Abstract: Systems and methods for automatic generation of a browsing path across image content to present areas with high attention value are described. In particular, an image is modeled via multiple visual attentions to create a respective set of attention objects for each modeled attention. The attention objects and their respective attributes are analyzed to generate a browsing path to select ones of the attention objects. The browsing path is generated to optimize the rate of information gain from the attention objects as a function of information unit cost in terms of time constraints associated with multiple image browsing modes.

Abstract: Mining geographic knowledge using a location aware topic model is provided. A location system estimates topics and locations associated with documents based on a location aware topic (“LAT”) model. The location system generates the model from a collection of documents that are labeled with their associated locations. The location system generates collection level parameters based on an LDA-style model. To generate the collection level parameters, the location system estimates probabilities of latent topics, locations, and words of the collection. After the model is generated, the location system uses the collection level parameters to estimate probabilities of topics and locations being associated with target documents.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method, and computer-readable medium for identifying a command in response to receiving notice of a pointer selection event followed by an associated pointer activation event. Also, the present invention layers Web browsing in a system where a Web page is first displayed in an overview mode at a predetermined magnification. From a Web page displayed in overview mode, the user may issue adaptive viewing commands that cause relevant content to be displayed using additional screen space. The adaptive viewing commands are identified based on the direction the pointer was moved when the pointer selection event occurred.

Abstract: Determination of a target category associated with a business listings query is provided. A query categorization system initially generates a mapping of internal categories of the query categorization system to target categories of a search engine service. The query categorization system receives a business listings query and identifies business listings that match the query. The query categorization system identifies an internal category associated with each matching business listing. The query categorization system then identifies from the mapping the target categories that correspond to the identified internal categories. The query categorization system selects one of the identified target categories as the category to be associated with the query.

Abstract: A method and system for generating a search request from a multimodal query that includes a query image and query text is provided. The multimodal query system identifies images of a collection that are textually related to the query image based on similarity between words associated with each image and the query text. The multimodal query system then selects those images of the identified images that are visually related to the query image. The multimodal query system may formulate a search request based on keywords of web pages that contain the selected images and submit that search request to a search engine service.

Abstract: A classification system trains a classifier to classify blocks of the web page into various classifications of the function of the block. The classification system trains a classifier using training web pages. To train a classifier, the classification system identifies the blocks of the training web pages, generates feature vectors for the blocks that include a linguistic feature, and inputs classification labels for each block. The classification system learns the coefficients of the classifier using any of a variety of machine learning techniques. The classification system can then use the classifier to classify blocks of web pages.

Abstract: A method and system for generating a hybrid index for indexing objects based on location and keyword attributes and performing location-based searching is provided. A search system performs a location-based search using a hybrid index that indexes both location and keyword attributes of objects. The search system generates the hybrid index either using the location attribute as the primary index or the keyword attribute as the primary index. When the location attribute is the primary index, the keyword attribute is the secondary index, and vice versa. To generate the hybrid index, the search system identifies the values for the keyword and location attributes of each object. The search system generates the primary index to map each value of a first attribute to a secondary index. The search system thus generates, for each value of the first attribute, a secondary index to map values of a second attribute to objects that have the associated values of the first and second attributes.

Abstract: A method and system for ranking pages of a search result based on the mobile readiness of the pages is provided. A mobile-readiness system receives an indication of pages that are to be ranked. The mobile-readiness system evaluates the mobile readiness for each of the pages. Mobile readiness indicates suitability of the page for a mobile device. The mobile readiness system then ranks the pages based on the generated mobile readiness and some other criterion such as a relevance score or an importance score. The mobile-readiness system may train a classifier to classify pages based on their mobile readiness.

Abstract: A system and method for location-specific searching. The invention correctly identifies explicit and implicit locations in a search query, and provides an appropriate dominant location. Top search results are obtained and analyzed to determine which terms in the query often appear in combination, and the query is tokenized based on the analysis. An explicit location indicating a location intent is most likely treated as an individual token, and the explicit location is treated as the dominant location of the query. In the case of a false positive, wherein the explicit location in a query is not the location intent, the explicit location is likely to be present with other terms that provide context. A token will likely include these terms together. The explicit location will therefore not be used to generate location-specific results in the case of a false positive.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which a user hums, sings or otherwise plays a user-provided rendition of a ringtone (or ringback tone) through a mobile telephone to a ringtone search service (e.g., a WAP, interactive voice response or SMS-based search platform). The service matches features of the user's rendition against features of actual ringtones to determine one or more matching candidate ringtones for downloading. Features may include pitch contours (up or down), pitch intervals and durations of notes. Matching candidates may be ranked based on the determined similarity, possibly in conjunction with weighting criterion such as the popularity of the ringtone and/or the importance of the matched part. The candidate set may be augmented with other ringtones independent of the matching, such as the most popular ones downloaded by other users, ringtones from similar artists, and so forth.

