Method and system for continuous, dynamic, adaptive recommendation based on a continuously evolving personal region of interest

1. A location-based points-of-interest searching system comprising:

four database components including a points-of-interest database component, a map database component, user-profiles database component, and a user-histories database component; and

searching logic that

receives a points-of-interest search request from a user,

computes a personal region of interest with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request, the personal region of interest defining one of an area, volume, or hypervolume and computed as a function of the user's level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest, the level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest, in turn, computed from three or more of the user's current or projected location, the current date and time, a history of the user's location and interaction with the points-of-interest-searching system, including user-initiated searches and user selections from displayed search results, a user profile developed for, and continuously updated on behalf of, the user, and a current context for the search, as specified by a search query or by other context-specifying data,

searches the points-of-interest database component for points of interest within the personal region of interest that meet two or more constraints, each computed from one or more of the current context for the search, data related to the user extracted from the user-histories database component, and data related to the user extracted from the user-profiles database component, and

displays to the user, on a display device, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the personal region of interest.

2. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein location-based points-of-interest searching system displays to the user, in addition to the one or more points-of-interest, an indication of contextual relevance, the indication of contextual relevance comprising one or more of:

an order in which the points of interest are displayed;

selection of certain points of interest among a larger number of points of interest for display; and

a numerical or graphical indication of the contextual relevance to a user to whom the results are displayed.

3. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 further including an agent that continuously, or at regular intervals, searches for points of interest and updates points of interest already found for a user on behalf of the user.

4. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 3 wherein the agent is implemented as one or more of:

a routine executed by a processor;

a network-mobile executable routine executed by a processor;

firmware; and

hardware.

5. The location-based points-of-interest search system of claim 1 wherein contextual relevance may be determined from one or more of:

a stored history of a user's selections;

a stored history of a user's actions;

a stored history of a user's locations;

current environmental conditions;

projected environmental conditions;

current traffic conditions;

projected traffic conditions;

a user's projected schedule of locations;

a user's projected schedule of actions;

a user's projected schedule of travel;

a user's projected schedule of purchases;

the current date;

a projected date;

the current time; and

a projected time.

6. The location-based points-of-interest searching system of claim 1

wherein the area, volume, or hypervolume is an area within a two-dimensional domain, volume within a three-dimensional domain, or hypervolume in a domain defined by four or more dimensions; and

wherein the dimensions are selected from spatial and temporal dimensions.

7. The location-based points-of-interest searching system of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional database components selected from among a time-associated-events database component, a degrees-of-separation database component, and other database components that store information that facilitates location-based points-of-interest searching.

8. A method for searching for points of interest on behalf of a user, the method carried out by a location-based points-of-interest searching system that has four database components including a points-of-interest database component, a map database component, user-profiles database component, and a user-histories database component, the method comprising:

receiving a points-of-interest search request from a user,

computing a personal region of interest with respect to the user and the received points-of-interest search request, the personal region of interest defining one of an area, volume, or hypervolume and computed as a function of the user's level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest, the level of disposition towards the searched-for points of interest, in turn, computed from three or more of the user's current or projected location, the current date and time, a history of the user's location and interaction with the points-of-interest-searching system, including user-initiated searches and user selections from displayed search results, a user profile developed for, and continuously updated on behalf of, the user, and a current context for the search, as specified by a search query or by other context-specifying data,

searches the points-of-interest database component for points of interest within the personal region of interest that meet two or more constraints, each computed from one or more of the current context for the search, data related to the user extracted from the user-histories database component, and data related to the user extracted from the user-profiles database component, and

displaying to the user, on a display device, one or more points-of-interest found by searching for points of interest within the personal region of interest.

9. The method of claim 8 further including displaying to the user, in addition to the one or more points-of-interest, an indication of contextual relevance, the indication of contextual relevance comprising one or more of:

an order in which the points of interest are displayed;

selection of certain points of interest among a larger number of points of interest for display; and

a numerical or graphical indication of the contextual relevance to a user to whom the results are displayed.

10. The method of claim 8 further including searching, by an agent, continuously or at regular intervals, for points of interest and updating points of interest already found for a user on behalf of the user.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the agent is implemented as one or more of:

a routine executed by a computer;

a network-mobile routine executed by a mobile phone;

firmware; and

hardware.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein contextual relevance may be determined from one or more of:

a stored history of a user's selections;

a stored history of a user's actions;

a stored history of a user's locations;

current environmental conditions;

projected environmental conditions;

current traffic conditions;

projected traffic conditions;

a user's projected schedule of locations;

a user's projected schedule of actions;

a user's projected schedule of travel;

a user's projected schedule of purchases;

the current date;

a projected date;

the current time; and

a projected time.

13. The method of claim 8

wherein the area, volume, or hypervolume is an area within a two-dimensional domain, volume within a three-dimensional domain, or hypervolume in a domain defined by four or more dimensions; and

wherein the dimensions are selected from spatial and temporal dimensions.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the location-based points-of-interest searching system has one or more additional database components selected from among a time-associated-events database component, a degrees-of-separation database component, and other database components that store information that facilitates location-based points-of-interest searching.