Method for automatically filling in web forms

• US 7,185,272 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huanyu Tan, William M. Pearce
• Original Assignee: Huanyu Tan, William M. Pearce
• Inventors: Tan, Huanyu, Pearce, William M
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): HILLERY, NATHAN
• Application Number:
  US10/898,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 715/505, 715/507, 715/508
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

The present invention is a system for controlling in order to automatically fill in web enabled forms on a target web site. The system includes a web information database file containing a plurality of records relating to a plurality of web sites, including the target web site. Each record contains a plurality of information fields including an address field having the URL of the web site and a soft coding field. The soft coding field contains the particular coding instructions required by the web browser application to log onto, navigate and populate the web enabled forms of the web site at the URL. The system also includes a web agent application, the web agent application configured to read the web information database file and search the information contained in the web information database file in response to the search parameter information. The web agent application is configured to generate a packet of information corresponding to the search, said packet of information containing a least one web site URL and the search parameters used. The web interact application is also configured to read information from the web information database file and to read the packet of information from the web agent application. The web interact application is also configured to launch the web browser application to open a browser window and to control the operation of the web browser window. The web interact application is further configured to cause the browser application to navigate to the target web site by inserting the URL of the target web site into the browser. Finally, the web interact application is further configured to use the soft coding instructions to cause the web browser application to populate web enabled forms on the target web site with parameter data from the information package.

Claims

1. A system for automatically filling in web enabled forms in web pages comprising:

(a) a plurality of supplier web sites operatively coupled to the Internet, each web site having searchable supplier databases and web pages with web enabled forms;

(b) a first computer operatively coupled to the Internet and having the following applications loaded therein, namely

(i) a web browser application,

(ii) a web information database file, said information database containing information relating to the supplies in a plurality of information fields including an address field having the web address of the supplier and a soft coding field having the particular soft coding instructions required by the web browser application to log onto supplier'"'"'s web site, navigate the supplier'"'"'s web site, populate the supplier'"'"'s web enabled forms and generate searches on the supplier'"'"'s database;

(iii) a web agent application, the web agent application configured to read the web information database file and display information concerning the suppliers in a graphical user interface, the web agent application being further configured to generate a search of the information contained in the web information database file relating to at least one search criteria and to generate a packet of information corresponding to the search, said packet of information containing a least one supplier name and the search criteria;

(iv) a web interact application configured to read information from the web information database file and to read the packet of information from the web agent application, said web interact application being further configured to launch the web browser application to open a browser window for the supplier listed in the information packet, the web interact application being further configured to cause the browser application to navigate to the supplier web sites using information read from the web information database, the web interact application being further configured to use the soft coding to cause the web browser application to log onto the supplier web site and populate web enable forms on the supplier web site, the web interact application being further configured to use the soft coding to cause the web browser application to perform a search on the supplier'"'"'s database using the search criteria and to display the search results in the browser window.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the packet of information contains a plurality of supplier names and wherein the web agent application launches the web interact application for each supplier listed in the packet of information.

3. The system of claim 2 further including a soft coding server operatively coupled to the Internet, a soft coding database being resident on the soft coding server, the soft coding database having a soft coding field for each supplier, the soft coding fields being periodically updated to ensure that they are accurate and current, and wherein the first computer has an update module, the update module being configured to periodically log onto the soft coding server and update the soft coding fields of the web information database files with the soft coding fields of the soft coding database.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the web interact application includes a web page population module, the web page population module being configured to scan the HTML code for the page and identify web forms on the web page, the web page population module being further configured to identify the fields of the web page forms and populate the fields in the web forms with data from the search criteria by following the soft coding instructions for that website.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the web interact application includes a web page population module, the web page population module being configured to scan the HTML code for the page and identify web forms on the web page, the web page population module being further configured to identify the fields of the web page forms and populate the fields in the web forms with data from the search criteria by following the soft coding instructions for that website.

