# US 10,454,932 B2 · Search engine with privacy protection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,454,932 B2 - Document ID: US10454932B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/842,731 - Filed: 2015-09-01 - Published: 2016-01-28 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2009-09-15 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Joshua Fox; Michael Pelts; Eitan Shapiro - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10454932B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/10: {for controlling access to devices or network resources} - G06F 16/2228: {Indexing structures} - G06F 16/2455: Query execution - G06F 16/248: Presentation of query results - G06F 16/9038: Presentation of query results - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G06F 21/62: Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules - G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes} - G06F 21/84: output devices, e.g. displays or monitors - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A search engine system with privacy protection, including a data indexer configured to create an index of data, a search engine configured to search the index of the data in response to a query, and create a search result set including excerpts from the data, and a privacy protector configured to identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of the search result set that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, redact the search result set by removing the data entity from the excerpt, and present the redacted search result set on a computer output device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for providing privacy protection in a data searching system, the method comprising: receiving a query from a requestor; identifying within data excerpts a first data entity; generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor; generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of the data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts; identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity; generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the selected item. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item. ### Claim 7 A data searching system comprising: at least one processor and a memory with instructions stored therein configured for execution by the processor, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions including: receiving a query from a requestor; identifying within data excerpts in a search result set from the query a first data entity; generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor; generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts; identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity; generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including: providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including: receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the selected item. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including: maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including: receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item. ### Claim 13 A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor performs operations for searching data, the operations comprising: receiving a query from a requestor; identifying within data excerpts in a search result set from the query a first data entity; generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor; generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of the data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts; identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity; generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the selected item. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item.