System and method for recommending entities based on interest indicators

Abstract

Entities such as hotels, restaurants, resorts, houses, vehicles, and other places and things, are associated with images of each entity. The images are tagged using machine learning to identify what aspects of the associated entity are captured by each image. When a user is requested to select an entity from a set of entities, a user preference model is used to determine what tags the user is interested in. The tags are used to select images associated with the entities from the set of entities, and the selected images are displayed to the user. The user can then provide indicators that show which of the displayed images the user likes or dislikes. Based on the indicators, one or more entities from the set of entities is presented to the user. The model may also be updated based on the indicators.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 at least one hardware processor; and   an image engine executed by the at least one hardware processor that:
 receives identifiers of a plurality of entities from one or more search providers responsive to the one or more search providers receiving a query from one or more of a first client device of a first user and a second client device of a second user; 
 receives a plurality of images for each entity of the plurality of entities from the one or more search providers, wherein each image is associated with a tag and corresponds to one of the entities; 
 for each entity of the plurality of entities, selects a first set and a second set of the plurality of images associated with the entity based on the tag associated with each image; 
 causes the selected first set to be displayed in one or more first groupings via a first user interface of the first client device of the first user and the selected second set to be displayed in one or more second groupings via a second user interface of the second client device of the second user, each of the first grouping and the second grouping including images associated with one or more different entities of the plurality of entities, images displayed in each first grouping being associated with a same first tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the first user interface, images displayed in each second grouping being associated with a same second same tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the second user interface, responsive to the selection of the first set and the second set; 
 receives one or more first interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more first groupings input by the first user via the first user interface and one or more second interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more second groupings input by the second user via the second user interface, wherein each first interest indicator and each second interest indicator comprise a click or selection; 
 responsive to receiving the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators, determine at least one entity of the plurality of entities whose associated one or more displayed images received at least one of the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators; and 
 causes the determined at least one entity to be displayed via one or more of the first user interface and the second user interface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of entities are entities of a type, and the query includes the type. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein identifiers of the plurality of entities are received in response to a query received from the first user, and further wherein the query identifies the second user. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the determination of the determined at least one entity is further based on a preference model associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein selection of the first set is further based on a preference model associated with the first user. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each image of the first set contains an item of interest indicated in a preference model. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the image engine further:
 selects a third set of one or more images of a plurality of images associated with a different entity of a different plurality of entities based on a tag associated with each image in the third set of one or more images, responsive to receiving an instruction from one or more of the first user and the second user to present entities other than the determined at least one entity.   
     
     
         8 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, at one or more computing devices, a query from one or more of a first client device of a first user and a second client device of a second user;   responsive to receiving the query, receiving, by a computing device, identifiers of a plurality of entities from one or more search providers;   receiving a plurality of images for each entity of the plurality of entities from the one or more search providers, by the computing device, wherein each image is associated with a tag and corresponds to one of the entities;   for each entity of the plurality of entities, selecting, by the computing device, a first set of and a second set of the plurality of images associated with the entity based on the tag associated with each image;   causing the selected first set to be displayed in one or more first groupings via a first user interface of the first client device of the first user and the selected second set to be displayed in one or more second groupings via a second user interface of the second client device of the second user, each of the first grouping and the second grouping including images associated with one or more different entities of the plurality of entities, images displayed in each first grouping being associated with a same first tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the first user interface, images displayed in each second grouping being associated with a same second tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the second user interface, responsive to the selection of the first set and the second set;   receiving, by the computing device, one or more first interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more first groupings input by the first user via the first user interface and one or more second interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more second groupings input by the second user via the second user interface, wherein each first interest indicator and each second interest indicator comprise a click or selection;   responsive to receiving the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators, determining, by the computing device, at least one entity of the plurality of entities whose associated one or more displayed images received at least one of the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators; and   causing the determined at least one entity to be displayed via one or more of the first user interface and the second user interface.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of entities are entities of a type, and the query includes the type. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein identifiers of the plurality of entities are received in response to a query received from the first user, and further wherein the query identifies the second user. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the operation of determining the at least one entity is further based on a preference model associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein selection of the first set is further based on a preference model associated with the first user. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein each image of the first set contains an item of interest associated with a preference model. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 Selecting, by the computing device, a third set of one or more images of a plurality of images associated with a different entity of a different plurality of entities based on a tag associated with each image in the third set of one or more images, responsive to receiving an instruction from one or more of the first user and the second user to present entities other than the determined at least one entity.   
     
     
         15 . One or more tangible processor-readable storage media embodied with instructions for executing on one or more processors and circuits of a communication device a process, the process comprising:
 receiving, at one or more computing devices, a query from one or more of a first client device of a first user and a second client device of a second user;   responsive to receiving the query, receiving, by a computing device, identifiers of a plurality of entities from one or more search providers;   receiving a plurality of images for each entity of the plurality of entities from the one or more search providers, by the computing device, wherein each image is associated with a tag and corresponds to one of the entities;   for each entity of the plurality of entities, selecting, by the computing device, a first set of and a second set of the plurality of images associated with the entity based on the tag associated with each image;   causing the selected first set to be displayed in one or more first groupings via a first user interface of the first client device of the first user and the selected second set to be displayed in one or more second groupings via a second user interface of the second client device of the second user, each of the first grouping and the second grouping including images associated with one or more different entities of the plurality of entities, images displayed in each first grouping being associated with a same first tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the first user interface, images displayed in each second grouping being associated with a same second tag and displayed for comparison concurrently in the second user interface, responsive to the selection of the first set and the second set;   receiving, by the computing device, one or more first interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more first groupings input by the first user via the first user interface and one or more second interest indicators for at least one displayed image in one of the one or more second groupings input by the second user via the second user interface, wherein each first interest indicator and each second interest indicator comprise a click or selection;   responsive to receiving the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators, determining, by the computing device, at least one entity of the plurality of entities whose associated one or more displayed images received at least one of the one or more first interest indicators and the one or more second interest indicators; and   causing the determined at least one entity to be displayed via one or more of the first user interface and the second user interface.   
     
     
         16 . The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim  0 , wherein the plurality of entities are entities of a type, and the query includes the type. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim  0 , wherein identifiers of the plurality of entities are received in response to a query received from the first user, and further wherein the query identifies the second user. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim  0 , wherein the determination of the determined at least one entity is further based on a preference model associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim  0 , wherein selection of the first set is further based on a preference model associated with the first user. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim  0 , further comprising:
 selecting a third set of one or more images of a plurality of images associated with an entity of a different plurality of entities based on a tag associated with each image in the third set of one or more images, responsive to receiving an instruction from one or more of the first user and the second user to present entities other than the determined at least one entity.