Tester for determining the validity of a feature in a remote device

• US 7,630,708 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: So, Albert, Zhou, Min, Cui, Yingqing Lawrence, Jiang, Zhaowei Charlie
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brandt; Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US11/077,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20060205397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/425, 455/423, 455/67.11, 379/21, 714/32, 714/33, 714/36, 714/25, 714/1
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

One or more test classes implement an object oriented interface that specifies an execution method and a results method called from a user interface running on the mobile terminal or an emulator. The user interface enables a user to select one or more tests to run, view results, and upload results to a server. For each test, the user interface calls the execution method to initiate the test and obtain a success or failure indication. The user interface also calls the results method to obtain data on a capability and/or to obtain validation that the capability is complete and reliable. Tests that require specific hardware are activated or deactivated, depending on whether the mobile terminal includes the required hardware. Test include a memory size test, a memory integrity test, a socket connection test, an HTTP test, a camera test, an image rendering speed test, a message test, and the like.

Claims

1. A method for testing a mobile terminal, comprising:

creating a program interface specifying at least an execution method that is called to perform at least one local test of a capability of the mobile terminal and a results method that returns a result for each performed local test;

on the mobile terminal, implementing the program interface with a test class that can perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal by calling the execution method and the results method;

providing a user interface on the mobile terminal, wherein the user interface enables a user to select the at least one local test from a plurality of local tests;

automatically performing a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component to be locally tested by at least one of the plurality of local tests;

automatically deactivating the at least one of the plurality of local tests to prevent instantiating of the at least one of the plurality of local tests if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component to be tested by the at least one of the plurality of local tests; and

performing the at least one local test with the test class on the mobile terminal by calling the execution method and the results method, if the instantiating of the at least one local test was not deactivated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the user interface to call the execution method and the results method for each test class from a plurality of test classes to perform the at least one local test from the plurality of local tests selected by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a hardware component.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the program interface with a new test class that can perform a new local test of a different capability of the mobile terminal by calling the execution method and the results method, wherein the new local test is different from each other local test in the plurality of local tests; and

registering the new test class with a control module that calls the execution method and the results method of the test class and the new test class.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the program interface further specifies at least one of the following:

a name method that identifies the at least one local test; and

a description method that provides a description of the at least one local test.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the results method returns at least one of a string and a table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the result of the at least one local test on the mobile terminal to a remote computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from one of a remote computing device and a user; and

performing an operation based on the instruction.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from one of the remote computing device and a user after the result is communicated to the remote computing device; and

performing an operation based on the instruction.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution method returns an indication of one of a test success and a test failure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one local test comprises at least one of:

a heap memory test for determining an available and usable amount of heap memory in the mobile terminal;

a socket test for validating that a socket connection to a server can be opened from the mobile terminal;

an HTTP test for ensuring that the mobile device can access a web content multiple times without causing an error in the mobile terminal;

a record management system (RMS) test for determining a quantity of persistent memory available for use by application programs executed on the mobile terminal;

an RMS integrity test for validating that data stored in the persistent memory does not get overwritten or corrupted and can be read back correctly;

an image test for determining a speed at which the mobile device can render graphic images;

a short message service (SMS) test for validating communication of SMS messages by the mobile terminal; and

a camera test for validating control and operation of a camera built into the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the result of the at least one local test on a display of the mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal comprises an emulation of a physical mobile terminal.

14. A client for testing a mobile terminal, comprising:

a processor;

a display in communication with the processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing data and machine instructions that at least in part cause the processor to perform the operations of;

instantiating a test class that can perform at least one local test of a capability of the mobile terminal, wherein the test class implements a program interface specifying at least an execution method that is called to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal and a results method that returns a result for each performed local test;

executing a user interface that enables a user to select the at least one local test from a plurality of local tests displayed on the display;

automatically performing a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component to be locally tested by at least one of the plurality of local tests;

deactivating the at least one of the plurality of local tests to prevent the instantiating of the at least one of the plurality of local tests if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component to be locally tested by the one of the plurality of local tests; and

executing the instantiation of the test class to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal by calling the execution method and the results method, if the instantiating of the at least one local test was not deactivated.

15. The client of claim 14, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform the operation of:

causing the user interface to call the execution method and the results method for the test class from a plurality of test classes to perform the at least one local test from the plurality of local tests.

16. The client of claim 15, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform the operation of displaying the result of the at least one local test on the display.

17. The client of claim 14, wherein the component is a hardware component.

18. The client of claim 15, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform the operation of causing the user interface to call at least one of the following:

a name method specified by the program interface to display an identity of the at least one local test; and

a description method specified by the program interface to display a description of the at least one local test.

