System and method for utilizing asynchronous client server communication objects

A method for enabling searches of content at a server, comprising the steps of:

• providing access to a server which is configured to receive queries from clients for content;
• providing a communication protocol which enables an asynchronous connection between the clients and the server, and allows each client to communicate, under control of a user and as part of a session, a plurality of consecutive query strings to query the server for content;
• and
• providing access to a query and result cache that stores one or more query strings previously communicated from the clients, or content results previously returned from the server;
• wherein each of the clients provides an input field, which allows the user to enter as an input a query comprised of a plurality of consecutive query strings, and wherein the client transmits to the server within the session a plurality of queries to retrieve content from the server matching or related to the plurality of consecutive query strings, wherein each of the plurality of queries form an increasingly lengthening query string for retrieving content from the server;
• and wherein the server receives the queries from one of the clients, and in response to receiving each of one or more additional characters in the increasingly lengthening query string as they are being entered at the input field,
• automatically matches the increasingly lengthening query string initially by matching the query string against the content of the query and result cache, and subsequently by matching the query string against other content available to the server, and
• asynchronously returns, while the increasingly lengthening query string is being entered by the user at the input field at the client, increasingly relevant content to the client.

A non-transitory computer readable medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed cause the computer to perform the steps comprising:

• providing access to a server which is configured to receive queries from clients for content;
• providing a communication protocol which enables an asynchronous connection between the clients and the server, and allows each client to communicate, under control of a user and as part of a session, a plurality of consecutive query strings to query the server for content;
• and providing access to a query and result cache that stores one or more query strings previously communicated from the clients, or content results previously returned from the server;
• wherein each of the clients provides an input field, which allows the user to enter as an input a query comprised of a plurality of consecutive query strings, and wherein the client transmits to the server within the session a plurality of queries to retrieve content from the server matching or related to the plurality of consecutive query strings, wherein each of the plurality of queries form an increasingly lengthening query string for retrieving content from the server;
• and
• wherein the server receives the queries from one of the clients, and in response to receiving each of one or more additional characters in the increasingly lengthening query string as they are being entered at the input field,
• automatically matches the increasingly lengthening query string initially by matching the query string against the content of the query and result cache, and subsequently by matching the query string against other content available to the server, and
• asynchronously returns, while the increasingly lengthening query string is being entered by the user at the input field at the client, increasingly relevant content to the client.