Library citation integration

• US 7,526,475 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Verstak, Alexandre A., Acharya, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US11/432,039
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707/1, 707/3, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An online search system generates an index of documents using index information received from a library. Some documents have restricted access; some documents may not be available online. The search system provides links to documents in the library as well as other sites based on a search, and may include link resolvers received from the library. The search system provides access links to the link resolvers if an identifier, such as a user identification or IP address, matches an affiliation list from the library.

Claims

1. A method for searching documents, the method comprising:

storing information identifying a plurality of libraries, in a computer readable storage medium, each of which restricts access to documents contained therein to only users affiliated with such library;

receiving a query from a user;

identifying a set of search result documents relevant to the query in a primary library index;

identifying in the plurality of libraries, a subset of libraries that affiliated with the user and to which the user is allowed access;

retrieving holding information from each of the subset of affiliated libraries describing documents available in the subset of affiliated libraries;

identifying a subset of the search result documents that are available to the user in the subset of affiliated libraries; and

outputting to the user a search result for the query including the subset of search result documents, and for each document in the subset, providing an access link to the affiliated library containing the document, and from which access link the user can obtain the document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result includes a plurality of access links for a search result document responsive to the search result document being available in a plurality of affiliated libraries, each access link linking to the search result document in one of the plurality of affiliated libraries.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the access links are displayed in different sizes depending on levels of accessibility of the corresponding affiliated libraries.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the holdings information includes information regarding online and offline availability of documents associated with the holdings information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the library provides access to the availability information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the subset of affiliated libraries has a link resolver, each access link linking to the link resolver for the corresponding affiliated library and containing information identifying the corresponding search result document held in the affiliated library.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the subset of libraries that affiliated with the user comprises:

determining a user identifier for the user;

retrieving affiliation information from the plurality of libraries; and

identifying the subset of affiliated libraries in the plurality of libraries using the user identifier and the affiliation information from the plurality of libraries.

8. A system for searching of documents, comprising:

a processor for executing programs; and

a document matching engine executable by the processor, the engine including;

instructions for storing information identifying a plurality of libraries, each of which restricts access to documents contained therein to only users affiliated with such library;

instructions for receiving a query from a user;

instructions for identifying a set of search result documents relevant to the query in a primary library index;

instructions for identifying in the plurality of libraries, a subset of libraries that affiliated with the user and to which the user is allowed access;

instructions for retrieving holding information from each of the subset of affiliated libraries describing documents available in the subset of affiliated libraries;

instructions for identifying a subset of the search result documents that are available to the user in the subset of affiliated libraries; and

instructions for outputting to the user a search result for the query including the subset of search result documents, and for each document in the subset, providing an access link to the affiliated library containing the document, and from which access link the user can obtain the document.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the search result includes a plurality of access links for a search result document responsive to the search result document being available in a plurality of affiliated libraries, each access link linking to the search result document in one of the plurality of affiliated libraries.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the access links are displayed in different sizes depending on levels of accessibility of the corresponding affiliated libraries.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the holdings information includes information regarding online and offline availability of documents available in the subset of affiliated libraries.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions for identifying the subset of search result documents comprises instructions for identifying the subset of search result documents in the holding information from the subset of affiliated libraries.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the subset of affiliated libraries has a link resolver, each access link linking to the link resolver for the corresponding affiliated library and containing information identifying the corresponding search result document held in the affiliated library.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions for identifying the subset of libraries affiliated with the user comprises:

instructions for determining a user identifier for the user;

instructions for retrieving affiliation information from the plurality of libraries; and

instructions for identifying the subset of affiliated libraries in the plurality of libraries using the user identifier and the affiliation information from the plurality of libraries.

15. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism including:

instructions for storing information identifying a plurality of libraries, each of which restricts access to documents contained therein to only users affiliated with such library;

instructions for receiving a query from a user;

instructions for identifying a set of search result documents relevant to the query in a primary library index;

instructions for identifying in the plurality of libraries, a subset of libraries that affiliated with the user and to which the user is allowed access;

instructions for retrieving holding information from each of the subset of affiliated libraries describing documents available in the subset of affiliated libraries;

instructions for identifying a subset of the search result documents that are available to the user in the subset of affiliated libraries; and

instructions for outputting to the user a search result for the query including the subset of search result documents, and for each document in the subset, providing an access link to the affiliated library containing the document, and from which access link the user can obtain the document.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the search result includes a plurality of access links for a search result document responsive to the search result document being available in a plurality of affiliated libraries, each access link linking to the search result document in one of the plurality of affiliated libraries.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the access links are displayed in different sizes depending on levels of accessibility of the corresponding affiliated libraries.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the holdings information includes information regarding online and offline availability of documents available in the subset of affiliated libraries.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for identifying the subset of search result documents comprises instructions for identifying the subset of search result documents in the holding information from the subset of affiliated libraries.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein each of the subset of affiliated libraries has a link resolver, each access link linking to the link resolver for the corresponding affiliated library and containing information identifying the corresponding search result document held in the affiliated library.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for identifying the subset of libraries affiliated with the user comprises:

instructions for determining a user identifier for the user;

instructions for retrieving affiliation information from a plurality of libraries; and

instructions for identifying the subset of affiliated libraries in the plurality of libraries using the user identifier and the affiliation information from the plurality of libraries.