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ENGINE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF PROVIDING
AUTOMATED RISK MITIGATION
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benfit of priority to U.S. Patent
Application Serial No.
16/265,248 filed on February 1, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
Patent Application
Serial No. 15/365,077 filed November 30, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part
of U.S. Patent
Application Serial No. 14/990,685 filed January 7, 2016, which claims priority
to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/100,768 filed January 7, 2015,
the contents of all of
which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their respective
entirety.
FIELD
The present invention relates to a risk mitigation tool that may be utilized
by enterprise
clients, and, more particularly, to an engine, system and method of providing
an automated and
efficient process and methodology for managing, monitoring, and maintaining
online digital and
mobile presence and assets.
BACKGROUND
One of the main challenges facing most enterprises is that they support
multiple public-
facing websites that require significant resources to maintain, monitor and
manage. Through the
normal course of business, enterprise websites undergo many instances of
content and functional
changes that require large investments of resources to implement and manage.
As a result, many
enterprise customer and/or public facing websites have inaccurate content and
messaging
displayed that poses potential risk and/or liability to the organization. For
example, risks may
include: Financial (tied to promotional offers and disclosures);
Brand/Reputation; Customer
Attrition; Partnerships/Vendor Attrition; Disruption in supply chain delivery
of
products/services; Internal and External Policy; and legal, by way of non-
limiting example.
To date, there exists no automated, single-source solution that allows an
organization to
ensure accuracy across all of its online digital assets from a content and
visual perspective. As
such, it would be desirable to provide enterprise clients an application to
automate monitoring of
an online/digital asset (website, micro-site, mobile app) using multiple
comparison methods
alongside a rules-based engine to identify the differences from the intended
display. Along with
alleviating human error and enabling a more efficient and effective QA Testing
process, such an
apparatus, system and method could act as an audit tool to store and maintain
versions of
legal/risk/compliance digital communications, and further will substantially
reduce the labor
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cost structures customarily associated with these types of audit and other
related digital reviews
through the solution's automated timestamp, reconciliation, and organization
processes specially
associated with the comparative and identification methods.
Thus, there is a need for a single source solution that allows an organization
to ensure
accuracy across all online digital assets from a content and visual
perspective. More particularly,
there is a need for an engine, system and method to provide enterprise clients
an application that
will automate monitoring of an online/digital asset (website, micro-site,
mobile app) using
multiple comparison methods alongside a rules-based interrogation engine to
identify the
differences from the intended display.
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SUMMARY
The present invention provides an engine, system and method for providing
automated
and efficient processes for managing, monitoring, and maintaining online
digital and mobile
presence and assets. Such a system may allow for the elimination of human
error and the
enabling of a more efficient and effective content experimentation and testing
process. The
present invention may also may act as an audit tool to store and maintain
versions of
legal/risk/compliance digital communications for use across a system. The
present invention
may be immediately deployable within an existing technology infrastructure,
and may be
deployed as a thin client and/or user-transparent client, and may further
provide for cross-
platform communication between systems and devices not otherwise
communicatively
compatible.
The present invention provides a system for auditing digital content,
comprising a non-
transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer
executable program, the
computer executable program when executed causes a computer system to select a
portion of a
base digital content, wherein the base digital content comprises a static
arrangement of
information and is stored on a database communicatively coupled to the
computer system; locate
through at least one known address at least one presented digital content;
compare the selected
portion of the base digital content to a portion of the presented digital
content; wherein the
presented digital content is at least partially resident on at least one
virtual server accessed by a
remote user.
Also provided are systems and methods for automatic detection of variances in
digital
assets such as web pages. User interface screens are generated by the system
for allowing a user
to review a target digital asset and to select portions of the digital asset
for automatic variance
detection by the system. The system then monitors the selected portions of the
digital asset (or,
the entire digital asset) for unauthorized variances, and automatically
generates reports
indicating detected variances.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the
following
detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are intended to
provide further
explanation of the invention as discussed herein throughout.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of
the
disclosed embodiments. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system for use in
accordance with
herein described systems and methods;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an exemplary networked computing environment
for
use in accordance with herein described systems and methods;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of the exemplary embodiments;
FIG. 4 is a schematic hierarchical diagram illustrating aspects of the
exemplary
embodiments;
FIGS. 5A-E illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 6A-B illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system for use in
accordance with
herein described systems and methods;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system for use in
accordance
with herein described systems and methods;
FIGS. 11-15 are flowcharts illustrating processing steps carried out by the
system for
automatically detecting, logging, and reporting variances in digital assets
such as website pages;
FIGS. 16-18 are screenshots illustrating sample user interface screens
generated by the
system for allowing a user to review a target website page and to select
portions of the page for
automatic variance detection by the system;
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating automatic variance detection by the system
across
multiple websites;
FIGS. 20A-25B are screenshots illustrating sample user interface screens
generated by
the system for allowing a user to review both a graphical rendering of a
target website page and
corresponding HTML code, and to identify portions of the website page for
automatic variance
detection; and
FIGS. 26-27B are screenshots illustrating additional user interface screens
generated by
the system.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A computer-implemented platform and methods of use are disclosed that provide
more
automated and efficient process and methodology for managing, monitoring, and
maintaining
online digital and mobile presence. Described embodiments are intended to be
exemplary and
not limiting. As such, it is contemplated that the herein described systems
and methods can be
adapted to provide many types of users with access and delivery of many types
of domain data,
and can be extended to provide enhancements and/or additions to the exemplary
services
described. The invention is intended to include all such extensions. Reference
will now be made
in detail to various exemplary and illustrative embodiments of the present
invention.
FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary computing system 100 that can be used in
accordance with
herein described system and methods. Computing system 100 is capable of
executing software,
such as an operating system (OS) and a variety of computing applications 190.
The operation of
exemplary computing system 100 is controlled primarily by computer readable
instructions,
such as instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as
hard disk drive
(HDD) 115, optical disk (not shown) such as a CD or DVD, solid state drive
(not shown) such
as a USB "thumb drive," or the like. Such instructions may be executed within
central
processing unit (CPU) 110 to cause computing system 100 to perform operations.
In many
known computer servers, workstations, personal computers, mobile devices, and
the like, CPU
110 is implemented in an integrated circuit called a processor.
It is appreciated that, although exemplary computing system 100 is shown to
comprise a
single CPU 110, such description is merely illustrative as computing system
100 may comprise a
plurality of CPUs 110. Additionally, computing system 100 may exploit the
resources of remote
CPUs (not shown), for example, through communications network 170 or some
other data
communications means.
In operation, CPU 110 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions from a
computer
readable storage medium such as HDD 115. Such instructions can be included in
software such
as an operating system (OS), executable programs, and the like. Information,
such as computer
instructions and other computer readable data, is transferred between
components of computing
system 100 via the system's main data-transfer path. The main data-transfer
path may use a
system bus architecture 105, although other computer architectures (not shown)
can be used,
such as architectures using serializers and deserializers and crossbar
switches to communicate
data between devices over serial communication paths. System bus 105 can
include data lines
for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for
sending interrupts and
for operating the system bus. Some busses provide bus arbitration that
regulates access to the
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bus by extension cards, controllers, and CPU 110. Devices that attach to the
busses and arbitrate
access to the bus are called bus masters. Bus master support also allows
multiprocessor
configurations of the busses to be created by the addition of bus master
adapters containing
processors and support chips.
Memory devices coupled to system bus 105 can include random access memory
(RAM)
125 and read only memory (ROM) 130. Such memories include circuitry that
allows
information to be stored and retrieved. ROMs 130 generally contain stored data
that cannot be
modified. Data stored in RAM 125 can be read or changed by CPU 110 or other
hardware
devices. Access to RAM 125 and/or ROM 130 may be controlled by memory
controller 120.
