U.S. patent application number 15/678575 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-05 for browser activity replay with advanced navigation.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Damie L. Brooks, Lalith K. Maddali, Manoj Punjabi, Sukhbir Singh.
Application Number | 20180097898 15/678575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57590218 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180097898 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brooks; Damie L. ; et
al. |
April 5, 2018 |
BROWSER ACTIVITY REPLAY WITH ADVANCED NAVIGATION
Abstract
Aspects include capturing and replaying activities conducted
during a web browsing session. Activities conducted by a user via
browser application at a website are received at a computer
processor. The activities occur across multiple web pages and span
multiple windows during a single browsing session. The activities
associated with corresponding web pages, and the activities are
ordered in chronological order for each of the web pages. User
interface events corresponding to the ordered activities are
displayed via a browser based interface. The user interface events
are selectable by an end user of the browser based interface.
Inventors: |
Brooks; Damie L.;
(Albuquerque, NM) ; Maddali; Lalith K.; (Fremont,
CA) ; Punjabi; Manoj; (Dublin, CA) ; Singh;
Sukhbir; (Hayward, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57590218 |
Appl. No.: |
15/678575 |
Filed: |
August 16, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15252770 |
Aug 31, 2016 |
9769271 |
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15678575 |
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|
15066100 |
Mar 10, 2016 |
9531825 |
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15252770 |
|
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|
14859400 |
Sep 21, 2015 |
9609075 |
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15066100 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 11/34 20130101;
G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 16/955 20190101; G06F 16/9562 20190101;
H04L 67/02 20130101; G06F 16/954 20190101; G06F 11/3438 20130101;
H04L 67/22 20130101; G06F 16/95 20190101; G06F 2201/875 20130101;
G06F 3/0483 20130101; G06F 11/3414 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; G06F 3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484; G06F 3/0483 20060101
G06F003/0483 |
Claims
1. A computer program product for capturing and replaying
activities conducted during a web browsing session, the computer
program product comprising a computer readable storage medium
having program instructions embodied therewith, the program
instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
receive activities conducted by a user via a browser application at
a website, the activities occurring across multiple web pages and
spanning multiple windows and multiple tabs across the multiple web
pages during a single browsing session, wherein the activities
include scrolling through a web page, selecting a tab, selecting a
link on the web page, advancing to a different web page, returning
to a previous web page, logging into the web site, logging out of
the web site, entering data into a form, and creating a message,
and wherein the receiving includes receiving messages including
timestamps and load and unload events associated with the
activities, each timestamp indicating when a corresponding activity
occurred and the load and unload events indicating loading and
unloading of the web pages; associate the activities with
corresponding web pages at least in part by associating the
activities spanning the multiple tabs with corresponding tabs;
order the activities in chronological order for each of the web
pages based on the corresponding timestamps; display user interface
events corresponding to the ordered activities in a navigation list
via the browser based interface, wherein the user interface events
are selectable by an end user of the browser based interface, and
wherein displaying the user interface events comprises displaying
the load and unload events in chronological order of occurrence;
receive a selection of a user interface event; and after receiving
the selection of the user interface event: determine, by the
browser based interface, a number of active windows at the time the
activities were captured, the determining implemented by traversing
upward in the navigation list and identifying all load messages
that do not have matching unload messages; and create hypertext
markup language (HTML) popup windows with iframes pointing to a
most recent replay of each active window; and overlaying the popup
windows on top of each other with an ordered index of the popup
windows to indicate most recent activities on each active window.
Description
DOMESTIC PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
15/252,770, which was filed on Aug. 31, 2016, which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 15/066,100, which was filed Mar. 10,
2016, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,531,825, which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/859,400 filed Sep. 21, 2015, which
is now issued as U. S. Pat. No. 9,609,075, the disclosures of which
are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to browser activity replay,
and more specifically, to multi-window, multi-tab browser activity
replay.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
method for browser activity replay with advanced navigation is
provided. The method includes receiving, by a computer processor,
activities conducted by a user via browser application at a
website. The activities occur across multiple web pages and span
multiple windows during a single browsing session. The method also
includes associating the activities with corresponding web pages,
ordering the activities in chronological order for each of the web
pages, and displaying, via a browser based interface, user
interface events corresponding to the ordered activities. The user
interface events are selectable by an end user of the browser based
interface.
[0004] Additional features and advantages are realized through the
techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects
of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered
a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the
invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the
description and to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at
the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other
features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a system upon which
browser activity replay processes may be implemented according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 depicts an architecture that may be used in
implementing browser activity replay processes according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of a process for implementing
browser activity replay with advanced navigation according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 4 depicts a user interface including an unordered
navigation list in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0010] FIG. 5 depicts a user interface including an ordered
navigation list in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] In a replay mode of a recorded web interaction, one might
expect to see the complete user interaction on their web site or
mobile application. Web 1.0 style applications which contain popup
windows or web applications that allow users to open multiple tabs
demand a holistic experience of multiple window replay. In some
cases, interactions in one window reflect interactions in parent
windows or windows from the same website. It is possible that
interactions in child windows can change the data in a parent
window. In a sequential single window replay, one would miss the
flow of user interaction.
