Patent ID: 7548906
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A computerized method for conducting a search for one or more desired items, comprising: receiving a user's search selection, wherein the user's search selection comprises an input of at least one alphanumeric character; determining a collection of items that match the search selection to provide matching items, wherein the matching items are items that include said at least one alphanumeric character; grouping the matching items into one or more buckets, each bucket including one or more items; selecting one or more representative items from each of the buckets to provide representative items; and presenting the representative items to the user, wherein the representative items assist the user in converging on the one or more desired items, wherein the presenting of the representative items comprises, for each bucket, presenting an index item for each bucket, wherein the index item: (i) comprises an alphanumeric character; (ii) identifies a distinguishing characteristic of the bucket, and (iii) identifies another search selection for the user to enter to narrow the search for the one or more desired items to items; and receiving another search selection that targets one of the buckets, and repeating the determining, grouping, selecting, and presenting with respect to a group of items associated with said one of the buckets.