User-centric, user-weighted method and apparatus for improving relevance and analysis of information sharing and searching

An apparatus comprising:

• a computer server, wherein the computer server is communicatively coupled to a plurality of clients over a communications network, and wherein the server includes:
• a source of a plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• a relevancy-and-comparison engine (RACE) program stored on the server that, when the RACE program is executed, analyzes, for relevance to a first human-user, source data indexed by the plurality of search-engine-result pointers, wherein the RACE program:
• elicits and receives, from the first human-user, a plurality of human-user-defined search terms;
• elicits and receives, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors, wherein the plurality of relevancy factors received from the first human user includes factors that are to be weighted by the RACE program to rank search-engine results for presentation to the first human user in addition to the search terms received from the first human user;
• and
• wherein the RACE program's analysis is at least in part based on weights determined by the received plurality of the first human-user-defined relevancy factors, and wherein the RACE program's analysis yields a multivariate analysis result;
• and
• an output engine that transmits the multivariate analysis result to the first human user, wherein the RACE program performs at least one of a grammar-based analysis and a syntax-based analysis of the source data indexed by the plurality of search-engine-result pointers to obtain results for the first human-user-specified relevancy factors.

An apparatus comprising:

• a computer server, wherein the computer server is communicatively coupled to a plurality of clients over a communications network, and wherein the server includes:
• a source of a plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• a relevancy-and-comparison engine (RACE) program stored on the server that, when the RACE program is executed, analyzes, for relevance to a first human user, source data indexed by the plurality of search-engine-result pointers, wherein the RACE program:
• elicits and receives, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined search terms;
• elicits and receives, from the first human user, a specification of a group, wherein the group is a self-identified set of human users, and wherein the first human user need not be a member of the specified group, wherein the RACE program associates a set of group-relevancy factors with the group;
• elicits and receives, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors, wherein the plurality of relevancy factors defined by the first human user includes factors that are to be weighted by the RACE program to rank search-engine results for presentation to the first human user in addition to the search terms received from the first human user,
• wherein the RACE program's analysis is at least in part based on weights determined by the plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors received from the first human user and the set of group-relevancy factors, and wherein the RACE program's analysis yields a multivariate analysis result, wherein the multivariate analysis is at least in part based on a statistical analysis of the source data indexed by the plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• an output engine that transmits the multivariate analysis result to the first human user;
• and
• a presentation engine configured to receive the multivariate analysis result and to present to the first human user at least one multivariate icon selected from a plurality of multivariate icons based on the multivariate analysis result, wherein a first attribute of a first one of the multivariate icons varies based on a value of a first one of the plurality of relevancy factors received from the first human user and a second attribute of the first one of the multivariate icons varies based on a value of a second one of the plurality of relevancy factors received from the first human user.

A computerized method comprising:

• communicating between a computer server and a plurality of clients over a communications network;
• receiving a plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• fetching source data pointed to by the search-engine-result pointers;
• eliciting and receiving, from a first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined search terms;
• eliciting and receiving, from the first human user, a specification of a first group, wherein the first group is a self-identified set of human users, and wherein the first human user need not be a member of the specified first group, wherein the RACE program associates a first set of group-relevancy factors with the group;
• eliciting and receiving, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors, wherein the plurality of relevancy factors defined by the first human user includes factors that are to be weighted by the RACE program to rank search-engine results for presentation to the first human user in addition to search terms entered by the first human-user;
• performing a relevancy and comparison analysis of the fetched source data for relevance to a selected user, wherein the analysis is at least in part based on weights determined by the plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors and the first set of group-relevancy factors, and outputting a multivariate analysis result;
• and
• transmitting the multivariate analysis result to the specified user.

An apparatus comprising:

• a computer server, wherein the computer server is communicatively coupled to a plurality of clients over the communications network, and wherein the server includes:
• means for receiving a plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• means for fetching source data pointed to by the search-engine-result pointers;
• means for eliciting and receiving, from a first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined search terms;
• means for eliciting and receiving, from the first human user, a specification of a first group, wherein the first group is a self-identified set of human users, and wherein the first human user need not be a member of the specified first group, wherein the RACE program associates a first set of group-relevancy factors with the group;
• means for eliciting and receiving, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors, wherein the plurality of user-defined relevancy factors defined by the first human user includes factors that are to be weighted by the RACE program to rank search-engine results for presentation to the first human user in addition to search terms entered by the first human user;
• means for performing a relevancy and comparison analysis of the fetched source data for relevance to a first human user, wherein the analysis is at least in part based on weights determined by the plurality of user-defined relevancy factors and the first set of group-relevancy factors, and outputting a multivariate analysis result;
• and
• means for transmitting the multivariate analysis result to the specified user.

A method comprising:

• communicating between a computer server and a plurality of clients over a communications network;
• receiving a plurality of search-engine-result pointers;
• fetching source data pointed to by the search-engine-result pointers;
• eliciting and receiving, from a first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined search terms;
• eliciting and receiving, from the first human user, a plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors, wherein the plurality of relevancy factors defined by the first human user includes factors that are to be weighted by the RACE program to rank search-engine results for presentation to the first human user in addition to search terms entered by the first human-user;
• performing a relevancy and comparison analysis of the fetched source data for relevance to a selected user, wherein the analysis is at least in part based on weights determined by the plurality of human-user-defined relevancy factors and a first set of group-relevancy factors, and outputting a multivariate analysis result;
• and
• transmitting the multivariate analysis result to the specified user,
• wherein the performing the relevancy and comparison analysis includes performing at least one of a grammar-based analysis and a syntax-based analysis of the source data indexed by the plurality of search-engine-result pointers to obtain results for the first human-user-specified relevancy factors.