IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,461,926
Granted Patent B2
US 12,461,926 · App. 18/538,637 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Flexible listings searches

Inventors: Tyler Sax (Nashville, TN); Soumyadip Banerjee (Burlingame, CA); Kedar Bellare (San Jose, CA); Karen Ouyang (San Francisco, CA); Min Liu (San Francisco, CA); Thomas Jean Marc Legrand (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Airbnb, Inc.
G06F16/24578G06F16/248
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,461,926
App. No.
18/538,637
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A flexible listings search system can receive and return results for flexible listing searches. For example, the system can perform micro-flexible searches (e.g., plus or minus a few days) or super flexible searches (e.g., a time span in one or more months), using listing arrays that can be rapidly accessed to efficiently identify and return results. The search system can further perform flexible destination searches for different categories of accommodations for display in a viewport (e.g., map bounding box). The system can further perform fuzzy searches to identify and return broader results for flexible queries.

Claims (68)

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a flexible category request, indicating a desired feature of an accommodation, for accommodation listings in a network site, each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site comprising a plurality of photos including a default photo to be displayed as a primary photo in search results with other listings;

identifying a subset of the accommodation listings in the network site that each comprise a photo, of the plurality of photos, tagged with a feature category corresponding to the flexible category request;

rendering the subset of the accommodation listings for display by, for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, replacing the default photo for the accommodation listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo; and

causing display of the rendered subset of the accommodation listings in a user interface with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, instead of the default photo.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

tagging one or more photos for each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site with a feature category.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein tagging the one or more photos comprises automatically classifying the one or more photos for each listing into a feature category using a machine learning model.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:

creating a new feature category; and

analyzing the accommodation listings in the network site to tag to each photo corresponding to the new feature category with the new feature category.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a geographic parameter for listings in the network site;

identifying a first subset of listings in the network site that correspond to the geographic parameter;

causing display of the first subset of listings in the user interface with the default photo for each listing;

receiving a second flexible category request for listings in the network site; and

updating the display of the first subset of listings to display listings of the first subset of listings that each comprise a photo tagged with a feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request and re-rendering each listing for display by replacing the default photo for the listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a selection of a listing in the displayed subset of accommodation listings; and

causing display of the selected listing to render with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo instead of the default photo.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the flexible category request is received from a device of a first user, and further comprising:

receiving a listing from a device of a second user;

identifying a parameter in the received listing indicating a feature category;

rendering the listing by replacing the default photo for the listing with the photo tagged with the feature category; and

causing display of the rendered listing in the user interface with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the default photo was selected by a user that posted the listing to be displayed as a primary photo.

9 . A system comprising:

one or more processors of a machine; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a flexible category request, indicating a desired feature of an accommodation, for accommodation listings in a network site, each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site comprising a plurality of photos including a default photo to be displayed as a primary photo in search results with other listings;

identifying a subset of the accommodation listings in the network site that each comprise a photo, of the plurality of photos, tagged with a feature category corresponding to the flexible category request;

rendering the subset of the accommodation listings for display by, for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, replacing the default photo for the accommodation listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo; and

causing display of the rendered subset of the accommodation listings in a user interface with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, instead of the default photo.

10 . The system of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

tagging one or more photos for each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site with a feature category.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein tagging the one or more photos comprises automatically classifying the one or more photos for each listing into a feature category using a machine learning model.

12 . The system of claim 10 , the operations further comprising:

creating a new feature category; and

analyzing the accommodation listings in the network site to tag to each photo corresponding to the new feature category with the new feature category.

13 . The system of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

receiving a geographic parameter for listings in the network site;

identifying a first subset of listings in the network site that correspond to the geographic parameter;

causing display of the first subset of listings in the user interface with the default photo for each listing,

receiving a second flexible category request for listings in the network site; and

updating the display of the first subset of listings to display listings of the first subset of listings that each comprise a photo tagged with a feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request and re-rendering each listing for display by replacing the default photo for the listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request.

14 . The system of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection of a listing in the displayed subset of accommodation listings; and

causing display of the selected listing to render with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo instead of the default photo.

15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the flexible category request is received from a device of a first user, and the operations further comprising:

receiving a listing from a device of a second user;

identifying a parameter in the received listing indicating a feature category;

rendering the listing by replacing the default photo for the listing with the photo tagged with the feature category; and

causing display of the rendered listing in the user interface with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo.

16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the default photo was selected by a user that posted the listing to be displayed as a primary photo.

17 . A machine-readable storage device embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a flexible category request, indicating a desired feature of an accommodation, for accommodation listings in a network site, each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site comprising a plurality of photos including a default photo to be displayed as a primary photo in search results with other listings;

identifying a subset of the accommodation listings in the network site that each comprise a photo, of the plurality of photos, tagged with a feature category corresponding to the flexible category request;

rendering the subset of the accommodation listings for display by, for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, replacing the default photo for the accommodation listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo; and

causing display of the rendered subset of the accommodation listings in a user interface with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the flexible category request as the primary photo for each of the subset of the accommodation listings, instead of the default photo.

18 . The machine-readable storage device of claim 17 , the operations further comprising:

tagging one or more photos for each listing of the accommodation listings in the network site with a feature category.

19 . The machine-readable storage device of claim 18 , wherein tagging the one or more photos comprises automatically classifying the one or more photos for each listing into a feature category using a machine learning model.

20 . The machine-readable storage device of claim 17 , the operations further comprising:

receiving a geographic parameter for listings in the network site;

identifying a first subset of listings in the network site that correspond to the geographic parameter;

causing display of the first subset of listings in the user interface with the default photo for each listing;

receiving a second flexible category request for listings in the network site; and

updating the display of the first subset of listings to display listings of the first subset of listings that each comprise a photo tagged with a feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request and re-rendering each listing for display by replacing the default photo for the listing with the photo tagged with the feature category corresponding to the second flexible category request.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2023
From: SAX, TYLER; BANERJEE, SOUMYADIP; BELLARE, KEDAR; OUYANG, KAREN; LIU, MIN; LEGRAND, THOMAS JEAN MARC
To: AIRBNB, INC.
Reel/Frame 065860/0778 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17728361 · Apr 25, 2022
Provisional Application 63191642 · May 21, 2021
Related Publication 20240184792A1 · Jun 6, 2024
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