Methods of and systems for searching by incorporating user-entered information

摘要

A system for and a method of using user-entered information to return more meaningful information in response to Internet search queries are disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises managing a database in response to multiple user inputs and displaying search results from the database in response to a search query. The search results include a results list and supplemental data related to the search query. Managing the database includes, among other things, re-ranking elements in the results list, storing information related to relevancies of elements in the results list, blocking a link in the results list, storing links to documents related to the search query, or any combination of these. The supplemental data include descriptions of or indices to one or more concepts related to the search query.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
a) managing a database by an Internet search application in response to user input provided by one or more first users in response to one of visiting a Web site and performing a first search query, wherein the user input comprises relevance feedback; b) ranking documents for including in a results list in response to a search query, by a search engine, an order in which the documents are ranked being influenced by the user input; and c) presenting web page search results from the database in response to a second search query initiated by a second user different from the one or more first users, wherein the web page search results includes supplemental information related to the search query and a results list comprising a list of web pages related to the second search query, multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information, which pages are presented and the order in which the web pages are presented are influenced by the relevance feedback received prior to the second search query, the relevance feedback is different from selection of a link to a web page in the results list, the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query, and the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.