Patent ID: 7039631

Claim:
A method of providing search results in response to a query comprising: comparing the query to either: (a) a plurality of documents, or (b) information representative of said plurality of documents; creating, for at least one of said documents, a score data structure which comprises a plurality of fields of information containing numerical values regarding a plurality of aspects of how said at least one document compares to the query, said plurality of aspects including at least one of the following aspects: whether there was a perfect match in the comparison, a rarity of a word in a match of the comparison, a number of common words that have limited significance in evaluating a query that were matches in the comparison, a number of words that have greater significance in evaluating a query that were matches in the comparison, a number of words that when extended by particular suffixes were matches in the comparison, and a number of words that required global synonymy that were matches in the comparison; selecting, based on a function, a first rank set from a plurality of rank sets, wherein each of the rank sets comprises a plurality of formulas that compute scalar scores based on score data structures; computing a scalar score for said at least one document by applying one of the plurality of formulas in said first rank set to said score data structure; providing information to a user based at least in part on the computed scalar score wherein each of said plurality of documents has an assigned class, wherein each of said plurality of formulas is associated with a class; and selecting said one of said plurality of formulas based on said formula being associated with the same class to which said at least one document is assigned.