AUTOMATIC SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY WITHIN BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

• US 20110313991A1
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mathew, Ashvin, O'Meara, Brendan, Surpatanu, Nicolae, Somashekar, Eshwar, Taneja, Rajat
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an integration of automatic search functionality into a business application. The application is monitored for an instance wherein the user is initiating an activity that involves an expenditure. Upon detection of such an activity, a query is automatically generated based on information related to the expenditure. The query is communicated to a search component, from which corresponding search results are eventually received. Finally, at least some information related to the search results is displayed to the user. In one embodiment, assuming the user'"'"'s express or implicit approval, auto-generation of data and/or modification of business process flow are facilitated based on the search results.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of integrating search functionality into a business application, the method comprising:

receiving a value in a form for a transaction involving a financial expenditure;

utilizing a computer to generate a query that includes an indication of the value;

communicating the query to a first search component;

receiving, from the first search component, a set of search results;

receiving a selection of a particular result in the set; and

responding to the selection by automatically causing the value in the form to be replaced by a second value in the selected particular result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the query further comprises communicating the query to a second search engine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is a parameter of the transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of search results are an outcome of the processing of the query by the search component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the query comprises communicating the query across a computer network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the query comprises tagging the query with a business location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the query further comprises tagging the query with a business location.

8. A computer-implemented transaction modification system:

a user interface having a field that receives a value of a transaction involving a financial expenditure;

a query component that receives through the user interface an indication of the value and generates a query that includes the indication of the value, the query component communicating the query to a search component;

a search result component that receives a set of search results from the search component and also receives a selection of a particular result in the set; and

a computer processor that responds to the selection by automatically causing the value in the field to be replaced by a second value in the selected particular result.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the query generated by the query component includes data other than data input by a user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the query generated by the query component is automatically adapted to include a search parameter that was not received through the user interface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the selection received by the search result component is a user-initiated selection.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface is a purchase order form.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the query generated by the query component includes a product description.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the query generated by the query component includes pricing data other than a purchase price to be pad as part of the financial expenditure.

15. A computer-implemented purchase order system, comprising:

a field in a purchase order user interface that receives a value indicative of a parameter of a first financial expenditure; and

a computer processor that automatically causes the value in the purchase order user interface to be replaced by a second value derived from a set of search results received from a remote search engine.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the value is a price value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically causing the value to be replaced further comprises automatically causing the value to be replaced by the second value in response to a user-initiated selection of a particular search result in said set.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically causing the value to be replaced further comprises automatically causing the value to be replaced by the second value after a user-initiated indication of approval of the replacement.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically causing the value to be replaced occurs when the purchase order user interface is automatically updated to be consistent with a second financial expenditure that is different than the first financial expenditure.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically causing the value to be replaced further comprises automatically causing purchase order user interface to no longer be consistent with the first financial expenditure.