Patent ID: 8280871

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising steps of: returning, as search results, items in response to a search that was performed while the search engine was operating in a particular mode of a plurality of operational modes; wherein the plurality of operational modes includes (a) a mode that is designed to filter offensive material and (b) a mode that is designed not to filter offensive material; receiving input comprising a user selection of one of the items from the search results; recording an indication that the selected item was selected from results of a search performed while the search engine was in the particular mode; for each particular mode of the plurality of modes, determining the number of times the selected item has been selected from results of searches conducted in that particular mode; calculating a ratio of (a) a number of times that the selected item was selected from results of searches conducted while the search engine was in the mode in which offensive material was being filtered from search results to (b) a number of times that the selected item was selected from results of searches conducted while the search engine was in the mode in which offensive material was not being filtered from search results; and in response to a determination that the ratio is less than a specified threshold, storing data that indicates that the selected item is an offensive item that will be filtered out from results of future searches conducted while the search engine is in the mode in which offensive material is filtered from search results; wherein said steps are performed by one or more computing devices.