System and method for text disambiguation and context designation in incremental search

1. A user-interface method for selecting a subset of items from a collection of items in response to search criteria including keystrokes entered by a user from a keypad and including metadata associated with a previously selected search result, the method comprising:

a. receiving a sequence of keystrokes entered by a user searching for desired items, each keystroke of the sequence associated with an alphabetical or numerical symbol, wherein the symbols associated with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes represent at least a portion of a sequence of symbols representing the desired items;

b. in response to receiving the keystrokes, performing a first search operation on the collection of items based on the sequence of keystrokes to retrieve a first subset of items from the collection of items and corresponding metadata associated with the first subset of items, wherein the metadata associated with each item of the first subset of items matches the symbols in association with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes;

c. presenting on a display device the first subset of items;

d. receiving a selection of one of the items of the first subset of items from the user;

e. in response to a locking operation received from the user, performing a second search operation on the collection of items based on at least a portion of the metadata associated with the selected item to retrieve a second subset of items from the collection of items, wherein at least a portion of the metadata associated with each item of the second subset of items matches the portion of the metadata associated with the selected item; and

f. presenting on the display device the second subset of items.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata term associated with the selected item lexically disambiguates the items of the first subset from each other for the subsequent searching and presenting steps.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata term associated with the selected item is a metadata term describing a concept associated with the selected item of the first subset so that only items associated with the concept of the selected item are selected and presented in the subsequent searching and presenting steps.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a browse action from the user for highlighting one of the presented items of the first subset; and, in response to the user browse action, transforming at least part of the keystrokes into at least one metadata term associated with the highlighted item, wherein at least some of the characters of the metadata term match the alphabetical and numerical symbols in fixed association with the keystrokes entered by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving a selection of one of the items of the first subset of items includes receiving a browse action from the user for highlighting one of the presented items of the first subset and wherein receiving a locking operation from the user includes receiving at least one additional keystroke entry from the user.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one additional keystroke entry from the user is a keystroke for performing an explicit lock operation.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one additional keystroke entry from the user includes additional keystrokes entered by the user for providing additional alphabetical or numerical symbols for searching for desired items.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbols associated with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes represent an incomplete portion of the sequence of symbols representing the desired items.

9. A user-interface system for selecting a subset of items from a collection of items in response to search criteria including keystrokes entered by a user from a keypad and including metadata associated with a previously selected search result, the system comprising instructions encoded on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

a. receive a sequence of keystrokes entered by a user searching for desired items, each keystroke of the sequence associated with an alphabetical or numerical symbol, wherein the symbols associated with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes represent at least a portion of a sequence of symbols representing the desired items;

b. in response to receiving the keystrokes, perform a first search operation on the collection of items based on the sequence of keystrokes to retrieve a first subset of items from the collection of items and corresponding metadata associated with the first subset of items, wherein the metadata associated with each item of the first subset of items matches the symbols in association with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes;

c. present on a display device the first subset of items;

d. receive a selection of one of the items of the first subset of items from the user;

e. in response to a locking operation received from the user, perform a second search operation on the collection of items based on at least a portion of the metadata associated with the selected item to retrieve second subset of items from the collection of items, wherein at least a portion of the metadata associated with each item of the second subset of items matches the portion of the metadata associated with the selected item; and

f. present on the display device the second subset of items.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the metadata term associated with the selected item lexically disambiguates the items of the first subset from each other for the subsequent searching and presenting steps.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the metadata term associated with the selected item is a metadata term describing a concept associated with the selected item of the first subset so that only items associated with the concept of the selected item are selected and presented in the subsequent searching and presenting steps.

12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising instructions operable to receive a browse action from the user for highlighting one of the presented items of the first subset; and instructions operable to, in response to the user browse action, transform at least part of the keystrokes into at least one metadata term associated with the highlighted item, wherein at least some of the characters of the metadata term match the alphabetical and numerical symbols in fixed association with the keystrokes entered by the user.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions operable to receive a selection of one of the items of the first subset of items is further operable to receive a browse action from the user for highlighting one of the presented items of the first subset and wherein the instructions operable to receive a locking operation from the user is further operable to receive at least one additional keystroke entry from the user.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one additional keystroke entry from the user is a keystroke for performing an explicit lock operation.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one additional keystroke entry from the user includes additional keystrokes entered by the user for providing additional alphabetical or numerical symbols for searching for desired items.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the symbols associated with each keystroke of the sequence of keystrokes represent an incomplete portion of the sequence of symbols representing the desired items.