On the left of the Search Results window you will see the Refine Search panel which contains tools for filtering your search results.  If you make a change anywhere in the Refine Search panel the Update Search button (5) will activate (no longer dimmed).

1. The Query field (1) echos back your original query.  You can refine the search by using additional keywords, or Advanced Query Syntax by typing in the Query Field and updating your search.
2. The Collections option (2) lets you add or remove various data collections.  To add EP documents, for example, just use the drop down and select the EP collection from the list.  This is a multi-select combo box, meaning you can choose more than one option.
3. The Search Options field also allows you to broaden or narrow your search in various other ways.  For example, Rep. Only (3) reduces the search results set to a single member of the application family. That way you don't have to read both the application and the grant, but just the grant. Family Dedupe, on the other hand, reduces the search results set to a single member of the simple (DOCDB) family. If you filed the same patent in the US, the EP, Japan, etc., turning this on would remove all but a single document from a single jurisdiction. That way, you do not have to read the same claims, spec, etc. more than once.
4. The Filter Results fields are divided into sets by their color.  For example, the yellow filters (4) allow you to filter by the various ways we carve up the Assignee names in the patent record, whereas the blue filters allow you to filter by various class codes, such as CPC codes.

We'll often use the terms filter and facet interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference.

Clicking any of the filter buttons gives you a faceted list to choose from.  In this case, I clicked on the Assignee (Current) filter.  The facets are the names and counts for each assignee that match the query.  So really, a filter is made up of a number of facets.

To view just the Toyota Motor patents that match the query in the image above:

1. Click the Assignee (Current) filter to view the facets.
2. Check the facet you want to filter on (here we decided we want to just look at the "Toyota Motor" patents).
3. Click away from the facet list to close it (or on the X in the top right).

The Filter has been applied.

1. The Update Search button (1) is now dimmed (deactivated).
2. The criteria of Assignee (Current) Toyota Motor (2) has been applied.
3. The patent grid now lists only patents where the Assignee (Current) column (3) is Toyota Motor.

Once you have determined you like your query and the results are precise without being overly broad, you may want to analyze it in chart form.  Pick a chart from the charting menu and customize the output so that it is clear to the reader and can be easily interpreted by the reader.  Charts can be customized in various ways, depending on the chart type, by using the Refine Chart panel (to the left of the chart itself). The chart package is covered in detail in a later section.