Displaying search results

• US 9,116,966 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goel, Surendra, Kellum, David E., Donaldson, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/930,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20130290310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/709, 707/713, 707/764, 707/770, 707/781, 707/785, 707/788, 707/722
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Website search results obtained from searching multiple electronic information stores may be displayed transparently without distinguishing the electronic information store. The search may be performed by a web host and may include receiving at least one search term that then is compared with first electronic information within a first electronic information store to determine whether matches exist, where the first electronic information includes content provided by an internal source. The search term also is compared with second electronic information within a second electronic information store to determine whether matches exist, where the second electronic information includes content provided by an external source. Results are displayed based on matches that are determined to exist with the first electronic information and the second electronic information. The results are combined in a single list of results.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

resolving a first list of matches between a received search term and information in a first electronic store, the information in the first store including restricted content, access to the restricted content being restricted to only members of a web searching host;

resolving a second list of matches between the received search term and information in a second electronic store, the information in the second store not including restricted content; and

providing the first and second lists as a single, combined list for display,

wherein the first electronic store is provided by clusters of servers in various locations, each cluster including one or more interrelated servers capable of providing services to a plurality of users that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein access to all of the content of the information in the first store is restricted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each cluster of servers provides geographically specific content that relates to that cluster'"'"'s geographical location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the geographically specific content includes routing information to resources that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each cluster of servers stores information accessed by users that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electronic store is provided by a common set of servers that serve any user, regardless of the user'"'"'s geographical location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electronic store is maintained by a third party search service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the access to the content included in first electronic store includes a geographic constraint based on a location of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access to the content included in first electronic store is restricted to only members of the web searching host.

10. A system for indicating recent content publication activity, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a storage section storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a content searching method that includes;

resolving a first list of matches between a received search term and information in a first electronic store, the information in the first store including restricted content, access to the restricted content being restricted to only members of a web searching host;

resolving a second list of matches between the received search term and information in a second electronic store, the information in the second store not including restricted content; and

providing the first and second lists as a single, combined list for display,

wherein the first electronic store is provided by clusters of servers in various locations, each cluster including one or more interrelated servers capable of providing services to a plurality of users that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each cluster of servers provides geographically specific content that relates to that cluster'"'"'s geographic location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein geographically specific content includes routing information to resources that are within a geotropically constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each cluster of servers stores information accessed by users that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the second electronic store is provided by a common set of servers that serves any user, regardless of the user'"'"'s geographical location.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the second electronic store is maintained by a third party search service.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the access to the content included in first electronic store includes a geographic constraint based on a location of the user.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement a content searching method, the method comprising:

resolving a first list of matches between a received search term and information in a first electronic store, the information in the first store including restricted content, access to is the restricted content being restricted to only members of a web searching host;

resolving a second list of matches between the received search term and information in a second electronic store, the information in the second store not including restricted content; and

providing the first and second lists as a single, combined list for display,

wherein clusters of servers in various locations provide the first electronic store, each cluster including one or more interrelated servers capable of providing services to a plurality of users that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the second electronic store is provided by a common set of servers that serve any user, regardless of the user'"'"'s geographical location.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the second electronic store is maintained by a third party search service.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the access to the content included in first electronic store includes a geographic constraint based on a location of the user.

21. The media of claim 17, wherein access to all of the content of the information in the first store is restricted.

22. The media of claim 17, wherein each cluster of servers provides geographically specific content that relates to that cluster'"'"'s geographical location.

23. The media of claim 22, wherein the geographically specific content includes routing information to resources that are within a geographic constraint to that cluster'"'"'s location.