Method and system of capturing data for automating internet interactions

• US 7,281,029 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mercury Kingdom Assets Limited
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rawat, Jai
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US10/437,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/205, 709/201, 709/203, 707/10, 715505-508
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method and system for capturing data for automating interactions occurring across the Internet includes storing data at a central Web server adapted for maintaining a database. Responsive to a program script requesting data, computer program code at the central Web server selectively extracts stored data from the database, manipulates the data in accordance with the request, and supplies the manipulated data in a desired format. The program script is also able to capture manually entered data to the database when new request data is entered manually after the normal form submission.

Claims

1. A system for automating data transactions between computers comprising:

a first computer server;

a database residing on said first computer server configured to store personal registration and login data concerning at least one user;

a program code residing on said first computer server for automatically selectively extracting stored personal user data from a user generated request to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with a second computer server and logging in to said second computer server;

program code residing on said first computer server for storing said extracted personal user data in said database;

program code residing on said first computer server for obtaining a blank form, and for automatically parsing said blank form to identify which personal user data should be used to fill in at least a part of said blank form;

wherein said blank form comprises one from a group consisting of;

a login form and a registration form;

program code residing on said first computer server for automatically filling in at least a part of said blank form with said identified personal user data; and

program code residing on said first computer server for transmitting said filled out form to a user, said form being filled out for the user to transmit to said second server computer in order to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with said second computer server and logging in to said second computer server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said identified personal user data includes data for all fields in said blank form.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said blank form is obtained from the second computer server.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional database maintained at said first computer server, configured to store form data relating to forms required by at least one other computer server.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising program code for comparing data fields in said blank form with said stored form data recorded in said additional database.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

form filling program instructions residing on said first computer server, using a result of said comparing data fields in said blank form with said stored form data, for creating a filled form by filling in said blank.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

form submitting program instructions residing on said first computer server, using a result of said form filling program instructions, for automatically submitting said filled form to the second computer server.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

said manually entered data is manually submitted to said at least one other computer server when said stored form data does not include parsed form data from said at least one other computer server.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

program code for parsing a response received from said at least one other computer server.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

program code for capturing said manually entered data and for storing said manually entered data on said first computer server.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein said stored form data includes parsed form data from said at least one other computer server.

12. A method for automating data transactions between computers, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a database on a first computer server configured to store personal registration and login data concerning at least one user;

automatically selectively extracting stored personal user data from a user generated request to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with a second computer server and logging in to said second computer server;

storing said extracted personal user data in said database;

obtaining a blank form, from a group of forms consisting of a registration form and a login form;

automatically parsing said blank form to identify which personal user data should be used to fill in at least a part of said blank form;

automatically filling in at least a part of said blank form with said identified personal user data; and

transmitting said filled out form to a user, said form being filled out for the user to transmit to said second server computer in order to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with said second computer server and logging in to said second computer server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the steps are performed in the order recited.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of selectively extracting includes extracting data for all fields in said blank form.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of obtaining a blank form includes receiving form data from the second computer server.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of obtaining a blank form includes receiving login form data from the second computer server.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

maintaining an additional database at said first computer server, configured to store form data relating to forms required by at least one other computer server.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising comparing data fields in said blank form with said stored form data recorded in said additional database.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

submitting said manually entered data to said second computer server.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

parsing a response received from said second computer server.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

capturing said manually entered data and recording said manually entered data to said first computer server.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising parsing form data from said at least one other computer server.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

automatically submitting the result of said filling to the second computer server.

24. The method of claim 12:

wherein a user has registered a registration identifier and a registration password at said first computer server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said first computer server allows said user to specify whether additional authentication is required when responding to said request from said second computer server.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said user only needs to input said registration password while said registration identifier has been entered and stored previously on the device from which said user is submitting said request.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising an authentication step wherein said user is required to input said registration identifier and said registration password when submitting said request to said second computer server.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of selectively extracting includes extracting data for all fields in said blank login form.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said step of parsing includes comparing data fields in said blank login form with said stored form data recorded in said additional database.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of obtaining a blank login form includes receiving form data from said second computer server.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

maintaining an additional database at said first computer server;

said additional database having stored form data recorded therein;

said stored form data relating to login forms required by at least one other computer server.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said step of maintaining an additional database includes parsing login form data from said at least one other computer server.

33. At least one computer readable medium containing a computer program product for automating data transactions between computers, the computer program product comprising:

program code for maintaining a database on a first computer server configured to store personal registration and login data concerning at least one user;

program code for automatically selectively extracting stored personal user data from a user generated request to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with a second computer server and logging in to said second computer server;

program code for storing said extracted personal user data in said database;

program code for obtaining a blank form, from a group of forms consisting of a registration form and a login form;

program code for automatically parsing said blank form to identify which personal user data should be used to fill in at least a part of said blank form;

program code for automatically filling in at least a part of said blank form with said identified personal user data; and

program code for transmitting said filled out form to a user, said form being filled out for the user to transmit to said second server computer in order to perform an action from a group consisting of;

registering with said second computer server and logging in to said second computer server.