Patent ID: 8478779

Claim:
One or more computing devices, each coupled to one or more hardware processors, the one or more computing devices having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of determining whether a search query is ambiguous, the method comprising: receiving, at a server, the search query sent from a computing device; generating initial search results that are responsive to the search query; identifying a plurality of domains, wherein each domain of the plurality of domains is a subject-matter category, generating a composite domain-confidence factor for each domain of the plurality of domains, wherein the composite domain-confidence factor for each domain of the plurality of domains is derived from multiple domain-confidence factors calculated by one or more domain classifiers, wherein the composite domain-confidence factor indicates a probability that the search query is associated with an individual domain; determining that the search query is ambiguous because a difference between a highest composite domain-confidence factor and a second-highest composite domain-confidence factor generated for the search query is less than a threshold value, wherein the highest composite domain-confidence factor is associated with a first domain and the second-highest composite domain-confidence factor is associated with a second domain; and in response to said determining that the search query is ambiguous, displaying a user interface that includes the initial search results for the search query and allows a user of the computing device to filter the initial search results according to the first domain or the second domain.