Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2003-07-08
Herndon, Heather R. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
Reexamination Certificate
active
06589290
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer networks and more particularly to a method and apparatus for populating a form with data.
2. Background Art
Computer users can shop for merchandise using the Internet. A number of companies maintain web sites where customers can purchase books, records, videos, and many other products. Other web sites provide subscription services that provide the user with access to a service or product. Typically, users make purchases or sign up for services by completing forms. A problem with current Internet schemes is that each field on a form must be filled out separately and manually. This is a time consuming and often frustrating process for the user.
Current systems do not provide a way for users to quickly complete a form (referred to as “populating” a form) with data. For example, when a user wishes to purchase a product online, the user typically supplies a credit card number, a shipping address, and any other personal information that may be needed to complete the transaction. The user supplies this information using an input device such as a keyboard to manually enter data into the fields of a form. However, after buying goods from one vendor, for example, the user may wish to purchase goods from a second vendor. The user must manually complete the second vendor's form even though the second vendor may require the purchaser to provide the same kind of information the user provided to the first vendor. This presents a problem to the user because it forces the user to manually enter the same information into different vendor's forms multiple times.
Another problem presented by the prior art is that users do not have a way to securely store sensitive information and then later use that information to populate a form. Current systems do not provide a way to prevent unauthorized users from obtaining access to sensitive information stored on a user's computer. Instead such systems leave data that is entered into a form readily accessible. For example, data that is entered into a form may be stored locally using a technology called cookies. A cookie is a local representation of information related to a particular web page that was previously visited by the user. Cookies are not encrypted and may be read by anyone who can obtain them. The term anyone also includes any computer program that knows where the cookies are stored. This is problematic because it unnecessarily exposes sensitive information to unauthorized users. Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for populating forms with data where that data is accessible only to authenticated users.
The problems associated with form population may be better understood by the following discussion of the Internet/World Wide Web, web page creation, embedded forms, cookies, and web browser technology.
The Internet/World Wide Web
A web browser is a type of computer program that provides users with a mechanism for accessing the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW is a segment of the Internet comprised of numerous web clients and web servers that communicate with one another using a standard set of protocols. A web server is a computer configured to provide web pages to the web client upon request. A web client typically utilizes the web browser application to request web pages from the web server.
The Internet is a global computer network comprised of an amalgamation of interconnected networks that are capable of readily communicating with one another using a standardized set of protocols. Protocols provide a uniform set of communication parameters that enable computers to effectively transmit and receive data. Most computer networks, including the Internet, utilize several different layers of protocols. Each layer provides the network with different functionality.
The WWW is a segment of the Internet that utilizes an application layer protocol called the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to disseminate and to obtain information from users. HTTP is a request/response protocol used with distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. In operation, HTTP enables one computer to communicate with another. For example referring now to
FIG. 1
, web client
100
can use HTTP to communicate with web server
150
via network
125
. In this scenario the web server acts as a repository for files
160
and is capable of processing the web client's requests for such files. The files
160
stored on the web server may contain any type of data. For example, the files may contain data used to construct a form, image data, text data, or any other type of data.
HTTP has communication methods that allow web client
100
to request or send data to web server
150
. The web client
100
may use web browser
110
to initiate request
115
and receive one or more files from file repository
160
. Typically, web browser
110
sends a request
115
for at least one file to web server
150
and the web server forwards the requested file to web client
100
in response
120
. The connection is then terminated between web client
100
and web server
150
. Web client
100
then uses web browser
110
to display the requested file. A client request
115
therefore, consists of establishing a connection between the web client and the web server using network
125
, issuing a response
120
to the request
115
, and terminating the connection.
Web server
150
does not utilize state information about the request once the connection is terminated. HTTP is, therefore, a stateless application protocol. That is, a web client can send several requests to a web server, but each individual request is treated independent of any other request. In some instances, the web server maintains a record of such requests, but the web server does not use that information to process later requests. Thus, for example, if a form is completed by the user and submitted to the web server for processing, the web server may maintain a record of the data entered into the form, but that record will not be used to later influence another request from the same client. In other words, web server
150
may record a request in a log file, but it does not later read from the log to determine how to respond to another request from the same client.
Once a file is sent from web server
150
to web client
100
it becomes ready for display. The web client's
100
web browser
110
is typically used to format and display files. Web browser
110
allows the user to request and view a file without having to learn a complicated command syntax. Examples of several widely used web browsers include Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, and Opera. Some web browsers can display several different types of files. For example, files written using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the JavaScript programming language, the ActiveX programming language, or the Portable Document Format (PDF) may be displayed using a web browser. It is also possible to display various other types of files using language such as Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) or eXtensible Markup Language (XML).
Creating a Web Page
A form, which provides one or more places for a user to enter data, can be embedded inside of a web page. A web page may be created using a variety of different data formats and/or programming languages. Most web pages, and as a result most forms, are created using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). The techniques used to create a web page will now be discussed in further detail.
HTML is a language that may be used to specify the contents of a web page (e.g. web page
220
). An HTML description is typically comprised of a set of markup symbols which are described in more detail below. HTML file
250
or any type of data file that contains the markup symbols for web page
220
may be sent to web browser
210
. Web browser
210
executing at web client
200
parses the markup symbols in HTML file
250
and produces web page
220
, which is then displayed, based on the informatio
Maxwell Duane
Scott Geoffrey D.
von Reis William
America Online Inc.
Bieneman Charles A.
Herndon Heather R.
The Hecker Law Group
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