Abstract: A method and system is provided for automatically presenting search results from user-created search verticals or search macros in response to general web-search queries. A general web-search query is received and a set of user-created search verticals is initially identified using keywords contained in the query. A subset of target user-created search verticals is identified using factors such as whether the user has installed a tab for a particular vertical in a customized user interface, whether the search query has been used in a particular search vertical with a high frequency, and an overall or query-specific customer satisfaction rating for a particular search vertical. The search results can be presented as inline answers or inline suggestions on a common display with general search results obtained for the general search query.

Abstract: User-defined search vertical control over the presentation of search results in search results user interfaces is provided. Users may create and save search macros that are capable of modifying a search engine to perform searches and present results according to user specifications. A search macro defines both search operators for specifying search aspects and user interface operators for specifying features of the search results user interface. When entering a search query, a user may select a search macro. The search engine is modified based on the operators of the selected search macro, and search results are presented in a search results user interface in accordance with use interface operators defined by the selected search macro.

Abstract: Indexed documents are arranged in the index according to a static ranking and partitioned according to static ranking. Index queries reference the first partition and move to a subsequent partition when a static rank for the subsequent partition is higher than a weighted portion of the target score added to a weighted portion of a dynamic rank corresponding to the relevance of the results set generated thus far. By changing the weight of the target score and dynamic ranks in the subsequent partition score, searches can be stopped when no more relevant results will be found in the next partition.

Abstract: A domain-based spam-resistant ranking architecture that computes trust in a domain based on web-servers on which a domain is hosted and a set of other domains that link to the domain. The ranks of pages are computed based on how much trust there is in each domain and which pages link to it. Web documents are ranked in a spam-resistant manner by assigning uniform significance to each IP address of a network location and then assigning trust values to domains hosted on those IP addresses. Then, based on a domain graph, the invention constructs a domain-rank which is an estimate of how authoritative the domain is. The domain ranks are then used to assign a minimum rank to each document.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for implementing a search engine to output search results scored for a particular user. The method includes receiving a set of input user search terms and accessing a set of input user preferences. The method additionally includes obtaining scored search results based on the set of search terms and the set of input user preferences. A method is additionally provided for sharing user search preferences for input to a search engine. The method includes storing a set of input user preferences. The input user preferences provide criteria for a search engine to perform ranking of a set of search results. The method additionally includes providing an access mechanism for allowing access to the stored set of input user preferences by a third party.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dispersing search engine results by category. A search engine application queries a searchable index of document data associated with a plurality of electronic documents in response to a search request to identify one or more electronic documents having document data matching data included in the search request. The search engine application disperses identified electronic documents according to category data included in the document data for display to a user.

Abstract: A document indexing system utilizes two indexes. An infrequent word index is maintained separately from a frequent word index to map the locations of words that occur infrequently in the indexed documents. The infrequent word index may be stored and partitioned differently than the frequent word index to promote efficiency.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a computer system comprising a plurality of Items, Item Folders, and a hardware/software interface system. The Items constitute discrete storable units of information that can be manipulated by a hardware/software interface system. The Item Folders, which are Items themselves, constitute an organizational structure for Items. Each Item belongs to at least one Item Folder, and Items may belong to more than one Item Folder. However, an Item is not necessarily owned by any particular Item Folder, such that the deletion of said Item Folder does not automatically result in the deletion of said Item. Instead, an Item might be automatically deleted only when it no longer belongs to any Item Folder or, alternately, and Item may be automatically deleted when it is a member of only one Item Folder and that Item Folder is deleted.

Abstract: A variety of processes, e.g., electronic mail, word processing, database applications, etc., reside on a system, e.g., an operating system. Independent levels of security are maintained for the different processes without requiring the user to pass a security test to gain access to each process. The system includes a directory of system identifiers assigned to users. Each process includes a directory of process-specific identifiers for users of that process. The system identifiers and process identifiers are associated in a predetermined manner. Therefore, a user may gain access to a process only when the user's system identifier is associated with the desired process-specific identifier.

Abstract: A technique for configuring a server computer using an optimizer program to achieve optimal performance of the server based on the server types supported by the server. Configuration may involve both calculating server configuration parameters and deciding where to place various files used by the server. In order to decide where to place files, the hardware and software characteristics of the server disk drives are analyzed, and a performance table is generated. The disk drive performance data is then input into a series of algorithms of varying complexity to determine the drives where database files should be stored. Information regarding server utilization, the number of host users and the number of users in the organization is received from an administrator. The administrator input is used to calculate configuration parameters. The optimizer program may automatically adjust a plurality of registry parameters, and may automatically move one or more database and log files to the appropriate disk drives.

Abstract: Information items commonly have a unique portion and a common portion that is the same for multiple items. The common portions of information items are stored once. Each common portion is assigned a globally unique single-instance identifier. Each unique portion of an information item stores the single-instance identifier of the associated common portion. A reference count, stored with the common portion, reflects the number of unique portions associated with the common portion. When an information item is created or distributed, the single-instance identifier of the common portion is used to ensure that multiple copies of the common portion are not stored.

Abstract: A system and method for replica administration without data loss is disclosed. In a replication environment where data is replicated around a network and where any system can make changes to the data, data loss may occur if one copy of the data is deleted before changes made to that copy are replicated to other systems in the network. The present invention describes a robust administration environment which prevents inadvertent data loss by verifying that changes made to a local copy of the data reside on at least one other system in the network. The system and method of the present invention also provide a mechanism to allow an administrator to bypass such safeguards in appropriate circumstances in order to handle special cases such as total removal of the data from the network. The replica administration environment is implemented by defining various states that represent the level of participation in the replication of the data.

Abstract: A single processor/storage device provides multilingual support for a computer system. Information is divided into two parts. The first part is initially stored in a first character set, e.g., the character set in which it was created. A tag, identifying the character set, is associated with the first part. The second part is stored in a universal character set. The first part is converted to another character set only when requested. Indices may be generated from the second part using specified language sorting rules.