System and method for determining relevancy of query responses in a distributed network search mechanism
First Claim
1. A method for searching distributed resources, comprising:
- receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in a network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network, wherein the search response includes relevance information; and
generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for selecting or ordering search results received from members of a distributing search network in response to a search request. Network nodes operating as consumer or requesting nodes generate the search requests. Nodes operating as hubs are configured to route the search requests in the network. Individual nodes operating as provider nodes receive the search request and in response may generate results according to their own procedures and return them. Communication between nodes in the network may use a common query protocol. Hub nodes may resolve the search requests to a subset of the provider nodes in the network, for example by matching search requests with registration information from nodes. Search results may be selected, ordered, and/or consolidated for use by the requesting nodes by nodes receiving a plurality of the search results.
176 Citations
40 Claims
-
1. A method for searching distributed resources, comprising:
-
receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in a network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network, wherein the search response includes relevance information; and
generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A method comprising:
-
sending a search query to first and second provider nodes in a network;
receiving first and second search responses from the first and second provider nodes respectively in response to the search query, wherein the first and second search responses include first and second bid numbers respectively; and
generating a collated search result including the first and second search response ordered in response to the difference between the first and second bid numbers. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
a network interface configured to receive a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network and to transmit an aggregate search response to the requesting node, wherein the search response includes relevance information;
a storage device configured to store the plurality of search responses; and
a processing unit configured to generate an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
a network interface configured to send a search query from a requesting node in the network to first and second provider nodes in the network and to receive first and second search responses from the first and second provider nodes respectively in response to the search query, wherein the first and second search responses include first and second bid numbers respectively;
a storage device configured to store the first and second search responses; and
a processing unit configured to generating a collated search result including the first and second search response ordered in response to the difference between the first and second bid numbers. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
means for receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network, wherein the search response includes relevance information;
means for storing the plurality of search responses;
means for transmitting an aggregate search response to the requesting node; and
means for generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
means for transmitting a search query from a requesting node in the network to first and second provider nodes in the network;
means for receiving first and second search responses from the first and second provider nodes respectively in response to the search query, wherein the first and second search responses include first and second bid numbers respectively;
means for generating a collated search result including the first and second search response ordered in response to the difference between the first and second bid numbers. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
-
-
36. A method for searching distributed resources, comprising:
-
receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in a network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network; and
generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses;
wherein each of the one or more search responses matches at least one of additional search parameters generated in response to the plurality of search responses being more than a specified number.
-
-
37. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
a network interface configured to receive a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network and to transmit an aggregate search response to the requesting node;
a storage device configured to store the plurality of search responses;
a processing unit configured to generate an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses; and
wherein each of the one or more search responses matches at least one of additional search parameters generated in response to the plurality of search responses being more than a specified number.
-
-
38. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
a network interface configured to receive a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network and to transmit an aggregate search response to the requesting node;
a storage device configured to store the plurality of search responses;
a processing unit configured to generate an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses; and
wherein the one or more search responses are selected from the plurality of search responses in response to other relevance information indicating another ranking of the plurality of search responses.
-
-
39. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
means for receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network;
means for storing the plurality of search responses;
means for transmitting an aggregate search response to the requesting node;
means for generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses; and
means for generating at least one additional search parameter in response to the plurality of search responses being more than a specified number, wherein each of the one or more search responses matches at least one of the at least one additional search parameter.
-
-
40. A computer system in a network, comprising:
-
means for receiving a search response formatted in accordance with a common query protocol from each of a plurality of provider nodes in the network in response to a search query formatted in accordance with the common query protocol from a requesting node in the network;
means for storing the plurality of search responses;
means for transmitting an aggregate search response to the requesting node;
means for generating an aggregate search result formatted in accordance with the common query protocol including one or more of the plurality of search responses ordered in response to relevance information indicating a ranking of the plurality of search responses; and
means for selecting from the plurality of search responses the one or more search responses in response to other relevance information indicating another ranking of the plurality of search responses.
-
Specification