USING AN INTERACTIVITY OBJECT TO FACILITATE WEB-BASED AGGREGATION

• US 20090024694A1
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Fong, Spencer W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that uses an interactivity object to facilitate interactivity during automated web site accesses. During operation, the system examines a web page on the web site to determine a data type for an interactivity request associated with the web page. Next, the system creates an interactivity object, which includes the interactivity request along with the determined data type for the interactivity request. Finally, the system sends the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

examining a web page on a web site to determine a data type for an interactivity request associated with the web page;

creating an interactivity object which includes the interactivity request along with the determined data type for the interactivity request; and

sending the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response to the interactivity request from the user;

determining an expected format for the response for the web site;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format; and

returning the response object to the web site.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

5. A method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

receiving an interactivity object at a client, wherein the interactivity object includes an interactivity request along with a data type for the interactivity request; and

presenting the interactivity request to the user through a presentation mechanism which is selected based on the data type for the interactivity request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a response to the interactivity request from the user;

determining a data type for the response;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response along with the determined data type for the response; and

returning the response object to the web site.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the interactivity object can include:

a text question;

an image;

an instruction;

an audio file;

a video file;

a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file;

an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file; and

a document.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the client is an application.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the user is a computer system.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, the method comprising:

examining a web page on a web site to determine a data type for an interactivity request associated with the web page;

creating an interactivity object which includes the interactivity request along with the determined data type for the interactivity request; and

sending the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a response to the interactivity request from the user;

determining an expected format for the response for the web site;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format; and

returning the response object to the web site.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, the method comprising:

receiving an interactivity object at a client, wherein the interactivity object includes an interactivity request along with a data type for the interactivity request; and

presenting the interactivity request to the user through a presentation mechanism which is selected based on the data type for the interactivity request.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a response to the interactivity request from the user;

determining a data type for the response;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response along with the determined data type for the response; and

returning the response object to the web site.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the interactivity object can include:

a text question;

an image;

an instruction;

an audio file;

a video file;

a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file;

an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file; and

a document.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the client is an application.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the user is a computer system.

25. An apparatus configured for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

an examination mechanism configured to examine a web page on a web site to determine a data type for an interactivity request associated with the web page;

a creation mechanism configured to create an interactivity object which includes the interactivity request along with the determined data type for the interactivity request; and

a delivery mechanism configured to send the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

a receiving mechanism configured to receive a response to the interactivity request from the user;

a determination mechanism configured to determine an expected format for the response for the web site;

wherein the creation mechanism is further configured to create a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format; and

wherein the delivery mechanism is further configured to return the response object to the web site.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the receiving mechanism is further configured to receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

29. An apparatus configured for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

a receiving mechanism configured to receive an interactivity object at a client, wherein the interactivity object includes an interactivity request along with a data type for the interactivity request; and

a presentation mechanism configured to present the interactivity request to the user based on the data type for the interactivity request.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.