Filter through an object list

I would like to filter my object list based on conditions using select
helpers. For example, get all the reciepts for user1 between jan and
mar of 2007. Or, just get all the reciepts for user1. Is there a
plugin or tutorial on how to implement this in a RESTful app? I dont
need to do full text searches. Any help to point me in the right
condition would be great.