Recording display-independent computerized guidance

• US 9,098,313 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kryon Systems Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kryon Systems Ltd.
• Inventors: Butin, Emma, Keinan, Oren
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/546,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,171 Days
• Field of Search: 715/841, 715/862, 715705-715
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/766 Generation of all possible permutations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A method for recording a display-independent computerized guidance script, the method comprising capturing a screenshot of a GUI of a computerized application, analyzing an area, in the screenshot, surrounding a determined cursor position, to identify a GUI control, recording a manual operation sequence of the computerized application, and assigning the GUI control to a step of the operation sequence.

Claims

1. A method for creating an automated tutorial for demonstrating a use of a given process of a given computer application, the method comprising:

I. capturing image information representing the demonstration of the given process of the given computer application on a first computer, wherein capturing includes;

(a) detecting an activation of a graphical user interface (GUI) control associated with the given process;

(b) during or shortly after the activation of the graphical user interface (GUI) control capturing a screenshot of the computerized application and the activated GUI control;

(c) automatically analyzing an appearance of the activated GUI control to generate image information usable by a guidance script player to identify the GUI control; and

II. converting the captured image information into a guidance script which script drives a tutorial player application to provide a tutorial of the demonstration of the given process of the given application on a second computer, wherein converting includes;

(a) embedding into a guidance script at least the image information of the activated GUI control and at least an instruction indicating to the script player to;

(i) identify a matching GUI control on another instance of the computerized application, and (ii) activate the identified control by automatically driving a mouse pointer or a keyboard cursor to the identified GUI control on the other instance of the computerized application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generate image information includes text.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein converting the captured image information into a guidance script further comprises receiving guidance bubble information to be displayed during the tutorial.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein an appearance of the activated GUI control includes an image of the area surrounding a determined cursor position.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said capturing further comprising storing said image information usable by a guidance script player to identify the GUI control.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determined cursor position is where a user cursor click is detected.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising converting a screenshot to a 1-bit version.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising converting a screenshot to an inverted 1-bit version.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein activate the identified control comprises a cursor click on the identified GUI control.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein activate the identified control comprises keyboard input into the identified GUI control.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein activate the identified control comprises activation of a slider for scrolling to a previously-invisible region of the other instance of the computerized application.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identified GUI control is selected from a group consisting of:

an icon, a text, a button, an input box, a menu, a drop-down list, a slider and a bar.

13. An automated tutorial for demonstrating a use of a given process of a given computer application, said automated tutorial, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to:

I. capture image information representing the demonstration of the given process of the given computer application on a first computer, wherein capture includes;

(a) detect an activation of a graphical user interface (GUI) control associated with the given process;

(b) during or shortly after the activation of the GUI control capture a screenshot of the computerized application and the activated GUI control;

(c) automatically analyze an appearance of the activated GUI control to generate image information usable by a guidance script player to identify the GUI control; and

II. convert the captured image information into a guidance script, said guidance script to drive a tutorial player application to provide a tutorial of the demonstration of the given process of the given application on a second computer, wherein convert includes;

(a) embed into a guidance script at least the image information of the activated GUI control and at least an instruction indicating to the script player to;

(i) identify a matching GUI control on another instance of the computerized application and (ii) activate the identified control by automatically driving a mouse pointer or a keyboard cursor to the identified GUI control on the other instance of the computerized application.

14. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein captured image information includes a converted screenshot to a 1-bit version.

15. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein said captured image information further includes a converted screenshot to an inverted 1-bit version.

16. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein said guidance script is adapted to record a cursor click on the identified GUI control.

17. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein said guidance script is adapted to record keyboard input into the identified GUI control.

18. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein appearance of the activated GUI control includes an area surrounding the identified GUI control.

19. The automated tutorial according to claim 13, wherein the identified GUI control is selected from a group consisting of:

an icon, a text, a button, an input box, a menu, a drop-down list, a slider and a bar.