Report:FreePatentsOnline/Viewing Results/The Hit List
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The Hit List
The hit list in FreePatentsOnline can be displayed according to chronological order or relevancy ranking. Once the hit list is accessed, however, the sorting cannot be changed unless the query is re-run with a different sort order selected.
Data displayed with each hit includes the hit number, document number, title (which is a link to the full text), the first 25-30 words of the abstract, relevancy score, and a link to the PDF copy of the record. For more information on the relevancy score, see the Weighting and Ranking Features section.
(It should be noted that the hit list takes on a slightly different look depending on whether or not the user is logged in. The screenshot above is taken from the view of a logged-in user.)
From the hit list, users have the option to save individual records to new or pre-existing portfolios via a checkbox interface. Users can also save the search query directly from the hit list. These options only appear when the user has logged in to their (free) account. For more information on saving records see the Saving Results section. For more information on saving queries, see the Managing Search Histories section.
Editor's Note:Navigation of the hit list within FreePatentsOnline is hit and miss. On the upside, users are given a snippet of the beginning of the abstract, so that they can see if the record is relevant or not. On the downside, users are not given a representative image of any kind to further glean information on whether or not a record is relevant. This lack of drawings has the advantage of making the hit list more streamlined, but ultimately leads to a slower workflow for searchers in fields that are used to “image flipping,” such as the mechanical arts. The lack of ability to sort the hit list without going back to the search form is also another inconvenience that can add to workflow inefficiency.
