# US 2014/0195507 A1 · Collaborative search results > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195507 A1 - Document ID: US20140195507A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/157,461 - Filed: 2014-01-16 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2007-10-05 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Google Inc. - Inventors: Douglas J. Ricket; Evan H. Parker; Marcin K. Wichary; Kenson W. Yee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195507A1 ## CPC - G06F 16/951: Indexing; Web crawling techniques - G06F 16/24578: {using ranking} - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing alternative search results for a query. In one aspect, a method includes transmitting a set of one or more search results for a query to a client device for presentation to a user, where each search result refers to a respective resource, receiving from the client device an alternative search result submitted by the user for the query, associating the alternative search result with the query, and storing in a repository the query and the alternative search result, where the alternative search result is transmitted with the set of one or more search results for a new search of the query. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, from a first user associated with a first user device, a submission of a first alternative search result for a first query submitted by the first user, wherein an alternative search result is a search result that is submitted by a user of a search engine to be provided to other users of the search engine as an alternative search result, wherein the submission specifies a subpopulation of users of the search engine to which the first alternative search result will be available; associating the first query with the first alternative search result; receiving a second query submitted from a second user device by a second user different from the first user; obtaining, from the search engine, second search results responsive to the second query; determining that the first query matches the second query and that the second user is in the subpopulation of users specified by the submission of the first user; in response to the determining, generating a search results page that includes the first alternative search result in addition to one or more of the second search results; and providing the search results page to the second user device for presentation to the second user. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the search results page identifies the first alternative search result as having been submitted by the first user. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the submission specifies that a particular search result should be promoted to be a top search result. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the submission comprises additional content for the first alternative search result, the additional content being content submitted by the first user, and wherein the search results page includes the first alternative search result and the additional content submitted by the first user. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the additional content comprises an image, additional text, or an additional resource locator submitted by the first user. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the subpopulation of users comprises social contacts of the first user. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising: receiving, from the first user, user input in a first search results page specifying the subpopulation of users to which the first alternative search result will be available. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein receiving user input in the first search results page comprises receiving a user selection of a checkbox corresponding to the subpopulation of users. ### Claim 29 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising: determining a number of times the first alternative search result was selected by users of the search engine; and ranking the first alternative search result relative to a plurality of other alternative search results associated with the first query based at least in part on the number of times each other alternative search result selected by users of the search engine. ### Claim 30 A system comprising: one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a first user associated with a first user device, a submission of a first alternative search result for a first query submitted by the first user, wherein an alternative search result is a search result that is submitted by a user of a search engine to be provided to other users of the search engine as an alternative search result, wherein the submission specifies a subpopulation of users of the search engine to which the first alternative search result will be available; associating the first query with the first alternative search result; receiving a second query submitted from a second user device by a second user different from the first user; obtaining, from the search engine, second search results responsive to the second query; determining that the first query matches the second query and that the second user is in the subpopulation of users specified by the submission of the first user; in response to the determining, generating a search results page that includes the first alternative search result in addition to one or more of the second search results; and providing the search results page to the second user device for presentation to the second user. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the search results page identifies the first alternative search result as having been submitted by the first user. ### Claim 32 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the submission specifies that a particular search result should be promoted to be a top search result. ### Claim 33 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the submission comprises additional content for the first alternative search result, the additional content being content submitted by the first user, and wherein the search results page includes the first alternative search result and the additional content submitted by the first user. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The system of claim 33, wherein the additional content comprises an image, additional text, or an additional resource locator submitted by the first user. ### Claim 35 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the subpopulation of users comprises social contacts of the first user. ### Claim 36 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, from the first user, user input in a first search results page specifying the subpopulation of users to which the first alternative search result will be available. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The system of claim 36, wherein receiving user input in the first search results page comprises receiving a user selection of a checkbox corresponding to the subpopulation of users. ### Claim 38 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a number of times the first alternative search result was selected by users of the search engine; and ranking the first alternative search result relative to a plurality of other alternative search results associated with the first query based at least in part on the number of times each other alternative search result selected by users of the search engine. ### Claim 39 A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a first user associated with a first user device, a submission of a first alternative search result for a first query submitted by the first user, wherein an alternative search result is a search result that is submitted by a user of a search engine to be provided to other users of the search engine as an alternative search result, wherein the submission specifies a subpopulation of users of the search engine to which the first alternative search result will be available; associating the first query with the first alternative search result; receiving a second query submitted from a second user device by a second user different from the first user; obtaining, from the search engine, second search results responsive to the second query; determining that the first query matches the second query and that the second user is in the subpopulation of users specified by the submission of the first user; in response to the determining, generating a search results page that includes the first alternative search result in addition to one or more of the second search results; and providing the search results page to the second user device for presentation to the second user. ### Claim 40 (depends on 39) The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the search results page identifies the first alternative search result as having been submitted by the first user.