Patent ID: 7698330

Claim:
An electronic search system comprising: computer readable storage media that stores search-related information, including: a plurality of categories, including at least one category comprising: a plurality of keyword groups, wherein at least one group of keywords includes a keyword group identifier for identifying the at least one group of keywords and for distinguishing the at least one group of keywords from another group of keywords within the at least one category; a keyword database including at least: keyword input data indicating a number of times a keyword is input into the system within a period of time; and keyword group input data indicating a number of times user input has been received with respect to the at least one keyword group, wherein a given keyword group from among the at least one keyword group includes at least one keyword having the same or similar meaning as other keywords in the given keyword group, and the electronic search system is configured to compute the number of times user input has been received with respect to the given keyword group by adding up a total number of times user input has been received with respect to keywords in the given keyword group having the same or similar meaning; and an updating module configured to periodically reset the keyword input data; an input module configured to receive a keyword from a user; a searching module, including program instructions stored in the computer readable storage media, which, when executed is configured to search, using the keyword received from the user, the keyword database for a first group of keywords which is representative of a first category that includes the keyword received from the user, and for a second group of keywords, wherein the second group of keywords belongs to the first category, wherein the second keyword group includes at least one keyword that is not in the first keyword group, and wherein the first keyword group is associated with a first keyword group identifier, and wherein the keyword database includes keyword group input data associated with the first keyword group; a computing module, including program instructions stored in the computer readable storage media, which, when executed is configured to rank the first group of keywords within the first category in relation to one or more second keyword groups included in the first category using the keyword group input data associated with the first keyword group and using keyword group input data associated with the second keyword group; and an output module, including program instructions stored in the computer readable storage media, which, when executed is configured to provide the ranking of the first group within the first category for display to the user.