Method for a browser auto form fill

• US 20060179404A1
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Elizabeth I., Glasgow, Dane A., Walters, David Anton, Yolleck, Stephen Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/053,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/272
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

The present invention provides at least a method for automatically filling forms appearing on web pages. With respect to the present invention, a user populates personal information such as addresses, credit cards, and passwords in a tool to subsequently fill forms without re-typing the same. The user may input the personal information or retrieve it from another source. The tool gives the user flexibility in selecting the personal information to be populated in the form.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically filling forms on a web page, comprising:

at a computing device, operating a web browser and a form-fill tool in communication with the web browser;

populating from a data source data fields in the form-fill tool corresponding to one or more profiles;

detecting a form having fields presented to the user at the computing device;

populating, by the form-fill tool, data corresponding to the form fields using the pre-populated data in the form-fill tool; and

displaying one or more user-selectable categories corresponding to one or more grouped profiles, the user-selectable categories containing a listing of profiles to allow a user to select a different profile to change information previously populated in one or more forms.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source comprises at least one of a user inputting data and a computer software executing to retrieve information from an address book.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein populating, by the form-fill tool, data corresponding to the form fields using the populated fields in the form-fill tool comprises selecting a form-fill button associated with the form-fill tool on the toolbar to automatically populate data fields in one or more forms displayed in a web page with data pre-populated and stored in the form-fill tool.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein populating, by the form-fill tool, data corresponding to the form fields using the populated fields in the form-fill tool comprises automatically populating by the form-fill tool data fields in one or more forms displayed in the web page without manual intervention and with data pre-populated in the form-fill tool.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising a use of password required for the data pre-populated in the form-fill tool associated with secure information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one or more user-selectable categories comprises one or more categories appearing on the web page to allow the user to select one or more profiles located within each category, each category associated with one or more fields in the one or more forms.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one or more grouped profiles comprises profiles of similar information clustered together into one or more categories.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising shading fields in the one or more forms with unique colors for each of the one or more categories.

9. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A computer-implemented method for detecting data fields in a form displayed on a web page comprising:

detecting in the form displayed on the web page fields for data input;

grouping associated fields into clusters; and

shading in a different color in the form displayed on the web page each cluster.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the cluster is selected from the group comprising address fields, credit card information fields, and login and password fields.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying fields on an HTML form to be filled;

clustering fields on the HTML form;

and shading the clustered fields into different colors for each cluster.

13. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 10.

21. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 11.

14. A method for selecting address, password, and credit card clusters comprising:

operating a web browser to display one or more forms from a plurality of websites;

operating a toolbar connected to the web browser with one or more selectable buttons on the toolbar; and

selecting a form-fill button located on the toolbar to populate data in the one or more forms located in the display of the web browser and to open a drop-down menu with one or more selectable elements.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a preview form page generated from the selection of the preview form category within the drop-down menu operable to provide a display of the data to be populated in one or more forms.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising at least one of a settings page and an options page generated from the selection of at least one of the settings category and options category within the drop-down menu to display an options page comprising at least one of a folder list and a set of user-selectable data fields to customize the form-fill activity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of user-selectable data fields to customize the form-fill activity comprises at least one of a choice to turn on form fill, to automatically fill out address information, to enter sign-in information automatically, to automatically save website sign-in information, to overwrite existing text in forms, to set a password, to delete password information, and to change password information.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting an addresses heading in the folder list to display associated address information, the associated address information comprising at least one of a listing of one or more pre-populated addresses, no listing of pre-populated addresses, the ability to add, remove, or set as default a particular address, and the ability to select an address listing to display its address contents.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting a credit cards heading in the folder list to display associated credit card information details, the credit card information details comprising at least one of a listing of one or more pre-populated credit cards, no listing of pre-populated credit cards, the ability to add, remove, or set as default a particular credit card, and the ability to select a credit card listing to display its credit card contents, and the credit card information details accessible through the use of a password at least once for a current internet session.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting a sign-in information heading to display associated sign-in information details, said sign-in information details comprising at least one of a listing of one or more pre-populated sign-in information, no listing of pre-populated sign-in information, the ability to add or remove a particular sign-in information, and the ability to select a sign-in information listing to display its associated user name and password, and the sign-in information details accessible through the use of a password at least once for a current internet session.