Method and apparatus for filling out electronic forms

• US 20020165877A1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry Walter, Smith, Newton James Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/731,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20020165877A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/507
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A standard based automated system is disclosed for filling out electronic forms based on a standard. A user creates a standard compliant database with labeled fields for name(s), address(s), telephone number(s), credit card number(s), and other information. A requester creates a standard compliant form and sends the form to the user where the form extracts information from the appropriate fields of the database. The user also creates a set of rules for combining the standard compliant database with the standard compliant form by applying a set of rules for default values, a set of rules responsive to flags included in the form, and a set of rules to make certain decisions when conflicts arise among field values. The completed form is then presented to the user for approval and returned to the information requester.

Claims

1. A method for filling out electronic forms comprising:

establishing a standard specifying pre-defined fields;

providing a standard complaint form made up of a plurality of subsets of said pre-defined fields;

providing a standard compliant database having a multiplicity of field values;

providing a set of rules;

responsive to said rules, combining one or more field values and said pre-defined fields in a completed form.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

responsive to application of a rule from said set of rules and selection of a value in a certain field by the user, changing values in other related fields.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving said standard compliant form from said requester.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a network as a conduit for receiving said standard compliant form.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting said completed form in a network.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

displaying a set of requested field values for a requested field of said standard compliant form; and

selecting one of said set of requested field values from the standard compliant database.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a set of rules responsive to flags included in the standard compliant form.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a set of rules to apply when conflicts arise among field values.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting said completed form to said requester.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a flag in said form.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether a field value combined in said completed form is acceptable.

13. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

responsive to application of a rule from said set of rules and selection of a value in a certain field by a user, changing values in other related fields.

14. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving said standard compliant form from said requester.

15. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

creating a set of rules responsive to flags included in the standard compliant form.

16. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

creating a set of rules to apply when conflicts arise among field values.

17. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

providing a network as a conduit for receiving said standard compliant form.

18. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting said completed form in a network.

19. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying a set of requested field values for a requested field of said standard compliant form;

selecting one of said set of requested field values; and

changing at least one other field value associated with a field of said standard compliant form.

20. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

determining whether the field value filled out in said completed form is acceptable.

21. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving said completed form by a requester.

12. A computer implemented process to accomplish automatic insertion of data from a database into a completed form received from a network comprising:

establishing a standard;

creating a standard compliant form having a predetermined set of fields;

creating a database having a multiplicity of field values for filling out said fields;

creating a set of rules; and

combining said standard compliant form with a subset of said multiplicity of field values;

wherein a completed form is created.

22. A communication system for filling out an electronic form based on an established standard comprising:

a set of storage devices including a standard compliant database having multiplicity of field values;

a standard compliant form received from a requester; and

a controller coupled to said set of storage devices for combining a subset of said multiplicity of field values with said received standard compliant form.

23. The communication system of claim 22 further comprising a display device coupled to said controller.

24. The communication system of claim 22 further comprising an input device coupled to said controller and to said display device for entering a value whereby different field values may be entered into said standard compliant form.

25. The communication system of claim 22 further comprising a set of rules for combining said subset of said multiplicity of field values with said standard compliant form.