Abstract: A search engine system provides search results that are ranked according to a measure of the trust associated with entities that have provided labels for the documents in the search results. A search engine receives a query and selects documents relevant to the query. The search engine also determines labels associated with selected documents, and the trust ranks of the entities that provided the labels. The trust ranks are used to determine trust factors for the respective documents. The trust factors are used to adjust information retrieval scores of the documents. The search results are then ranked based on the adjusted information retrieval scores.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method for providing information to computer users includes receiving at a server system an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users. The method can also include creating by the server system first promotional information based upon the received indicator and information associated with the first user of the social network. The method can further include persistently storing by the server system the created first promotional information in a repository of promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks. The method can additionally include receiving at the server system a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method for providing information to computer users includes receiving at a server system an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users. The method can also include creating by the server system first promotional information based upon the received indicator and information associated with the first user of the social network. The method can further include persistently storing by the server system the created first promotional information in a repository of promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks. The method can additionally include receiving at the server system a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for implementing programmable search engines. A front end server that receives a search query. A context processor that obtains a context file associated with the search query, which specifies a document collection to be searched using the query. A search engine uses the search query and the context file to identify documents from the specified document collection. A selector selects additional content to be presented with the search results based on both of the search query and the context file. A display module integrates the additional content into a search results page with at least a portion of the search results and provides the search results page to a client device.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method for providing information to computer users includes receiving at a server system an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users. The method can also include creating by the server system first promotional information based upon the received indicator and information associated with the first user of the social network. The method can further include persistently storing by the server system the created first promotional information in a repository of promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks. The method can additionally include receiving at the server system a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for generating alerts based on results received from one or more custom search engines. In an embodiment, the present invention generates alerts based on custom search engines by (1) receiving one or more alert specifications including a custom search engine identifier; (2) receiving at least one current result from the identified custom search engines; (3) determining one or more itemized alert elements based on the at least one current result; and (4) transmitting a signal representing the one or more itemized alert elements to a user via a communication network.

Abstract: This invention relates to determining page elements to display in response to a search. A method embodiment of this invention determines a page element based on a search result. The method includes: (1) determining a set of result classifications based on the search result, wherein each result classification includes a result category and a result score; and (2) determining the page element based on the set of result classifications. In this way, a classification is determined based on a search result and page elements are generated based on the classification. By using the search result, as opposed to just the query, page elements are generated that corresponds to a predominant interpretation of the user's query within the search results. As result, the page elements may, in most cases, accurately reflect the user's intent.

Abstract: A programmable search engine system is programmable by a variety of different entities, such as client devices and vertical content sites to customize search results for users. Context files store instructions for controlling the operations of the programmable search engine. The context files are processed by various context processors, which use the instructions therein to provide various pre-processing, post-processing, and search engine control operations.

Abstract: A user can issue a query on a search host site. The search host can construct a corresponding reference to custom search engine (CSE) with a URL pointing to a site with information for a CSE specification. The search host sends the reference to a CSE provider and the CSE provider dynamically generates the CSE specification based on the reference. The CSE provider then conducts a search and processes search results accordingly. The processed search results are sent to the search host who outputs the search results for the user. The information for the CSE specification can be stored anywhere accessible in a computer network and can be stored in various formats. Any number of CSE specifications can be automatically generated on demand corresponding to different queries or content requests on the search host site.

Abstract: A search engine system provides search results that are ranked according to a measure of the trust associated with entities that have provided labels for the documents in the search results. A search engine receives a query and selects documents relevant to the query. The search engine also determines labels associated with selected documents, and the trust ranks of the entities that provided the labels. The trust ranks are used to determine trust factors for the respective documents. The trust factors are used to adjust information retrieval scores of the documents. The search results are then ranked based on the adjusted information retrieval scores.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating tasks from user observations. One of the methods includes segmenting a plurality of observations associated with a user of a user device into a plurality of tasks previously engaged in by the user; and generating a respective task presentation for each of the plurality of tasks for presentation to the user.

Abstract: Search results are generated using aggregated context data from two or more contexts. When two or more programmable search engines relate to a similar topic, context data associated with the programmable search engines are aggregated. The context is then applied to a query in order to present, in an integrated manner, relevant search results that make use of context intelligence from more than one programmable search engine.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating tasks from user observations. One of the methods includes segmenting a plurality of observations associated with a user of a user device into a plurality of tasks previously engaged in by the user; and generating a respective task presentation for each of the plurality of tasks for presentation to the user.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for generating alerts based on results received from one or more custom search engines. In an embodiment, the present invention generates alerts based on custom search engines by (1) receiving one or more alert specifications including a custom search engine identifier; (2) receiving at least one current result from the identified custom search engines; (3) determining one or more itemized alert elements based on the at least one current result; and (4) transmitting a signal representing the one or more itemized alert elements to a user via a communication network.

Abstract: This invention relates to determining page elements to display in response to a search. A method embodiment of this invention determines a page element based on a search result. The method includes: (1) determining a set of result classifications based on the search result, wherein each result classification includes a result category and a result score; and (2) determining the page element based on the set of result classifications. In this way, a classification is determined based on a search result and page elements are generated based on the classification. By using the search result, as opposed to just the query, page elements are generated that corresponds to a predominant interpretation of the user's query within the search results. As result, the page elements may, in most cases, accurately reflect the user's intent.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for predictive query identification for advertisements are disclosed. Candidate query are identified from queries stored in a query log. Relevancy scores for a plurality of web documents are generated, each relevancy score associated with a corresponding web document and being a measure of the relevance of the candidate query to the web document. A web document having an associated relevancy score that exceeds a relevancy threshold is selected. The selected web document is associated with the candidate query.

Abstract: This invention relates to determining page elements to display in response to a search. A method embodiment of this invention determines a page element based on a search result. The method includes: (1) determining a set of result classifications based on the search result, wherein each result classification includes a result category and a result score; and (2) determining the page element based on the set of result classifications. In this way, a classification is determined based on a search result and page elements are generated based on the classification. By using the search result, as opposed to just the query, page elements are generated that corresponds to a predominant interpretation of the user's query within the search results. As result, the page elements may, in most cases, accurately reflect the user's intent.

Abstract: A programmable search engine system is programmable by a variety of different entities, such as client devices and vertical content sites to customize search results for users. Context files store instructions for controlling the operations of the programmable search engine. The context files are processed by various context processors, which use the instructions therein to provide various pre-processing, post-processing, and search engine control operations. Spam related and biased contexts and search results are identified using offline and query time processing stages, and the context files from vertical content providers associated with such spam and biased contexts and results are excluded from processing on direct user queries.

Abstract: A programmable search engine system is programmable by a variety of different entities, such as client devices and vertical content sites to customize search results for users. Context files store instructions for controlling the operations of the programmable search engine. The context files are processed by various context processors, which use the instructions therein to provide various pre-processing, post-processing, and search engine control operations.

Abstract: Context, or user intent, is used for improving targeting of advertisements and for generating competition among advertisers for valuable ad space. Advertisers can bid for placement on search results pages based on combinations of keywords and context categories, or keywords and contexts. Such bids are compared to one another so that appropriate ads can be selected and displayed. By taking context into account, improved ad targeting is accomplished.