Memory controller 120 may provide an address translation function that
translates virtual
addresses into physical addresses as instructions are executed. Memory
controller 120 may also
provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the system
and isolates
system processes from user processes. Thus, a program running in user mode can
normally
access only memory mapped by its own process virtual address space; it cannot
access memory
within another process' virtual address space unless memory sharing between
the processes has
been set up.
In addition, computing system 100 may contain peripheral controller 135
responsible for
communicating instructions using a peripheral bus from CPU 110 to peripherals,
such as printer
140, keyboard 145, and mouse 150. An example of a peripheral bus is the
Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) bus.
Display 160, which is controlled by display controller 155, can be used to
display visual
output generated by computing system 100. Such visual output may include text,
graphics,
animated graphics, and/or video, for example. Display 160 may be implemented
with a CRT-
based video display, an LCD-based display, gas plasma-based display, touch-
panel, or the like.
Display controller 155 includes electronic components required to generate a
video signal that is
sent to display 160.
Further, computing system 100 may contain network adapter 165 which may be
used to
couple computing system 100 to an external communication network 170, which
may include or
provide access to the Internet, and hence which may provide or include
tracking of and access to
the domain data discussed herein. Communications network 170 may provide user
access to
computing system 100 with means of communicating and transferring software and
information
electronically, and may be coupled directly to computing system 100, or
indirectly to computing
system 100, such as via PSTN or cellular network 180. For example, users may
communicate
with computing system 100 using communication means such as email, direct data
connection,
virtual private network (VPN), Skype or other online video conferencing
services, or the like.
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Additionally, communications network 170 may provide for distributed
processing, which
involves several computers and the sharing of workloads or cooperative efforts
in performing a
task. It is appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and
other means of
establishing communications links between computing system 100 and remote
users may be
used.
It is appreciated that exemplary computing system 100 is merely illustrative
of a
computing environment in which the herein described systems and methods may
operate and
does not limit the implementation of the herein described systems and methods
in computing
environments having differing components and configurations, as the inventive
concepts
described herein may be implemented in various computing environments using
various
components and configurations.
As shown in FIG. 2, computing system 100 can be deployed in networked
computing
environment 200. In general, the above description for computing system 100
applies to server,
client, and peer computers deployed in a networked environment, for example,
server 205,
laptop computer 210, and desktop computer 230. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary
illustrative
networked computing environment 200, with a server in communication with
client computing
and/or communicating devices via a communications network, in which the herein
described
apparatus and methods may be employed.
As shown in FIG. 2, server 205 may be interconnected via a communications
network
240 (which may include any of, or any combination of, a fixed-wire or wireless
LAN, WAN,
intranet, extranet, peer-to-peer network, virtual private network, the
Internet, or other
communications network such as POTS, ISDN, VoIP, PSTN, etc.) with a number of
client
computing/communication devices such as laptop computer 210, wireless mobile
telephone 215,
wired telephone 220, personal digital assistant 225, user desktop computer
230, and/or other
communication enabled devices (not shown). Server 205 can comprise dedicated
servers
operable to process and communicate data such as digital content 250 to and
from client devices
210, 215, 220, 225, 230, etc. using any of a number of known protocols, such
as hypertext
transfer protocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), simple object access
protocol (SOAP),
wireless application protocol (WAP), or the like. Additionally, networked
computing
.. environment 200 can utilize various data security protocols such as secured
socket layer (SSL),
pretty good privacy (PGP), virtual private network (VPN) security, or the
like. Each client
device 210, 215, 220, 225, 230, etc. can be equipped with an operating system
operable to
support one or more computing and/or communication applications, such as a web
browser (not
shown), email (not shown), or independently developed applications, the like,
to interact with
server 205.
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The server 205 may thus deliver applications specifically designed for mobile
client
devices, such as, for example, client device 225. A client device 225 may be
any mobile
telephone, PDA, tablet or smart phone and may have any device compatible
operating system.
Such operating systems may include, for example, Symbian, RIM Blackberry OS,
Android,
Apple i0S, Windows Phone, Palm web0S, Maemo, bada, MeeGo, Brew OS, and Linux
for
smartphones and tablets. Although many mobile operating systems may be
programmed in C++,
some may be programmed in Java and .NET, for example. Some operating systems
may or may
not allow for the use of a proxy server and some may or may not have on-device
encryption. Of
course, because many of the aforementioned operating systems are proprietary,
in prior art
embodiments server 205 delivered to client device 225 only those applications
and that content
applicable to the operating system and platform communication relevant to that
client device
225 type.
JavaScript Serialized Object Notation (JSON), a lightweight, text-based,
language-
independent data-interchange format, is based on a subset of the JavaScript
Programming
Language, Standard ECMA-262, 3<sup>rd</sup> Edition, dated December 1999. JSON
syntax is a text
format defined with a collection of name/value pairs and an ordered list of
values. JSON is very
useful for sending structured data over wire (e.g., the Internet) that is
lightweight and easy to
parse. It is language and platform independent, but uses conventions that are
familiar to C-
family programming conventions. The JSON language is thus compatible with a
great many
operating systems (a list of such systems is available at www.json.org).
The present invention may provide functionality such as client integration and
absorption/use by the client through a Web/Browser, and with or without
external and internal
hosting options (externally hosted--no internal tech development or
installation needed by the
client; internally hosted on clients enterprise hardware (environment).
Functionality may
additionally be provided using the computing systems and networks discussed
above based on a
hybrid approach, such as wherein a user's existing service integration
provider is leveraged.
The present invention may be configured in any number of ways, including:
initial Setup
of each URL to be monitored; records URL and authorization credentials where
required; user
specific business rules; records user actions and keystrokes to replicate
customer interaction;
and/or utilizes those keystrokes to scan different browsers and versions
selected by the user.
The present invention may provide for the recording of content using a
recorder/snippet
module and may provide the following functionality, such as to ensure
compliance of digital
assets with benchmarks within the bounds indicated by a rules-set: Contextual
comparison--
HTML DOM (Document Object Model) layer; Pixel comparison--Image of each
webpage or
selected zone/area/snippet; Snippet comparison--Specific, user
designated/identified section or
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area of a webpage; software will leverage contextual, pixel and snippet
comparison functionality
to identify any unintended display; Supports multi-browser functionality, to
encapsulate entire
customer population) a user may employ (any known browser system).
The present invention may provide various detection elements through the at
least one
rules engine, such as: Delta in any visual and HTML elements; Variations in
copy/text;
Variation in asset and image location; Image accuracy; Validation of all
internal and external
links; and/or Validation of colors and style.
The present invention may thus provide a business rules engine that allows for
application and/or vertical specific rules that provide: Rules based
interrogational engine; Set
business specific tolerances at multiple levels (for example, URL, Webpage,
Snippet on a
webpage (specific area identified on the webpage), Multiple snippets on a
webpage, and/or
Severity levels (high, med, low); Alert management through distribution list
based on severity
and/or Group setup and management (Production support,High, Business
users,Low, etc.) and
include multiple channels of engagement for issue management (i.e., Email,
Phone, and/or
SMS).
The present invention may also provide scanning capabilities for: scanning
desired
URL(s). For example, such scanning may be subjected to rules related to the
frequency of scans
(multi-day, daily, weekly, monthly, ... etc.); and/or the scanning,
recordation and
reporting/alerting in relation to any and all or particular variances that
fall outside the set
business rules and tolerances.
The present invention may also provide for QA/Testing, allowing for:
automation of
testing, such as regression testing, for example, which may reduce people
hours to perform QA
functions and/or reduces overall costs associated with regression testing; and
improve systemic
accuracy by removing human error from testing, lowering testing errors, and/or
increasing
management, controls and efficiency.
