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Methods and systems for endorsing local search results

  • US 8,489,586 B2
  • Filed: 10/26/2010
  • Issued: 07/16/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:

  • a member network server implemented by one or more computer processors, the member network server comprisinga member network database stored in machine-readable memory, the member network database storing profiles that represent members in a member network, the profiles comprising endorsements of electronic documents including web pages, anda member network engine programmed to allow users to interact with and participate in the member network, including by classifying particular electronic documents as user endorsed electronic documents by inputting a favorable rating on a control that is displayed simultaneously with a corresponding electronic document; and

    a search engine server implemented by one or more computer processors, the search engine server comprisingan article index stored in machine-readable memory, the article index indexing electronic documents stored at other devices or systems anda search engine programmed to respond to receipt of a query signal that embodies a local search query made by a query-submitting member of the member network by performing operations, the operations including;

    performing a search of the article index, the search of the article index locating local information responsive to the local search query in the electronic documents indexed by the article index and returning identifiers of the electronic documents in a first local search result set,performing a search of the member network database, the search of the member network database locating endorsements of electronic documents in the member profiles and returning the endorsements in a second local search result set, wherein performing the search of the member network database comprises the search engine communicating with the member network engine to identify selected members in the member network and accessing the member profiles of the selected members to identify the endorsements in the member profiles of the selected members,merging the first local search result set and the second local search result set to form a final local search result set, wherein ranking of the electronic documents in the final local search result set differs from ranking of the electronic documents in the first local search result set and embodies the electronic document endorsements in the member profiles of the selected members, andproviding the final local search result set for presentation to the query-submitting member of the member network, wherein the presentation identifies, with particular ones of the final local search result set, the selected members in the member network identified as having provided endorsements for electronic documents that correspond to the particular ones of the final local search result set.

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