Automating user's operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9355059-B2
Application number	US-23476908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2008
Priority date	Sep 28, 2007
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

To select a communication sequence for automating user's operations, a system performing a user's operation is provided, which acquires and stores a communication history of a client with a server in receipt of a user's operation; accesses the storage to detect from the history a plurality of communication sequences that cause the same screen transition on the client; accesses the storage to select an input parameter that is included in all of the plurality of communication sequences and that has a parameter value changed for each communication sequence; accepts an input of a new parameter value to be set as a value of the selected input parameter; and sets the new parameter value to the selected input parameter in response to the input of the new parameter value, to execute a communication sequence that causes the same screen transition as that caused by the detected communication sequences.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system performing a user's operation on behalf of a user, comprising:
a storage device;
a processor operably connected with the storage device;
a history acquisition unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to acquire a history of communication of a client computer with a server computer in receipt of a user's operation and store the history in the storage device, wherein the history of communication is to include at least two sequences of screen transitions;
a detection unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to access the storage device to detect from the history a plurality of communication sequences that each cause a screen transition of common occurrence on the client computer, wherein at least one screen transition of common occurrence is to include a serial transition of a first screen to at least a second screen, and wherein at least one communication sequence of the plurality of communication sequences is to cause the same serial transition of the first screen to the at least second screen in two of the at least two sequences of screen transitions;
a first selection unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to access the storage device and select an input parameter that is included in all of the plurality of communication sequences and that has a parameter value changed for each communication sequence;
an input accepting unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to cause the client computer to accept an input of a new parameter value to be set as a parameter value of the selected input parameter; and
an execution unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to set the new parameter value to the selected input parameter in response to the input of the new parameter value, and cause the client computer to execute a communication sequence that causes the screen transition of common occurrence.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second selection unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to access the storage device and select, for at least one of the plurality of communication sequences detected by the detection unit, a plurality of input parameters having the same parameter value set therefor, wherein
the input accepting unit causes the client computer to accept an input of a new parameter value to be set commonly for the plurality of input parameters selected by the second selection unit, and
the execution unit sets the accepted parameter value to each of the plurality of input parameters selected by the second selection unit, for execution of the communication sequence.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the history acquisition unit acquires, as the history, a request that the client computer transmits to the server computer and a response that the server computer returns to the client computer in response to the request,
the system further comprises a match determination unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to access the storage device and determine, for at least one of the plurality of communication sequences detected by the detection unit, whether the parameter value of a first parameter included in a first response matches the parameter value of a second parameter included in a second request transmitted later than the first response, and
on the condition that the parameter values of the first and second parameters match, the execution unit causes the parameter value of the first parameter received as a part of the first response to be set to the second parameter included in the second request transmitted later than the first response, during execution of the communication sequence.

4. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a setting unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to perform setting as to whether to allow the input accepting unit to accept an input of a new parameter value to be set for the input parameter selected by the first selection unit based on an instruction from the user, wherein:
the input accepting unit causes the client computer to accept the input of the new parameter value on the condition that the setting unit allows the input accepting unit to accept the input of the new parameter value.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein:
in the case of not accepting the input of the new parameter value to be set for the input parameter selected by the first selection unit, the setting unit sets a fixed parameter to be set for the input parameter based on an instruction from the user, and
in the case of not accepting the input of the new parameter value to be set for the input parameter selected by the first selection unit, the execution unit sets the fixed parameter set by the setting unit to the input parameter selected by the first selection unit, for execution of the communication sequence.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the input accepting unit displays a form for accepting an input of the new parameter value on a web browser operating in the client computer, and
the execution unit sets the parameter value input to the form to the selected input parameter in accordance with an instruction of the user, for execution of a communication sequence that causes the screen transition of common occurrence.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a generating unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to generate a program for causing the client computer to function as the input accepting unit and the execution unit, the generating unit accepting an input of a program name from the user and storing the program in the storage device in association with the input program name, wherein:
the client computer reads the program name from the storage device for display, and reads the program corresponding to the program name designated by the user from the storage device for execution.

8. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a setting unit encoded on the storage device and executable by the processor to set, based on an instruction from the user, a screen at which a screen transition by the communication sequence executed by the execution unit is to be interrupted, wherein:
the execution unit interrupts execution of the communication sequence on the condition that communication corresponding to transition to the screen set by the setting unit is performed during the execution of the communication sequence,
when the execution of the communication sequence is interrupted, the input accepting unit causes the client computer to accept an input of a new parameter value to be set for a parameter in the communication after restart, and
on the condition that the input of the new parameter value is accepted, the execution unit sets the new parameter value and restarts the communication sequence.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects as one or more of the communication sequences of the plurality a communication sequence which is to appear with a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined reference frequency of occurrence, wherein the predetermined reference frequency of occurrence is to include a frequency of at least two.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the detection unit classifies the history into communication sessions, and for each of the classified sessions, detects as one or more of the communication sequences of the plurality a communication sequence which is to appear with a frequency equal to or greater than the predetermined reference frequency of occurrence.

11.

Assignees

• Fujiwara Yayoi
• Gotoh Yasuhisa
• Nakayama Yasutomo
• IBM

Inventors

• Fujiwara Yayoi
• Gotoh Yasuhisa
• Nakayama Yasutomo

Classifications

• G06F15/16 Primary

  Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs {(coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B)} · CPC title

• H04L67/22

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title