User-application interaction recording

• US 20070300179A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ObserveIT Ltd
• Original Assignee: Observe It Limited
• Inventors: Friedlander, Gabriel
• Application Number:
  US11/475,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for recording user/application interaction is provided. The method may include intercepting, by a user/application monitoring agent, an application window running on a computer and currently being visited by a user, and generating a unique window identifier for said application window based on one or more structural elements of said application window Structural elements may include, for example, label(s), drop-down list(s), drop-down menu(s), text(s), option box(es), and/or checkbox(es). The unique window identifier may be a hash value that is obtained by hashing structural elements of the related application window. Unique window identifier(s) may be utilized in visual audit trail, troubleshooting, guidance, help or assistance associated with a running application, which may be rendered to a user based on the current user'"'"'s relative location within the application visited by him/her. Screenshots may be played to a user, upon the user'"'"'s demand, as video clip(s) or screenshots slides, by using window identifiers to respectively retrieve stored screenshots A monitoring agent is also provided, which utilizes the method.

Claims

1. A user/application monitoring agent adapted to characterize an application window running on a computer and generate a unique window identifier for said application window based on one or more structural elements of said application window.

2. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said agent identifies structural elements of the application window by scanning said application window

3. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein the characterized application window is the foreground window on a display screen

4. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein structural elements comprise:

label(s), drop-down list(s), drop-down menu(s), text(s), option box(es), checkbox(es), combo box(es), list box(es), image(s) and button(s)

5. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein the unique window identifier is a bash value obtained by hashing data representing structural elements

6. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to cause the unique window identifier to be stored with an associated screenshot representing said application window

7. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said agent comprises a search engine adapted to search and play screenshots based on an input from said user.

8. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 7, wherein the search engine displays a list of essentially all video clips which comprises screenshot(s) associated with application(s) window(s) whose unique window identifier(s) is/are essentially identical to the unique window identifier of the application window being currently visited.

9. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said user/application monitoring agent resides within the computer.

10. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 6, wherein the unique window identifier is stored associated with data associated with a user visiting the application window.

11. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 5, wherein the unique window identifier and associated screenshot(s) are stored in a remote central server

12. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 11, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to generate and forward to the central server user activity data associated with intercepted activity steps relating to visited application window(s)

13. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 12, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to annotate aspects of user(s) activity data and to cause annotations to be stored in a server diary associated with the computer.

14. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said user/application monitoring agent utilizes unique window identifier(s) in visual audit trail, troubleshooting, guidance, help or assistance associated with a running application.

15. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to render to a user visual audit trail, troubleshooting, guidance, help or assistance based on the current user'"'"'s location.

16. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to facilitate displaying of a hazard notification if an irregular user activity pattern is detected.

17. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 16, wherein said user/application monitoring agent visually attaches to a foreground application window a guiding note associated with said application window or with the application involved

18. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 17, wherein a guiding note passes information to, or share best practice(s) with, user(s), or deter user(s) from selecting specific options in the application window

19. The user/application monitoring agent according to claim 4, wherein said user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to play recorded screenshots, on a user'"'"'s demand, as video clip(s) or screenshots slides, by using window identifiers to respectively retrieve stored screenshots.

20. A method for recording user/application interaction, comprises:

intercepting, by a user/application monitoring agent, an application window running on a computer; and

generating a unique window identifier for said application window based on one or more structural elements of said application window

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein generating comprises scanning of structural elements of the application window.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the characterized application window is the foreground window on a display screen.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein structural elements comprise:

label(s), drop-down list(s), drop-down menu(s), text(s), option box(es), checkbox(es), combo box(es), list box(es), image(s) and button(s).

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein the unique window identifier is a hash value obtained by hashing data representative of structural element(s).

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein a unique window identifier is stored with an associated screenshot representing the application window

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the unique window identifier is stored associated with details of the user visiting the application window.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein screenshot(s) is/are searched for and introduced to a user based on an input from said user.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, as a result of the search, a list of essentially all video clips is displayed, which comprises screenshot(s) associated with application(s) window(s) whose unique window identifier(s) is essentially identical to the unique window identifier of the application window being currently visited

29. The method according to claim 20, wherein unique window identifier(s) is/are utilized in visual audit trail, troubleshooting, guidance, help or assistance associated with a running application

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein visual audit trail, troubleshooting, guidance, help or assistance are rendered to a user based on the current user'"'"'s location.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein a hazard notification is displayed to a user if an irregular user activity pattern is detected

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein a guiding note is visually attached to an application window which is associated with said application window or with the application involved

33. The method according to claim 32 wherein a guiding note passes information to, or share best practice(s) with, user(s), or deter user(s) from selecting specific options in the application window.

34. The method according to claim 25, wherein screenshots are played, on a user'"'"'s demand, as video clip(s) or screenshots slides, by using window identifiers to respectively retrieve stored screenshots.

35. A system for user-application interaction recording, comprising:

a user/application monitoring agent adapted to intercept application windows(s) running on a computer; and

a central server adapted to receive, from said user/application monitoring agent, data relating to an intercepted application window(s), and to store in a storage array said data associated with unique screen identifier(s)

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein the user/application monitoring agent resides within the computer running the application.

37. The system according to claim 35, wherein the user/application monitoring agent is further adapted to generate and forward to the central server user activity data associated with intercepted activity steps relating to visited application screen(s)

38. The system according to claim 35, wherein the unique screen identifier is generated and forwarded by the user/application monitoring agent to the central server

39. The system according to claim 35, wherein the unique screen identifier is generated by the central server based on data forwarded to said central server from the user/application monitoring agent.

40. The system according to claim 35, wherein the central server stores in the storage array set(s) of window identifiers or user activity data originating from a plurality of user/application monitoring agents, each of which being associated with a respective monitored computer.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein the central server performs an audit process, on demand, by utilizing window identifier(s) or user(s'"'"') activity data.

42. The system according to claim 40, wherein the central server displays a hazard notification if an irregular user activity pattern is detected.