Query to an electronic form

• US 20060235829A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mollicone, Laurent, Palmer, Michael B., Mirzad, Nima, Begun, Andrew Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Systems and/or methods that enable an electronic form to provide data external to the electronic form in response to a query while offline with respect to a data source from which the data originated are described. These systems and methods may also, in one embodiment, receive data from a data source that is capable of being inaccessible and associate that data with an electronic form, a user, and a query. These systems and methods may, in another embodiment, provide data in response to a query made by a user to an electronic form that was previously associated with the electronic form, the user, and the query.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

receiving a query initiated through an electronic form, the query requesting data external to the electronic form; and

providing, in response to the query, the data requested by the query while offline with respect to the data'"'"'s original data source.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the act of providing comprises determining that the query is the same as a prior query that was previously initiated through the electronic form and is associated with the data.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the act of providing comprises retrieving the data from a local cache.

4. The media of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the query, receiving a prior query requesting the same data while online with respect to the data'"'"'s original data source, receiving the data from the original data source, and caching the data to a cache, and wherein the act of providing comprises receiving the data requested by the query from the cache.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the prior query and the query are received through different instances of the electronic form.

6. The media of claim 4, wherein a same user initiates both the query and the prior query.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the query comprises a parameter that affects the data.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the parameter depends on second data provided in response to a second query received before the first query.

9. The media of claim 7, wherein the parameter depends on second data provided in response to a second query received before the first query, the second query requested while offline with respect to the second data'"'"'s original data source.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

receiving, in response to a query initiated by a user through an instance of an electronic form template, data from a data source external to the electronic form template that is capable of being inaccessible;

storing the data from the data source; and

associating the data with the electronic form template, the user, and the query.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the query comprises a parameter that affects the data received from the data source.

12. The media of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, while offline with respect to the data source, a second query initiated by the user through another instance of the electronic form template, the second query requesting the data; and

providing the data while offline with respect to the data source.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the act of providing comprises determining that the second query is made to the same electronic form template, by the same user, and is the same as the first query.

14. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

associating data received from a source external to an electronic form with the electronic form, the data used in responding to a first query initiated through a first instance of the electronic form and received while online with respect to the source for the data; and

providing the data in response to a second query initiated through a second instance of the electronic form while offline with respect to the source.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the act of providing the data comprises determining that the second query is the same as the first query.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the act of providing the data comprises determining that the first query and the second query are initiated by the same user.

17. The media of claim 14, wherein the first instance and the second instance are associated with a template of the electronic form.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the first query is initiated by a first user and the second query is initiated by a second user.

19. The media of claim 14, wherein the first query and the second query comprise a same data adapter.

20. The media of claim 14, wherein the act of associating the data with the electronic form comprises storing the data external to the electronic form.