The present invention may also comprise at least one Back End Database for
storing all
data collected; collecting a history of each job/scan (such as errors found,
overall status, and/or
scan date/timestamp, for example); maintaining versions of selected jobs/scans
to produce as
audit trails; storing of current and previous status of all jobs/scans;
storing results of each
Job/Scan; storing user permissioning; and storing user actions (job setup, job
initiation, etc.).
An obstacle for content providers when communicating with various third party
users
and the various devices and software versions used by those users, may be
centered on the
support of multiple customer or public facing websites and related digital
assets, each of which
may require significant resources to maintain, monitor, manage, and keep in
compliance with
regulatory regimes, other industry players, and, for example, Service Level
Agreement (SLA)
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standards, State and Federal government regulatory bodies, industry
committees, and related
standards organizations, Business to Business (B2B) client service contract
standards, and end
customer/consumer liability and serviceability warranties and obligations.
An additional obstacle for content providers is the lack of existing internal
communication and reconciliation between a digital asset developer's
intermittent
accomplishment step, or lack thereof, and its definitive reconciliation within
the overall
sequence of the asset's development. Further, the lack of a definitive
connection of the
respective resource or content provider's accountability to demonstrate the
specific
accomplishment in an accountable time sequence through showing a definitive
alteration, and/or
lack thereof, and that the specific asset development step in sequence is
inextricably connected
to themselves. The present invention combines this level of recourse or
content provider
reconciliation in the digital asset solution sequence. Further, by providing a
definitive set of
automated fail-safe determinations and/or outcomes of all alterations, or lack
thereof, within a
given step in the sequence, and keeping those findings automatically versioned
and always
attached to the resource and/or content provider's efforts, or lack thereof,
with the asset. Also
further, the present invention connects each resource's and/or content
provider's step in asset
solution sequence connoted in the same way with the other, to form and
inextricable chain of
asset "accountable steps" on all alterations associated with a given asset in
the supply chain for a
digital asset's ideation and conceptualization, through development, to
production release, and
onto on going developments of further testing and asset maintenance. As such
the present
invention's automation accomplishes, as definitive recognition, exact outcomes
of alterations
and/or the lack thereof, notification, and attaches accountability to all
resources and/or content
providers and all accomplishments and/or lack thereof, with a precision and
automation never
before experienced with the "concept-to-completion" development and on-
boarding of digital
assets.
Compliance issues are exacerbated because, in the normal course of business,
enterprise
websites may undergo many instances of content, asset and functionality
changes that require
large investments of resources to implement and manage. Such changes may
include content as
well as functionality changes, including, for example, altering the code used
to fit and/or
optimized use with various OS and access programs, such as browsers and the
like. Such
changes may result in inaccurate content and messaging being displayed that
may pose potential
risks and/or liability to the organization and may compromise the exchange of
information in
and between highly regulated and secure environments.
In sum, the present embodiments may provide mid-layer management and analytics
for
large scale B2B or B2C methodologies. That is, the exemplary embodiment
provide products,
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apparatuses, systems and methods for managing assets that would typically be
the subject of
multi-agency oversight, but in the embodiments these assets are managed in a
unitary system
that provides one or more subsidiary systems. The embodiments may, for
example, employ
analytics on digital assets to generate tasks, or "tickets", to fix
inconsistencies in the digital
.. assets that may incur liabilities if left unremediated.
Accordingly, the embodiments may provide closed system control, wherein access
to
digital assets is provided, the received digital assets are managed and
analyzed, tickets are
generated within the system, workflow responsive to the tickets is managed
within the system,
and remedial action may or may not be taken within the system to output
corrected digital assets.
That is, in some exemplary embodiments, solely the ticket indicating the need
for remedial
action may be issued by the inventive embodiments, while in other embodiments
an end-to-end
corrective system for remediation of digital assets may be provided. Thereby,
the remediation of
digital assets may be management by the closed system using any of a variety
of known
methodologies, including charging fees in a per transaction basis, a daily,
monthly, annual, or
multi-annual subscription basis, or the like.
In providing the subject "system", exemplary embodiments may be highly
applicable in
regulated industries that use online content. In short, exemplary embodiments
may be employed
in numerous verticals, and with numerous size companies, wherein all such
verticals or
companies must carefully manage digital assets, either for the purposes of
meeting subject
regulations, or for the purposes of customer service and public relations, by
way of non-limiting
example. Accordingly, verticals in which the disclosed embodiments may be
highly applicable
may be, by way of non-limiting example, credit card companies that provide
retail or loyalty
point systems responsive to purchases using the credit card, and part because
such additional
services provided by a credit card company are outside of the credit card
company's core
business, and hence may be the frequent subject of errors in digital assets;
providers of large
volumes of goods or services for sale, wherein all aspects of the sales volume
has related thereto
digital content that must be accurately reflective of pricing, state-by-state
taxation, shipping
costs, and the like, such as Amazon.com; loyalty point systems provided by
transportation and
travel networks, such as major airlines, hotel chains, and the like; and any
goods or service
provider that must manage background relationships with providers of retail
goods, retail
services, gasoline, utilities, finance, food stuffs, and the like, that are
outside of the core business
of that good or service provider. The foregoing is the case, in large measure,
because operation
of digital assets outside of or in addition to the provision of core business
may heighten the
likelihood of errors in digital assets that will require remediation of those
digital assets.
Moreover, such non-core business aspects may additionally provide liability to
the core
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business, such as in the form of unredeemed points, unredeemed financial
aspects, or the like,
that may lead to serious accounting errors in the business if the digital
assets related to these
unredeemed liabilities are improperly managed.
In prior art efforts, issues such as those discussed above are typically
handled using
exclusively a "stare and compare" methodology. That is, personnel manually
review all digital
assets related to core and non-core business, an issue spot items of concern
in relation to those
digital assets. Therefore, current methodologies are both highly inaccurate
and very expensive in
ways that frequently affect not only a business' performance in its non-core
aspects, but which
additionally often affect a business and its finances even in performance of
its core functions.
Thus, the instant exemplary embodiments provide a mid-level, closed interface
which
may employ manual, and will employ automated, aspects to manage individual
assets.
Management of these assets may include analytics related to these assets,
corrective action as to
the assets, insurance of compliance of assets with laws, regulations, and
active campaigns, and
the like. Such compliance may include insurance that privacy concerns are
avoided as to users,
unintentional extension of financial exposure (such as an unintentional
extension of dates of
discount pricing) are avoided, regulated divisions between customer relations
with core and non-
core aspects of a good or service are maintained, or the like.
The analytics mentioned above may include reverse looking, current, and
forward
looking outputs. That is, the analytics may include a rules engine that may
spot past errors in
digital assets and learn from those errors so that such errors may be avoided
in the future; may
review current errors in digital assets so that tickets may be generated
indicating remedial action
of those digital assets; and future analytics may be provided, such as whereby
predictive rules
may indicate the likelihood of particular individual or individuals redeeming
points in certain
timeframes, redeeming points for certain goods or services, desiring or
needing particular goods
or services in the future based on those required or needed in the past, goods
or services that are
likely to experience an up-pick in demand or a diminishment in supply in the
near or long term,
the relationship of the offering of certain non-core goods and services to the
enhancement of
sales or core goods and services, or the like.
