Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, apparatus and products, including a method that includes receiving, by at least one processor-based device, a search query provided via an interface, and submitting the search query to at least one of a plurality of search engines, each having a dedicated search engine interface, the dedicated search engine interface of the at least one of the plurality of search engines being hidden from view by the interface. The method also includes selecting a subset of search results returned by the at least one of the plurality of search engines, and determining a set of possible query variations based on the selected subset of search results, the set of possible query variations being used to determine one or more refined queries for resubmission to the at least one of the plurality of search engines.

Abstract: A method of providing a search service and a display device applying the same are provided. According to the method of providing a search service, a web page that is searched by a specified keyword is accessed, at least one keyword is extracted from text included in the web page being accessed, and the at least one extracted keyword is displayed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing social networking. A social-networking system in accordance with the present invention enables users to create multiple profiles within a single account. The social-networking system typically includes a database for storing a plurality of user accounts. The social-networking system also typically includes an interface for receiving material to be stored on the database and transmitting material stored on the database. Each user account includes one or more user profiles. Within the social networking system, users can establish relationships with one another.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for customizing a user's experience with an application such as a search engine application. The user's experience is customized based on inferring a mood and/or interests of the user at least in part from an analysis of the user's posts on one or more social media sites. The search engine application is configured to include a user-following engine which follows a user's activities on social media websites. By tracking a user's posts and other activity on social media websites, and possibly those of his or her friends, the user-following engine is able to draw inferences about a user, including for example the user's emotional state, current trending interests, future plans, likes/dislikes and aspirations. The user-following engine may then customize the user's search experience based on these drawn inferences.

Abstract: Provided are a method and mobile terminal for performing a personalized search, capable of providing search results optimized for a user in consideration of location and user preference. The method includes acquiring a question keyword from a user and information about the location of a mobile terminal, making a local search on the basis of the question keyword and the location information to generate local search results, displaying the local search results and storing a use record of the user of the mobile terminal corresponding to the displayed local search results, generating a user preference analysis model using the location information and the use record, then applying the generated user preference analysis model to the local search results, and deducing personalized final local search results from the local search results. Thus, it is possible to provide the local search results optimized for the user.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for accessing data from a database. The technique may include providing a group of hyper objects each containing a different rule. When a hyper object query language (HOQL) query is received using an HOQL engine, at least one hyper object is selected using the HOQL engine in response to the HOQL query, A data request is sent via the selected hyper object to retrieve data from the database, to be received from the database to be used by the selected hyper object. The requested data is used according to the rule associated with the selected hyper object to provide a desired standardized output.

Abstract: A publishing engine captures capturing commercial events and other information (collectively, “commercial information”) associated with a first user and automatically notifies other users in the social network of the first user of this commercial information. The publishing engine also notifies one or more search engines of these events and information. Based on this commercial information, the search engine can augment search results of the members of the social network to include historical notifications relating to commercial transactions for similar products and/or services by others in their social network. In this manner, for example, the search engine can provide results directing the searcher to other users in their social network who have purchased such products and/or services.

Abstract: The web portal's contents management becomes complex and sometime tedious job. There are needs for an efficient and cost effective way to manage large volumes of the web contents for web portals. The posting and withdrawing operation of the present invention has provided a means for making the tasks of updating and managing web portal's contents become much easy and efficient due to the principle of the parallelism can be deployed.

Abstract: A distributed search system includes a central server having an index of data, wherein the index of data is also available on a plurality of computing devices in a distributed computing network, the plurality of computing devices being distinct from the central server, each the computing device having a cache in which the computing device automatically stores data generated during the course of the computing device's access to another computing network distinct from the distributed computing network.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for automating a search over a network such as the Internet. A user selects data such as text from within an application. The selected data is activated and a search is performed without the user having to leave the application. The search is performed while the user is continuing within the application. When the search is complete, the search results are made available to the user within the application from which the search was initiated. In one embodiment, the data is pre-searched and the results are cached such that the results are already available should the user desire. The present invention is particularly suited to integration with an operating system such that the methods of the present invention are thereby available to all applications. Alternatively, the present invention can be specific to a particular application.

Abstract: Keywords and placement criteria related to a campaign are received. An advertisement request that specifies a web property, e.g., a web page, is received, and keywords and placement criteria that are satisfied by the web property are identified. Based on the identified keywords and placement criteria, an advertisement to be provided with the web property is selected.

