Selective proxy approach to filling-in forms embedded in distributed electronic documents

• US 6,499,042 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Infospace Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: InfoSpace, Inc. (Blucora Incorporated)
• Inventors: Markus, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/411,478
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 707/505-507, 707/513, 709/217-219, 709/202-203, 705/14
• US Class Current: 715/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically filling in electronic forms online with a user'"'"'s personal data. A location identifier, such as a URL, of a form originating server and a form location on the server that corresponds to an online form is transmitted to a form filling server. A user identifier, such as one contained in a cookie, is also transmitted to the form filling server. The location identifier of the form originating server and the location of the form on the form filling server is decoded or parsed on the form filling server. This allows the form filling server to open a connection between the form filling server and the form originating server. The form originating server is then requested to provide the form filling server with the online form so that the form filling server has a similar view of the online form as the user does. The online form is then parsed on the form filling server to identify the fields in the form that can potentially be filled in with personal data associated with the user. The personal data associated with the user is then inserted into the fields of the online form on the form filling server. The personal data of the user is identified using the user identifier.

Claims

1. A method of electronically filling in an online form with data associated with a user, the method comprising:

transmitting from a client machine to a form-filling server a location identifier of a form-originating server and a form location corresponding to the online form on the form-originating server and a user identifier;

decoding at the form-filling server the location identifier and the form location thereby enabling the form-filling server to open a connection between the form-filling server and form-originating server;

requesting the form-originating server to provide the form-filling server with the online form so that the form-filling server has a similar view of the online form as the client machine does;

parsing the online form on the form-filling server thereby identifying fields in the online form to be filled in;

inserting data associated with the user into the fields in the online form on the form-filling server using the user identifier; and

transmitting the online form with the inserted data associated with the user from the form-filling server to the client machine.

2. A selective proxy server for automatically filling in online forms comprising:

a request receiving component for receiving a request from a client computer to automatically fill in an online form;

a location-data receiving component for receiving a location-identifier of a form-originating server and a form location corresponding to the online form;

a location-data decoder for decoding the location-identifier and the form location;

a form-data receiving component for receiving a form indicated by the form location;

a personal data storage component for storing personal data corresponding to a plurality of users;

a form-data parser for parsing the online form thereby identifying fields to be filled in with personal data from the personal data storage component;

a data inserting component for inserting data into the fields in the online form; and

a transmitting component for transmitting the filled in online form to the client computer in response to the request from the client computer.

3. A method for processing on a form-filling server an electronic form generated by a form-originating server, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a client computer;

obtaining an identification of the form-originating server;

obtaining the electronic form generated by the form-originating server;

identifying one or more fields to be completed on the electronic form;

obtaining user data associated with an identified user from a user database corresponding to a plurality of users;

inserting the user data into at least one field of the electronic form; and

transmitting the electronic form with user data in at least one field to the client computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining the identification of the form-originating server includes obtaining a location of the form-originating server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location is identified by a uniform resource locator identifier.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying one or more fields to be completed on the electronic form includes parsing the electronic form to obtain the one or more fields to be completed.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining the electronic form includes requesting the electronic form from the form-generating server.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining user data associated with an identified user from a user database corresponding to a plurality of users includes:

obtaining a user identifier; and

associating user data in the user database with the user identifier.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

obtaining a completed electronic form from the identified user; and

updating the user data associated with the identified user in the user database with data submitted in the completed electronic form.

10. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method recited in any one of claims 3-9.

11. A computer system having a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computer system operable for performing the method recited in any one of claims 3-9.

12. A system for processing electronic forms, the system comprising:

a client computer with a document browser operable to request the automatic completion of at least one field of an electronic form;

a form-generating server operable to provide the electronic form; and

a form-completion server operable to obtain the request for an automatic completion from the client computer with a document browser and to obtain at least a portion of the electronic form from the form-generating server;

wherein the client computer with a document browser is associated with an identified individual and wherein the form-completion server is further operable to insert user data associated with the identified individual into one or more fields of the electronic form.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the client computer with a document browser is operable to obtain a partially completed form from the form-completion server and to submit a completed form, and wherein the form-completion server is further operable to obtain the submitted electronic form and to update the user data with data included in the submitted electronic form.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the form-completion server is further operable to parse the electronic form to identify the one or more fields of the electronic form.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the form-completion server is further operable to transmit to the client computer with a document browser a partially or fully completed electronic form.