Patent ID: 7979411
Filing Date: 2011-07-12
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of displaying search results to a user, said method comprising: retrieving distribution lists by accessing a directory service; generating metadata for profiles contained in a database, each of the profiles associated with a different person, one or more of the profiles including colleague designations that indicate direct relationships between one person and another person, the metadata for the profiles indicating, for each profile, distribution lists that include people associated with the profile; calculating weights for the metadata for the profiles, wherein the weights are a function of size of distribution lists that include a person associated with the profile such that distribution lists that are smaller have higher weights than the distribution lists that are larger; receiving a query from the user; generating a result set by executing a search on the database, the result set comprising one or more of the profiles that satisfy the query; assigning a relevance value to each of the profiles in the result set as a function of the metadata for the profiles, the relevance value indicating a likelihood that the user is searching for the profile and wherein the relevance values are assigned to the profiles as a function of the metadata and the calculated weights for the metadata; determining a social distance for each of the profiles in the result set, said determined social distance being a function of the colleague designations included in the profile; grouping the profiles in the result set by the determined social distance into one or more groups, each profile in a group having a common degree of social distance from the user and at least one of the groups representing a second level social distance from the user; and displaying, to the user, the profiles in the result set grouped by the determined social distance and in order of the relevance values assigned to the profiles in the result set.