Abstract: Systems and methods that improve search rankings for a search query by using data associated with queries related to the search query are described. In one aspect, a search query is received, a population associated with the search query is determined, an article (such as a webpage) associated with the search query is determined, and a ranking score for the article based at least in part on data associated with the population is determined. Algorithms and types of data associated with a population useful in carrying out such systems and methods are described.

Abstract: A search expression is automatically generated for designating a target element for a Web page whose contents change according to a system state or the number of elements to be displayed.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems directed to receiving search queries, retrieving documents, computing the number of categories to present for a given query, computing the number of results to show in each category, computing an ordering of categories, and for all the result pages beyond the first page employing user interface elements that optionally allow the user to quickly zoom in on a specific category and get more results belonging to that category.

Abstract: Automatic text skimming using lexical chains may be provided. First, at least one lexical chain may be created from an electronic document. Next, a list of positions within the electronic document may be created. The positions may include where at least one concept represented by one of the at least one lexical chain is mentioned. In addition, a list of the position where the at least one concept is mentioned may be assembled. A selection of at least one concept may be received from the list.

Abstract: A system and method for method for performing a web search by a search engine for content including: providing a first search results page to a user in response to a search query; providing an interface for submission of an input action representing a search command, wherein the interface is associated with the search results page; receiving the input action; reformulating the search query to incorporate the search command represented by the input action; and providing a second search results page to the user in response to the reformulated search query.

Abstract: Embodiments provide identification and/or reporting features as part of managing aspects of a product and/or service, but are not so limited. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method uses one or more search references to identify media items that correspond with the one or more search references and one or more individuals associated with each media item. The method of one embodiment provides a searching and identification service that uses one or more images as one or more search key inputs to identify relevant images of a media collection, including associating information of any depicted individuals with search key inputs.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are described for providing customized trip plans. Based on information provided by a user, geo-tagged photographs, and/or travelogues, one or more travel destinations are identified. Travel paths typically taken by tourists within each of the travel destinations and stay times within those travel destinations may be determined. A customized trip plan including a travel route plan among the one or more travel destinations and recommended internal paths within each travel destination are provided to the user. A revised customized trip plan may also be provided in response to changes made to information associated with the user.

Abstract: One embodiment identifies a set of network resources relating to a search query; determines one or more sets of query suggestions for one or more network resources from the set of network resources, respectively, wherein each one of the one or more sets of query suggestions is related to a corresponding one of the one or more network resources; and provides the one or more network resources and the one or more sets of query suggestions in response to the search query, wherein each one of the one or more sets of query suggestions is provided in association with its corresponding one of the one or more network resources.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides user-interface methods and systems for submitting search requests to search engines and presenting search results therefrom customized using content preferences learned about a user, comprising sending query information to at least two search engines, including a query identifying desired content, and user information, including context information describing the environment in which the query information is being sent, and a user signature representing content preferences learned about the user; receiving at least one set of a search result and auxiliary information from the at least one search engine in response to sending the query information, including information describing attributes of the search result that led to the search result being chosen by the at least one search engine; ordering the at least one search result based at least in part on the auxiliary information; and presenting the ordered search results to the user.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for generating search suggestions in response to receiving a search query originating from a user computing device. A server computer obtains a plurality of advanced match terms not exactly matching the search query but related to the search query, the advanced match terms previously bid on by advertisers in a bidding process. The server computer obtains advertisements associated with the advanced match terms, where each advertisement is associated with an advertiser who has won the bidding process for one of the advanced match terms. The server computer then transmits, in response to the receiving of the search query, the advanced match terms to the user computing device for display as search suggestions.

Abstract: The present invention is an automated and extensible system for the analysis and retrieval of images based on region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of one or more true objects depicted by an image. The system uses a ROI database that is a relational or analytical database containing searchable vectors that represent the images stored in a repository. Entries in the ROI database are created by an image locator and ROI classifier that work in tandem to locate images within the repository and extract the relevant information. The ROI classifier analyzes objects in an image to arrive at the actual features of the true object, instead of merely describing the features of the image of that object. Graphical searches are performed by the collaborative workings of an image retrieval module, and an image search requestor that translates user or agent search requests into a language understood by an ROI query module.

