Search Systems and Methods with Integration of User Annotations

Abstract

Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.

1 . A method, implemented on a machine having at least one processor, storage, and a communication platform connected to a network for responding to a request, the method comprising:
 receiving a request from a user, wherein the user is associated with one or more other users;   obtaining a search result generated based on the request;   identifying, from the search result, content previously accessed by the user and/or at least some of the one or more other users;   arranging the search result in a manner in which content previously accessed by the user and/or the at least some of the one or more other users in the search result is presented to the user before content in the search result that has not been previously accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users; and   transmitting the arranged search result to the user as a response to the request.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the search result is arranged such that content more frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented before content less frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the search result is arranged such that at least some content that is most frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented with an indication to be distinguished from other content in the search result. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content in the search result includes one or more content items each associated with metadata that is automatically generated without input from the user or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of:
 a last visited field automatically generated for indicating when the content item was last visited by the user and/or by the one or more other users; and   a referral field automatically generated for providing historical information about what the user and/or the one or more other users have visited before visiting the content item.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein
 each of the one or more content items is associated with a content field that is supplied by the user or the one or more other users; and   the content field is left empty until and unless some data is supplied therein.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user and the one or more other users belong to a community of users that is at least one of: a group of friends, registered users of a server, users sharing some geographic similarity, and users sharing some demographic similarity. 
     
     
         8 . A system, having at least one processor, storage, and a communication platform connected to a network for responding to a request, the system comprising a search server configured for:
 receiving a request from a user, wherein the user is associated with one or more other users;   obtaining a search result generated based on the request;   identifying, from the search result, content previously accessed by the user and/or by at least some of the one or more other users;   arranging the search result in a manner in which content previously accessed by the user and/or the at least some of the one or more other users in the search result is presented to the user before content in the search result that has not been previously accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users; and   transmitting the arranged search result to the user as a response to the request.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the search result is arranged such that content more frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented before content less frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the search result is arranged such that at least some content that is most frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented with an indication to be distinguished from other content in the search result. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the content in the search result includes one or more content items each associated with metadata that is automatically generated without input from the user or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of:
 a last visited field automatically generated for indicating when the content item was last visited by the user and/or by the one or more other users; and   a referral field automatically generated for providing historical information about what the user and/or the one or more other users have visited before visiting the content item.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein
 each of the one or more content items is associated with a content field that is supplied by the user or the one or more other users; and   the content field is left empty until and unless some data is supplied therein.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the user and the one or more other users belong to a community of users that is at least one of: a group of friends, registered users of a server, users sharing some geographic similarity, and users sharing some demographic similarity. 
     
     
         15 . A machine-readable tangible and non-transitory medium having information for responding to a request, wherein the information, when read by the machine, causes the machine to perform the following:
 receiving a request from a user, wherein the user is associated with one or more other users;   obtaining a search result generated based on the request;   identifying, from the search result, content previously accessed by the user and/or by at least some of the one or more other users;   arranging the search result in a manner in which content previously accessed by the user and/or the at least some of the one or more other users in the search result is presented to the user before content in the search result that has not been previously accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users; and   transmitting the arranged search result to the user as a response to the request.   
     
     
         16 . The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the search result is arranged such that content more frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented before content less frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         17 . The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the search result is arranged such that at least some content that is most frequently accessed by the user and/or the one or more other users is presented with an indication to be distinguished from other content in the search result. 
     
     
         18 . The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the content in the search result includes one or more content items each associated with metadata that is automatically generated without input from the user or the one or more other users. 
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 18 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of:
 a last visited field automatically generated for indicating when the content item was last visited by the user and/or by the one or more other users; and   a referral field automatically generated for providing historical information about what the user and/or the one or more other users have visited before visiting the content item.   
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the user and the one or more other users belong to a community of users that is at least one of: a group of friends, registered users of a server, users sharing some geographic similarity, and users sharing some demographic similarity.