Automating web tasks based on web browsing histories and user actions

• US 10,394,925 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bengualid, Mateo Nicolas, Cerruti, Julian Ariel, Lau, Tessa Ann, Manzato, Guillermo, Nichols, Jeffrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/407,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 715745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30

Abstract

Automated processing of web tasks provides information relevant to user tasks based on past user actions and web histories. Automating the processing of tasks includes receiving a task which may be sent from a system such as a short messaging system (SMS), an email system, or a telephone system. Command information is extracted from the task. A sequence of actions is generated to accomplish the task including a combined script. The script may be based on past user actions, logs, and web browsing histories. The sequence of actions is executed to return information relevant to the task.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to a memory;

a message communications channel operatively coupled to the processor to receive a task in a textual format;

a synthesizer operatively coupled to the message communication channel to extract command information from the task, the extracted information including task parameters converted into a command, the command selected from the group consisting of;

syntax and unstructured text in a core-command, wherein the core command identifies the task to be performed;

the synthesizer to identify at least two prior scripts related to the command and rank a relevance of the scripts relative to the task;

the synthesizer to generate a sequence of actions from the ranked scripts into a combined script; and

execution of the synthesized sequence of actions associated with the combined script to return information relevant to the task.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising the synthesizer to combine two or more of the ranked scripts into the combined script.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising the synthesizer to receive an added parameter to one of the scripts.

4. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor to:

receive a task in a textual format;

extract command information from the task, the extracted information including task parameters converted into a command, the command selected from the group consisting of;

syntax and unstructured text in a core command, wherein the core command identifies the task to be performed;

identify two or more prior scripts related to the command and rank a relevance of the scripts relative to the task;

generate a sequence of actions from the ranked scripts into a combined script; and

execute the synthesized sequence associated with the combined script in order to return information relevant to the task.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising computer readable program code configured to allow addition of parameter input to the synthesized sequence.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising computer readable program code configured to extract said information from a web page downloaded during said execution.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein said information is extracted using an auto-clipping utility.

8. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the task is specified through a message communications channel.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the message communications channel is selected from the group consisting of an email interface, a short message system (SMS) interface, and a portable computer interface.

10. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the task is specified as a short textual message.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a task in a textual format;

extracting command information from the task, the extracted information including task parameters converted into a command, the command selected from the group consisting of syntax and unstructured text in a core command, wherein the core command identifies the task to be performed;

identifying two or more prior scripts related to the command and ranking a relevance of the scripts relative to the task;

generating a sequence of actions from a selection of ranked scripts into a combined script;

executing the synthesized sequence associated with the combined script; and

the execution returning information relevant to the task.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the prior actions are derived from a browsing history.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising adding parameter input to the synthesized sequence.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising confirming the synthesized sequence of web actions through an interface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is extracted from a web page downloaded during said execution.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information is extracted based on a clipping instruction.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the information is extracted using an auto-clipping utility.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the auto-clipping utility is based on geometric clustering and generates a web page region with a highest relevancy score relative to the task.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the synthesized sequence is processed by a browser automation server.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the task is specified in a short textual format.