Patent ID: 7165090
Filing Date: 2007-01-16
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A process for metasearching on a distributed network activated by a request executed by a user on a client device and sent to a metasearch engine, the request comprising m request groups, the m request groups comprising a plurality of search queries and specifying to which of a plurality of search engines each of the plurality of search queries is to be sent to, each of the plurality of search queries comprising a keyword phrase, each of the keyword phrases comprising at least one keyword, each of the m request groups comprising at least one search query of the plurality of search queries and specifying to which of the plurality of search engines that the at least one search query is to be sent to, at least one of the m request groups comprising at least two search queries of the plurality of search queries and specifying to which of the plurality of search engines that the at least two search queries are to be sent to and comprising at least two of the keyword phrases of the at least two search queries different from each other, wherein m is greater or equal to one, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving, at the metasearch engine, the request from the client device, wherein the request specifies one of the m request groups comprising the at least two search queries of the plurality of search queries comprising the at least two of the keyword phrases different from each other and specifying to which of the plurality of search engines that the at least two search queries specified in the specified one of the m request groups are to be sent to; (b) sending, by the metasearch engine, the at least two search queries of the plurality of search queries comprising the at least two of the keyword phrases different from each other to those of the plurality of search engines specified in the specified one of the m request groups; (c) receiving, at the metasearch engine, search results from those of the plurality of search engines specified in the specified one of the m request groups in response to the at least two search queries of the plurality of search queries comprising the at least two of the keyword phrases different from each other, each as specified in the specified one of the m request groups; (d) incorporating, by the metasearch engine, the received search results into at least two different display lists corresponding to the at least two different keyword phrases specified in the specified one of the m request groups, wherein: (e) incorporating, by the metasearch engine, the at least two different display lists of received search results into a response for communicating to the client device; (f) communicating, by the metasearch engine, the response from the metasearch engine to the client device.