VIRTUAL DEVICE INTERACTIVE RECORDING

• US 20080195942A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigos, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mobile Complete, Inc. (Dynatrace, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marsyla, David John, Syed, Faraz Ali, Brody, John Tupper, Mathison, Jeffrey Allard
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism for recording interactions with a Mobile Device to create a map of the structure of the menu system, Mobile Applications, and Mobile Service available on the device. A Recording/Control Environment is integrated with a physical Mobile Device, controls the Mobile Device, and records the resulting data from the Device. The Recording/Control Environment then saves the data as a map of the system structure. Once this graph has been created with a state representing every page available on the device, and with links representing every means of navigating between the individual states of the device, the graph can be used to re-create the experience of interacting with the device. A user may then virtually interact with a representative device through a Run-Time Environment, which uses the map structure to replay the interactions of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for recording the interactions with a mobile device for subsequent simulation in a virtual environment, comprising:

detecting a control input to the mobile device through an interface;

extracting a response produced by the mobile device; and

storing the response if the response has not been previously detected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a path not yet navigated and choosing the control input to select the path.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising splitting the response into an existing state and a preamble sequence between states.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising creating a canonical sample by filtering dynamic information from the existing state.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the canonical sample to all previous canonical samples to determine if the canonical sample has been previously stored.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising running an application, wherein the application navigates the previously stored responses based on a user choice.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the application displays an initial state based on a set of desired features to emphasis to a user.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the application displays a virtual representation of the mobile device and permits a user to navigate through a virtual interface to simulate a physical interaction with the mobile device.

9. A method for simulating physical interactions with a mobile device through a virtual environment, comprising:

displaying a virtual device interactive interface;

accepting a user choice through the virtual device interactive interface; and

playing an animation in response to the user choice.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual device interactive interface represents a physical mobile device, which simulates actual interactions with the physical mobile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an initial virtual device interactive interface is chosen based on a set of interactions to emphasis to a user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the playing simulates a physical response of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising waiting for an additional user choice and playing an associated animation in response to the additional user choice.

14. An apparatus for recording interactions with a mobile device for subsequent simulation in a virtual environment, comprising:

an interface configured for connecting to the mobile device;

a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and programmed for recording the interactions with the mobile device by

selecting a control input to the mobile device through the interface,

extracting a response produced by the mobile device, and

storing the response if the response has not been previously detected.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further programmed for determining a path not yet navigated and choosing the control input to select the path.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further programmed for splitting the response into an existing state and a preamble sequence between states.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed for creating a canonical sample by filtering dynamic information from the existing state.

18. An apparatus for simulating interactions with a physical mobile device through a virtual environment, comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to a user input and programmed for

displaying a virtual device interactive interface representing the physical mobile device,

accepting a user choice through the user input, and

playing an animation in response to the user choice to simulate an actual response of the physical mobile device based on the user choice.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein an initial virtual device interactive interface is chosen based on a set of interactions to emphasis to a user.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further programmed for waiting for an additional user choice and playing an associated animation in response to the additional user choice.

21. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for recording the interactions with a mobile device for subsequent simulation in a virtual environment, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a control input to the mobile device through an interface,

extracting a response produced by the mobile device, and

storing the response if the response has not been previously detected.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, the program code further for causing performance of the method comprising determining a path not yet navigated and choosing the control input to select the path.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, the program code further for causing performance of the method comprising splitting the response into an existing state and a preamble sequence between states.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, the program code farther for causing performance of the method comprising creating a canonical sample by filtering dynamic information from the existing state.

25. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for simulating physical interactions with a mobile device through a virtual environment, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

displaying a virtual device interactive interface;

accepting a user choice based on the virtual device interactive interface;

playing an animation in response to the user choice.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the program code further for causing performance of the method comprising choosing an initial virtual device interactive interface based on a set of interactions to emphasis to a user.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the program code further for causing performance of the method comprising simulating a physical response of the mobile device.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the program code further for causing performance of the method comprising waiting for an additional user choice and playing an associated animation in response to the additional user choice.