[0012] Exemplary embodiments are directed to browser activity
replay with advanced navigation. The browser activity replay
processes enable multi-window, multi-tab browser activity replay of
end users of corresponding browser sessions at a website. Views are
shown as layered popup windows. By providing the views as layered
popups, users can better correlate to the original experience of
the website.
[0013] Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a system for
implementing browser activity replay processes will now be
described. The system 100 of FIG. 1 includes a host system server
102, a client server 104, and a user system 106, each of which is
communicatively coupled to one or more networks 108. The networks
108 may be any type of network or combination of networks known in
the art.
[0014] The host system server 102 and client server 104 may be
implemented, e.g., via any high-speed computer processing device
capable of performing a high volume of activities as described
herein. In an embodiment, the host system server 102 executes one
or more applications for implementing the browser activity replay
processes described herein. The host system server 102 may perform
these processes as a service to one or more client enterprises,
e.g., client server 104. The host system server 102 is
communicatively coupled to a storage device 112 for storing user
activities conducted at client server websites.
[0015] The user system 106 may be a general purpose computer or
desktop computer, mobile device, or other type of processing
device. The user system 106 executes a browser application 110 for
accessing one or more websites (e.g., a website of the client
server 104) and performing various activities therefrom.
[0016] Turning now to FIG. 2, a diagram depicting an architecture
that may be used in implementing browser activity replay processes
will now be described in an embodiment. The architecture 200
includes a network 202 through which user activities conducted by
user systems are captured. As shown in FIG. 2, data may be captured
through a network 202 via a passive capture application and is
distributed to a storage device 206 via a session pipeline 204. The
session indicates a browser session conducted between a user system
and a client server's website. The captured data is stored in the
storage device 206. In an embodiment, the network 202 may correlate
the network 108 of FIG. 1. In addition, the storage device 206 may
correlate to the storage device 112 of FIG. 1.
[0017] A replay server 208 (which may correlate to one or both of
the client server 104 and the host system server 102) renders
different views or pages for a given browsing session via a browser
based replay application 210, as will be described further
herein.
[0018] Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram describing a process
for implementing browser activity replay with advanced navigation
will now be described in an embodiment. At block 302, activities
conducted by a user (e.g., user system 106) via a web browser
application (e.g., browser 110) are received. The user activities
may be collected on the client side (user system) via, e.g.,
Javascript Libraries. Each interaction message contains the
client-side timestamp of when the interaction occurred. Client
messages may also include Load and Unload of page events, which act
as markers of when a window or page was created or removed. The
client may send data as a batch containing many messages from the
same web page.
[0019] The user activities may occur across multiple web pages and
span multiple tabs and/or windows during a single browsing session
of the user. The activities include scrolling through a web page,
selecting a tab, selecting a link on the web page, advancing to a
different web page, returning to a previous web page, logging in to
a web site, logging out of a web site, entering data into a form,
and creating a message, to name a few.
[0020] Receiving the activities includes receiving messages
including timestamps indicating when each of the activities
occurred.
[0021] At block 304, the activities are associated with their
corresponding web pages. This may be implemented by assigning an
identifier to the activities that indicates their association with
the corresponding web page. At block 306, the activities are
ordered in chronological order (e.g., via their timestamps) for
each of the web pages.
[0022] At block 308, user interface events corresponding to the
ordered activities are displayed via a browser based interface. The
displaying of the user events includes displaying the load and
unload events in chronological order of occurrence. The load and
unload events indicate loading and unloading of the web pages by
the end user.
[0023] The events are selectable by a user of the browser based
interface. Sample interface screens are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0024] Upon receiving a selected user interface event, the browser
based interface determines a number of windows that are active at
the time the activities were captured. This determination may be
implemented by traversing upward in the navigation list and
identifying all load messages that do not have matching unload
messages.
[0025] The display process may be implemented by creating hypertext
markup language (HTML) popup windows with iframes pointing to a
most recent replay of each active window, and overlaying the popup
windows on top of each other with an ordered index of the popup
windows, to indicate most recent activities on each active window.
Alternatively, the display process may be implemented by displaying
active windows as tabs. Upon selection of one of the corresponding
entries in the navigation list, a replay of a corresponding window
is displayed.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface including an unordered
navigation list, and FIG. 5 depicts a user interface including an
ordered navigation list.
[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof
[0028] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and
equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the
claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or
act for performing the function in combination with other claimed
elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the
invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The
embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the
principles of the invention and the practical application, and to
enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the
invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are
suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0029] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0030] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0031] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0032] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated
circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one or more programming languages, including an
object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the
like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instructions by utilizing state information of the computer
readable program instructions to personalize the electronic
circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present
invention.
[0033] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0034] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0035] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0036] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0037] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed
herein.
* * * * *