Dynamically autocompleting a data entry

• US 7,685,144 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Katragadda, Lalitesh
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US11/323,134
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for automatically generating and maintaining personal data, such as an address book, a financial portfolio, a discussion groups or blogs book, or other types of personal data stores, based on a person'"'"'s structured search data and/or usage data (e.g., browsing) and/or other sources of personal data (e.g., emails the user receives). Related metadata can also be used in the generating and/or maintaining of the personal data. Dynamic personal data ranking and/or autocomplete functions are also provided, which can be used in conjunction with the automatic generation and maintenance of the user'"'"'s personal data, to further ease the user'"'"'s burden in managing and/or handling such data.

Claims

1. In a computer system including an address book application and a plurality of computer applications that are independent from the address book application, a computer-implemented method for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user into any of the plurality of independent computer applications, the method comprising:

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to any of the plurality of independent computer applications;

extracting contact information from the usage data;

storing the contact information as contact entries to create an address book for the user, wherein the address book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the contact entries in the address book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of contact entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the contact entries in the address book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of contact entry to determine one or more data candidates from the address book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the address book.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein autocompleting the input of data comprises:

displaying the one or more data candidates to the user;

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more data candidates; and

autofilling the selected data candidate into a user interface associated with the independent computer application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the one or more data candidates is responsive to receiving from the user a partial data entry into the data entry field.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein autofilling the input of data is responsive to receiving from the user a partial data entry into the data entry field.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a rank assigned to each of the one or more data candidates is based on a geographic location of the user.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a rank assigned to each of the one or more data candidates is based on a time of use associated with each of the one or more data candidates.

8. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a rank assigned to each of the one or more data candidates is based on user browsing activity.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a rank assigned to each of the one or more data candidates is based on usage context of the one or more data candidates.

10. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

determining if the one or more data candidates is locally available;

responsive to the one or more data candidates being locally available, accessing the one or more data candidates locally; and

responsive to the one or more data candidates not being locally available, accessing the one or more data candidates from a remote storage via a communications network.

11. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

estimating the user'"'"'s geographic location based on metadata associated with at least one of the independent computer applications and previous searches performed by the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein estimating the user'"'"'s geographic location is based on an IP address associated with at least one of the independent computer applications.

13. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the valid type of entry is a street address.

15. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the plurality of independent computer applications is a browser application operatively coupled to a search engine and the input of data is one or more search terms.

2. In a computer system including a personal data book application and a plurality of computer applications that are independent from the personal data book application, a computer-implemented method for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user into the plurality of independent computer applications, the method comprising:

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to the plurality of independent computer applications, wherein the plurality of independent computer applications include an address book application, a mapping application and an email application;

extracting contact information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the address book application or the email application;

extracting address information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the mapping application;

storing the contact information or address information as entries to create a personal data book for the user, wherein the personal data book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the entries in the personal data book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the entries in the personal data book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of entry to determine one or more data candidates from the personal data book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the personal data book.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the valid type of entry is an email address.

16. A computer program product having a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user in a plurality of independent computer applications within a computer system, the computer system including an address book application and the plurality of independent computer applications that are independent from the address book application, the instructions when executed by a processor perform the method comprising:

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to any of the plurality of independent computer applications;

extracting contact information from the usage data;

storing the contact information as contact entries to create an address book for the user, wherein the address book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the contact entries in the address book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of contact entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the contact entries in the address book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of contact entry to determine one or more data candidates from the address book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the address book.

17. A computer program product having a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user in a plurality of independent computer applications within a computer system, the computer system including a personal data book application and the plurality of independent computer applications that are independent from the personal data book application, the instructions when executed by a processor perform the method comprising:

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to the plurality of independent computer applications, wherein the plurality of independent computer applications include an address book application, a mapping application and an email application;

extracting contact information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the address book application or the email application;

extracting address information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the mapping application;

storing the contact information or address information as entries to create a personal data book for the user, wherein the personal data book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the entries in the personal data book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the entries in the personal data book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of entry to determine one or more data candidates from the personal data book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the personal data book.

18. A computer-implemented system for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user, the system comprising:

an address book application;

a plurality of independent computer applications that are independent from the address book application,

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions when executed by the processor perform a method, the method comprising;

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to any of the plurality of independent computer applications;

extracting contact information from the usage data;

storing the contact information as contact entries to create an address book for the user, wherein the address book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the contact entries in the address book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of contact entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the contact entries in the address book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of contact entry to determine one or more data candidates from the address book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the address book.

19. A computer-implemented system for dynamically autocompleting a data entry field for a user, the system comprising:

a personal data book application;

a plurality of independent computer applications that are independent from the address book application,

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions when executed by the processor perform a method, the method comprising;

monitoring usage data of the user as the usage data is directed to the plurality of independent computer applications, wherein the plurality of independent computer applications include an address book application, a mapping application and an email application;

extracting contact information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the address book application or the email application;

extracting address information from the usage data responsive to the usage data being directed to the mapping application;

storing the contact information or address information as entries to create a personal data book for the user, wherein the personal data book is configured to allow the user to access and edit the entries in the personal data book;

determining that an input of data is required in the data entry field of one of the plurality of independent computer applications;

determining a valid type of entry that is acceptable by the independent computer application requiring the input of data;

ranking the entries in the personal data book based at least on current locality information of the user and the valid type of entry to determine one or more data candidates from the personal data book for the input of data in the data entry field; and

autocompleting the input of data into the data entry field of the independent computer application with at least one of the data candidates from the personal data book.