Persistent search object in a method and apparatus for keeping and finding information

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

a processor providing a find engine for user access to information via both a find interface and a 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;

pursuant to satisfying said query, said find interface accessing both a content search index and a 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 at least 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 in said personal search index as one or more persistent search objects to which metadata may be attached; and

said processor any of ranking and returning search results to said user in response to a subsequent query at least in part in accordance with said keeps.

2. 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.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

processing corresponding results for each of said categories in two or more stages that comprises any of:

dumping at least a portion of said results by demoting one or more of said scores;

tail-cutting at least a portion of said results based upon the relevance of each of said results; and

boosting at least a portion of said results based on other characteristics which may comprise any of a number of keeps for a result or recency of a result; and

merging said results.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

augmenting said merged results with personal information about said user from a user profile; and

returning said results to said user.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

boosting and dumping said results on the basis of user interaction with said results;

wherein results that have a high user interaction are promoted; and

wherein results with which said user does not interact are dumped.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

collecting user behavior when said user views said search results along with said query.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said user behavior comprises:

increasing the value of a document or site when said user has engaged with said document or site; and

ignoring a document or site said user has not engaged with said document or site.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein said user behavior comprises:

identifying user interaction with said results.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

increasing a score for a document or site that was selected by said user and decreasing said score for a document or site that was not selected by said user.

10. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

scoring a relationship between a particular document or site and a particular query.

11. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

generating a new score for each document or site;

storing said new score in said personal search index;

storing said document or a link to said site in a database; and

when said user presents a subsequent query, returning relevant results for said query to said user based upon at least said personal search index.

12. 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.

13. 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.