Patent ID: 8060580

Claim:
A method executing on a computing system for exposing juice contributions indicative of a target juice value corresponding to a target node within a web of inter-linked nodes, the method comprising: creating a first index to overlap a closed index, said closed index comprising a plurality of closed-index node entries and a corresponding plurality of closed-index juice values, said first index comprising a multiplicity of first-index node entries, said multiplicity of first-index node entries comprising a node entry corresponding to the target node and a plurality of other node entries corresponding to at least a representative sample of the web of inter-linked nodes; identifying via said first index a first plurality of inbound links targeting the target node; for each of said first plurality of inbound links: identifying via said first index a current source node corresponding to the current inbound link; obtaining via said first index a current-source-node juice value corresponding to the current source node; and determining, in accordance with a plurality of link-weighting factors, a current juice-passed value indicating a portion of said current-source-node juice value that contributes to said target-node juice value, wherein said plurality of link-weighting factors are indicative of said plurality of closed-index juice values; providing, from the computing system to a remote computing system, a plurality of juice-passed values determined for each of said first plurality of inbound links; identifying via said first index a first plurality of outbound links sourced from the target node; and for each of said plurality of outbound links: identifying via said first index a current outbound-target node corresponding to the current outbound link; identifying via said first index a current outbound-target-node juice value corresponding to the current outbound-target node; and determining, in accordance with said plurality of link-weighting factors, a contribution value indicating a positive or negative contribution to said target-node juice value, said contribution value being associated with the current outbound link; and wherein creating said first index comprises, for each of a plurality of nodes: recording a node entry corresponding to the current node; obtaining content data corresponding to the current node, said content data including one or more outbound links and a plurality of non-link content data; and for each outbound link: recording a link entry indicating the current node and a target node; and recording a link metadata entry corresponding to the current outbound link.