Search aggregator

Abstract: The present invention utilizes an aggregator for searching, packaging and delivering content. The aggregator processes requests, searches, provides search results and acquires content. The aggregator, operating in a communications network, includes a request and results processing server, a search engine server coupled to the request and results processing server and a content acquisition server coupled to the request and results processing server. A request and results processing server receives a request for content, the search engine server searches for the content and the content acquisition program acquires content for delivery to the user. The request and results processing server includes a search request processor that receives information related to a user's search request and provides the information to a search results form builder that creates an electronic search request.

Abstract: Search engines are among the most useful and high-profile resources on the Internet. The problem of finding information on the Internet has been replaced with the problem of knowing where search engines are, what they are designed to retrieve, and how to use them. This article describes and evaluates SavvySearch, a metasearch engine designed to intelligently select and interface with multiple remote search engines. The primary metasearch issue examined is the importance of carefully selecting and ranking remote search engines for user queries. We studied the efficacy of SavvySearch's incrementally acquired metaindex approach to selecting search engines by analyzing the effect of time and experience on performance. We also compared the metaindex approach to the simpler categorical approach and showed how much experience is required to surpass the simple scheme.

Abstract: A system and method for performing domain-specific knowledge based metasearches. A metasearch engine is provided for accessing a searching text-based documents using generic search engines while simultaneously being able to access publication based databases and sequence databases as well as in-house proprietary databases and any database capable of being interfaced with a web interface so as to produce search results in text format. A data mining module is also provided for organizing raw data obtained by unsupervised clustering, simple relevance ranking, and categorization, all of which are done independently of one another. The system is capable of storing previous search data for use in query refinement or subsequent searches based upon the stored data. A search results collection browser may be provided for analyzing current browsing patterns of the user for developing weighting factors to be used in ordering the results of future searches.

Abstract: Search engines are among the most successful applications on the web today. So many search engines have been created that it is difficult for users to know where they are, how to use them, and what topics they best address. Metasearch engines reduce the user burden by dispatching queries to multiple search engines in parallel. The SAVVYSEARCH metasearch engine is designed to efficiently query other search engines by carefully selecting those search engines likely to return useful results and responding to fluctuating load demands on the web. SAVVYSEARCH learns to identify which search engines are most appropriate for particular queries, reasons about resource demands, and represents an iterative parallel search strategy as a simple plan.