The flow diagram of FIG. 3 is illustrative of an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention. In the flow diagram, at step 1102, a base line offer is made, which
is derived from or
intended to stimulate a particular behavior. At step 1104, the rules engine
discussed herein
assesses any variance in the display from the base line offer, and may, in
certain embodiments,
algorithmically estimate the reason for and/or severity of the variance from
the baseline. In a
variance step, comparative sequencing may be applied, such as wherein as
little as one pixel in
an incorrect color may be noted by the variance engine, such as to ensure
avoidance of any
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cascade of even the smallest error. For example, an error of even one or a few
pixels may cause
modification of the amount of information that is displayed on a user screen
or page. By way of
example, in such a case, if legal disclaimer language was accordingly placed
out of view of the
user or on a secondary page not in view of the user, significant legal
liability may be incurred.
At step 1108 a new benchmark is indicative of a modification to the baseline.
Such as
wherein a new benchmark indicates requisite changes to the digital assets. The
new benchmarks
may include, for example, correction of errors, or input modifications to one
or more digital
assets. At step 1112, an audit is performed. The audit checks for validation
of the
implementation of the new benchmarks to meet the required specifications.
Following the audit,
and at step 1116, the ticketing discussed throughout may occur. At the
ticketing phase, an
indication of corrective action may be issued, such as wherein the rules
engine indicates an
automated fix for digital asset, or wherein the rules engine indicates the
necessity of a manual
intervention in order to fix an error discovered in the audit.
At step 1120, the exemplary embodiments may include a split testing, post-
ticketing
phase. Split testing may allow for optionality in the ticketed modifications
to the digital assets
provided by the audit based on the benchmarks. That is, multiple different
versions of a single
digital asset may be provided at the split testing phase, each audited for
compliance with a
benchmark but also each different in some manner from its other like digital
assets. In short,
split testing thereby allows for experimentation without need of concern that
one or more
aspects of the experimentation may be out of compliance with the benchmark.
Thereby, for
example, multiple different marketing campaigns based in the same digital
asset may be used by
a single entity for the same good or service, and the disclosed rules engine
may analytically
track which of the marketing campaigns is most successful for the stated goal.
Upon this
assessment based on sufficient statistically significant data, the rules
engine may automatically
eliminate one or more of a marketing campaigns, if so directed by its rule
set, to allow enhanced
provision of only the most successful marketing campaigns.
In light of the discussion of FIG. 3, the skilled artisan will appreciate that
the disclosed
embodiments provide a unique analytic tool that integrates, and adds to, that
which the prior art
provided only in a plurality of tools. For example, the disclosed embodiments
employ digital
asset auditing for purposes heretofore unknown in the art. Further, the
compliance ensured by
the audit from the rules engine may be varied using an API--that is, many
different businesses
and verticals may use the same base ruleset, modified using the API only to
the extent necessary
for the unique aspects of that vertical. Moreover, the aspects disclosed
herein allow for a multi-
function roll-up of compliance, marketing, and consumer testing tools in a
single, closed (to the
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user) system that requires only minimal user input, and which guides the user
as to the inputs
required based on the modifiable level of functionality provided by the user.
Thereby, the inventive embodiments may provide an accelerant tool, wherein
marketing
enablement is enhanced through the use of the embodiments. This marketing
enablement may
include analytics that insure the best user experience, that insure a user
experience in compliance
with a campaign and/or regulations, or a user experience that drives the
highest success rate for
the offeror of goods or services. As such, browser testing and digital asset
compliance in the
instant embodiments is applied to business issue variance to insure compliance
of digital assets
to limit business liability, particularly in non-core business aspects.
In order to provide the foregoing, the embodiments insure compliance of any
digital
asset base program with its subject specifications. Thus, financial liability
may be avoided, as
may be penalties against digital service providers or marketing entities, by
way of non-limiting
example. For example, in prior embodiments, if a 3× points redemption
program where
employed by a loyalty program for a 30 day span, but digital assets
unintentionally allow the
program to extend for 90 days, significant additional liability would be
incurred by either the
core business associated with the loyalty program, those entities allowing for
purchases using
redemption of the points, or the service provider that provides the loyalty
program. The
disclosed embodiments, by insuring compliance of the digital assets with the
indicated program
for only 30 days, prevent liability for any of these entities. An additional
example is the assuring
of the compliance of certain product use and product claim, and/or disclaimers
or warranties,
such as are associated with Credit Card and other Retail Banking products and
service programs,
as well as Pharmaceutical products, and on-line retail products and services
use instructions, and
the like. In this case assets frequently fail to render properly, and are
"pushed off" or "drop off a
content page", and/or are not reasonably viewable or useable, due to the vast
array of browsers,
software, and versions of end-user technologies used to view and utilize the
web, creating a
variety of discrepancies in how the content reads or is viewed in relation to
how the content
provider, originally designed the asset. Although the frequency of these
assets not being
viewable or usable are no more or less common than any other asset within a
given display, the
outcome of these particular assets not rendering properly can created acute or
significant liability
and lead to expansive expenses and damages, as a result, due to the sensitive
nature and reason
for organizations creating such content in the first place, to warn, notify,
or specifically warrant
themselves against adverse consumer missteps with products and services. As
the embodiments
in this case, insure that all product and service claims remain present and
are afforded the
opportunity to always render, and to be used, accurately. This realization,
which is now present
within the embodiment, was previously considered highly unlikely, or not
accomplishable, due
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to the fact that the content provider simply could not account for the vast
array of browser,
software, and operating system combinations being used by all end-users, and
further to design
content to account for all potential end-user viewing environments. The
embodiments, due to the
automated process of comparative analysis against a given previous benchmark
connected in
automated process in closed loop sequence with the ability to deploy that the
specified asset
through a vast cache of virtual browsers of present and previous versions,
prior to deploying an
asset into the public domain, as well to constantly test, moving forward, once
new browser
versions are made available to end-users or alterations are made to the asset,
to ensure and afford
the ability constantly render and maintain legal, product claim, warranty, use
instructions,
disclaimers, and the like, so as significant liability, due lack of reasonable
customer notice and
viewing is prevented, and all digital assets are clear, and do not "drop off a
page", and/or
become unreadable or unusable.
Moreover, remedial action on digital assets using the rules based engine
disclosed herein
may include avoidance of transparency breaches. In short, it is typically the
case that copy and
paste efforts are often employed by the creators of digital assets. Thereby,
errors in digital assets
may often occur in relation to such copy and paste efforts, such as wherein an
incorrect
corporate logo is associated with certain digital assets. In such an instance
in the known art,
significant brand harm may occur to either the owner of the incorrectly
provided logo, the owner
of the non-provided logo, and/or the service provider that has incorrectly
provided a logo. This
situation may be avoided through the use of the rules engine of the present
embodiment. Yet
further, adverse effects on consumers of errors in digital assets may be
avoided through the use
of the instant embodiments. For example, errors in digital assets that raise
consumer ire may
often cause migration of the consumer from the entity providing the digital
assets. For example,
if a user logs into a credit card account having associated therewith loyalty
points, and the
loyalty point balance for that user is incorrectly shown as 0, the user may be
frustrated or fearful
to such an extent that the user may migrate to a different credit card. Such
errors based on
consumer ire may be largely avoided through the use of the instant
embodiments.
Still further, the disclosed embodiments may allow for enhanced market
penetration. For
example, enhanced user loyalty and customer satisfaction due to decreased
issues in digital
assets may not only serve well the provider of the subject digital assets, but
may additionally
enhance the view by consumers of the favorability of all similarly situated
providers. For
example, an enhanced view of a particular bank's Visa card offering may lead
to enhanced view
of all Visa card offerings.
FIG. 4 is a hierarchical illustration of the manner in which the disclosed
aspects may be
provided by the exemplary embodiments. In the illustration and at its most
based level, the
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disclosed embodiments may provide an infrastructure as a service at block
2102. At this level,
provided may be hosting services, support services, triage services, upgrade
services, or the like,
in support of the providing of the disclosed aspects. At block 2110 a platform
as a service may
be provided. In this block, directly enabling platform based aspects for the
disclosed
embodiments may be provided. For example, an API to allow for modification of
a disclosed
rules engine for different embodiments may be provided, browser testing
interaction may be
provided, and other unique aspects may be provided to enable the application
of the software
disclosed herein.
