Systems and methods for providing a contextual user interface element

• US 9,639,508 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CWT Digital Limited
• Original Assignee: Worldmate Incorporated
• Inventors: Tidhar, Alon, Carmi, Eilon
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cortes, Howard
• Application Number:
  US13/918,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20140372867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a contextual user interface element are provided. A described system includes a user device configured to receive, from a remote server, itinerary-specific data relating to a particular travel itinerary and information for accessing a travel website for performing a travel-related action. The user device is configured to present the itinerary-specific data in a contextual user interface element on the user device concurrently with a web page of the travel website for performing the travel-related action. The itinerary-specific data are presented as selectable data elements within the contextual user interface element. The user device is configured to receive a user selection of a selectable data element and to execute instructions for copying the itinerary-specific data from the contextual user interface element to a form field of the travel website in response to the user selection.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating interactions between a travel website and a user device, the system comprising:

the user device comprising a processor configured to;

send a request for instructions for performing a travel-related action to a remote server;

receive, from the remote server in response to the request for instructions, itinerary-specific data relating to a particular travel itinerary and information for accessing a travel website for performing the travel-related action, the information from the remote server comprising a URL identifying a particular web page of the travel website through which the travel-related action can be performed;

use the information for accessing the travel website to navigate to the identified webpage of the travel website after sending the request for instructions and after receiving the itinerary-specific data and the information for accessing the travel website from the remote server;

present the itinerary-specific data from the remote server in a contextual user interface element on the user device concurrently with the webpage of the travel website for performing the travel-related action, wherein the itinerary-specific data are presented as selectable data elements within the contextual user interface element;

determine which of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element by identifying one or more of the itinerary-specific data elements that contain itinerary-specific data designated for form fields in the web page of the travel website, wherein the identified itinerary-specific data elements are presented in the contextual user interface element as the selectable data elements;

receive a user selection of at least one of the selectable data elements; and

execute instructions for copying the itinerary-specific data from the contextual user interface element to the form fields in the web page of the travel website in response to the user selection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive a user input requesting performance of the travel-related action by the processor;

wherein the request for instructions for performing the travel-related action includes an indication of the particular travel itinerary.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element from the remote server;

wherein the itinerary-specific data are presented in the contextual user interface element according to the instructions received from the remote server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to present the webpage of the travel website using a web browser embedded in an application running on the user device;

wherein the processor is configured to generate the contextual user interface element and present the contextual user interface element concurrently with the webpage of the travel website.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user device is a mobile device and the application is a mobile application running on the mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine which of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element based on content of the web page presented concurrently with the contextual user interface element.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

load a first webpage of the travel website in a web browser running on the user device;

present a subset of the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element concurrently with the first webpage;

navigate from the first webpage of the travel website to a second webpage of the travel website using the web browser;

adjust the subset of itinerary-specific data elements presented in the contextual user interface element in response to navigating from the first webpage to the second webpage; and

present the adjusted subset of itinerary-specific data elements in the contextual user interface element concurrently with the second webpage.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

select one or more of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements for inclusion in the subset of itinerary-specific data presented concurrently with the first webpage based on content of the first webpage; and

select one or more of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements for inclusion in the adjusted subset of itinerary-specific data presented concurrently with the second webpage based on content of the second webpage.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote server configured to generate instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element and provide the instructions to the processor;

wherein the itinerary-specific data are presented in the contextual user interface element by the processor according to the instructions received from the remote server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element on the user device include instructions for determining which of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are scripting language instructions.

