Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Verity, Inc.

Ashok K Chandra

David James Gemmell

Olivier Jerzy Dabrowski

Benjamin Rubinstein

Jianchang Mao

Prabhakar Raghavan

Neil Latarche

Min-John Lee

Vincent Vergonjeanne

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing a rich search experience utilizing entity-type characterization are provided. A search query is received and an entity type is determined for the query. A Web search is then performed for the query against a predefined list of sources determined to be authoritative for the determined entity type. The results of the source-specific searches are filtered based upon the entity type providing a filtered list of results that each pertains to an entity of the entity type determined to be associated with the query. The filtered list are then compared to a list of resolved entities to determine equivalent entities identified by different searched sources, the equivalent entities being combined into a single potential search result. The consolidated search results are then ordered based upon rank values. At least a portion of the results may then be presented to the user.

Entity based search and resolution

Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing devices method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities. The method includes determining a query intent of a received query. Entity sets having an entity that matches the determined query intent are recognized. Each entity set includes an entity, an action, and a provider. Actions and/or providers associated with the entity that matches the determined query intent are identified. The actions and/or the corresponding providers associated with the entity are provided for integration with a representation of the associated entity on a search results page.

Presenting actions and providers associated with entities

A user of a social network may submit a search query relating to one or more topics to a search engine indexing a set of data items, but the search results, while authoritative and informative, may be highly impersonal with respect to the user. Conversely, the user may search for social data items within the social network relating to the topics, and such social data items may be more highly personalized to the user, but may also be inaccurate or incomplete. Instead, the search query may be applied to both the search engine and the social network, and the selected search results and social data items may be integrated into a presentation featuring both authoritative and personalized information about the topics associated with the search query.

Integrating social network data with search results

An application caching system and method are provided wherein one or more applications may be cached throughout a distributed computer network. The system may include a central cache directory server, one or more distributed master application servers and one or more distributed application cache servers. The system may permit a service, such as a search, to be provided to the user more quickly.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Ashok K Chandra