Method and system for performing searches for television content using reduced text input

Abstract

A method and system are provided for identifying a television content item desired by a television viewer from a set of television content items. Each of the television content items has one or more associated descriptors. The system receives from the television viewer a reduced text search entry directed at identifying the desired television content item. The search entry is a prefix substring of one or more words relating to the desired television content item. The system dynamically identifies a group of one or more television content items from the set of television content items having one or more descriptors matching the search entry as the television viewer enters each character of the search entry. The system then transmits the names of the one or more television content items of the identified group to be displayed on a device operated by the television viewer.

1 . A method of incrementally identifying and selecting a content item to be presented from a relatively large set of selectable content items, the content items being associated with descriptive terms that characterize the selectable content items, the method comprising:
 using an ordering criteria to rank and associate subsets of content items with corresponding strings of one or more descriptor prefix strings, each descriptor prefix string being a variable length string containing a subset of the characters of the descriptive terms that characterize the selectable content items, wherein each descriptor prefix string contains less than all characters of the descriptive terms;   subsequent to ranking and associating the content items with strings of one or more descriptor prefix strings, receiving incremental text input entered by a user, the incremental text input including a first descriptor prefix of a word entered by the user for incrementally identifying at least one desired content item of the relatively large set of content items, wherein the first descriptor prefix contains less than all characters of the word the user is using to incrementally identify the at least one desired content item;   selecting and presenting on a display device the subset of content items that is associated with the first descriptor prefix string;   subsequent to receiving the first descriptor prefix, receiving subsequent incremental text input entered by the user, the subsequent incremental text input including a second descriptor prefix of a word entered by the user for incrementally identifying the at least one desired content item and forming a string of prefixes including the first descriptor prefix and the second descriptor prefix in the order received, wherein the second descriptor prefix contains less than all characters of the word the user is using to incrementally identify the at least one desired content item; and   selecting and presenting on the display device the subset of content items that is associated with the string of prefixes received.