Text search ordered along one or more dimensions

A computer-assisted method including:

• obtaining from a user a user query including at least some language;
• using an ordered list of S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, each search using at least one criteria that is different from the other searches;
• and
• performing a search for documents relevant to the user query using one of the S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, starting with the S1 search, evaluating search results corresponding to the search performed to determine whether to perform a subsequent search and, if the search results yielded an insufficient number of documents relevant to the user query, moving to and performing another search in the list;
• and
• returning a list of the documents returned by the at least one search that was performed.

A computer-assisted method of searching for documents that are relevant to a user's query, the method including:

• obtaining from a user a user query including at least some language;
• using an ordered list of S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, each search using at least one criteria that is different from the other searches, in which list is ordered substantially according to specificity of the search criteria, in which S1 provides at least approximately more specific search criteria than S2, . . . , SN, and in which SN provides at least approximately more general search criteria than S1, S2, . . . , S(N−1);
• performing a search for documents relevant to the user query using one of the S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, starting with the S1 search, evaluating search results corresponding to the search performed to determine whether to perform a subsequent search and, if the search results yielded an insufficient number of documents relevant to the user query, moving to and performing another search in the list;
• ranking the documents;
• and
• returning a ranked list of the documents returned by the at least one search that was performed.

An automated content provider system including:

• a user query input to receive a user query;
• a search query generator, coupled to the user query input, the search query generator to generate a search using the user query to formulate corresponding search criteria;
• a search engine, including a input coupled to the search query generator and an output, the search engine using the search criteria to perform the search and to provide a corresponding search result at the search engine output;
• a search result evaluator, coupled to the search engine output and an input of the search query generator, the search result evaluator to evaluate the search result;
• and
• in which the search query generator and search engine operate to generate or perform at least one subsequent search using different search criteria, if indicated by the evaluation of the search result by the search result evaluator.

An automated content provider system including:

• a user query input to receive a user query;
• a search query generator, coupled to the user query input, the search query generator to generate an ordered list of S1, S2, . . . , SN searches using the user query to formulate corresponding search criteria, each search including at least one criteria that is different from the other searches;
• a search engine, including a input coupled to the search query generator and an output, the search engine using the search criteria to perform ones of the S1, S2,. . . , SN searches, starting with the S1 search;
• and and to provide a corresponding search result at the search engine output;
• a search result evaluator, coupled to the search engine output and an input of the search query generator, the search result evaluator to evaluate the search result to determine whether to perform a subsequent search from the ordered list based on whether existing search results yielded an insufficient number of documents relevant to the user query.

A computer-assisted method of searching for documents that are relevant to a user's query, the method including:

• obtaining from a user a user query including at least some language;
• using an ordered list of S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, the searches using search criteria taken from a plurality of dimensions, each dimension including a plurality of search criteria ranging from approximately more specific to approximately more general;
• and
• performing a search for documents relevant to the user query using one of the S1, S2, . . . , SN searches, starting with the S1 search, evaluating search results corresponding to the search performed to determine whether to perform a subsequent search and, if the evaluation deems the search results insufficient, then moving to and performing another search in the list.