Patent ID: 8719251

Claim:
A method for sharing search results among users, the method executed by a computer system, comprising: querying by the computer system, one or more information sources, based on a search request received from a first user, to obtain a set of search results; maintaining the set of search results in a first user separate session state on the computer system; providing from the computer system, the set of search results in accordance with the first user separate session state for display on a first user display portion of a client device of the first user; responsive to receiving a first request to share the set of search results with a second user, creating on the computer system a second user separate session state that includes the set of search results; providing from the computer system, the set of search results in accordance with the second user separate session state for display on a second user display portion of a client device of the second user; responsive to receiving a request to refine the presentation of the set of search results from the client device of the first user or the second user, modifying the separate session state of the requesting user from which the request was received in accordance with the requested refinement, but not modifying the separate session state of the other of the first user or the second user; displaying the set of search results on the user display portion of the client device of the requesting user in accordance with the requested refinement without changing the display of the set of search results on the user display portion on the client device of the other of the first user or the second user; responsive to receiving a request to include a selected search result from the set of search results in a shared session state on the computer system, providing, from the computer system, the selected search result for display on respective shared display portions of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.