Patent ID: 8433705

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of searching a set of information, comprising: at a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors, wherein performance of the method is controlled by execution of the one or more programs: generating an initial set of search results, comprising N search results, based on an initial search query; without further user input: generating a set of candidate facets, each of which can be used to select a subset of the initial set of search results; ranking the candidate facets in accordance with selectivity of the candidate facets with respect to at least some of the search results, wherein the selectivity of the candidate facets is based, at least in part, on how evenly each candidate facet, when combined with the initial search query, splits the initial set of search results, and a first respective candidate facet has higher selectivity than second and third respective candidate facets when the first, second and third facets, when combined with the initial search query, return N1, N2 and N3 search results, respectively, where N2 is greater than N1, N3 is less than N1, and the first facet, when combined with the initial search query, more evenly splits the search results than the second and third facets, when combined with the initial search query; selecting a plurality of presentation facets from among the candidate facets in accordance with the rankings of the candidate facets; formatting for display the presentation facets; and in response to user selection of any one of the presentation facets, generating a revised search query comprising the initial search query and the selected presentation facet, and generating a revised set of search results based on the revised search query.