Abstract: To facilitate legal research, companies, such as Thomson West provide subscription-based (pay-for-access) online information-retrieval systems. Seeking to improve these and related systems, the present inventors recognized researchers often need to access open web content that is outside their subscription-based system. Accordingly, the present inventors devised systems, methods, and software that automatically search for and identify open web documents in response to queries within the subscription-based system and/or automatically search for and identify pay-for-access content in response to receiving open web queries.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for providing a distributed search function for online delivery platforms used in law firms and other enterprises are described. For example, one aspect of the systems, methods and software provides a plurality of data sets. The data sets may comprise indices into other sets of data. At least one search engine is associated with each data set. A system receiving a search request determines which search engines are used to process the search request based on the data sets involved in the search request. The search request is then forwarded to the identified search engines.

Abstract: The present inventors have devised one or more systems, methods, and software for distributed loading of information retrieval systems. One exemplary system includes two or more (at least two) load monitor servers that not only monitor and ensure completion of load tasks by individual load servers in a set of two or more load servers, but also provide for one load monitor to monitor performance of the another. Moreover, the exemplary system provides a service-level-agreement (SLA) data structure for each load server. The SLA data structure governs what types and priority levels of loading tasks will be performed for predetermined time periods.

Abstract: The present inventors have devised one or more systems, methods, and software for distributed loading of information retrieval systems. One exemplary system includes two or more (at least two) load monitor servers that not only monitor and ensure completion of load tasks by individual load servers in a set of two or more load servers, but also provide for one load monitor to monitor performance of the another. Moreover, the exemplary system provides a service-level-agreement (SLA) data structure for each load server. The SLA data structure governs what types and priority levels of loading tasks will be performed for predetermined time periods.