In accordance with the infrastructure and platform, or independently
therefrom, the
disclosed embodiments may particularly provide a software as a service at
block 2122. The
software as a service provided at block 2122 may create the unique
functionality disclosed
herein with respect to FIG. 3. That is, unique aspects may be provided as
software at block 2122
that may interact with the underlying rules engine to allow for the providing
of unique business
processes that may sequence events, seek errors, ensure compliance, and the
like, at each of the
stages shown in FIG. 3.
Accordingly, the present invention may include at least a cloud-based and/or
browser-
accessed Software as a Service (SaaS) administrative rules engine having
access to digital
presence and assets. The rules engine in particular may monitor and identify
compliance, and
perform as a risk mitigation tool to be utilized by enterprise clients. More
particularly, the rules
based interrogation engine may provide the more automated and efficient
process and
methodology for managing, monitoring, and maintaining digital assets and
environments and
presence, including mobile presence, as discussed herein throughout.
As referenced, the present invention may be used to service loyalty and
rewards
networks, existing customer marketing, new customer acquisition, and/or
existing customer
information dissemination through targeted B2B and B2C online and mobile
digital lines of
communication, marketing campaigns, and the like. In an embodiment of the
present invention,
the risk mitigation tool is provided to allow for digital assets within web
and digital development
environments to be individually monitored and identified, maintained in
compliance, assessed
for currency and accuracy, split and Beta tested for effectiveness, archived,
ticketed, organized,
and repaired, as discussed with respect to FIG. 4. The present invention may
also provide overall
risk management and mitigation in one automated and efficient tool for
maintaining an
organization's online digital environment, digital content development, and
mobile presence.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the rules based interrogation
engine may be
implemented to detect alterations within a given digital view and compare and
detect all
inconsistencies across multiple complex digital environments that encompass
infinite variables,
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which need to be kept within designated specification(s) or compliance, for
example. This type
of quality assurance with regard to the information and data provided to third
parties may be an
automated process to thus allow the monitoring and comparison aspects of
digital assets and
environments to be a quick and highly efficient process. Such a low lag time
to present content
confirmation may greatly increase overall compliance with both internal
controls and external
rules and provide for an agile development processes, thus enhancing the
expediency, accuracy,
and efficiency of digital asset development and management from concept to
completion and the
ongoing refinement and redesign processes (website, micro-site, internet and
intranet
environments, mobile applications, digital content development) through the
use of multiple
overlapping and coordination of automated comparison methods.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may automatically
interrogate and
compare uniquely identify individualized graphics, single text characters for
size and font, as
well as word and character development treatments, customized selected
groupings of content,
text and graphic color variations and nuance by RGB hexadecimal value and
pixilation
.. configurations and concentration, as well as inconsistency and/or breakage
in HTML and CSS
and JavaScript and/or a webpage or destination Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
Such
interrogation may be performed by the present invention through a rules-based
interrogation
engine which may identify any number or combination of these selected elements
within a web
page, entire environment, or within a single identified digital asset, and
estimate their deviation
and/or difference from the intended display, and can compare the any
alteration in a digital
element with another, or whole and multiple complex website and/or digital
environments.
In addition to the above-references quality assurance functionalities, in an
embodiment
of the present invention, the system may accumulate, in real time, data
related to each instance
of interrogation to identify changes and alterations, including where and when
such changes
occurred or were identified, which may increase the on-going intelligence and
history record of
what is required for the compliance for the digital asset(s) selected.
Similarly, the system may
store individual records of each iterative step in the on-going
comparison/interrogation process,
related to compliance, break fix, and refinement and redesign agile process
and realization of a
digital asset, or selected group of assets or entire web environment(s), so
historical versions may
be catalogued, reviewed, and used for various audit purposes, and/or
repurposed from a library
of key learning's for future system usage.
The present invention may also alleviate an organization's risk associated
with financial
promotional offers, disclosures, lapses and breaches in brand as well as
reputation management
issues through the real time monitoring and repair on non-conforming content
and data. Such a
result may decrease customer attrition caused to non-functioning URL and/or
poorly rendered or
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unreadable content, Partnership and Vendor Attrition due to Service Level
Agreement (SLA)
breaches and related penalties, Disruption of Supply Chain and Vendors, and
inconsistencies in
Legal disclaimer and related compliance parameters, and the inaccuracies and
inconsistencies
and liability of organizations utilizing partial or full manual process to
perform these functions.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may provide the ability
to identify
and/or compare "snippets" or "selected zones", in either specified digital
asset, a portion of a
digital asset, an entire digital page of content and/or image(s), and/or a
single or multiple page(s)
and/or web environment(s) as a contextual comparison in, for example, the HTML
DOM
(Document Object Model) Layer. Similarly, the system may interrogate
"snippets" or "selected
zones" as well for inconsistencies and to provide a validation of all internal
and external links
with an intended code baseline of CSS and JavaScript and/or a webpage or
differences within
the destination of Uniform Resource Locator (URL) line, and/or within a Pixel
Comparison. The
system may also be able to discern RGB hexadecimal value(s) and/or pixilation
configurations
and concentrations to functionality to identify any unintended display.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the business rule engine may be
provided to
provide a rules based interrogational engine that allows for the setting of
specific tolerances
within URL, webpage, "snippet" or "selected zones" on a Webpage related to a
severity or
sensitivity tolerance level (high, med, low). In conjunction with the setting
of tolerance(s) in
these areas, the system may link certain alert and management capabilities to
the business rules
engine to, for example, alert a distribution list of users based on the
predetermined tolerance
severity levels, as well as integrating the severity of alert into an
organized group architecture.
The system may provide specific channels of engagement for issue management
through, for
example, email, phone, and SMS, for accountability as well as for an audit
trail of performance
and resolution. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a
frequency of interrogations,
for example, may be set by a user and may include periodic settings such as
(multi-day, daily,
weekly, and monthly, for example and may alert users to all or specific types
of variances that
fall outside the set business rules and tolerances.
As described herein, the present invention provides for the automation of
quality
assurance (QA) by automating specific QA checkpoints in the development of a
digital asset and
as a result, the amount of human labor required, because the quantitative
intelligence of the
present invention may continuously accumulate data related to all identified
changes, alterations,
and deletions as the digital asset(s) or 'intended "snippet(s)" as they are
continuously altered. As
a record of development progress within any given digital asset(s) or intended
"snippet(s)" is
logged and archived, and the user may then be assured that only the most
current version is
being viewed. As system results are accumulated, the system may improve
systemic accuracy,
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thus limiting and decreasing the effects of human error from testing,
lessening errors and
increases management controls and efficiency.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may be a digital
marketing and
compliance tool, comparison engine, an asset management, and risk mitigation
tool, which may
dissect and analyze digital assets from one piece of content or pixelization
over a period of time
or multiple pieces of content to determine what changes have been made to
content (image,
html, CSS, other programmatic code, and textual content) on an asset. The
present invention
may be used to analyze a website, mailer, or other digitally derived content.
As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the system of the present invention may
provide a
product that allows for the creation and auditing of jobs which may be
executable tasks designed
to interrogate and compare certain media targets in accordance with the
present invention. As
illustrated in FIG. 5A, the user interface associated with the present
invention may allow for the
creation of a new job, execution of existing jobs, reporting of job status and
outcomes, and the
reporting of any system issues and or follow-up need by the user in the form
of a ticket issued
related to a job. The system may also provide functionality related to the
control of multiple jobs
through a campaign manager and may also allow for easy access to historical
use records,
records which may also be used by the QA portions of the present invention to
track
effectiveness. The system may allow for each job to be titled and may provide
a status update to
alert a user to whether, for example, the job is new, is complaint (at least
from its last run)
and/or whether an error has occurred.
