Automatic search functionality within business applications

• US 8,024,235 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Surpatanu, Nicolae, Taneja, Rajat, Somashekar, Eshwar, O'Meara, Brendan, Mathew, Ashvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Syed; Farhan M
• Application Number:
  US11/471,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• 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 automatic search functionality into a business application, the method comprising:

monitoring a software-implemented business application and recognizing when a user is entering a collection of data into a purchase order form as part of a purchase order business process wherein an item of inventory is ordered from a first vendor, and wherein entering a collection of data comprises entering data into a collection of fields that are part of the purchase order form, the collection of fields including a vendor identification field, an item to be purchased field, a quantity to be purchased field, and a purchase price field;

utilizing a computer processor that is a functional component of the computer to automatically generate a query based on information related to the purchase order business process as reflected in the purchase order form;

communicating the query to a search component;

receiving search results from the search component, wherein the search results are the outcome of a processing of the query;

displaying to the user a collection of information related to the search results, the collection of information being displayed simultaneously along side of the purchase order form on a graphical user interface, the collection of information including a related products and services section and a sponsored sites section, the related products and services section including products and services from different vendors that are the same or similar to the item of inventory, the sponsored sites section including alternative vendors for the item of inventory that were encountered as a result of the processing of the query;

receiving, from the user, an input indicative of a particular item within the collection of information related to the search results; and

following receipt of the input indicative of the particular item, facilitating an auto-generation process, wherein the auto-generation process causes data related to the particular item to be automatically added to said purchase order form, wherein the auto-generation process causes the purchase order form to be automatically altered so as to alter the purchase order business process to no longer involve ordering the item of inventory from the first vendor but instead involve ordering the item of inventory from a second vendor, wherein the auto-generation process causes a purchase price within the purchase order form to be automatically substituted for a different purchase price already entered into the purchase price field that is part of the purchase order form, wherein the auto-generation process causes the second vendor to be automatically substituted for the first vendor within the purchase order form, and wherein the auto-generation process requires receipt of an indication of approval from the user before data related to the item of inventory is automatically added to said purchase order form, and wherein the indication of approval includes user consent to substitute the second vendor for the first vendor within the purchase order form, the indication of approval being received through a second graphical user interface that is separate from the graphical user interface that includes the purchase order form and the collection of information related to the search results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the query automatically generated based on information related to the purchase order business process contains a search parameter that is an attribute of a historical transaction that is completely separate and distinct from, and occurred before, any purchase transaction accomplished via processing of said purchase order form, and wherein the historical transaction occurred prior to said step of recognizing when the user is entering the collection of data, and wherein the query further contains a search parameter that is based on a user context, the user context including a role of the user within an organization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the query automatically generated based on information related to the purchase order business process incorporates pricing data related to a historic transaction completely executed within the software-implemented business application prior to said step of recognizing when the user is entering the collection of data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the auto-generation process causes data related to the item of inventory to be automatically substituted for existing data within one or more data fields within the purchase order form.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the auto-generation process causes data related to the item of inventory to be automatically added such that at least one item of data entered by the user into a field that is part of the purchase order form is automatically replaced with data related to the item of inventory.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the auto-generation process requires receipt of an indication of approval from the user before data related to the item of inventory is automatically added to said purchase order form, and wherein the indication of approval includes consent to substitute the second vendor for the first vendor within the purchase order form.

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

monitoring a business application and recognizing when a user is initiating a transaction that involves a financial expenditure;

utilizing a computer processor that is a functional component of a computer to automatically generate a query based on information related to the financial expenditure;

communicating the query to a search component, the search component being implemented as a data abstraction service that publishes search parameters to various search services, the search parameters including business data related to the transaction, the business data being in a canonical format, the abstraction service transforming the canonically formatted business data to formats that satisfy requirements of the various search services;

receiving search results from the search component, wherein the search results are the outcome of a processing of the query;

displaying a collection of information related to the search results;

receiving an input indicative of a particular item of information within the collection of information; and

in response to the input indicative of the particular item of information, automatically transitioning a business process within the application, wherein automatically transitioning comprises automatically causing data in a form related to the financial expenditure to be deleted and replaced with alternate data reflected in the particular item of information, wherein the data in the form is entered by the user, wherein the alternate data is not entered by the user but is instead obtained through the collection of information related to the search results, and wherein automatically transitioning comprises requiring that a user approve the deletion and the replacement before automatically causing the data in the form related to the financial expenditure to be deleted and replaced with the alternate data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein automatically transitioning further comprises facilitating auto-generation of a collection of text within fields contained within the first form, wherein the second form is the first form updated with the collection of text, and wherein the canonically formatted business data includes a product name, a product description, a UPC code, and a price.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein automatically transitioning further comprises creating a revised purchase order, the revised purchase order containing details related to a different financial transaction, the different financial transaction being different than said financial transaction, wherein the revised purchase order is the second form, and wherein the published search parameters are tagged with business location and contact information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the query incorporates a search parameter that is something other than data input by the user as part of the transaction.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the query incorporates data user-input pricing data that is not a purchase price to be paid as part of the financial transaction.

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

monitoring a software-implemented business application and recognizing when a user is entering a collection of data into a purchase order form as part of a purchase order business process wherein an item of inventory is ordered from a first vendor, and wherein entering a collection of data comprises entering data into a collection of fields that are part of the purchase order form, the collection of fields including a vendor identification field, an item to be purchased field, a quantity to be purchased field, and a purchase price field;

utilizing a computer processor that is a functional component of the computer to automatically generate a query based on information related to the purchase order business process as reflected in the purchase order form;

communicating the query to a search component;

receiving search results from the search component, wherein the search results are the outcome of a processing of the query;

displaying to the user a collection of information related to the search results, the collection of information being displayed simultaneously along side of the purchase order form on a graphical user interface, the collection of information including a related products and services section and a sponsored sites section, the related products and services section including products and services from different vendors that are the same or similar to the item of inventory, the sponsored sites section including alternative vendors for the item of inventory that were encountered as a result of the processing of the query;

receiving, from the user, an input indicative of a particular item within the collection of information related to the search results;

following receipt of the input indicative of the particular item, facilitating an auto-generation process, wherein the auto-generation process causes data related to the particular item to be automatically added to said purchase order form, wherein the auto-generation process causes the purchase order form to be automatically altered so as to alter the purchase order business process to no longer involve ordering the item of inventory from the first vendor but instead involve ordering the item of inventory from a second vendor, wherein the auto-generation process causes a purchase price within the purchase order form to be automatically substituted for a different purchase price already entered into the purchase price field that is part of the purchase order form, and wherein the auto-generation process causes the second vendor to be automatically substituted for the first vendor within the purchase order form; and

wherein the query automatically generated based on information related to the purchase order business process contains a search parameter that is an attribute of a historical transaction that is completely separate and distinct from, and occurred before, any purchase transaction accomplished via processing of said purchase order form, wherein the historical transaction occurred prior to said step of recognizing when the user is entering the collection of data, and wherein the query further contains a search parameter that is based on a user context, the user context including a role of the user within an organization.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the query automatically generated based on information related to the purchase order business process incorporates pricing data related to a historic transaction completely executed within the software-implemented business application prior to said step of recognizing when the user is entering the collection of data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the auto-generation process causes data related to the item of inventory to be automatically substituted for existing data within one or more data fields within the purchase order form.