System and Method for Presenting Multiple Sets of Search Results for a Single Query

• US 20140143226A1
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Haveliwala, Taher H., Jeh, Glen, Kamvar, Sepandar
• Granted Patent: US 10,185,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• 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 method for presenting search results is provided. The method includes submitting a query to a server and receiving from the server, in response to the query: a comprehensive list of search results that satisfy the query, and multiple position vectors, each position vector identifying a respective ordered subset of the search results in the comprehensive list. The method further includes storing the comprehensive list and the multiple position vectors, receiving a user-made selection identifying a subset of the multiple position vectors, and displaying a subset of the search results in the comprehensive list in accordance with the user-made selection.

Claims

1. (canceled)

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing the list of search results and the multiple position vectors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the search engine a list of search results and multiple position vectors comprises receiving from the search engine in a single transaction, the list of search results and the multiple position vectors.

2. A computer-implemented method comprising:

submitting a query to a search engine;

receiving from the search engine, in response to the query;

a list of search results that are included among multiple, discrete sets of search results that the search engine identifies as responsive the query, and

multiple position vectors, each position vector specifying a ranking of search results of a respective set;

receiving data indicating a selection identifying a particular set of the discrete sets of search results; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the selection, providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set, ordered according to the ranking specified by the position vector that corresponds to the particular set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each position vector of the multiple position vectors includes one or more identifiers, and wherein each identifier of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a search result of the respective set of search results.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing one or more search results of the particular set comprises:

identifying the particular position vector that corresponds to the selection;

identifying one or more identifiers in the particular position vector, wherein a quantity of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a quantity of search results to be provided for display; and

identifying the one or more search results of the particular set corresponding to the one or more identifiers in the particular position vector.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein providing one or more search results of the particular set comprises:

receiving boundary data specifying a quantity of search results to display; and

in response to receiving the boundary data, providing, for display, the quantity of the one or more search results of the particular set.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein each set of the discrete sets of search results is identified by a distinct ranking function of the search engine.

7. The method of claim 2,

wherein receiving the data indicating the selection identifying the particular set of the discrete sets of search results comprises receiving the data indicating the selection identifying (i) the particular set and (ii) a second set of search results, and

wherein providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set comprises providing an updated list of search results that include one or more search results of each of the particular set and the second set of search results.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

obtaining a first normalized position vector using the position vector that corresponds to the particular set;

obtaining a second normalized position vector using the position vector that corresponds to the second set; and

obtaining the updated list of search results based on the first normalized position vector and the second normalized position vector.

11. A computer-readable medium storing software having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations of:

submitting a query to a search engine;

receiving from the search engine, in response to the query;

a list of search results that are included among multiple, discrete sets of search results that the search engine identifies as responsive the query, and

multiple position vectors, each position vector specifying a ranking of search results of a respective set;

receiving data indicating a selection identifying a particular set of the discrete sets of search results; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the selection, providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set, ordered according to the ranking specified by the position vector that corresponds to the particular set.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each position vector of the multiple position vectors includes one or more identifiers, and wherein each identifier of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a search result of the respective set of search results.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein providing one or more search results of the particular set comprises:

receiving boundary data specifying a quantity of search results to display; and

in response to receiving the boundary data, providing, for display, the quantity of the one or more search results of the particular set.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each set of the discrete sets of search results is identified by a distinct ranking function of the search engine.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11,

wherein receiving the data indicating the selection identifying the particular set of the discrete sets of search results comprises receiving the data indicating the selection identifying (i) the particular set and (ii) a second set of search results, and

wherein providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set comprises providing an updated list of search results that include one or more search results of each of the particular set and the second set of search results.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors and one or more computer storage media storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

submitting a query to a search engine;

receiving from the search engine, in response to the query;

a list of search results that are included among multiple, discrete sets of search results that the search engine identifies as responsive the query, and

multiple position vectors, each position vector specifying a ranking of search results of a respective set;

receiving data indicating a selection identifying a particular set of the discrete sets of search results; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the selection, providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set, ordered according to the ranking specified by the position vector that corresponds to the particular set.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each position vector of the multiple position vectors includes one or more identifiers, and wherein each identifier of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a search result of the respective set of search results.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein providing one or more search results of the particular set comprises:

receiving boundary data specifying a quantity of search results to display; and

in response to receiving the boundary data, providing, for display, the quantity of the one or more search results of the particular set.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein each set of the discrete sets of search results is identified by a distinct ranking function of the search engine.

20. The system of claim 16,

wherein receiving the data indicating the selection identifying the particular set of the discrete sets of search results comprises receiving the data indicating the selection identifying (i) the particular set and (ii) a second set of search results, and

wherein providing, for display, one or more search results of the particular set comprises providing an updated list of search results that include one or more search results of each of the particular set and the second set of search results.

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a query from a client;

in response to receiving the query;

obtaining multiple ordered sets of search results that satisfy the query;

generating, from the multiple ordered sets of search results, a list of search results;

generating multiple position vectors, each position vector specifying a ranking of search results of a respective set of the multiple ordered sets of search results; and

transmitting, to the client, (i) the multiple position vectors and (ii) the list of search results.