Abstract: A system for collecting information from visited websites in a web browser. The system includes a web browser plug-in application having a set of user preferences for collecting certain target information from website. The system monitors the user navigating to one or more selected web-sites and parsing the websites for relevant target information. The system then compares the target information with the verified information stored in the database to generate relevant verified information. The user is alerted to the relevant verified website information and any target information that was not matched to the database. The user is then given the option of storing the relevant verified website information or searching for additional information. The unmatched information could potentially be crowd sourced to find the verified information or saved as verified information on its own. The user can then import the collected information into a workstation application.

Abstract: A system is provided for allowing collaboration among users while they conduct information searches. The system allows users to share their search queries and see what other users are searching for. This is accomplished by copying the search queries of users to a message board type activity stream where a user can see other users' search queries. In the process it allows users to help other users by providing guidance and additional information on their queries or in other ways by responding to other users' search queries. Additionally, a system is provided to allow users to discover other users who are searching for the same information concurrently, and a system that shows other users that the current user has included in his or her sharing network who have previously searched for the same information.

Abstract: A database system executes a method that receives, at a query engine in the database system, a continuous stream of data. The query engine continuously analyzes the continuous stream of data with window functions in a single long-standing query.

Abstract: Although recording of usage data is common in scholarly information services, its exploitation for the creation of value-added services remains limited due to concerns regarding, among others, user privacy, data validity, and the lack of accepted standards for the representation, sharing and aggregation of usage data. A technical, standards-based architecture for sharing usage information is presented. In this architecture, OpenURL-compliant linking servers aggregate usage information of a specific user community as it navigates the distributed information environment that it has access to. This usage information is made OAI-PMH harvestable so that usage information exposed by many linking servers can be aggregated to facilitate the creation of value-added services with a reach beyond that of a single community or a single information service.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments include a search engine indexing method, including finding a page on a server that includes keywords, scanning the page for a tag designating a portion of the page from which to index the keywords and in response to a presence of the tag within the page, indexing the portion of the page that is designated by the tag.

Abstract: Improved duplicate and near-duplicate detection techniques may assign a number of fingerprints to a given document by (i) extracting parts from the document, (ii) assigning the extracted parts to one or more of a predetermined number of lists, and (iii) generating a fingerprint from each of the populated lists. Two documents may be considered to be near-duplicates if any one of their fingerprints match.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for dynamically modifying search results “on the fly” based on the behavior of the user currently conducting a search. In one embodiment, data regarding user behavior is gathered from virtually any activity, including clicks on links, dwell times, downloads, transactions and cursor movements. Subordinate keywords are generated to reflect the intent of the user as inferred from the user's behavior. Subordinate keywords, as opposed to traditional primary keywords, are keywords that are identified as important to the search, but are not necessarily essential for a matched document. They are automatically generated by the system from a variety of places, such as documents clicked on by the user as well as documents that are skipped. The system uses the subordinate keywords to dynamically re-rank matched documents and advertisements to best reflect the inferred intent of the user in order to continuously provide the most relevant results.

Abstract: A method, a search server, and a system for mobile search interface adaptation are provided. The method for query interface adaptation for mobile search includes: receiving a search request represented by a global query interface schema; according to a mapping relationship between an attribute in the global query interface schema and an attribute in a local query interface schema of each member engine, converting the search request represented by the global query interface schema into a search request represented by the local query interface schema of each member engine; and distributing the search request represented by the local query interface schema of each member engine to each member search engine. Therefore, efficiency and accuracy of mobile search are greatly improved.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for a multi-source search. In an embodiment, a method for multi-source searching for a data driven application includes defining a form for a data driven application that includes user interface controls each corresponding to respectively to different fields in different data sources. The method also includes generating a search index for the form incorporating the different fields, coupling the form with a search user interface that includes a search control configured to accept at least one query term and associating the search control with a selection of the different fields. Thereafter, during execution of the data driven application, a search engine query can be directed for the selection of the different fields in the search index and not the different data sources according to the at least one query term provided in the search user interface.

