System and method for constructing transactions from electronic content

• US 20060053082A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Booth, Stephen C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction

Abstract

A system and method for constructing transactions by requesting content from content providers, such as web sites, according to automatically generated content references. From that content and according to user-defined rules, the system can generate other content references, and request and access further content. Statistics can be maintained for each content access. The system and method can be used to test electronic networks, such as wireless communications networks.

Claims

1. A system for constructing at least one transaction comprising:

at least one content interface capable of sending at least one content request and receiving content through an electronic interface from at least one content provider, said at least one content request forming at least one transaction;

heuristics capable of specifying at least one content locator rule and at least one content modifier rule;

at least one content parser capable of locating at least one content reference from said content based on said at least one locator rule; and

at least one content modifier capable of preparing said at least one content request from said at least one content reference according to said at least one content modifier rule;

wherein said at least one content interface is capable of continuously provide said at least one content request to said at least one content provider until said at least one transaction is complete.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

at least one measurement subsystem capable of tracking at least one statistic related to said at least one transaction.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one measurement subsystem comprises:

at least one timer capable of evaluating a time lapse between the time when said at least one content request was received by said at least one content interface and the time when said content was received by said at least one content interface;

at least one content accessibility checker capable of continuously determining an accessibility count determined by accessing said content through said at least one content request; and

at least one content verifier capable of continuously determining a content status determined by comparing said content to an expected content;

wherein said at least one measurement subsystem continuously ascertains said at least one statistic related to said time lapse and said accessibility count.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one content modifier comprises:

at least one heuristics receiver capable of accessing said at least one content modifier rule;

at least one content reference modifier capable of modifying at least one content reference according to said at least one content modifier rule; and

at least one content reference provider capable of formulating said at least one content request from said at least one content reference.

5. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one content modifier comprises:

at least one heuristics receiver capable of accessing said at least one content modifier rule;

at least one content reference modifier capable of modifying at least one content reference according to said at least one content modifier rule; and

at least one content reference provider capable of formulating said at least one content request from said at least one content reference.

6. The system (as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one content parser comprises:

at least one heuristics receiver capable of accessing said at least one content locator rule; and

at least one reference formulator capable of parsing said content to determine at least one content reference according to said at least one content locater rule.

7. The system (as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one content parser comprises:

at least one heuristics receiver capable of accessing said at least one content locator rule; and

at least one reference formulator capable of parsing said content to determine at least one content reference according to said at least one content locater rule.

8. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one content interface comprises:

at least one content requester capable of requesting said content from said electronic interface according to said at least one content request; and

at least one content receiver/checker capable of receiving said content from said electronic interface and providing said content to said at least one content parser.

9. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one content interface comprises:

at least one content requester capable of requesting said content from said electronic interface according to said at least one content request; and

at least one content receiver/checker capable of receiving said content from said electronic interface and providing said content to said at least one content parser.

10. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein said at least one content requester is capable of providing at least one statistic about said at least one content request, and wherein said at least one content receiver/checker is capable of continuously ascertaining at least one statistic related to said content.

11. The system as defined in claim 9 wherein said at least one content requester is capable of providing at least one statistic about said at least one content request, and wherein said at least one content receiver/checker is capable of continuously ascertaining at least one statistic related to said content.

12. A method for constructing at least one transaction comprising the steps of:

(a) defining at least one transaction, the at least one transaction having at least one hypertext reference;

(b) modifying the at least one hypertext reference according to at least one rule;

(c) executing the modified at least one hypertext reference;

(d) measuring pre-selected criteria based on the modified at least one hypertext reference; and

(e) repeating steps (b)-(d) until at least one transaction is constructed.

13. A method for constructing at least one transaction comprising the steps of:

(a) requesting content according to at least one content reference;

(b) obtaining heuristics;

(c) locating the at least one content reference according to the heuristics;

(d) updating the at least one content reference according to the heuristics; and

(e) repeating steps (a)-(e) until the at least one transaction is constructed.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(f) initializing a time lapse, accessibility count, and content status;

(g) saving and resetting the time lapse if at least one pre-selected criterion is met;

(h) incrementing the accessibility count if at least one pre-selected criterion is not met;

(i) incrementing the content status if there is an error in the content; and

(j) repeating steps (f)-(j) until the at least one transaction is constructed.

15. At least one computer node for carrying out the method according to claim 13.

16. A communications network comprising at least one computer node according to the method of claim 13.

17. A computer data signal embodied in electromagnetic signals traveling over a communications network carrying information capable of causing at least one computer node in the communications network to practice the method of claim 13.

18. A computer readable medium having instructions embodied therein for the practice of the method of claim 13.

19. A system for constructing at least one transaction comprising:

means for requesting content according to at least one content reference;

means for obtaining heuristics;

means for locating said at least one content reference according to said heuristics; and

means for updating said at least one content reference according to said heuristics;

wherein said means for requesting content, said means for obtaining heuristics, said means for locating, and said means for updating are repeated until said at least one transaction is constructed.

20. The system as defined in claim 19 further comprising:

means for initializing a time lapse, an accessibility count, and a content status;

means for saving and resetting said time lapse if first pre-selected criteria are met after said means for requesting content;

means for incrementing said accessibility count if second pre-selected criteria are not met after said means for requesting content; and

means for incrementing said content status if there is an error in said content;

wherein said means for initializing, said means for saving, said means for incrementing said accessibility count, and said means for incrementing said content status are repeated until the at least one transaction is constructed.