Browse hierarchies customized for rules based custom catalogs

A method of utilizing one or more of a plurality of browse hierarchies each representative of a unique subset of items and utilizing filtered access to data representing the items via one or more transmitted web pages, said method comprising:

• performing by a computer system programmed with code stored in a memory and executing by a processor of the computer system which configures the computer system into a machine:
• accessing and utilizing one or more of the plurality of browse hierarchies, wherein generation of each of the browse hierarchies comprises:
• for each leaf node of a primary hierarchy representative of the items:
• establishing a search rule that comprises an aggregation of constraints specified by the leaf node and its ancestors;
• identifying all of the unique subsets that contain at least one of the items meeting the aggregation of constraints;
• and
• creating a custom browse hierarchy for each of the unique subsets, said creating further comprising retaining in the custom browse hierarchy only those leaf nodes, and their ancestors, from the primary hierarchy for which the unique subset has been identified by said identifying;
• and
• receiving web pages from a web server utilizing the browse hierarchies, wherein the web pages include data to interact with a browser application executing on the computer system to filter the items in accordance with the browse hierarchies and permit a user of the browser application to access and search data in the electronic catalog as filtered by the browse hierarchy.