Patent ID: 8255377

Claim:
An interactive multi-prefix and multi-tier search system, comprising a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium, that searches a database of content items across a plurality of channels, each channel representing a category of content items within the database, the system comprising: (a) a multi-prefix search module, embodied in a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium, that receives keystrokes as they are entered by a user into a device, and searches for items within the database that contain words having a prefix matching the keystrokes, wherein: (i) each sequence of keystrokes separated by a prefix delimiter represents a distinct prefix to be matched to the beginning portion of words within the items; and (ii) each item containing at least one word matching each distinct prefix is considered a matching item; (b) a multi-tier search module, embodied in a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium, that limits a first search, including a first set of distinct prefixes, to a first tier of content that contains names of channels in the database, and, upon receiving an indication of the user's selection of the name of a first channel, limits a second search, including a second set of distinct prefixes, to a second tier of content that contains items within the category represented by the name of the first channel; and (c) a search result processor delivery module, embodied in a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium, that delivers the matching items generated by the multi-prefix search module to the device for display to the user.