System and Method to Capture and Manage Input Values for Automatic Form Fill

• US 20080066020A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gregory Boss, Rick Hamilton, Timothy Waters, Yen-Fu Chen
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Hamilton, Rick, Boss, Gregory, Waters, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/968
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A system for automatically completing fields in online forms, such as login forms and new user registration forms, which employs a Master Cookie File containing sets of records associated with the user, his or her accounts or web sites, and registered values associated with form tags (e.g. username, password, address, email, telephone, etc.). When the user encounters another form, the MCF is automatically searched for matching values and form tags, primarily from the same account or web site, or alternatively from other accounts or sites. A flowing pop-up menu is displayed nearby the form fields from which the user can select values to automatically complete the form. Automatic account information updating, value expiration management, mapping of favorite values, and sharing of values are optional, enhanced functions of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for automatically completing fields in online forms, comprising:

a Master File in which at least two sets of records are disposed, said record sets being associated with a user, an account or web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

a user-designated favorite password value disposed in a record in said Master File; and

a favorite mapper configured to detect when a user has entered or selected a favorite value in a form field, to search and extract a corresponding account-specific value from said Master File, and to input said extracted account-specific value into said form field, substituting said user-entered favorite value for said account-specific value in said form.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising an automatic value generator cooperative with said favorite mapper, and configured to automatically generate alternate values for proposition to said user and potential input into said form field responsive to failing to find an account-specific value in said Master File.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said automatic value generator employs a pseudo-random value generator to create said alternate value proposition.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said generator is configured to append a pseudo-random value to a previously used value.

5. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said automatic value generator employs a predefined value sequence.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said generator is configured to append an entry from a predefined value sequence to a previously used value.

7. A system for automatically completing fields in online forms, comprising the steps of:

accessing a Master File in which at least two sets of records are disposed, said record sets being associated with a user, an account or web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

disposing in said Master File a user-designated favorite password value;

responsive to detecting when a user has entered or selected said favorite value in an online form field, searching and extracting a corresponding account-specific value from said Master File; and

automatically inputting said extracted account-specific value into said form field, substituting said user-entered favorite value for said account-specific value in said form field.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising automatic generating an alternative value for proposition to said user and potential input into said form field responsive to failing to find an account-specific value in said Master File.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of automatic alternate value generation employs a pseudo-random value generator to create said alternate value proposition.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step of alternate value generation comprises appending a pseudo-random value to a previously used value.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of alternate value generation comprises using a value from a predefined value sequence.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said predefined value sequence is appended to a previously used value.

13. An article of manufacture for automatically completing fields in online forms, comprising:

a computer readable medium suitable for encoding software programs; and

one or more software programs encoded by said medium, and configured to cause a processor to perform the steps of;

(a) accessing a Master File in which at least two sets of records are disposed, said record sets being associated with a user, an account or web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

(b) disposing in said Master File a user-designated favorite password value;

(c) responsive to detecting when a user has entered or selected said favorite value in an online form field, searching and extracting a corresponding account-specific value from said Master File; and

(d) automatically inputting said extracted account-specific value into said form field, substituting said user-entered favorite value for said account-specific value in said form field.

14. The article as set forth in claim 13 further comprising software for automatically generating an alternative value for proposition to said user and potential input into said form field responsive to failing to find an account-specific value in said Master File.

15. The article as set forth in claim 14 wherein said software for automatic alternate value generation employs a pseudo-random value generator to create said alternate value proposition.

16. The article as set forth in claim 15 wherein said software for alternate value generation comprises appending a pseudo-random value to a previously used value.

17. The article as set forth in claim 14 wherein said software for alternate value generation comprises using a value from a predefined value sequence.

18. The article as set forth in claim 17 wherein said predefined value sequence is appended to a previously used value.