Abstract: Described herein are methods for creating categorized documents, categorizing documents in a distributed database and categorizing Resulting Pages. Also described herein is an apparatus for searching a distributed database. The method for creating categorized documents generally comprises: initially assuming all documents are of type 1; filtering out all type 2 documents and placing them in a first category; filtering out all type 3 documents and placing them in a second category; and defining all remaining documents as type 4 documents and placing all type 4 documents in a third category. The apparatus for searching a distributed database generally comprises at least one memory device; a computing apparatus; an indexer; a transactional score generator; and a category assignor; a search server; and a user interface in communication with the search server.

Abstract: In a pay for placement database search system, in which advertisers pay to include their search listings in a database to be provided with search results in response to queries from searchers, each advertiser decides how much money he wants to spend on a search term. The search provider displays the advertisers' listings in proportion to the amount of money the respective advertisers spend. This permits the advertisers to subscribe to the database search system, deciding how much to pay for a subscription for a predetermined time period. The search provider can recommend an optimal spend amount for the advertisers.

Abstract: In a pay for placement database search system, in which advertisers pay to include their search listings in a database to be provided with search results in response to queries from searchers, each advertiser decides how much money he wants to spend on a search term. The search provider displays the advertisers' listings in proportion to the amount of money the respective advertisers spend. This permits the advertisers to subscribe to the database search system, deciding how much to pay for a subscription for a predetermined time period. The search provider can recommend an optimal spend amount for the advertisers.

Abstract: The methods and systems of the invention utilize limited data to yield information about the validity of any given interaction with a website. Once validity information is available, an operator can determine whether or not to continue offering interactions to a given user. The determination could also relate to whether to report website interaction statistics based on undesired interactions, how to handle billing or payment for such undesired interactions, and what type of content to send to users who are interacting with the website in an undesirable manner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for building fast and efficient support vector classifiers for large data classification problems which is useful for classifying pages from the World Wide Web and other problems with sparse matrices and large numbers of documents. The method takes advantage of the least squares nature of such problems, employs exact line search in its iterative process and makes use of a conjugate gradient method appropriate to the problem.

Abstract: A method that iteratively determines which web pages and web sites are of interest to a particular user in accordance with that user's geographic location or country. The described embodiment of the present invention determines zero or more countrytags for each web page or site considered. The described embodiment makes two passes (iterations) to arrive at these countrytags.

Abstract: A technique for ranking records of a database is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for ranking records of a database located during a search of an index to the database performed in response to a query, wherein the index has a plurality of index entries, and wherein each index entry has a weight.

Abstract: A set of criteria is acquired that defines a category of entities. The set of criteria is dynamically applied to identify an entity that meets the criteria. It is determined that the entity is registered as having control over at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address. The at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address is associated with the entity in a presentation that indicates that the entity belongs to the category of entities. In the presentation, a link may be included to a set of computer data about the entity. The set of computer data includes information other than information provided at a World-Wide Web site corresponding to the World-Wide Web address.

Abstract: A system for indexing a document including: receiving a document to be processed for inclusion in an index of documents; locating a set of documents that include hyperlinks to the document; retrieving anchortext associated with each hyperlink; parsing the anchortext into one or more tokens. Then for each token the following acts are performed: determining a weight for the token, determining whether the weight assigned to the token exceeds a threshold token weight; and indexing the document under the token, if the token weight assigned to the token exceeds the threshold token weight.

Abstract: A method and system for placement of graphical objects on a page to optimize the occurrence of an event associated with such objects. The graphical objects might include, for instance, advertisements on a webpage, and the event would include a user clicking on that ad. The page includes positions for receipt of the object material. Data regarding the past performance of the objects is stored and updated as new data is received. A user requests a page from a server associated with system. The server uses the performance data to derive a prioritized arrangement of the objects on the page. The server performs a calculation regarding the likelihood that an event will occur for a given object, as displayed to a particular user. The objects are arranged according to this calculation and returned to the user on the requested page. The likelihood can also be multiplied by a weighting factor and the objects arranged according to this product.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling information providers using a computer network to influence a position for a search listing within a search result list. A database stores accounts for the network information providers. Each account contains contact and billing information. In addition, each account contains at least one search listing having at least three components: a description, a search term comprising one or more keywords, and a bid amount. The network information provider may add, delete, or modify a search listing after logging into his or her account via an authentication process. The network information provider influences a position for a search listing in the provider's account by first selecting a relevant search term and entering that search term and the description into a search listing. A continuous online competitive bidding process occurs when the network information provider enters a new bid amount for a search listing.

Abstract: A system and method for ranking items is disclosed. In one embodiment, the items constitute offerings offered by at least one on-line vendor. The system includes a ranking module that estimates the likelihood that a user will select the offerings and the likelihood that the user will purchase the items offered in the offerings. Based on this information, the ranking module calculates the expected revenue to be generated by the offerings. The ranking module then ranks the offerings relative to one another so as to increase income received by the system administrator.

