Persistent Search Object in a Method and Apparatus for Keeping and Finding Information

A computer implemented method for keeping and finding information, comprising:

• performing a search on both a content search index and a personal search index in response to a user query;
• merging results returned from each of said content search index and said personal search index pursuant to said search;
• categorizing said merged search results into a plurality of categories, wherein said categories comprise any of those results that a user kept, those results that said user's connections kept, and those results that others kept;
• preserving said kept results as one or more persistent search objects to which metadata may be attached;
• and
• assigning scores to each of said search results that are returned to said user in response to said query at least in part in accordance with said keeps.

An apparatus for keeping and finding information, comprising:

• a find interface;
• a keep interface;
• a find engine for user access to information via both said find interface and said keep interface, wherein a user query posited via said find engine is satisfied independently of, but may incorporate among returned search results those search results generated by, previously or concurrently, querying an independent search engine;
• a content search index;
• a personal search index;
• said find interface configured for accessing both said content search index and said personal search index and, substantially simultaneously, said keep interface accessing said personal search index;
• said content search index listing any of document content, user generated content, and semantic vectors;
• and
• said personal search index listing any of user generated content, user explicit gestures, and user implicit gestures;
• wherein said user explicit gestures comprise keeps that are captured via said keep interface and that consist of any of one or more documents and sites from among said search results to which said user ascribes significance by affirmatively keeping said document or site;
• and
• wherein said keeps are preserved as one or more persistent search objects to which metadata may be attached;
• and
• wherein said find engine is configured to perform any of ranking and returning of search results to said user in response to a subsequent query at least in part in accordance with said keeps.

An apparatus for keeping and finding information, comprising:

• a content search index;
• a personal search index;
• a processor configured for performing a search on both said content search index and said personal search index in response to a user query;
• said processor configured for merging results returned from each of said content search index and said personal search index pursuant to said search;
• said processor configured for categorizing said merged search results into a plurality of categories, wherein said categories comprise any of those results that a user kept, those results that said user's connections kept, and those results that others kept;
• said processor configured for preserving said kept results as one or more persistent search objects to which metadata may be attached;
• and
• said processor configured for assigning scores to each of said search results that are returned to said user in response to a subsequent query at least in part in accordance with said keeps.

A computer implemented method for keeping and finding information, comprising:

• a processor providing a personal search index for listing user explicit gestures that comprise keeps which are captured via a keep interface and that consist of any of one or more documents and sites from among search results returned to a user query to which said user ascribes significance by affirmatively keeping said document or site;
• and
• wherein said keeps are preserved as one or more persistent search objects to which metadata may be attached;
• and
• wherein said keeps are used, at least in part, by a find engine to perform any of ranking and returning of search results to said user in response to a subsequent query.