System and method for pre-populating forms using statistical analysis

• US 8,707,157 B1
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Chouhan, Yashwant Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries, Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta, Soumya
• Application Number:
  US13/214,100
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 715/221, 715/222, 715/224, 715/226
• US Class Current: 715/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for populating forms. The method includes: identifying a set of inputs to a form from past users; receiving, from a current user, a request to view the form; identifying temporal data associated with the current user; identifying an internet protocol (IP) address of a computing device of the current user; performing, based on the IP address and the temporal data, a statistical analysis on the set of inputs; determining, based on the statistical analysis, that a statistical threshold corresponding to a field on the form is exceeded; calculating, in response to determining that that the statistical threshold is exceeded, a default value for the field; and sending the default value to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for populating forms, comprising:

identifying a plurality of inputs to a form on a merchant website from a plurality of past users of the merchant website, wherein the form comprises a message field and a date field;

receiving, from a current user, a request to view the form;

identifying, in response to a selection of a product on the merchant website by the current user, a plurality of temporal data comprising a date when the request to view the form was received from the current user and a name of the current user from metadata within a browser operated by the current user;

identifying a geographic location of the current user based on an internet protocol (IP) address of a computing device of the current user;

performing, based on the geographic location and the plurality of temporal data comprising the date, a statistical analysis on the plurality of inputs by;

identifying a subset of the plurality of past users located within the geographic location;

identifying a subset of the plurality of inputs corresponding to the subset of the plurality of past users; and

calculating a percentage of the subset of the plurality of inputs comprising a name of an event;

determining, by a computer processor and based on the statistical analysis, that a statistical threshold corresponding to the message field and the date field on the form is exceeded;

calculating, in response to determining that that the statistical threshold is exceeded, a default value for the message field comprising the name of the event and the name of the current user; and

sending the default value and a date of the event to the computing device to populate the message field on the form and the date field on the form.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the statistical threshold is exceeded comprises:

comparing the percentage with a predefined percentage, wherein the predefined percentage is defined by the statistical threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, from a calendar of events, the event; and

displaying an indication of the event to the current user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, to the current user, the message field populated with the default value and the date field populated with the date of the event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the statistical analysis further comprises:

identifying a time period prior to the date in the temporal data, wherein the subset of the plurality of inputs were received within the time period.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for populating forms, the plurality of instructions configured to execute on a processor and comprising functionality to:

identify a plurality of inputs to a form on a merchant website from a plurality of past users of the merchant website, wherein the form comprises a message field and a data field;

receive, from a current user, a request to view the form;

identify, in response to a selection of a product on the merchant website by the current user, a plurality of temporal data comprising a date when the request to view the form was received from the current user and a name of the current user from metadata with a browser operated by the current user;

identify a geographic location of the current user based on an internet protocol (IP) address of a computing device of the current user;

perform, based on the geographic location and the plurality of temporal data comprising the date, a statistical analysis on the plurality of inputs by;

identifying a subset of the plurality of past users located within the geographic location;

identifying a subset of the plurality of inputs corresponding to the subset of the plurality of past users; and

calculating a percentage of the subset of the plurality of inputs comprising a name of an event;

determine, based on the statistical analysis, that a statistical threshold corresponding to the message field and the data field on the form is exceeded;

calculate, in response to determining that that the statistical threshold is exceeded, a default value for the message field comprising the name of the event and the name of the current user; and

send the default value and a date of the event to the computing device to populate the message field on the form and the date field on the form.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein determining that the statistical threshold is exceeded comprises:

comparing the percentage with a predefined percentage, wherein the predefined percentage is defined by the statistical threshold.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise functionality to:

identify, from a calendar of events, the event; and

display an indication of the event to the current user.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions to perform the statistical analysis comprise functionality for:

identifying a time period prior to the date in the temporal data, wherein the subset of the plurality of inputs were received within the time period.

10. A computer system for populating forms, comprising:

a forms repository comprising a plurality of inputs to a form on a merchant website from a plurality of past users of the merchant website, wherein the form comprises a message field and a date field;

a processor; and

a forms server executing on the processor and comprising functionality to;

receive, from a current user, a request to view the form;

identify, in response to a selection of a product on the merchant website by the current user, a plurality of temporal data comprising a date when the request to view the form was received from the current user and a name of the current user from metadata within a browser operated by the current user;

identify a geographic location of the current user based on an internet protocol (IP) address of a computing device of the current user;

access the plurality of inputs in the forms repository;

perform, based on the geographic location and the plurality of temporal data comprising the date, a statistical analysis on the plurality of inputs by;

identifying a subset of the plurality of past users located within the geographic location;

identifying a subset of the plurality of inputs corresponding to the subset of the plurality of past users; and

calculating a percentage of the subset of the plurality of inputs comprising a name of an event;

determine, based on the statistical analysis, that a statistical threshold corresponding to the message field and the date field on the form is exceeded;

calculate, in response to determining that that the statistical threshold is exceeded, a default value for the message field comprising the name of the event and the name of the current user; and

send the default value and a date of the event to the computing device to populate the message field on the form and the date field on the form.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a client application executing on the computing device and configured to;

send the request to the forms server;

receive the default value and the date of the event from the forms server; and

display, to the current user, the field populated with the default value.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a calendar of events comprising the event,

wherein the forms server is further configured to display an indication of the event to the current user.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein performing the statistical analysis further comprises:

identifying a time period prior to the date in the temporal data, wherein the subset of the plurality of inputs were received within the time period.