Abstract: Functionality is described for generating a vocabulary from a source dataset of image items or other non-textual items. The vocabulary serves as a tool for retrieving items from a target dataset in response to queries. The vocabulary has at least one characteristic that allows it to be used to retrieve items from multiple different target datasets. A target dataset can have a different size than the source dataset and/or a different type than the source dataset. The enabling characteristic may correspond to a size of the source dataset above a prescribed minimum number of items and/or a size of the vocabulary above a prescribed minimum number of words.

Abstract: A display system adapts a display page to a small display area using semantic information indicated by portions of the display page that are designated as cacheable. The display system adapts a display page by identifying leaf fragments, that is, fragments that contain no other fragments. The display system then determines whether each leaf fragment is a block that can be displayed as a unit in the display area or should be subdivided into blocks that each can be displayed as a unit in the display area. The display system then displays the display page on a block-by-block basis.

Abstract: A data overlay is built as a data structure on a logical space defined by a distributed hash table (DHT) in a peer-to-peer network. The data overlay includes a tree having tree nodes that each have a zone mapped to a corresponding DHT node in the logical space of the DHT. The logical space of the DHT is mapped to machines, each of which corresponds to one or more of more of the tree node zones. The tree nodes are hierarchically situated by tree node zone size and my available resource so that tasks are performed by machines in the peer-to-peer network according to the respective abilities of the machines to supply the tasks' demand. The tree, which self-organizes and self-heals on the same scale as the underlying DHT, is used together and disseminate information from and to the DHT nodes using the hierarchy of the tree nodes.

Abstract: Methods and systems for selecting advertisements to present to a user of a computing device are provided. An advertisement system selects advertisements to display to a user based on the serving area of candidate advertisements. The advertisement system selects those candidate advertisements whose serving area encompasses the user's current location. The advertisement system may also select candidate advertisements to present to a user based on a map area currently being displayed to the user. The advertisement system may filter the candidate advertisements based on the provider location being within the map area that is currently being displayed to the user.

Abstract: A method and system for providing location-based advertisements to requesting devices is provided. An advertisement system aggregates advertisements by collecting advertisements from multiple advertisement sources, extracting data from the collected advertisements, and storing the extracted data in a common format. After aggregating the advertisements, the advertisement system transforms each advertisement into multiple advertisement formats that are specific to protocols supported by the various device types. When the advertisement system receives queries for advertisements, it identifies matching advertisements and ranks them based on a location. The advertisement system then selects an advertisement format that is appropriate for the requesting device.

Abstract: A system for automatically classifying an object of a target image is provided. A classification system provides a collection of classified images along with a classification of the dominant object of the image. The classification system attempts to classify the object of a target image based on similarity of the target image to the classified images. To classify a target image, the classification system identifies the classified images of the collection that are most similar to the target image based on similarity between salient points of the target image and the classified images. The classification system selects a classification associated with the classified images that are most similar to the target image as a classification for the object of the target image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for adapting images for substantially optimal presentation by heterogeneous client display sizes are described. In one aspect, an image is modeled with respect to multiple visual attentions to generate respective attention objects for each of the visual attentions. For each of one or more image adaptation schemes, an objective measure of information fidelity (IF) is determined for a region R of the image. The objective measures are determined as a function of a resource constraint of the display device and as a function of a weighted sum of IF of each attention object in the region R. A substantially optimal adaptation scheme is then selected as a function of the calculated objective measures. The image is then adapted via the selected substantially optimal adaptation scheme to generate an adapted image as a function of at least the target area of the client display.

Abstract: An exemplary system includes a browser to browse a web page based on a web page definition having a slicing tree defining an arrangement of rectangular regions in the web page. The web page definition can include parametric data describing adaptability parameters associated with a rectangular region. A rendering module renders an adapted web page based on the web page definition, and a proxy module generates an intermediary adapted web page definition. A method includes rendering the web page according to a slicing tree and block property data in an associated web page definition. The method may include determining a set of unsummarized blocks that maximize information fidelity.

Abstract: A method and system for searching for content relating to a target or query image by identifying duplicate images with associated content is provided. An image search system identifies visual parts of objects within the target image based on analysis of two or more versions of the target image. The image search system identifies visual parts based on analysis of the versions. The image search system then identifies images of an image database that have visual parts that are similar to the visual parts of the target image. The image search system may rank the identified images based on their likelihood of being duplicates of the target image and provide their associated content as the search result ordered according to the ranking of the images.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining the serving area of a web resource by address, by query content, and by business category are provided. A location system may determine the serving area of a web resource based on addresses of users who access the web resource. The location system may determine the serving area for a web site (or other web resource) based on query terms that resulted in a click-through to the web site. The location system may determine the serving area of a web site (or other web resource) based on the business category of the web site and a “provider location” associated with the web site.