Application unit monitoring and reporting system and method

• US 7,574,654 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery, Lyapustina, Yevgeniya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US11/546,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20070033530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 715/704, 715/736, 715/762, 715/705, 715/771, 715/773, 715/744, 715/745, 715/747, 715/740, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A system for monitoring a user'"'"'s usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a user can select. In the example of the target application being a software program, the commands may be icons displayed on a computer screen which a user can point to with a mouse pointer and then click on. In the case of the target application being an image forming device or an appliance, the interface may be an operation panel with buttons, a touch pad, etc. which a user can press. The present invention monitors the user'"'"'s usage of such interfaces and logs data of the user'"'"'s usage of such interfaces. The logged data can then be communicated by Internet mail to a designated location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an interface of a target application, the interface comprising a plurality of function keys to be selected by a user, wherein the target application is in one of a microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile and the interface is an operation panel of the one of the microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile;

a monitoring unit configured to directly monitor user selections of the plurality of function keys of the interface by the user automatically upon start-up of the target application without the user directly starting a monitoring program, and to generate a log of the monitored data, the log indicating the selections of the plurality of function keys by the user;

a communicating device configured to communicate the log of the monitored data to a remote site.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communicating device sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the target application.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set a number of sessions of the target application to be executed by the user prior to the communicating device communicating the log of the monitored data.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communicating device communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

5. A system comprising:

interface means of a target application means, the interface means for providing a plurality of function keys to be selected by a user, wherein the target application means is in one of a microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile and the interface means is an operation panel of the one of the microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile;

monitoring means for directly monitoring user selections of the plurality of function keys of the interface means by the user automatically upon start-up of the target application means without the user directly starting a monitoring program, and for generating a log of the monitored data, the log indicating the selections of the plurality of function keys by the user;

communicating means for communicating the log of the monitored data to a remote site.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the communicating means sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the target application means.

7. A system according to claim 5, further comprising a setting means for setting a number of sessions of the target application means to be executed by the user prior to the communicating means communicating the log of the monitored data.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein the communicating means communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

9. A method of monitoring usage of an interface of a target application, the interface including a plurality of function keys to be selected by a user, wherein the target application is in one of a microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile device and the interface is an operation panel of is one of the microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile, comprising:

directly monitoring user selections of the plurality of function keys of the interface by the user automatically-upon start-up of the target application without the user directly starting a monitoring program;

generating a log of the monitored data, the log indicating the selections of the plurality of function keys by the user; and

communicating the log of the monitored data to a remote site.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the communicating sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the target application.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising setting a number of sessions of the target application to be executed by the user prior to the communicating device communicating the log of the monitored data.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the communicating communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to monitor a user'"'"'s usage of an interface of a target application, the interface comprising a plurality of function keys to be selected by a user, wherein the target application is in one of a microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile and the interface is an operation panel of one of the microwave, cell phone, palm top computer, vending machine, or automobile, comprising;

a first computer code device configured to directly monitor user selections of the plurality of function keys of the interface by the user automatically upon start-up of the target application without the user directly starting a monitoring program, and configured to generate a log of the monitored data, the log indicating the selections of the plurality of function keys by the user; and

a second computer code device configured to communicate the log of the monitored data to a remote site.

14. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the second computer code device is further configured to send the log of the monitored data when the user exits the target application.

15. A computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising a third computer code device configured to set a number of sessions of the target application to be executed by the user prior to the second computer code device communicating the log of the monitored data.

16. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the second computer code device is further configured to communicate the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.