6. A system for automatically filling in fields in web pages comprising:

(a) a plurality of supplier web sites operatively coupled to the Internet, each web site having searchable supplier databases and web pages with web enabled forms;

(b) a user computer operatively coupled to the Internet and having the following applications loaded therein, namely

(i) a web browser application,

(ii) a web information database file, said information database containing a plurality of records relating to the suppliers, each record containing a plurality of information fields including an address field having the URL of the supplier web site and a soft coding field, the soft coding field having the particular coding instructions required by the web browser application to log onto supplier'"'"'s web site, navigate the supplier'"'"'s web site, populate the supplier'"'"'s web enabled forms and generate searches on the supplier'"'"'s database;

(iii) a web agent application, the web agent application configured to read the web information database file and display information concerning the suppliers in a graphical user interface, the web agent application being further configured to generate a search of the information contained in the web information database file relating to at least one search parameter and to generate a packet of information corresponding to the search, said packet of information containing a least one supplier name and the search parameters used;

(iv) a web interact application configured to read information from the web information database file and to read the packet of information from the web agent application, said web interact application being further configured to launch the web browser application to open a browser window and to control the operation of the web browser window, the web interact application being further configured to cause the browser application to navigate to the supplier web site by inserting the URL of the supplier web site into the browser, the web interact application being further configured to use the soft coding instructions to cause he web browser application to populate web enabled forms on the supplier web site with parameter data from the information package.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the web interact application is further configured to use the soft coding instructions to cause the web browser application to perform a search on the supplier'"'"'s database using the parameter data and to display the search results in the browser window.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the packet of information contains a plurality of supplier names and wherein the web agent application launches the web interact application for each supplier listed in the packet of information resulting in a separate browser window being opened for each supplier.

9. The system of claim 8 further including a soft coding server operatively coupled to the Internet, a soft coding database being resident on the soft coding server, the soft coding database having a soft coding field for each supplier, the soft coding instructions contained in the soft coding fields being periodically updated to ensure that they are accurate and current, and wherein the first computer has an update module, the update module being configured to periodically log onto the soft coding server and update the soft coding instructions in the soft coding fields of the web information database files with the soft coding instructions contained in the soft coding fields of the soft coding database.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the web interact application includes a web page population module, the web page population module being configured to scan the HTML code for the page and identify web forms on the web page, the web page population module being further configured to identify the fields of the web page forms and populate the fields in the web forms with data from the search criteria by following the soft coding instructions for that website.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the web interact application includes a web page population module, the web page population module being configured to scan the HTML code for the page and identify web forms on the web page, the web page population module being further configured to identify the fields of the web page forms and populate the fields in the web forms with data from the search criteria by following the soft coding instructions for that website.

12. A system for controlling a web browser resident on a user computer to automatically fill in web enabled forms on a target web site with search parameter information, the system comprising:

a computer operatively coupled to the Internet and having the following applications loaded therein, namely

a) a web information database file, said information database file containing a plurality of records relating to a plurality of web sites, including the target web site, each record containing a plurality of information fields including an address field having the URL of the web site and a soft coding field, the soft coding field having the particular coding instructions required by the web browser application to log onto, navigate and populate the web enabled forms of the web site at the URL;

b) a web agent application, the web agent application configured to read the web information database file and search the information contained in the web information database file in response to the search parameter information, the web agent application being further configured to generate a packet of information corresponding to the search, said packet of information containing a least one web site URL and the search parameters used;

c) a web interact application configured to read information from the web information database file and to read the packet of information from the web agent application, said web interact application being further configured to launch the web browser application to open a browser window and to control the operation of the web browser window, the web interact application being further configured to cause the browser application to navigate to the target web site by inserting the URL of the target web site into the browser, the web interact application being further configured to use the soft coding instructions to cause the web browser application to populate web enabled forms on the target web site with parameter data from the information package.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the web interact application is further configured to use the soft coding instructions to cause the web browser application to perform a search on the supplier'"'"'s database using the parameter data and to display the search results in the browser window.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the packet of information contains a plurality of target web site URLs and wherein the web agent application launches the web interact application for each web site listed in the packet of information resulting in a separate browser window being opened for each web site.

15. The system of claim 14 further including a soft coding server operatively coupled to the Internet, a soft coding database being resident on the soft coding server, the soft coding database having a soft coding field for each target web site, the soft coding instructions contained in the soft coding fields being periodically updated to ensure that they are accurate and current, and further including an update module, the update module being configured to periodically log onto the soft coding server and update the soft coding instructions in the soft coding fields of the web information database files with the soft coding instructions contained in the soft coding fields of the soft coding database.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the web interact application includes a web page population module, the web page population module being configured to scan the HTML code for the target web page and identify web forms on the web page, the web page population module being further configured to identify the fields of the web page forms and populate the fields in the web forms with search parameter data by following the soft coding instructions for that web site'"'"'s web page.