display multiple linked panorama images to represent the interior.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2019Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: Zillow, Inc.Inventors: Ivaylo Boyadzhiev, Alex Colburn, Li Guan, Qi Shan