As illustrated in FIG. 5B, in addition to much of the functionality described
above, job
records may be more easily navigated to allow a user to select a recent job.
As illustrated, the
present invention may also provide highly visible alters/status updates to
make the user aware in
real-time of any issues, for example, which may occur when a plurality of jobs
is running in a
given period of time. As discussed herein, jobs may be run at a predetermined
time and/or over a
predetermined interval. Jobs may also be queued to run when certain benchmarks
are met, such
as, for example, the number of visitors to a particular URL has been reach, or
the number of
click-through for a particular link has been exceed. Although many iterations
of benchmarks
may be used, third-party user interaction with a piece of content may be used
as a trigger for job
execution and may be used in conjunction with other metrics, such as the time
boundaries
discussed above.
As illustrated in FIG. 5C, a job to be created may include an identifier, a
free-form
description portion, and both a base URL and Target URL addressing space, for
example, when
a job is meant to be limited to the interrogation and comparison of two web
pages. Once created,
the present invention may present to the user an image of either the base URL
and/or the target
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URL, for example, to confirm for the user that the addresses provided were
pointed to the
desired webpage. Once the user has created a job, the present invention may
provide an interface
as illustrated in FIGS. 5D and 5E, for example. FIG. 5D illustrates a job
details page having at
least one activity log comprising various messages and statuses for at least
one particular job. A
user may be notified, for example, if a job benchmark has been created, if a
job is in queue, if an
executed job was successful, if there is a variance request, if there was an
issue detected, if a
scan has been completed, and/or if a user has been notified of any of one or
more of the
aforementioned activities. Such a details page may provide the user with easy
and complete
access to substantially all information related to a particular job.
Information related to the type
of browsers that are anticipated to be encountered, for example, may be listed
and/or selected. In
this way, a particular job may be optimized towards a specific group our users
if, for example,
the target URLs are assumed to exist only on iOS devices.
As illustrated in FIG. 5E, additional details may be provided by the present
invention and
may include an activity log with all of the various messages and statuses for
a job. Such a log, as
illustrated, may allow for more real time analysis of the activity associated
with a job and may
allow a user of the present invention to confirm that the expected tasks are
being completed in
the desired manner.
As discussed above, if a job is constructed to analyze particular content,
execution of that
job may result in the recordation of a job record related to the interrogation
and/or comparison
throughout a piece of content. As a non-limiting example only, a user may
select an area on a
web page to monitor (text, images, buttons, headers, footers, etc.). From this
single or multi-
select user transaction, a user may set a digital asset baseline. From such a
baseline, the user may
then execute individual jobs. As an example, a comparison-based job may craw a
target asset
and compares selected areas from the baseline with the same areas on the
target page(s). Each
variance is then logged to the database and further analysis is completed to
determine the root
cause of the variance. Users may be alerted via the system provided GUI or via
email, for
example. The system may also have the capability to also alert users via SNMP
if needed.
A user may also be provided the ability to see a side by side visual
comparison of the
baseline and target pages, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A. A variant
area may be
highlighted on either side of the visual comparison screen. A user may also be
presented with
details of the issues that were found with the asset(s). Users may also time
delay or calendar
such a change in status to allow them to follow up at another time (or have
someone else follow
up for them) or a user may change the status of the issue to "Resolved" if
warranted. As
illustrated by FIGS. 6A and 6B, the present invention may allow a user to
compare a full website
over time or immediately with another site (production, staging, UAT,
development) and/or any
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component of any website. The present invention may provide a user the ability
to compare
pixels in one image to another image, even if the size, name, and description
of the image are
exactly the same. The present invention may be able to determine variances
from pixel to pixel
or across an entire image.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the system is accessed through at
least one
application plug-in installed in at least one third-party system. Once the
plug-in is installed, the
user may be presented with a dashboard, as illustrated in FIG. 7, which may
display summary
information on issues, open tickets, compliant jobs, and total jobs that have
been completed.
Additionally, in the dashboard, there may be a display summarizing recent scan
activity, job
status, and actions that need to be taken (if necessary), among access to the
other functionality
discussed herein. The dashboard may also provide information related to open
tickets related to
issues found as between interrogated content, for example, a running time
delineated stats
counter, calendar features, settings menu and a list of reminders and/or news
associated with the
content.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, an archival management subsystem may be used to
ensures that
a job, its benchmark, its associated content, imagery, and the like is
captured and stored on its
retention, such as in a WORM format, for example. The present invention may
also include at
least one disclosure portlet which may allow a customer to compare a job
against the required
disclosures needed for a company. For example, banks and pharmaceutical
companies, to name
just two types of heavily regulated industries, have strict requirements on
what disclosures are
necessary and may be exposed to great damage if such disclosures are not
correct. The present
invention allows a user to check the organizational specific disclosures that
are needed and
determine if a comparison site has those disclosures present. If the
disclosures are not present, an
error and ticket may be generated.
Use of the system provides administrative functionality which may allow users
and
administrators to add users to the system, add users to security or email
groups as needed, while
auditing authentication and authorization rules which may accompany use of the
system by any
user. The present invention may also interface successfully with
authentication and authorization
systems located remote from the system which may be capable of hooking into
the
authentication/authorization components already implemented by a system user.
FIG. 9 is an example of a simplified functional block diagram of a computer
system 700.
The functional descriptions of the present invention can be implemented in
hardware, software
or some combination thereof. For example, a recommendation engine and an
integration engine
of the present invention can be implemented using a computer system.
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As shown in FIG. 9, the computer system 700 includes a processor 702, a memory
system 704 and one or more input/output (I/0) devices 706 in communication by
a
communication 'fabric'. The communication fabric can be implemented in a
variety of ways and
may include one or more computer buses 708, 710 and/or bridge and/or router
devices 712 as
.. shown in FIG. 9. The I/O devices 706 can include network adapters and/or
mass storage devices
from which the computer system 700 can send and receive data for generating
and transmitting
advertisements with endorsements and associated news. The computer system 700
may be in
communication with the Internet via the I/O devices 708.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and
variations
of the present invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit
or scope of the
invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the
modification and variations of
this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and engines,
described in
connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or
performed with a
general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application
specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable
logic device,
discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any
combination thereof
designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose
processor may be a
microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional
processor,
.. controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be
implemented as a
combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a
microprocessor, a
plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with
a DSP core, or
any other such configuration.
Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described in
connection with
.. the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a
software module
executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may
reside in RAM
memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a
hard
disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in
the art. An
exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor, such that the
processor can read
.. information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the
alternative, the storage
medium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the
processor and the storage
medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user
terminal. In the
alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete
components in a user
terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actions of a method
or algorithm may
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reside as one or any combination or set of instructions on a machine readable
medium and/or
computer readable medium.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may include a network
architecture as illustrated in FIG. 9, which may include a multiple server
system across at least
one dynamic network. System access by a user may first occur remotely using a
VPN or SSL
VPN, for example, into a targeted work environment. Access into the work
environment will
allow a user access to the system web server, which may house the front-end
application and
dashboard, as discussed above. Within the front-end application server, a user
may create a job,
access their currently run jobs or their team's jobs, submit a ticket, access
past disclosure or
archival information, or gain access to reports. Behind the system web server
environment may
reside a backend infrastructure which may include a firewall environment that
may allow the
web server to communicate to the associated back-end systems. All server
transactions,
especially those passing through a firewall, may be encrypted using SSL, for
example.
