Patent ID: 8250092

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for listing documents found in a search given an input query, said method comprising the steps of: providing a taxonomy for categorizing documents and queries; receiving a search query from a user; assigning an initial numerical category utility of a first category to initially be equal to a numerical probability that said search query is in a first category of said taxonomy; assigning an initial numerical category utility of a second category to initially be equal to a numerical probability that said search query is in a second category of said taxonomy; assigning a first authority score to a first document from said first category, wherein said authority score quantifies document content relevance of the first document to said search query; assigning a second authority score to a second document from said second category, wherein said authority score quantifies document content relevance of the second document to said search query; computing a first numerical scaled authority score of said first document from said initial numerical category utility of said first category and from said first authority score; computing a second numerical scaled authority score of said second document from said initial numerical category utility of said second category and from said second authority score; ranking at least two subsets of a set of documents into an order based on said first and second numerical scaled authority scores, wherein said set of documents includes said first document and said second document; selecting said first document as having a preferred position within said order based on said ranking; returning a search result for said search query by providing a list of documents including a first listing corresponding to said first document and a second listing corresponding to said second document, wherein said first listing is provided in said list of documents before said second listing based on said selecting; determining a remainder set of documents from said set of documents by eliminating said first document from said set of documents; and determining a recalibrated numerical category utility of said first category based on said selecting of said first document, thereby enhancing category diversification of document selection; determining scaled authority-scores for each document in said set of documents; and listing first the document within said set of documents having the highest scaled authority-score; wherein the scaled authority-score for a document equals the product of the document's authority score and the utility assigned to the category of the document; wherein the recalibrated numerical category utility equals that category's utility minus the scaled authority-score of the selected document; and wherein the recalibrated numerical category utility of said first category serves as that category's assigned utility for computing scaled authority scores of documents in the remainder set.