Tracking user operations

• US 20050278630A1
• Filed: 12/31/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bracey, William M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for capturing user interface operations. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, includes logic configured to monitor an operation performed by an application interface; logic configured to determine whether the operation is at least one milestone event that is to be saved, wherein the at least one milestone event is a user-interface operation for a process in a particular field of operation; and logic configured to save milestone event information from a user, the information including identification of the user performing the operation and a computer application that was being accessed by the user for the process. Other systems and methods are also included.

Claims

1. A system for capturing user interface operations, comprising:

logic configured to monitor an operation performed by an application interface;

logic configured to determine whether the operation is at least one milestone event that is to be saved, wherein the at least one milestone event is a user-interface operation for a process in a particular field of operation; and

logic configured to save milestone event information for a user, the information including identification of the user performing the operation and a computer application that was being accessed by the user for the process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system captures user interface operations in a call-center environment.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

logic configured to compile saved milestone information from a plurality of users.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the milestone event is customized according to business department type of which the user of the application interface is a member.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the saved milestone information provides a management tool for determining whether the user needs additional training for performing a particular process.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one milestone event comprises an application window being in focus and the milestone event information includes an amount of time that the application window is in focus.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one milestone event comprises user-activity within an application of an active user-session and the milestone event information includes an amount of time that the user is active within the active user-session.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one milestone event comprises an application window being opened and the milestone event information includes an amount of time that the application window is opened.

9. A method for capturing user interface operations, comprising the steps of:

identifying a user of an application program, the application program utilized to perform an activity;

initiating a new session of the application program;

monitoring user operations that are performed by the application program;

tracking the user operations that are milestone event operations in a particular field of operation;

saving details of the milestone event operation;

after closing the application program, sending the milestone event operation details for the current user to a central database; and

storing the milestone event operation details in the central database.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

periodically compiling the milestone event operation details stored in the central database for a plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the details of the milestone event operation include identification information for the application program, identification information for the user operation that is being tracked, identification information of the current user;

and a timestamp indicating when the user operation occurred.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

analyzing stored milestone event information to determine if a particular user needs additional training in performing a particular process.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

specifying different user operations that qualify as milestone event operations for different business departments; and

tracking the user operations that qualify as milestone event operations for the business department of which the user is a member.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the milestone event operations include a application window being in focus and the milestone event operation details include an amount of time that the application window is in focus.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the milestone event operations include user-activity within an application of an active user-session and the milestone event operation details include an amount of time that the user is active within the active user-session.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the milestone event operations include an application window being opened and the milestone event operation details include an amount of time that the application window is opened.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular field of operation is a call-center enterprise.

18. A computer readable medium having a program for capturing user interface operations, the program comprising the steps of:

identifying a user of an application program, the application program utilized to perform an activity

initiating a new session of the application program;

monitoring user operations that are performed by the application program;

tracking the user operations that are milestone event operations;

saving details of the milestone event operation;

after closing the application program, sending the milestone event operation details for the current user to a central database; and

storing the milestone event operation details in the central database.

19. The medium of claim 18, the program further comprising the step of:

periodically compiling the milestone event operation details stored in the central database for a plurality of users;

specifying different user operations that qualify as milestone event operations for different business departments; and

tracking the user operations that qualify as milestone event operations for the business department of which the user is a member.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein:

the details of the milestone event operation include identification information for the application program, identification information for the user operation that is being tracked, identification information of the current user; and

a timestamp indicating when the user operation occurred; and

the milestone event operations include an application window being in focus and the milestone event operation details include an amount of time that the application window is in focus.