Patent ID: 8631001

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for ranking information, comprising: receiving a plurality of query results of a plurality of search queries that were submitted separately; merging the plurality of query results into a merged query result, the merged query result being associated with the plurality of search queries; determining a first ranking sequence of the merged query result; presenting the merged query result to a user according to the first ranking sequence; identifying an input signal from the user indicating an interest in a first piece of information in the merged query result; identifying a search query from the plurality of search queries associated with the merged query result, the identified search query being associated with a query result including the first piece of information, the query result from among the plurality of query results; adjusting a query factor associated with the identified search query responsive to the input signal; locating a second piece of information in the query result associated with the identified search query; determining a score for the second piece of information based at least in part on the query factor associated with the identified search query; determining a second ranking sequence of the merged query result based at least in part on the score; and presenting the merged query result to the user according to the second ranking sequence.