Abstract: A user of an online service sends a request to write a review of a media content item, using a text limited device such as a gamepad of a videogame console. In response to the request, one or more dictionaries are requested using metadata associated with the request such as the title of the movie or a genre associated with the movie. The dictionaries are received and used to populate user interface elements with words and phrases. Each user interface element corresponds to a sentence component such as a verb, noun, etc. The user may use the gamepad to cycle through the words and phrases in each user interface element to generate a sentence.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner crawls web sites and identifies specific types of web pages, then extracts targeted data from those web pages. One or more text nodes containing product-related information on a first web page are first identified, and the locations of those test nodes are described using one or more vectors. The vectors are then analyzed to identify one or more patterns and to generate a model from those patterns that discriminates between text nodes that contain product-related information and text nodes that do not contain product-related information on a second web page. The model can then be used to crawl web sites to identify and extract targeted data, or the model can be installed on a user's computer to identify and extract targeted information from web sites as the user is browsing.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for enabling relevant search results and advertisement selections to be generated in response to domain queries. A query that is input to a search engine is received. The query is analyzed to determine whether the search query is a domain query. If the query is determined to be a domain query, at least one domain related segment is stripped from the domain query to generate a condensed query, the condensed query is tokenized into at least one token, and the token(s) is/are spell corrected to generate at least one query feature. The query feature(s) may be normalized to generate at least one normalized query feature. The query feature(s) is/are provided to an advertisement selector to be used to select one or more advertisements.

Abstract: A non-transitory processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions configured to cause a processor to send a first signal to cause a client device to display an instruction directing a user to perform a task associated with a user profile of an online entity. The code is configured to cause the processor to produce a query formatted according to an API associated with the online entity. The code is configured to cause the processor to send a second signal including the query to at least one of the client device or the online entity, and receive a third signal including a datum associated with the task. The code is configured to cause the processor to update a status of the indicated task based on the datum, and send a fourth signal to cause the client device to produce an indication associated with the status of the task.

Abstract: A visually-oriented search system guides a search with non-verbal inputs. Instead of specifying discrete attributes (words) as input to a search engine, a user may create a visual model of a desired end result and apply the model as a generalized input from which discrete attributes are extracted for submission to conventional search engines. The search may be enhanced with a simulation of the visually-created query, and the simulation may be transformed into a query suitable for distribution to one or more search engines. The query may be refined using domain-specific rules, vocabulary, expert systems, and the like. Search results may be browsed by a user, or employed to further refine subsequent searches.

Abstract: By carrying out search by a search keyword inputted by a searcher, an initial search result is obtained. On the other hand, extended search keywords associated with the search keyword are extracted to count the number of pertinent keywords or appearance frequency in the initial search result. Then, when the number of pertinent documents or appearance frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value (including 0), the extended search keyword is adopted, and by carrying out search by the search keyword and adopted extended search keyword, extended search results are obtained. Then, the initial search result and extended search results are shown to the searcher.

Abstract: A system for targeting advertising content includes the steps of: (a) receiving respective requests for advertising content corresponding to a plurality of mobile communication facilities operated by a group of users, wherein the plurality includes first and second types of mobile communication facilities with different rendering capabilities; (b) receiving a datum corresponding to the group; (c) selecting from a first and second sponsor respective content based on a relevancy to the datum, wherein each content includes a first and second item requiring respective rendering capabilities; (d) receiving bids from the first and second sponsors; (e) attributing a priority to the content of the first sponsor based upon a determination that a yield associated with the first sponsor is greater than a yield associated with the second sponsor; and (f) transmitting the first and second items of the first sponsor to the first and second types of mobile communication facilities respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable media for quantifying visibility into a search engine and into search results for a specific query into a search engine. A system configured to practice the method obtains a first set of search results from a search engine, using a name of an entity and at least one additional search term relating to attributes of the entity, and obtains a second set of search results, from the search engine, using the name without the at least one additional search term. The system determines what search results in the first set of search results are in the second set of search results. Then the system can generate an indicator that relates information about how many results from the first set of search results were in the second set of search results to a total number of results in the first set of search results.

Abstract: Process and system for metasearching on the Internet performed by a metasearch engine, comprising: receiving an HTTP request from a client device for the metasearch engine to send a plurality of search queries to a plurality of unique hosts that provide access to information to be searched, the HTTP request associated with a plurality of travel related items that may be ordered comprising at least one airline ticket and at least one other type of travel related item; sending the plurality of search queries to the plurality of unique hosts in response to the HTTP request; receiving search results from the plurality of unique hosts; incorporating the received search results into a response; communicating the response from the metasearch engine to the client device; receiving another HTTP request from the client device for placing an order for at least one of the plurality of travel related items; processing the order.

Abstract: An electronic medical record employs a hybrid search engine which can perform structured queries for comprehensive search results and text searches for rapid identification of relevant information. A standard structured database of medical data is rendered accessible to text searches by generating pseudo-documents from the database that can then be subjected to standard information retrieval pre-processing.

