System and method to capture and manage input values for automatic form fill

• US 8,839,090 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2004
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory Jenson, Chen, Yen-Fu, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Waters, Timothy Moffett
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US10/942,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,652 Days
• Field of Search: 715/507, 715/968, 715/220, 715/225, 715/226, 707/104, 713/186
• US Class Current: 715/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A system for automatically completing fields in online forms, such as login forms and new user registration forms, which employs a Master Cookie File containing sets of records associated with the user, his or her accounts or web sites, and registered values associated with form tags (e.g. username, password, address, email, telephone, etc.). When the user encounters another form, the MCF is automatically searched for matching values and form tags, primarily from the same account or web site, or alternatively from other accounts or sites. A flowing pop-up menu is displayed nearby the form fields from which the user can select values to automatically complete the form. Automatic account information updating, value expiration management, mapping of favorite values, and sharing of values are optional, enhanced functions of the invention.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically completing fields in online forms, comprising:

disposing in a computer readable storage memory at least one set of records in a Master File, each record set being associated with a user and a specific web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

displaying on a computer display to a user a fillable online form from a specific web site and having one or more form tags associated with fillable fields in the form;

responsive to displaying the online form, extracting by a processor from the Master File any recorded values associated with the specific web site and the form tags in the displayed form from the Master File, or responsive to failing to extract a recorded value associated with the specific web site and with form tags in the displayed form;

generating by a processor a new form input value by appending or pre-pending a previously recorded user challenge question answer string value to at least one additional previously-recorded value, and providing the user a visual prompt for the generated value, wherein the generated value is a reasonable logical value suitable for memorization by the user;

providing by a processor to the user on a computer display a visual prompt for the extracted recorded values or the generated value; and

responsive to user selection of one or more of the values in the visual prompt, automatically entering by a processor the selected values into one or more fields of the displayed form.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the disposing records in a Master File comprises disposing one or more cookie files in the Master File.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising displaying a flowing pop-up menu adjacent to or with a visual link to a form field for which the associated recorded values in the Master File are found.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a pointing indicator over the form field.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a cursor in the form field.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the user challenge question answer comprises a previously registered answer selected from a group comprising a user'"'"'s pet name, a birthdate value, and a school mascot.

7. A computer readable memory for automatically completing fields in online forms comprising:

one or more computer readable storage memories suitable for encoding one or more software programs; and

one or more software programs encoded by the one or more computer readable memories which, when executed by a processor;

dispose in a computer readable storage memory at least one set of records in a Master File, each record set being associated with a user and a specific web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

display on a computer display to a user a fillable online form from a specific web site and having one or more form tags associated with fillable fields in the form;

responsive to displaying the online form, extract from the Master File any recorded values associated with the specific web site and the form tags in the displayed form from the Master File, or responsive to failing to extract a recorded value associated with the specific web site and with form tags in the displayed form;

generate a new input form value by appending or pre-pending a previously-recorded user challenge question answer string value to at least one other previously-recorded value, and providing the user a visual prompt for the generated value, wherein the generated value is a logical, reasonable value suitable for memorization by the user;

provide to the user a visual prompt on a computer display for the extracted recorded values or the generated value; and

responsive to user selection of one or more of the values in the visual prompt, automatically enter the selected values into one or more fields of the displayed form.

8. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 7 wherein the disposing records in a Master File comprises disposing one or more cookie files in the Master File.

9. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 7 wherein the software program further performs displaying a flowing pop-up menu adjacent to or with a visual link to a form field for which the associated recorded values in the Master File are found.

10. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 9 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a pointing indicator over the form field.

11. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 9 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a cursor in the form field.

12. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 7 wherein the user challenge question answer comprises a previously registered answer selected from a group comprising a user'"'"'s pet name, a birthdate value, and a school mascot.

13. A system for automatically completing fields in online forms comprising:

at least one set of records in a Master File disposed in a computer readable storage memory, each record set being associated with a user and a specific web site, and one or more recorded registered values associated with form tags;

a computer display displaying to a user a fillable online form from a specific web site and having one or more form tags associated with fillable fields in the form;

an extractor portion of a computing platform, responsive to displaying the online form, extracting from the Master File any recorded values associated with the specific web site and the form tags in the displayed form from the Master File, or responsive to failing to extract a recorded value associated with the specific web site and with form tags in the displayed form;

a value generator portion of a computing platform generating a new form input value by appending or pre-pending a previously-recorded user challenge question answer string value to at least one other previously-recorded value, and providing the user a visual prompt for the generated value, wherein the generated value is a logical, reasonable value suitable for memorization by a user;

a visual prompt on the computer display prompting the user for the extracted recorded values or the generated value; and

an automatic field filler portion of a computing platform, responsive to user selection of one or more of the values in the visual prompt, automatically entering the selected values into one or more fields of the displayed form.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the Master File comprises one or more cookie files.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising a flowing pop-up menu displayed adjacent to or with a visual link to a form field for which the associated recorded values in the Master File are found.

16. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a pointing indicator over the form field.

17. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the flowing pop-up menu is displayed responsive to the user moving or placing a cursor in the form field.

18. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the user challenge question answer comprises a previously registered answer selected from a group comprising a user'"'"'s pet name, a birthdate value, and a school mascot.