Patent Document ID: 20070288462
Application ID: 11451667
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of assigning, to each of a plurality of images within different collections in a group of images selected by a search engine, a position within an order in which the images are to be displayed for viewing, the method comprising the following steps: a) assigning an initial handicap value to each collection of images in the group, each collection comprising at least one image of a common origin; b) calculating a combined ranking score for each image in the group by combining the handicap value of the collection containing the image and a ranking value for the image; c) selecting, for display in the first position in the order, an image having an optimum combined ranking score relative to the combined ranking scores of the other images in the group; d) after such image selection step, adjusting the handicap value assigned to the collection from which the selected image has been taken so as to adjust the combined ranking score for each of the remaining images in said collection; and e) after such handicap value adjustment step, selecting, for display in the next available position in the order, an image having an optimum combined ranking score relative to the combined ranking scores of the other images remaining in the group.