Methods and apparatus for searching the Internet

摘要

Some embodiments relate to performing a search for content via the Internet, wherein user input specifying a search query is supplied to a mobile communications device, such as, for example, a smartphone. The mobile communications device separately issues the search query to a plurality of search engines and can receive the results from each search engine and display the results to the user. Thus, the user does not have to separately issue the query to each of the plurality of search engines.

主权项

1. A method, implemented at least in part via at least one hardware computer processor of a mobile communications device, of performing a search for content via the Internet, the method comprising:
receiving, at the mobile communications device, user input specifying a first search query; transmitting, from the mobile communications device to at least one server, a representation of the first search query; after the transmitting, receiving, at the mobile communications device, at least one communication from the at least one server that specifies at least one second search query and identifies a plurality of search engines, wherein the at least one second search query is based, at least in part, on the content of the first query; after the receiving, issuing at least one second search query from the mobile communications device to at least some of the plurality of search engines, wherein the at least some of the plurality of search engines comprises at least two different site-specific search engines, wherein each of the at least two different site-specific search engines provides search results that include content selected from the group consisting of: web pages hosted on only one web site or domain, content hosted on only one web site or domain, hyperlinks to web pages hosted on only one web site or domain, and hyperlinks to content hosted on only one web site or domain, and wherein the mobile communications device is a mobile phone.