Entity based search and resolution

A method being performed by one or more computing devices including at least one processor, for targeting Web search based upon entity types and resolving results of the Web search, the method comprising:

• associating at least one entity type with a received search query, the at least one entity type comprising at least one common attribute shared by one or more entities;
• searching a plurality of predefined Web sources identified for the at least one entity type to determine a list of search results;
• filtering the list of search results with regard to the at least one entity type to create a filtered list of search results, each search result in the filtered list of search results pertaining to an entity of the at least one entity type;
• comparing, using the one or more computing devices, the filtered list of search results to a resolved entity list to determine equivalent entities identified by different ones of the plurality of predefined sources;
• creating a consolidated list of search results by consolidating the equivalent entities determined to have been identified by the different ones of the plurality of predefined sources, each search result in the consolidated list of search results pertaining to a different entity of the entity type;
• and
• ordering the consolidated list of search results based upon rank values, wherein a rank value assigned to at least one of the search results in the consolidated list of search results is an aggregate rank value computed from individual rank values provided for the entity associated with the at least one of the search results, the individual rank values being provided by at least a portion of the different ones of the plurality of predefined sources.

A system for targeting Web search based upon entity type and resolving results of the Web search, the system comprising:

• a computing device associated with a search engine having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media;
• and
• a data store coupled with the search engine,
• wherein the search engine:
• receives a search query;
• determines at least one entity type relevant to the received search query, the at least one entity type comprising at least one common attribute shared by one or more entities;
• identifies a plurality of authoritative sources associated with the at least one entity type;
• searches the plurality of identified authoritative sources to determine a list of search results;
• filters the list of search results to create a filtered list of search results, each search result in the filtered list of search results pertaining to an entity of the at least one entity type;
• compares the filtered list of search results to a resolved entity list to determine equivalent entities identified by different ones of the plurality of authoritative sources;
• creates a consolidated list of search results by consolidating the equivalent entities determined to have been identified by the different ones of the plurality of authoritative sources, each search result in the consolidated list of search results pertaining to a different entity of the entity type;
• and
• orders the consolidated list of search results based upon rank values, wherein a rank value assigned to at least one of the search results in the consolidated list of search results is an aggregate rank value computed from individual rank values provided for the entity associated with the at least one of the search results, the individual rank values being provided by at least a portion of the different ones of the plurality of authoritative sources.