System and method for presenting multiple sets of search results for a single query

• US 20050038775A1
• Filed: 08/14/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kaltix Corp. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Haveliwala, Taher, Kamvar, Sepandar, Jeh, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A system and a method that manages a user query by a single interaction between a server and a client. A plurality of clients send queries for search results to a server. The server receives these queries and performs multiple searches to generate multiple sets of search results. These sets of search results are ranked, consolidated and passed to the requesting client. The client stores these multiple sets of search results. The client then displays these search results in accordance to the boundary defined by the user. This boundary defines the portions of the search results that the user desires to view. The user may re-define the boundary. The client identifies the search results corresponding to the boundary and displays them.

Claims

1. A method of managing a user query using a single transaction between a server and a client, the method comprising:

a. obtaining the query and the boundary for a search, the boundary defining the search results that are displayed at a time;

b. obtaining multiple sets of search results, each search result comprising an identifier, the identifier being a pointer to a document, the document matching the user query;

c. consolidating the multiple sets of search results at the server by generating a comprehensive list containing a single entry for each search result.

d. delivering the consolidated multiple sets of the search results to the client;

e. storing the consolidated multiple sets of the search results at the client; and

f. handling a request for display of search results, the handling of the request being performed at the client.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein obtaining the multiple sets of search results comprises:

a. performing a plurality of searches, each search defining a set of rules for producing a set of search results, a search result being a document that matches the user query;

b. ranking the documents present in each set of search results; and

c. ordering the identifiers of a set of a search results in a position vector, the identifiers being ordered according to the ranks assigned to their respective documents;

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein obtaining the multiple sets of search results further comprises computing a ranking list for each set of search results by assigning a score to each document, the score being a measure of the extent the document satisfies the set of rules defined for the search.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein handling a request for multiple sets of search results comprises presenting the search results lying within the boundary defined by the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the identifier comprises a number.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the number is an integer

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of handling a request for multiple sets of search results further comprises:

a. redefining the boundary for the query;

b. presenting the search results according to the boundary; and

performing steps a to b the number of times the user defines the boundary for search results to be displayed.

8. A system for managing a user query using a single transaction between a server and a client, the system comprising:

a. a database for storing data to be used for obtaining search results for the user query, the database being maintained at the server, the database comprising;

i. a plurality of documents;

ii. a plurality of identifiers, each identifier being a number pointing towards a document; and

iii. metadata corresponding to each document, the meta data comprising title, abstract and URL of the document.

b. a plurality of ranking functions located at the server, each ranking function performing a rule based search for generating a set of search results and generating a position vector for the set of search results, the position vector storing the identifiers in an order of the ranks of the corresponding documents;

c. a search modulator for consolidating the multiple sets of search results, the search modulator being located at the server;

d. a visualization module for storing consolidated multiple sets of search results and presenting the search results lying within the boundary defined by the user, the visualization module being located at the client; and

e. a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for displaying search results to the user, the GUI presenting search results lying within a boundary defined by the user, the GUI being located at the client.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the GUI comprises:

a. means for allowing the user to define a boundary for the search results to be presented at a time; and

b. means for presenting the search results within the boundary defined by the user.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the identifier number is an integer.