Web Form Generation from Fillable Electronic Documents

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Solution Overview

Problem

Creating web-based fillable forms that accurately replicate the look and feel of electronic documents, such as PDFs, is labor-intensive and inefficient, especially when dealing with complex documents or multiple forms, due to the need for manual coding and the limitations of PDF rendering software availability on various devices.

Innovation Solution

A server system and method that extracts fillable portions and generates a high-fidelity web form by converting PDFs into HTML, using image and JSON data to create a web-based payload that can be displayed on any device with a web interface, eliminating the need for PDF renderers and ensuring consistency across different devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual coding is used to create web-based fillable forms, then the forms can be customized to match the original document, but the process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveform fidelityVSAvoidform creation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses optical copying by capturing screenshots of the original document and overlaying fillable fields on top of the visual representation. This allows the web form to visually match the original document while being created automatically rather than through manual coding, thus maintaining form fidelity while reducing creation time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that automatically extracts document structure, identifies fillable regions, and generates the web form payload. This intermediary layer between the original document and the final web form eliminates the need for manual coding while preserving document fidelity through automated analysis

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If PDF rendering software is used to display fillable PDF documents, then the documents can be filled out, but the software and coding libraries are not available on all computing devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveform fillabilityVSAvoiddevice compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts fillable PDF documents into universal web-based forms using HTML5 and JavaScript that can be displayed in any modern web browser. This universal web format eliminates the need for device-specific PDF rendering software while maintaining form fillability across all computing devices, thus improving both ease of operation and device compatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of PDF rendering software with a web-based system using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. This substitution allows forms to be rendered and filled out in any web browser without requiring specialized PDF libraries or rendering software, thereby achieving universal device compatibility while preserving form functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If web forms are simplified to reduce development labor, then they become easier to create, but they no longer match the original document's appearance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveform creation efficiencyVSAvoidvisual matching accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent captures visual screenshots of the original document and uses them as the background layer in the web form. Fillable fields are then overlaid on top of these screenshots at precise coordinates, allowing the web form to visually replicate the original document's appearance exactly while being created through automated processes rather than manual design

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Productivity

If automated conversion is implemented, then form creation becomes faster, but handling complex documents with multiple pages and formatting variations becomes more challenging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveform generation speedVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent processes documents page by page, capturing each page as a separate screenshot and processing fillable fields independently for each page. This segmentation approach allows the automated system to handle complex multi-page documents with varying formats by treating each page as a discrete unit, maintaining high processing speed while managing complexity through division

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3499383B1Automated generation of web forms using fillable electronic documents

Publication Date: 2023.04.26 THINK RES

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AI summary

Many forms exist as fillable electronic documents (FEDs), such as in the Portable Document Format (PDF). Generating web-based forms that match these FEDs, even with existing software tools, is time consuming and laborious. A computing system and a related process are provided that automatically and very quickly generate a web-based form that looks the same as a FED. In particular, the computing process includes extracting a fillable object (e.g. a checkbox) in a FED and generating a pixel image of an entire page in the FED. A web-fillable object (e.g. a JSON fillable object) is generated that corresponds to the fillable object. The web-based form is created by overlaying the web-fillable object over the pixel image.