19. The client of claim 14, wherein the results method returns at least one of the following:

a string and a table.

20. The client of claim 14, wherein the at least one local test comprises at least one of:

a heap memory test for determining an available and usable amount of heap memory in the mobile terminal;

a socket test for validating that a socket connection to a server can be opened from the mobile terminal;

an HTTP test for ensuring that the mobile device can access a web content multiple times without causing an error in the mobile terminal;

a record management system (RMS) test for determining a quantity of persistent memory available for use by application programs executed on the mobile terminal;

an RMS integrity test for validating that data stored in the persistent memory does not get overwritten or corrupted and can be read back correctly;

an image test for determining a speed at which the mobile device can render graphic images;

a short message service (SMS) test for validating communication of SMS messages by the mobile terminal; and

a camera test for validating control and operation of a camera built into the mobile device.

21. The client of claim 14, further comprising a communication interface and the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform at least one of the following operations:

downloading the test class from a remote computing device; and

communicating the result of the at least one local test on the mobile terminal to a remote computing device.

22. The client of claim 14, further comprising a communication interface and the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform at least one of the following operations:

receiving an additional instruction from one of a remote computing device and a user; and

performing an operation based on the additional instruction.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising a communication interface and the machine instructions further cause the processor to perform the following operations:

communicating the result of the at least one local test on the mobile terminal to a remote computing device;

receiving an additional instruction from one of the remote computing device and a user after the result is communicated to the remote computing device; and

performing an operation based on the additional instruction.

24. The client of claim 14, wherein the system comprises one of:

the mobile terminal; and

a computing device that emulates the mobile terminal.

25. A server for testing a mobile terminal comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory for storing instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory and the communication interface and for performing actions based at least in part on the stored instructions, including;

storing a test class that can perform at least one local test of a capability of the mobile terminal, wherein the test class implements a program interface specifying at least an execution method that is called to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal and a results method that returns a result for each performed local test;

automatically performing a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component to be locally tested by the at least one local test;

deactivating the at least one local test to prevent instantiating of the at least one local test if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component to be tested by the at least one local test; and

communicating the test class to the mobile terminal.

26. The server of claim 25, where in the processor further performs the actions of:

storing a user interface that enables a user of the mobile terminal to select the at least one local test from a plurality of local tests displayed on a display of the mobile terminal, and wherein the user interface calls the execution method and the results method for the test class from a plurality of test classes to perform the at least one local test from the plurality of local tests; and

communicating the user interface to the mobile terminal.

27. The server of claim 25, where in the processor further performs the actions of:

receiving the result of the at least one local test from the mobile terminal; and

communicating an additional instruction to the mobile terminal that causes the mobile terminal to perform an operation based on the additional instruction.

28. A computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions for performing actions including:

instantiating a test class that can perform at least one local test of a capability of a mobile terminal, wherein the test class implements a program interface specifying at least an execution method that is called to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal and a results method that returns a result for each performed local test;

automatically performing a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component to be locally tested by the at least one local test;

deactivating the at least one local test to prevent the instantiating of the at least one local test if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component to be tested by the at least one local test; and

executing the instantiation of the test class to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal by calling the execution method and the results method, if the instantiating of the at least one local test was not deactivated.

29. A network for communicating content over a network, the network communicating a test class to a mobile terminal wherein the test class can perform at least one local test of a capability of the mobile terminal, and wherein the test class implements a program interface specifying at least an execution method that is called to perform the at least one local test of the capability of the mobile terminal, a results method that is called to return a result for each performed local test, a detection method that is called to automatically perform a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component to be locally tested by the at least one local test, and a deactivation method that is called to deactivate the at least one local test to prevent instantiating of the at least one local test if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component.

30. A method for testing a mobile terminal, comprising:

instantiating a test class that implements a program interface specifying at least a computer executable detection method that is called to automatically perform a preliminary check of the mobile terminal to detect whether the mobile terminal includes a component associated with at least one local test, a computer executable deactivation method that is called to deactivate the at least one local test to prevent the instantiating of the at least one local test if the performed preliminary check determines that the mobile terminal does not include the component, a computer executable execution method that is called to perform the at least one local test of the mobile terminal and a computer executable results method that is called to return a result for each performed local test, and that can access a video control object of the mobile terminal;

instructing the video control object to capture image data with a camera of the mobile terminal, by calling the execution method, if the detection method detects that the mobile terminal includes the camera;

determining with the called execution method whether image data was stored in an image memory after instructing the video control object to capture the image data; and

reporting that a local camera test was successful if image data was stored in the image memory, by calling the results method.