12. A method for facilitating interactions between a travel website and a user device, the method comprising:

initiating, at a remote server, synchronization of itinerary-specific data and instructions for performing a travel-related action with the user device;

retrieving, by the remote server, itinerary-specific data relating to a particular travel itinerary from an itinerary database;

identifying, by the remote server, information for accessing a travel website for performing the travel-related action, the information comprising a URL identifying a particular web page of the travel website through which the travel-related action can be performed;

generating, by the remote server, instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in a contextual user interface element on the user device, the instructions including instructions for presenting the contextual user interface element concurrently with the webpage of the travel website for performing the travel-related action;

determining which of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element by identifying one or more of the itinerary-specific data elements that contain itinerary-specific data designated for form fields in the web page of the travel website, wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data comprise instructions for presenting the identified itinerary-specific data elements in the contextual user interface element; and

providing the instructions for performing the travel-related action from the remote server to the user device, the instructions for performing the travel-related action comprising the itinerary-specific data, the information for accessing the travel website, and the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element;

wherein the instructions for performing the travel-related action cause the user device to navigate to the identified webpage of the travel website after receiving the instructions for performing the travel-related action from the remote server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element on the user device include instructions for copying the itinerary-specific data from the contextual user interface element to the form fields in the web page of the travel website.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element on the user device include instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data as selectable data elements in the contextual user interface element;

wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element further include instructions for copying the itinerary-specific data from the contextual user interface element to the form fields in the web page of the travel website in response to a user selection of a selectable data element.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element on the user device include instructions for determining which of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructions for determining which of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element include logic for determining which of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element based on content of a webpage presented concurrently with the contextual user interface element.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions are scripting language instructions.

18. A method for facilitating interactions between a travel website and a user device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the user device from a remote server, instructions for performing a travel-related action, the instructions for performing the travel-related action comprising itinerary-specific data relating to a particular travel itinerary, information for accessing a travel website for performing the travel-related action, and instructions for presenting the itinerary-specific data in a contextual user interface element, wherein the information for accessing the travel website comprises a URL identifying a particular web page of the travel website through which the travel-related action can be performed;

receiving, via a user interface element of the user device, an input requesting performance of a travel-related action by the user device;

using the information for accessing the travel website to load the identified webpage of the travel website in a web browser running on the user device after receiving the instructions for performing the travel-related action from the remote server;

determining which of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in a contextual user interface element by identifying one or more of the itinerary-specific data elements that contain itinerary-specific data designated for form fields in the web page of the travel website; and

presenting the identified itinerary-specific data elements in the contextual user interface element on the user device, wherein the contextual user interface element is presented concurrently with the webpage of the travel website for performing the travel-related action.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

copying the itinerary-specific data from the contextual user interface element to the form fields in the web page of the travel website for performing the travel-related action.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the itinerary-specific data are presented as selectable data elements within the contextual user interface element, the method further comprising:

receiving a user selection of at least one of the selectable data elements;

wherein the itinerary-specific data are copied from the contextual user interface element to the form fields in the web page of the travel website in response to the user selection.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the itinerary-specific data are presented as movable icons within the contextual user interface element, the method further comprising:

receiving a user input moving at least one of the movable icons into a space occupied by the form fields in the web page of the travel website;

wherein the itinerary-specific data are copied from the contextual user interface element to the form field of the travel website in response to the user input.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the contextual user interface element is presented as a variable-transparency user interface element and the itinerary-specific data are presented as movable icons within the variable-transparency user interface element, the method further comprising:

adjusting a transparency of the contextual user interface element in response to a user input moving at least one of the movable icons out of the contextual user interface element.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining which of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements to present in the contextual user interface element based on content of the webpage presented concurrently with the contextual user interface element.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

loading a first webpage of the travel website for performing the travel-related action in the web browser running on the user device;

presenting a subset of the itinerary-specific data in the contextual user interface element concurrently with the first webpage;

navigating from the first webpage of the travel website to a second webpage of the travel website;

adjusting the subset of itinerary-specific data elements presented in the contextual user interface element in response to navigating from the first webpage to the second webpage; and

presenting the adjusted subset of itinerary-specific data elements in the contextual user interface element concurrently with the second webpage.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

selecting one or more of a plurality of itinerary-specific data elements for inclusion in the subset of itinerary-specific data presented concurrently with the first webpage based on content of the first webpage; and

selecting one or more of the plurality of itinerary-specific data elements for inclusion in the adjusted subset of itinerary-specific data presented concurrently with the second webpage based on content of the second webpage.