Software system and methods for resubmitting form data to related web sites

Abstract

A client program executes in conjunction with a web browser on a user computer. The client program captures submitted form data from HTTP requests and presents the user with the option of resubmitting the form data to related web sites based upon information transmitted to the client program from a metadata server. A processing engine, located in the client program or on the metadata server, extracts the submitted data from an HTTP request and creates data resubmission blocks using the extracted data. The data resubmission blocks replace related forms on related web sites but incorporate the extracted data. Instructions based upon which the processing engine extracts the data and creates data resubmission blocks are stored on the metadata server. The data resubmission blocks are displayed to the user through the web browser and can be submitted by the user without the need to re-enter data, in order to resubmit the extracted data to the related web sites. In a preferred embodiment, the system is used to capture a query submitted to a search engine of one web site, and to present the user an option to submit the same query to the search engines of one or more related web sites. When the user conducts a search of a merchant's web site, the related web sites may be those of merchants that carry the same or similar products.