Front-end system programs may include programs used to display the user
interface (UI)
web pages to the user, for example. In addition to libraries provided by Java
frameworks, the
primary third party UI framework utilized may be handled via an AJAX web
application
development framework that enables developers to build high-quality user
interfaces with Java,
both on the server- and client-side. Such a system may provide a set of
libraries of ready-to-use
user interface components and a clean framework for creating your own
components. The focus
is on ease of-use, re-usability, extensibility, and meeting the requirements
of large enterprise
applications. As discussed above, the system may utilize a plug-in that may
support the user
process of recording the navigation commands and the selection commands of
specific website
content.
The backend of the system may be responsible for processing benchmark and
variance
functions of the system. Both functions may take commands from the system plug-
in level and
send them to a server to perform the commands using a designated web driver.
The system may
avoid using. a dynamic, virtual server platform to handle concurrent
application sessions by
utilizing a browser stack remotely hosted from the system. Such a backend may
allow for more
easily accessible memory and computing environment expansion.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, the system web server may house at least two
engines, a web
engine and a job engine. The web engine may be multi-threaded and allow for
multiple jobs to
be run simultaneously without impacting the performance of other jobs that are
already being
processed. The web engine may also be responsible for web recording, digital
media inspection,
and general administration and management. The job engine may be event driven
and may be
used to crawl various sites and to compare those same sites to at least one
base site. The job
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engine may also have a tolerance engine built into the system and allow a user
to run scheduled
jobs, spawn multiple jobs, leverage the business engines, and provide staff
notifications.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a receiver of medical information
may be
provided with a normalized presentation of information to ensure the complete
delivery and
viewability of such information. For example, when purchasing medical devices
and/or
prescription drugs, some information may be provided to the recipient of such
goods via
electronic delivery, such as, for example, an email, web portal, and/or app
GUI. Although the
medical provider may exert some control over the delivery of the information
and/or the GUI
used by the recipient, such control does not always exists and may not be
guaranteed or
sufficiently verified to satisfy the needs of the provider, such as regulatory
requirements, for
example.
An illustrative example includes the provision of medical use information to a
receiver of
prescription drugs. For example, a Medicare insured person may go to a local
pharmacy and
present a prescription for a certain prescription drug. Although the
prescription drug may
include regulatory mandated information on the label of the dug container
and/or on additional
labeling printed by the pharmacy, the drug provider and/or the pharmacy may
wish to send
additional information to the recipient electronically as described above. In
this example, the
receiver of the additional information has agreed to visit a website whose
address is provided on
some aspect of the provided labeling and does so to view additional
information related to
prescription drug. However, the server accessed by the recipient through the
provided web
address is only capable of providing properly formatted information to
versions of a browser
newer than the browser used by the recipient. Thus, the older browser may not
display the
information as intended. For example, the information may not be formatted as
intended nor
may it be fully displayed (such as being "shown" off screen or out of the
viewable area). More
generally, the information and possibly embedded action buttons or links, may
not be displayed
or provided in a way which will allow them to be functionally useful to the
intended recipient,
resulting in a failure to provide or certify that certain information was
provided to the intended
recipient.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may identify
and
recognize the browser version, as well as device type, connection speed,
location, and other
attributes known to those skilled in the art, as used by the accessing drug
recipient and may
provide an information access point suitable to provide the above referenced
information in a
substantially suitable format as to comply with any regulatory and/or other
rule or regulation
regarding the providing of information to a recipient. As described herein,
the present invention
may detect the use of an older version internet browser and may direct the
incoming access
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request to one of a plurality of virtual servers compatible with the accessing
browser version. By
way of non-limiting example only, accessing a provider's website with version
0.2.149 of
Google Chrome requires different formatting and technical capabilities that
accessing with
47Ø2526.106 m of Google Chrome.
The present invention may also provide reporting features providing to a user:
overall
page level variance report; contextual variance report; pixel variance report;
and/or a snippet
variance report. Templated Reports may be used to provide users the ability to
create reports
with existing tracked data to provide differentiated levels of reporting. Both
detail and summary
level data will be supported. Customized reports may also be created and
include a drag and
drop interface to create unique reporting based on existing data. Frequency,
distribution list and
data would be defined for each report to meet business user and executive
level needs. Reports
may also provide historical information and enable tracking and reporting of
issue management
and remediation and/or tracking of issue remediation timeframe and SLA
adherence. Reports
may also allow for "versioning" and the maintenance of historical versions of
selected assets
over specified timeframes and/or the ability to 'tag' specific
areas/assets/snippets/pages/content
areas to maintain historical versions for auditing purposes.
As noted above, the systems and methods of the present disclosure allow for
automatic
detection of alterations/changes/variations in digital assets, and for
alerting a user to such
alterations/changes/variations. For example, in the case of a company's
website pages, the
system of the present disclosure automatically monitors the website pages (or
portions thereof)
for unauthorized or unexpected variations in the website pages (e.g., changes
to the website
appearance, elements on the pages, changes in code underlying the pages,
changes in images on
the pages (e.g., changes in image content, resolution, etc.), and other
changes). Such features
will be further discussed in detail in connection with FIGS. 11-18. Before
discussing FIGS. 11-
18 in detail, the following glossary is provided:
Plugin ¨ The plugin is a Firefox XPI add-on the contains all of the code for
this process.
It is written primarily in JavaScript with some Mozilla-specific XPI
formatting instructions.
Benchmark Session ¨ The act of using the plugin components on the target
website to
record user actions and web page elements selections. These actions and
selections are bundled
into a script and passed to the backend service to create a website benchmark,
that is, a version
of the website on which later versions of the website will be compared
against.
Recording ¨ A recording is a collection of recorder elements. It is the
digital
representation of the traversal process.
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Recorder Element ¨ A recorder element (recorder, for short) is a single user
action
needed to traverse and interact with a website, such as, clicking a link,
typing text into a web
page, hovering over a menu, etc. As a user interacts with a website, the
plugin captures the
action and creates a recorder.
Inspection ¨ An inspection is a collection of inspector elements. It is the
digital
representation of all of the site content that the user selects for later
comparison.
Inspector Element ¨ An inspector element (inspector, for short) is a single
block of
web page HTML the user selects for later comparison. Using the plugin, a user
hovers over a
content area within a web page and the plugin draws a blue rectangle around
the area. When the
user clicks a button on the plugin control panel, the HTML for that content
area is captured and
saved as an inspector.
Case ¨ A case is a collection of recorders and inspectors for a given web
page.
Script ¨ The script is a JSON representation of the recording collection,
inspection
collection, and other metadata is required to build the initial job benchmark
and subsequent
comparison (variance) runs.
Job ¨ A job is a definition that contains information about the website to be
monitored
including the website URL, the browsers to be tested, and a unique job number.
The job is
saved into a database within the JS JOBS table. The current script for the job
is encrypted and
save into the "base rs json blob" column of the database record.
Benchmark ¨ The benchmark is the current version of the script, as stored
within the job
record, that all future comparison runs (variance runs) will be compared
against. When this
script is created, it is submitted to the backend benchmark process which
reads the script,
programmatically traverses the website and validates the content. If all is
well, the process saves
captured website information into the database.
Plugin Page ¨ When a user begins a recording session, the user is presented
with a
browser page split into two (2) halves. The top half contains the target
website from which
sections will be selected for later comparison. The bottom half contains the
plugin panel. This
panel allows the user to visualize the script that is being build and has
buttons and text boxes for
managing their selections.
FIGS. 11-15 are flowcharts illustrating processing steps carried out by the
system for
automatically detecting, logging, and reporting variances in digital assets
such as website pages.
