METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POPULATING A FORM WITH DATA

• US 20110219293A1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: MAXWELL, Duane, SCOTT, Geoffrey D., Von REIS, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,081,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

A method and apparatus for populating a form with data is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a form is displayed to the user via the target application. Each form has one or more data receptacles. The data receptacles of a form are filled with data when the user executes a data population command. The form completion program executes the data population command when a graphical representation of a particular data set is placed over the form. Each data set is stored in an encrypted manner and is accessible to users who enter the appropriate information into an authentication mechanism. To populate a form with data the form completion program obtains an image of the form and then searches for a template file that resembles the form image to within a certain threshold. The template files are typically stored on the computer hosting the target application in a template directory that is arranged according to a predefined structure. The form completion program is configured to search for templates that resemble the form image in the template directory to within a certain threshold.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A method for populating an electronic form with data, comprising:

receiving an invocation of a data population command;

detecting a type of a target application displaying a form to be populated in accordance with the data population command;

determining whether the detected type of target application is of a type recognized by a form completion program;

configuring the form completion program to use a communication technique corresponding to the type of target application upon determining that the target application is recognized; and

populating the form using the configured form completion program.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein receiving an invocation of a data population command comprises receiving an invocation of a data population command from a user.

36. The method of claim 34, comprising capturing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for identifying where the form was obtained.

37. The method of claim 34, comprising building an image of the form displayed in the target application.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying a device that originally supplied the form.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying any device containing a version of the form.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying the target application about properties of the form displayed by the target application.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein building an image of the form comprises utilizing a locally cached version of the form as a basis for building a form image.

42. The method of claim 37, comprising searching for a template file that resembles the form image.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein populating the form using the configured form completion program comprises populating the form with data when a template file is found to resemble the form image to within a matching threshold.

44. The method of claim 35, comprising:

generating, upon determining that the detected type of target application is not recognizable by the form completion program, a return value for providing to the target application; and

generating an indication to the user that the target application is not recognizable.

45. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving an invocation of a data population command;

detecting a type of a target application displaying a form to be populated in accordance with the data population command;

determining whether the detected type of target application is of a type recognized by a form completion program;

configuring the form completion program to use a communication technique corresponding to the type of target application upon determining that the target application is recognized; and

populating the form using the configured form completion program.

46. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein receiving an invocation of a data population command comprises receiving an invocation of a data population command from a user.

47. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 45, comprising capturing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for identifying where the form was obtained.

48. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 45, comprising building an image of the form displayed in the target application.

49. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying a device that originally supplied the form.

50. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying any device containing a version of the form.

51. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying the target application about properties of the form displayed by the target application.

52. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein building an image of the form comprises utilizing a locally cached version of the form as a basis for building a form image.

53. The method of claim 48, comprising searching for a template file that resembles the form image.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein populating the form using the configured form completion program comprises populating the form with data when a template file is found to resemble the form image to within a matching threshold.

55. The method of claim 46, comprising:

generating, upon determining that the detected type of target application is not recognizable by the form completion program, a return value for providing to the target application; and

generating an indication to the user that the target application is not recognizable.

56. A client computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory device that stores programmed instructions, the instructions being executable by the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving an invocation of a data population command;

detecting a type of a target application displaying a form to be populated in accordance with the data population command;

determining whether the detected type of target application is of a type recognized by a form completion program;

configuring the form completion program to use a communication technique corresponding to the type of target application upon determining that the target application is recognized; and

populating the form using the configured form completion program.

57. The client computer system of claim 56, wherein receiving an invocation of a data population command comprises receiving an invocation of a data population command from a user.

58. The client computer system of claim 56, the memory device further comprising instructions that are executable by the processor for capturing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for identifying where the form was obtained.

59. The client computer system of claim 56, the memory device further comprising instructions that are executable by the processor for building an image of the form displayed in the target application.

60. The client computer system of claim 59, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying a device that originally supplied the form.

61. The client computer system of claim 59, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying any device containing a version of the form.

62. The client computer system of claim 59, wherein building an image of the form comprises querying the target application about properties of the form displayed by the target application.

63. The client computer system of claim 59, wherein building an image of the form comprises utilizing a locally cached version of the form as a basis for building a form image.

64. The client computer system of claim 59, the memory device further comprising instructions that are executable by the processor for searching for a template file that resembles the form image.

65. The client computer system of claim 64, wherein populating the form using the configured form completion program comprises populating the form with data when a template file is found to resemble the form image to within a matching threshold.

66. The client computer system of claim 57, the memory device further comprising instructions that are executable by the processor for:

generating, upon determining that the detected type of target application is not recognizable by the form completion program, a return value for providing to the target application; and

generating an indication to the user that the target application is not recognizable.