Abstract: In a search engine with two-dimensional scalable architecture for searching of a collection of documents, the search engine comprises data processing units which forms set of nodes connected in a network, a first set of nodes comprising dispatch nodes, a second set of nodes search nodes and a third set of nodes indexing nodes. The search nodes are grouped in columns, which via the network are connected in parallel between the dispatch nodes and an indexing node. The dispatch nodes are adapted for processing search queries and search answers, the search nodes are adapted to contain search software, at least some of the search nodes additionally including at least one search processor module and the indexing nodes are adapted for generally generating indexes for the search software. Optionally, acquisition nodes provided in a fourth set of nodes and adapted for processing the search answers, thus relieving the dispatch nodes of this task.

Abstract: A computerized method is used to estimate the relative coverage of Web search engines. Each search engine maintains an index of words of pages located at specific URL addresses in a network. The method generates a random query. The random query is a logical combination of words found in a subset of the pages. The random query is submitted to a first search engine. In response a set of URLs of pages matching the query are received. Each URL identifies a page indexed by the first search engine that satisfies the random query. A particular URL identifying a sample page is randomly selected. A strong query corresponding to the sample page is generated, and the strong query is submitted to a second search engine. Result information received in response to the strong query is compared to determine if the second search engine has indexed the sample page, or a page substantially similar to the sample page.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a set of search terms in response to a user input are disclosed. A first set of search terms is selected from a master set of search terms based upon a match between the input and the search terms or based upon a predefined association between the input and the search terms. A second set of search terms is selected from the first set of search terms in response to a value score that is established for each of the search terms. The value score is selected based at least in part upon the amount of revenue that each search term generates for the system's operator.

Abstract: A process for constructing a server for collecting, arranging and storing data that defines the connectivity of pages on the World Wide Web (Web). The process input is a set of compressed ASCII links files, wherein each links file is a series of source URLs and corresponding destination URLs. A temporary URLs_info Table is created and initialized. The links files and URLs metadata are read. Buffers of unique URLs are sorted and written from the links files into URL runs. An ID Index is created from the URL_info table. CS_ids are assigned to URLs and written to the ID Index. Both a compressed URL data structure and a URL Index are created. A Host Table is created. URL fingerprints are converted to CS_ids, and preliminary outstarts to CS_ids and preliminary outstarts and outlinks tables are created. Compressed outstarts and outlinks tables are created from the preliminary tables. Subsequently, compressed instarts and inlinks tables are created based on the outstarts and outlinks tables.

Abstract: A search engine comprising a crawler which crawls the WWW and stores pages found on the WWW in a database. An indexer indexes the pages in the database to produce a primary index. A document mapping section maps pages in the database into a plurality of tiers based on a ranking of the pages. The ranking may be based on portions of the pages which have a relatively higher value context. A processor produces a plurality of sub-indices from the primary index based on the mapping. The sub-indices are stored in a search node cluster. The cluster is a matrix of search nodes logically arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. Search nodes in the same column include the same sub-index. Search nodes in the same row include distinct sub-indices. A search query received by a user is sent to a dispatcher which, in turn, forwards the query to the first tier of search nodes. A fall through algorithm is disclosed which indicates when the dispatcher should forward the search query to other tiers of search nodes.

Abstract: A database search system includes a database of search terms, each search term associated with a bid amount payable by an advertiser of a plurality of advertisers and a search engine responsive to search queries from searchers for searching the database. A flight management agent is responsive to advertiser-specified parameters for adjusting bid amounts of search listings to manage expenditures over a time interval.

Abstract: Described herein are methods for creating categorized documents, categorizing documents in a distributed database and categorizing Resulting Pages. Also described herein is an apparatus for searching a distributed database. The method for creating categorized documents generally comprises: initially assuming all documents are of type 1; filtering out all type 2 documents and placing them in a first category; filtering out all type 3 documents and placing them in a second category; and defining all remaining documents as type 4 documents and placing all type 4 documents in a third category. The apparatus for searching a distributed database generally comprises at least one memory device; a computing apparatus; an indexer; a transactional score generator; and a category assignor; a search server; and a user interface in communication with the search server.

Abstract: In one implementation a method for disambiguation of search phrases is provided, which may include identifying interpretation clusters using bidded search terms of content providers and influencing a position of a search result in a search results list based on the interpretation clusters. In one implementation a method is provided for interpretation clustering, which may include identifying terms and associated content providers and calculating a matrix from the identified terms and associated content providers. Similarity scores between content providers based on the matrix are calculated and interpretation clusters are assigned using the similarity scores. Bidded search terms and/or searcher clickthrough terms may be used. In one implementation, a method is provided for increasing the relevance of search results, which may include receiving a search query and identifying the search query as ambiguous.