Abstract: A method and system for using recent search queries for inserting relevant search results for navigational queries. At a server, multiple first queries including one or more search terms are received from a first user of a client. At least a subset of the first queries is stored in memory. A navigational query is received from the first user. The navigational query includes a first identifier of a first web site. An alternate query including one or more of the search terms is performed at the server. The search results for the alternate query are transmitted to the client for display to the first user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing query information includes receiving prior queries followed by a current query, the prior and current queries being received within an activity period an originating with a search requester. The method also includes receiving a plurality of search results based on the current query. Each search result identifying a search result document, each respective search result document being associated with a query specific score indicating a relevance of the document to the current query. The method also includes determining a first category based, at least in part, on the prior queries. The method also includes identifying a plurality of prior activity periods of other search requesters, each prior activity period containing a prior activity query where the prior activity query matches the current query, and where the prior activity period indicates the same first category.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing intent sensitive search results. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a current query for a current search session that is associated with a user identifier. One or more potential refinements for the current query are identified, each potential refinement being one or more terms and based on previous queries associated with the user identifier and previous queries associated with other user identifiers. One or more secondary queries are generated, each secondary query including the current query and one of the potential refinements, each secondary query matching a query-refinement pair in a trigger map that includes a plurality of query-refinement pairs. Secondary search results are identified for the secondary queries. Search results are provided including at least one of the secondary search results.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing query information includes receiving prior queries followed by a current query, the prior and current queries being received within an activity period an originating with a search requester. The method also includes receiving a plurality of search results based on the current query. Each search result identifying a search result document, each respective search result document being associated with a query specific score indicating a relevance of the document to the current query. The method also includes determining a first category based, at least in part, on the prior queries. The method also includes identifying a plurality of prior activity periods of other search requesters, each prior activity period containing a prior activity query where the prior activity query matches the current query, and where the prior activity period indicates the same first category.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing query information includes receiving prior queries followed by a current query, the prior and current queries being received within an activity period an originating with a search requester. The method also includes receiving a plurality of search results based on the current query. Each search result identifying a search result document, each respective search result document being associated with a query specific score indicating a relevance of the document to the current query. The method also includes determining a first category based, at least in part, on the prior queries. The method also includes identifying a plurality of prior activity periods of other search requesters, each prior activity period containing a prior activity query where the prior activity query matches the current query, and where the prior activity period indicates the same first category.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for grouping of users. In one aspect, a method includes selecting a current user group for a search session based on search results selected by a user during the search session. The method also includes obtaining a plurality of search results responsive to a query submitted by the user during the search session wherein each of the search results has a respective score. The method also includes determining that a search result in the plurality of search results is one in which users associated with the current user group select as a selected search result a percentage of time more often or less often than a general population of users that is larger than a number of users associated with the current user group. The method also includes in response to determining, modifying an order of the plurality of search results by modifying the respective score of the search result based on the percentage.

Abstract: Methods, systems and program products for identifying user intent from query patterns including, in one implementation, a method including identifying a current query including a query term, and obtaining search results responsive to the current query. Each search result identifying a document associated with a score indicating relevance. The method includes associating an intent with the session based on submission of a query containing a refining term, where each refining term was previously submitted with different unique queries. The method includes identifying prior sessions, where each prior session includes a query that matches the current query, and each prior session includes a query that contains the refining term. The method includes identifying a document selected more frequently in the prior sessions than by a general population and modifying the scores of the document in the search results. The method also includes ranking the search results based on the scores.

Abstract: Methods, systems and program products for identifying user intent from query patterns including, in one implementation, a method including identifying a current query including a query term, and obtaining search results responsive to the current query. Each search result identifying a document associated with a score indicating relevance. The method includes associating an intent with the session based on submission of a query containing a refining term, where each refining term was previously submitted with different unique queries. The method includes identifying prior sessions, where each prior session includes a query that matches the current query, and each prior session includes a query that contains the refining term. The method includes identifying a document selected more frequently in the prior sessions than by a general population and modifying the scores of the document in the search results. The method also includes ranking the search results based on the scores.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing intent sensitive search results. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a current query for a current search session that is associated with a user identifier. One or more potential refinements for the current query are identified, each potential refinement being one or more terms and based on previous queries associated with the user identifier and previous queries associated with other user identifiers. One or more secondary queries are generated, each secondary query including the current query and one of the potential refinements, each secondary query matching a query-refinement pair in a trigger map that includes a plurality of query-refinement pairs. Secondary search results are identified for the secondary queries. Search results are provided including at least one of the secondary search results.

Abstract: Crawling pages is disclosed. Pages are crawled up to a target number of pages. Additional pages, that have an importance that is equal to or greater than an importance threshold, are crawled beyond the target number of pages. In some embodiments, pages having an importance less than an importance threshold are deleted.

Abstract: Crawling pages is disclosed. Pages are crawled up to a target number of pages. Additional pages, that have an importance that is equal to or greater than an importance threshold, are crawled beyond the target number of pages. In some embodiments, pages having an importance less than an importance threshold are deleted.

Abstract: Crawling pages is disclosed. Pages are crawled up to a target number of pages. Additional pages, that have an importance that is equal to or greater than an importance threshold, are crawled beyond the target number of pages. In some embodiments, pages having an importance less than an importance threshold are deleted.

Abstract: A user request to view a video is received, and at least two advertisement options are provided to the user. The user selects one of the at least two advertisement options. An advertisement associated with the advertisement option selected by the user is displayed and the video is displayed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved system and method for rendering shadows in a computer graphics system. Textures representing the area of influence resulting from a combination of light sources and shadow casters are pre-computed. Scenes are then rendered using the pre-computed textures. A first step entails generating sets of directions and associated pre-computed textures for each light source and shadow caster pair in a simulation frame. Next, a first scene in the simulation is rendered. During this step one or more of the pre-computed textures are used to darken the area of influence or shadow portion of the scene.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for creating a sequence of computer graphics frames, using a plurality of rendering pipelines. For each frame, each rendering pipeline receives a subset of the total amount of graphics data for the particular frame. At the completion of a frame, each rendering pipeline sends a performance report to a performance monitor. The performance monitor determines whether or not there was a significant disparity in the time required by the respective rendering pipelines to render their tiles. If a disparity is detected, and if the disparity is determined to be greater than some threshold, an allocation module resizes the tiles for the next frame. This serves to balance the load across rendering pipelines for each frame.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for creating a sequence of computer graphics frames, using a plurality of rendering pipelines. For each frame, each rendering pipeline receives a subset of the total amount of graphics data for the particular frame. At the completion of a frame, each rendering pipeline sends a performance report to a performance monitor. The performance monitor determines whether or not there was a significant disparity in the time required by the respective rendering pipelines to render their tiles. If a disparity is detected, and if the disparity is determined to be greater than some threshold, an allocation module resizes the tiles for the next frame. This serves to balance the load across rendering pipelines for each frame.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved system and method for rendering shadows in a computer graphics system. Textures representing the area of influence resulting from a combination of light sources and shadow casters are pre-computed. Scenes are then rendered using the pre-computed textures. A first step entails generating sets of directions and associated pre-computed textures for each light source and shadow caster pair in a simulation frame. Next, a first scene in the simulation is rendered. During this step one or more of the pre-computed textures are used to darken the area of influence or shadow portion of the scene.