Monitoring and Tracking Application Usage

• US 20110173525A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Bhat, Venumadhava Ganapaya, Mukhopadhyay, Tanmoy
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

The present description refers to a computer-implemented method, a computer program product and a computer system for monitoring and tracking application usage, the method comprising: determining, during a first interval, a first indication of whether a first user has provided a first input. The method further comprising obtaining, during the first interval, a first identifier of an active window in a first graphical user interface (GUI), and selectively storing the first identifier and the first indication. For this purpose a specific tracking tool may be implemented on the computer on which the first graphical user interface is executed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of monitoring and tracking application usage, the method comprising:

determining, during a first interval, a first indication of whether a first user has provided a first input;

obtaining, during the first interval, a first identifier of an active window in a first graphical user interface (GUI); and

selectively storing the first identifier and the first indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively storing comprises:

when the first identifier is different from a most recently stored identifier, or

when the first indication is different from a most recently stored indication, or

when there is no previously stored identifier and no previously stored indication;

storing the first identifier and the first indication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively storing the first identifier and the first indication includes saving the first identifier and the first indication in a first data set comprising a first data sheet.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, during a second interval, a second indication of whether a second user has provided a second input;

obtaining, during the second interval, a second identifier of an active window in a second GUI;

saving the second identifier and the second indication in a second data set comprising a second data sheet; and

copying data of the first data set and data of the second data set into a third data set comprising a third data sheet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first data sheet is located on a first computer, the second data sheet is located on a second computer and the third data sheet is located on a third computer;

and

wherein copying the data of the first data sheet and the data of the second data sheet into the third data sheet further comprises;

opening a connection from the first computer to the third computer and copying the first data sheet to the third computer; and

opening another connection from the second computer to the third computer and copying the second data sheet to the third computer.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, during a second interval, a second indication of whether the first user has provided a second input;

obtaining, during the second interval, a second identifier of an active window in the first GUI; and

when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, or when the second indication is different from the first indication;

storing the second identifier and the second indication.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising,

transmitting the first data sheet to a second computer;

processing the first data sheet using a macro; and

consolidating information from the first data sheet with information from one or more further data sheets in order to generate a report.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the first interval and the second interval overlap.

9. The method of claim 3,

wherein protection is implemented for the first data sheet;

whereby the data of the first data sheet is protected from access by unauthorized users.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first indication comprises verifying whether the first user has provided the first input using a keyboard and/or a navigation device and/or a pointing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identifier and the first indication are not displayed in the first GUI.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein interfaces of the application are not accessed.

13. (canceled)

14. A computer system for monitoring and tracking application usage, the system comprising:

a first computer including;

a first graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a first active window;

a first timer configured to define a first interval; and

a first input device;

wherein the first computer is operable to;

determine, during the first interval, a first indication of whether a first user has provided a first input to the first input device;

obtain, during the first interval, a first identifier of the first active window; and

selectively store the first identifier and the first indication.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first computer is operable to:

determine, during a second interval, a second indication of whether the first user has provided a second input;

obtain, during the second interval, a second identifier of an active window in the first GUI; and

when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, or when the second indication is different from the first indication;

store the second identifier and the second indication.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first computer is operable to:

transmit the first data sheet to a second computer;

process the first data sheet using a macro; and

consolidate information from the first data sheet with information from one or more further data sheets in order to generate a report.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first interval and the second interval overlap.

18. The computer system of claim 14,

wherein protection is implemented for the first data sheet;

whereby the data of the first data sheet is protected from access by unauthorized users.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein determining the first indication comprises verifying whether the first user has provided the first input using a keyboard and/or a navigation device and/or a pointing device.

20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first identifier and the first indication are not displayed in the first GUI.

21. The computer system of claim 14, wherein interfaces of the application are not accessed.

22. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions stored on tangible computer-readable medium, which, when loaded and executed on a computer system, cause the computer system to perform the method of:

determining, during a first interval, a first indication of whether a first user has provided a first input;

obtaining, during the first interval, a first identifier of an active window in a first graphical user interface (GUI); and

selectively storing the first identifier and the first indication.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein selectively storing comprises:

when the first identifier is different from a most recently stored identifier, or

when the first indication is different from a most recently stored indication, or

when there is no previously stored identifier and no previously stored indication;

storing the first identifier and the first indication.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein selectively storing the first identifier and the first indication includes saving the first identifier and the first indication in a first data set, comprising a first data sheet.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, during a second interval, a second indication of whether a second user has provided a second input;

obtaining, during the second interval, a second identifier of an active window in a second GUI;

saving the second identifier and the second indication in a second data set, comprising a second data sheet; and

copying data of the first data set and data of the second data set into a third data set comprising a third data sheet.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the first data sheet is located on a first computer, the second data sheet is located on a second computer and the third data sheet is located on a third computer;

and

wherein copying the data of the first data sheet and the data of the second data sheet into the third data sheet further comprises;

opening a connection from the first computer to the third computer and copying the first data sheet to the third computer; and

opening another connection from the second computer to the third computer and copying the second data sheet to the third computer.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, during a second interval, a second indication of whether the first user has provided a second input;

obtaining, during the second interval, a second identifier of an active window in the first GUI; and

when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, or when the second indication is different from the first indication;

storing the second identifier and the second indication.

28. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises,

transmitting the first data sheet to a second computer;

processing the first data sheet using a macro; and

consolidating information from the first data sheet with information from one or more further data sheets in order to generate a report.

29. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the first interval and the second interval overlap.

30. The computer program product of claim 24,

wherein protection is implemented for the first data sheet;

whereby the data of the first data sheet is protected from access by unauthorized users.

31. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein determining the first indication comprises verifying whether the first user has provided the first input using a keyboard and/or a navigation device and/or a pointing device such as a mouse.

32. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the first identifier and the first indication are not displayed in the first GUI.

33. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein interfaces of the application are not accessed.