Abstract: A information search method extends to a social networking site to search information by a contact name and other elements as location-based information, relationship, product, etc. The method includes the steps of receiving a search term specified by a searcher, detecting whether WHO is specified in the search term to determine whether search should extend to human contacts in social networking services, identifying WHAT from the search term and determining a nature of WHAT from the search term; sending the search term to a social networking service to retrieve relevant information; and presenting the retrieved information arranged in a predetermined order on a display or by audible sound and optionally a geographic information to retrieve information.

Abstract: The described embodiments relate generally to methods and systems for generating a search on an electronic device. The method includes receiving a multimedia object, determining metadata corresponding to the multimedia object and generating a search query corresponding to the metadata. The system includes an input interface configured to select a multimedia object, a metadata determining module configured to determine metadata associated with the multimedia object and a query generating module configured to generate a search query corresponding to the metadata. The electronic device may include a portable device where the search query is generated upon detection of the movement of the portable device.

Abstract: A system for targeting advertising content includes the steps of: (a) receiving respective requests for advertising content corresponding to a plurality of mobile communication facilities operated by a group of users, wherein the plurality includes first and second types of mobile communication facilities with different rendering capabilities; (b) receiving a datum corresponding to the group; (c) selecting from a first and second sponsor respective content based on a relevancy to the datum, wherein each content includes a first and second item requiring respective rendering capabilities; (d) receiving bids from the first and second sponsors; (e) attributing a priority to the content of the first sponsor based upon a determination that a yield associated with the first sponsor is greater than a yield associated with the second sponsor; and (f) transmitting the first and second items of the first sponsor to the first and second types of mobile communication facilities respectively.

Abstract: One embodiment selects from a set of query-suggestion pairs a first query and a subset of query-suggestion pairs that each has the first query as its query; computes a Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR) value for each query-suggestion pair from the subset of query-suggestion pairs; ranks the subset of query-suggestion pairs according to their respective LLR values; removes from the subset of query-suggestion pairs all query-suggestion pairs whose LLR values are below a predetermined LLR threshold; computes a Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) value for each remaining query suggestion pair from the subset of query-suggestion pairs; removes from the subset of query-suggestion pairs all query-suggestion pairs whose PMI values are below a predetermine PMI threshold; and constructs a ranked set of suggestions for the first query, wherein the ranked set of suggestions comprises one or more suggestions of the remaining query-suggestion pairs from the subset of query-suggestion pairs.

Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying and ranking search results and online advertisements based on authenticity are described. A search server includes an authenticity index, which includes authenticity metric values associated with one or more web elements. The authenticity metric values may indicate the relative authority of the web element with respect to a specific category, keyword, search term, phrase, context, filter, etc. Search results may be generated and ranked based on the authenticity metric values.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of determining, by an electronic processing device coupled to the internet, a score (Si) indicating the amount of internet activity associated with a subject, the method comprising: receiving one or more search terms relating to said subject, and initiating a search via the internet for items of digital content relating to said one or more search terms; identifying from results of said search a plurality of items of digital content; for each of said plurality of items of digital content, requesting, from at least one digital content sharing site (412, 414), activity data indicating at least the number of times said item of media content has been accessed; and calculating said score based on the activity data for each of said plurality of items of digital content.

Abstract: Systems and methods for regularly updating portions of a merged index are provided. Initially, upon receiving an indication that modifications have occurred to content of web-based documents, dynamic update of index (DUI) objects that identify the documents and expose the modified content are composed by ascertaining relative positions of the modified content within the documents, and packaging identifiers of the documents, the relative positions, and metadata underlying the modified content into a message. The DUI objects are applied to an overloading index that maintains structured records of recent modifications. In particular, portions of the overloading index are targeted utilizing the document identifiers and the relative positions specified by the DUI object, thereby updating the targeted portions within the overloading index corresponding to the modified content without rewriting the entire overloading index.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to a method of performing a search for content on the Internet, in which a user may speak a search query and speech recognition may be performed on the spoken query to generate a text search query to be provided to a plurality of search engines. This enables a user to speak the search query rather than having to type it, and also allows the user to provide the search query only once, rather than having to provide it separately to multiple different search engines.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating geocoded user information is disclosed. The method comprises searching user data across multiple different data corpuses for entries having location-related information and determining locations for the location-related information. The method further comprises generating a map showing a current location of a mobile device along with representations of the entries having location-related information, at the determined locations, for entries from the multiple different data corpuses.