System for, and method of, ranking search results

Abstract

A set of search results obtained by searching a body of data records is ranked, the set of search results identifying respective data records containing one or more search terms in a first category. At least one search term of a taxonomy is selected, the taxonomy including search terms having associated metadata which, for at least some search terms, identifies a second category and includes any positive measure of relatedness to at least one different search term in the second category, the measure of relatedness being based on co-occurrences of the search terms in individual ones of a plurality of data records. The search results are then ranked, at least partially, according to the measure of relatedness to the selected search term(s) of one or more search terms in the second category which are contained in the respective data records of the search results.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.