Systems and methods for enhancing search results with input from brands, cities and geographic locations

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for a brand search ecosystem for brands and branded products, locations, features, and services to enhance search results with real-time content and input on business rules, algorithms, and information from brandholders and provided over various modalities, including phones, TVs, kiosks, and speech recognition. The systems and methods include a brand name database including a plurality of brands and brandholders, bidders, and other content providers associated with respective brands. The search engine receives search requests from users, accesses the brand name database, and provides search results to the users based on a variety of factors, including the identity, search history, membership in a brand's rewards programs, aggregated feedback and ratings of others users, and direct feedback and ratings of the user conducting the search. The systems and methods also enable and process incentives to brands, bidders, content providers, and end users to encourage usage and real-time feedback, ratings, and other information on brands, branded products and services, and specific branded locations to further enhance search results.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for providing enhanced search results with an internet-based search engine including a brand name database containing a plurality of brands, and one or more computing systems operably coupled to the database configured to generate search results in response to user search requests via a network, the method comprising:
 receiving, at the one or more computer systems, brandholder requests from brandholder computing devices via the network to link the brandholders with their respective brands in the brand name database;   receiving one or more communications from a brandholder providing input to the search engine to enhance search results in response to brand search requests including a brand associated with the brandholder in the brand name database;   receiving a search request from a user computing device, the search request including the brand; and   returning search results to the user computing device, the search results being enhanced by the input from the brandholder.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the input provided by the brandholder comprises providing input in the business rules of the brand name database that affect bidders and their association with respective brands in the brand name database. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the input provided by the brandholder comprises providing real-time input regarding one of inclusion, ranking and prioritization of the third party content providers that are included in the response to the search request. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search request, when executed by the search engine, causes one of the brandholder input or the brand name database to further enable the search engine to access, retrieve, and include real-time data from one of the brandholder or a content provider associated with a third-party web site included in the enhanced search results. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search request, when executed by the search engine, causes one of the brandholder input or the brand name database to further enable the search engine to access and retrieve real-time data from one of the brandholder or a content provider associated with a third-party web site included in the enhanced search results, wherein the real-time data is included in the search results. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search results are enhanced solely or partially by or with reference to at least one of input or information either previously provided or provided in real-time from the brandholder. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the brand associated with the search is at least one of a trademark, service mark, trade name, name of an individual or celebrity, organization, state, city, community or geographic or other location name, fictitious name, product or feature name, pseudo-name, or moniker. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search results are determined based at least in part on one or more of:
 the business rules of the brand name database;   identification of a platform through which the search request was submitted;   search terms included in the search request;   a time of day when the search request was submitted;   historically tracked searches and clicks of users submitting the search request;   immediate past searches and clicks of the user submitting the search request;   whether the search request is a local search;   the specific geographic area associated with the brand when the brand is a state, city, community or geographic or other location name;   contextual information related to the search request;   the current or intended location of the user;   history of the user submitting the search request;   qualifications of the user submitting the search request to receive loyalty incentives provided by the brandholder; and   the nature of the content related to the search request.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search results are determined based at least in part on the business rules of the brand name database that are based at least in part on one or more of:
 feedback, ratings, and input on brands, branded products, and locations from users;   feedback, ratings, and input on brands, branded products, and locations from brandholders;   previous feedback, ratings, and input on brands, branded products, and locations from bidders; and   feedback, ratings, and input on brands, branded products, and locations from the user.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the business rules of the brand name database include limiting access such that the brandholder or a third-party web site authorized by the brandholder contains crawlable data or data accessible in real-time, and further, wherein access to the crawlable data or the data accessible in real-time is limited only to authorized third parties seeking to access the crawlable data or the data accessible in real-time, based upon rules and settings as determined by the brandholder. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search results are determined, in real-time, based at least in part by a modality on a device used to submit the search request, the device comprising at least one of a phone; a TV; an internet device; a kiosk; a device used in connection with commercial transportation; and a device using speech recognition. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein user input of search terms in the search request is derived from speech recognition. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein incentives, including at least one of rebates, points, coupons, discounts specials and other incentives related to the brand, branded products, or locations responsive to search requests are offered to users of the brand name database to promote or reward at least one of usage, specific user actions, feedback, ratings, or other input from users of the search engine related to the brands, branded products, and locations. 
     
     
         15 . A system for enhancing an internet-based search engine configured to generate search results in response to user search requests, comprising:
 a brand name database containing a plurality of brands;   a computing system operably coupled to the database having a processor and non-transitory computer readable medium with instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:   receive, at the one or more computer systems, brandholder requests from brandholder computing devices via the network to link the brandholders with respective brands in the brand name database and brandholder or third party content related to the brand;   receive a communication from a brandholder providing input to the search engine to enhance search results by including all or any portion of the brandholder or third party content with search results that are then provided to consumer computing devices in response to brand search requests including a brand associated with the brandholder in the brand name database;   receive a search request from a user computing device, the search request including the brand; and   return search results to the user computing device, the search results being enhanced by the input from the brandholder.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the search request, when executed by the search engine, causes the brand name database to further enable the search engine to access and retrieve real-time data from a content provider associated with a third-party web site included in the enhanced search results, wherein the real-time data is included in the search results. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing system is configured to enhance the search results solely or partially by or with reference to at least one of input or information either previously provided or provided in real-time from the brandholder. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine the search results based at least in part on one or more of:
 the business rules of the brand name database;   identification of a platform through which the search request was submitted;   search terms included in the search request;   a time of day when the search request was submitted;   historically tracked searches and clicks of users submitting the search request;   immediate past searches and clicks of the user submitting the search request;   whether the search request is a local search;   the specific geographic area associated with the brand when the brand is a state, city, community or geographic or other location name;   contextual information related to the search request;   the current or intended location of the user;   history of the user submitting the search request;   qualifications of the user submitting the search request to receive loyalty incentives provided by the brandholder; and   the nature of the content related to the search request.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine the search results, in real-time, based at least in part by a modality on a device used to submit the search request, the device comprising at least one of a phone; a TV; an internet device; a kiosk; a device used in connection with commercial transportation; and a device using speech recognition. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein user input of search terms in the search request is derived from speech recognition. 
     
     
         21 . A method for providing enhanced search results related to a specific geographic area with an internet-based search engine including a brand name database containing a plurality of brands comprising geographic names, and one or more computing systems operably coupled to the database configured to generate search results in response to user search requests via a network, the method comprising:
 receiving one or more communications from a brandholder providing input to the search engine to enhance search results in response to brand search requests including a geographic name associated with the brandholder in the brand name database;   receiving a search request from a user computing device, the search request including the geographic name; and   returning search results to the user computing device, the search results being enhanced by the input from the brandholder.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the brand associated with the search is at least one of a trademark, service mark, trade name, name of an individual or celebrity, organization, state, city, community or geographic or other location name, fictitious name, product or feature name, pseudo-name, or moniker. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the search results are determined based at least in part on one or more of:
 the business rules of the brand name database;   identification of a platform through which the search request was submitted;   search terms included in the search request;   a time of day when the search request was submitted;   historically tracked searches and clicks of users submitting the search request;   immediate past searches and clicks of the user submitting the search request;   whether the search request is a local search;   the specific geographic area associated with the brand when the brand is a state, city, community or geographic or other location name;   the proximity of a brandbidder or other content provider to the geographic area associated with one or more brands where the brand is a state, city, community, geographic, or other location name;   contextual information related to the search request;   the current or intended location of the user;   history of the user submitting the search request;   qualifications of the user submitting the search request to receive loyalty incentives provided by the brandholder; and   the nature of the content related to the search request.