Aggregation and prioritization of application issue data

• US 7,735,065 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jowtiff Bros AB LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Jowtiff Bros AB LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gupta, Lokesh, Jain, Kalpit, Ford, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US10/714,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 717/101, 717/127, 717/128, 717/105, 717/112, 717/125, 717/131, 709/223, 709/225
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination

Abstract

A novel software application development aid comprises a web portal that provides aggregated and prioritized application issue data to ISVs in an ISV-specific and ISV-customizable manner so that the ISVs may improve their applications or correct errors therein and may know which application issues are causing the greatest reductions in customer satisfaction. So informed, the ISV may efficiently focus limited corrective resources on the most pressing problems. The application issue data sources for the ISV portal may include logo testing data, user crash report data, and other testing data.

Claims

1. A portal server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory component communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory component having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement aspects of the portal server including;

a data interface for accessing a plurality of application issue data sources for obtaining application issue data regarding one or more applications associated with a plurality of independent software vendors (ISVs), where the data interface is configured to facilitate access to the application issue data; and

an aggregation module for aggregating the application issue data to facilitate determining an aggregated application issue data set, the aggregation module configured to aggregate the application issue data by application and as a function of a qualitative priority, and for presenting a customizable user interface that presents the aggregated application issue data set including data pertaining to one or more applications associated with a corresponding ISV of the plurality of ISVs,

wherein the data pertaining to the one or more applications associated with the corresponding ISV includes names of the applications associated with the corresponding ISV, a number of blocking issue data items associated with respective instances of the applications associated with the corresponding ISV, a number of quality issue data items associated with respective instances of the applications associated with the corresponding ISV, and a number of compatibility fix issue data items associated with respective instances of the applications associated with the corresponding ISV.

2. The portal server according to claim 1, wherein the aggregation module is further operable to prioritize data included in the application issue data set according to at least one criterion received from an external computing device.

3. The portal server according to claim 2, wherein the at least one criterion includes one or more criteria selected from the group consisting of issue ID, application name, application version, issue type, issue priority, operating system, and number of issue reports per issue.

4. The portal server according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of application issue data sources comprise a database of logo certification test results and a database of user-reported computer crash data.

5. The portal server according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of application issue data sources further comprise an additional database of application experience test data.

6. The portal server according to claim 1 further comprising a network interface accessible by at least one of a plurality of external computing devices.

7. The portal server according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the names of the applications associated with the corresponding ISV is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising application issue data for the corresponding application, at least one of the numbers of the blocking issue data items is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising blocking issue data for the corresponding application, at least one of the numbers of the quality issue data items is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising quality issue data for the corresponding application, and at least one of the numbers of the compatibility fix issue data items is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising compatibility fix issue data for the corresponding application.

8. A user interface comprising:

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the user interface for carrying out computer executable instructions in connection with user interface processes;

a login credentials pane, where entry of credentials allows access to application issue data stored in a plurality of data sources;

a search pane configured to receive an input pertaining to at least one search term, whereby data stored in the data sources is aggregated as a function of the at least one search term and a qualitative priority to determine an aggregated application issue data set; and

a task pane configured to receive a formatting input pertaining to a preferred format for displaying the aggregated application issue data set; and

a content pane configured to display the aggregated application issue data set, wherein the display of the aggregated application issue data set includes names of a set of applications associated with a particular independent software vendor (ISV), a number of blocking issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, a number of quality issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, and a number of compatibility fix issue data items associated with at least one application in the set.

9. The user interface according to claim 8, wherein the task pane contains a listing of available formats.

10. The user interface according to claim 9, wherein the listing of available formats comprises a summary format.

11. The user interface according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the application issues has associated therewith number of reports of that issue, and wherein the summary format comprises a graphical illustration of the number of reports associated with respective application issues, respective instances of the application issues in the subset having associated therewith more reports than any of the remaining issues not in the subset.

12. The user interface according to claim 9, wherein the listing of available formats comprises a format wherein at least one of the applications is listed and is visually associated with information regarding application issues for that application.

13. The user interface according to claim 12, wherein the information visually associated with at least one of the one or more applications comprises an indication of the total number of issues associated with that application.

14. The user interface according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the applications issues have one of a plurality of types, and wherein the information visually associated with the one or more applications comprises an indication of the number of issues of at least one type associated with that application.

15. The user interface according to claim 12, wherein the information visually associated with at least one of the one or more applications comprises an indication of the total number of issues associated with that application when used in conjunction with an indicated operating system.

16. The user interface according to claim 9, wherein the listing of available formats comprises a format wherein all application issues associated with the one or more applications are presented.

17. The user interface according to claim 16, wherein at least one application issue has an identifier, and wherein within the format all application issues associated with the one or more applications are presented, and the application issues are grouped by application issue identifier.

18. The user interface according to claim 8, wherein the search pane comprises selectable search filters.

19. A user interface according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the application names is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising application issue data for the corresponding application, at least one number of the blocking issue data items is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising quality issue data for the corresponding application, and at least one number of the compatibility fix issue data items is a hyperlink to an issue list comprising compatibility fix issue data for the corresponding application.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to gather application issue data from a plurality of data sources;

instructions to aggregate application issue data from the data sources as a function of a qualitative priority such that application issue data attributed to a particular independent software vendor (ISV) is accessible through a login protocol;

instructions to aggregate application issue data from the data sources such that application issue data pertaining to a common application are grouped together; and

instructions to display the aggregated application issue data, wherein the displayed aggregated application issue data includes names of a set of applications associated with a corresponding ISV, a number of blocking issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, a number of quality issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, and a number of compatibility fix issue data items associated with at least one application in the set.

21. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the instructions to gather application issue data from a plurality of data sources comprises the instructions to gather the application issue data from a database storing at least one item of user crash report data and a database storing at least one item of test report data.

22. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20 further comprising instructions to transmit the aggregated application issue data for visual presentation.

23. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

means for gathering application issue data from a plurality of data sources;

means for aggregating application issue data from the data sources as a function of a qualitative priority such that application issue data attributed to a particular independent software vendor (ISV) is accessible through a login protocol;

means for aggregating application issue data from the data sources such that application issue data pertaining to a common application are grouped together; and

means for displaying the aggregated application issue data, wherein the displayed aggregated application issue data includes names of a set of applications associated with a corresponding ISV, a number of blocking issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, a number of quality issue data items associated with at least one application in the set, and a number of compatibility fix issue data items associated with at least one application in the set.

24. The computing device according to claim 23 further comprising means for transmitting the aggregated application issue data for visual presentation.