Turning to FIG. 11, the flowchart illustrates overall processing steps 3000
carried out by the
system for automatically detecting, logging, and reporting variances in one or
more website
pages. Beginning in step 3002, the system identifies website pages for
analysis, and retrieves a
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URL corresponding to the website page. Next, in step 3004, the system
determines HTML tags
in the website page that should be bypassed, e.g., tags for which automatic
monitoring and
variance detection by the system are not desired. Then, in step 3006, the
system obtains a pre-
defined instruction script for traversing the website page. The instruction
script is a digital file
which includes instructions that control how the system parses each website
page and identifies
which elements of the website page are candidates for automatic variance
detection. In step
3008, the system retrieves an HTML element from the website page for
comparison to a
reference HTML element. Then, in step 3010, the system compares the HTML
element to a
reference HTML element in accordance with the instructions provided in the
instruction script.
In step 3012, the system determines whether the selected HTML element matches
the reference
HTML element. If not, step 3014 occurs, wherein the system identifies a
variance in the HTML
element and records the variance for future reference. Otherwise, step 3016
occurs wherein the
system determines whether additional HTML elements exist in the page and
require processing.
If a positive determination is made, control returns to step 3008; otherwise,
step 3018 occurs.
In step 3018, the system determines whether an variances have been recorded.
If a
negative determination is made, step 3020 occurs, wherein the system generates
a report
indicating that the elements of the HTML page match the reference elements,
thereby indicating
that no variances have been detected in the elements of the HTML page.
Otherwise, step 3022
occurs, wherein the system generates a report indicating that variances have
been detected in one
or more elements of the HTML page. Importantly, the processing steps 3000 of
FIG. 11 allow
for the automatic detection, tracking, and reporting of variations in digital
assets.
The processing steps of FIG. 11 can be initiated in two ways: by manually
clicking the
"Create A New Job" button and walking through the new job wizard on the system
(sometimes
referred to herein as the ejisTM system, the jisTM system," and/or the "aegis
system")
frontend web portal, or clicking the "New Benchmark" button for an existing
job. In both cases,
the user will be presented with the jisTM plugin page. This page allows the
user to traverse a
website and select areas on the web pages to save for later comparison. The
end user clicks,
mouseovers, keystrokes, and selections are saved in a json-formatted script
and saved to the
database. Each job exists as a record within the JS JOBS table in the jisTM
database and
contains many column values. Two important database columns are "public id"
and
"base rs_json blob." "public id" is the unique id of each job record. "base
rs_json blob"
contains an encrypted version of the JSON-formatted instructions for
traversing the targeted
website (recorder items) and for each HTML element that will be compared
(inspector items).
The recorder and inspector items together form a "case." The processing steps
3000 of FIG. 11
could include the following workflow processes:
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1. Find js_jobs record for job based on the public_id passed to the
variance routine.
2. Decrypt and convert the base_rs_json_blob data into a Java object. This is
a code
representation of the script
3. Get the URL of the website from the script.
4. Based on the public_id, get the list of HTML element tags that are bypassed
for comparison.
Typically, a block of HTML may contain element tags that the administrator
knows will
constantly be different (e.g. a timestamp). These can be bypassed so they do
not trigger a
variance condition.
5. Based on the public_id, get the list of URL's that are bypassed when
determining if the script
recorder elements are landing on the correct pages.
6. Get all of the web drivers names for this job, i.e. get all of the web
browser types and versions
that the targeted website will be run through.
7. For each web driver
a.
Query the database to validate that a benchmark exists for this job and web
driver.
b. Create aWebDriver object. All subsequent commands will be issued through
this
Web Driver object.
i. During this creation, the initial call to a 3rd-party Selenium grid hosted
infrastructure provider is made. If there are any connection or initialization
problems, the code will abort and the job will end.
c. Create a list of Case objects from all of the cases within the script.
d. For each Case
i. Extract the recorder and inspector items.
ii. For each recorder item
1. Find the element on the current page.
2. If not found, set status to bad.
3. Determine recorder verb e.g. a mouse click, a selection from a
dropdown box, or typing of text.
4. Send the appropriate command based on verb.
5. Send a command to take a screenshot and save it on the jisTM server.
6. If all is good, set status to good.
7. Save a Definition record into an array with status.
iii. For each inspector item
1. Find the element on the current page.
2. If not found, set status to bad.
3. From the returned element, extract the "outerhtml". This is the HTML
content within the web page area being compared.
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4. Save the web page to a file on the jisTM server.
5. Send a command to highlight a border around the element.
6. Send a command to take a screenshot and save it on the jisTM server.
7. If all is good, set status to good.
8. Save a Definition record into an array with the "outerhtml" and the
status.
iv. Save the Case record into an array.
v. Loop back to 7d for next Case.
e. Send a command to close the WebDriver.
f. For each Case record in case array
i. Save Case record into database and mark it as a benchmark.
ii. For each Definition record
1. Save Definition record into database.
g. Loop back to 7a for next web driver.
8. At this point, the script is run for all web browsers defined for the job.
9. Save activities and statuses into the database.
10. Notify administrators and users if defined.
11. End job.
FIG. 12 is flowchart illustrating processing steps 3100 carried out by the
system for
generating a web browser plug-in that allows a user to review a digital asset
(e.g., a website) and
select one or more elements of the digital asset for which automatic
monitoring for variations in
the one or more elements is desired. This plug-in is shown in FIGS. 16-18 and
is discussed with
reference to these figures below. In step 3102, a user loads his or her web
browser, and the
plug-in is loaded into the browser. In step 3104, the web browser loads a
target web page that
the user desires to review in the browser and identify elements for automatic
variance detection.
In step 3106, the system loads any applicable JavaScript libraries that are
required for supporting
the functionality provided by the web browser plug-in. In step 3108, the
system (sometimes
referred to herein and in the drawings as the jisTM system) adds one or more
main event
"listeners" which are code portions that, when executed by the browser plug-
in, monitor for
instances of the user identifying elements of the target web page for which
automatic variance
detection is desired. In step 3110, the system determines whether the user has
selected an
administrative web page. If so, step 3112 occurs, wherein the system
initializes the plug-in
functions described herein. Otherwise, step 3114 occurs, wherein the system
determines
whether the selected web page is the target web page. If not, processing ends.
Otherwise, step
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3116 occurs, wherein the system initializes an inspector detail panel
(discussed in more detail in
connection with FIGS. 16-18 below), and then hides the panel. In step 3118,
the system shows
the plug-in panel at the bottom of the browser, and the target web page at the
top of the browser.
Control then passes to processing steps 3200 (recording mode), discussed in
detail below in
connection with FIG. 13.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the recording mode processing steps 3200
carried out
by the system. Beginning in step 3202, the system is operated in recording
mode (either on
session initialization or by clicking a "Recording Mode" button in the
plugin). Next, in step
3204, the user performs an input action. Then, in step 3206, the system
determines whether a
valid document object model ("DOM") event exists. If not, control passes back
to step 3204.
Otherwise, step 3208 occurs, wherein the system locates all paths to the DOM
event, and adds a
recorder element to create a collection of cases (element 3210). Inspection
mode 3300 and creat
job mode 3400, discussed below, are also initiated.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the inspection mode 3300 processing steps
in greater
detail. In step 3302, the system operates in inspection mode. In step 3304,
the user runs his/her
mouse cursor over a DOM element in the target page. In step 3306, the system
determines
whether the DOM element is valid. If it is not, control returns back to step
3304. Otherwise,
step 3308 occurs, wherein the system highlights the DOM element in blue. Then,
in step 3310,
the system locates all paths to the DOM element, and adds a recorder element
to the cases
collection 3312. Then, in step 3314, the system activates (flyout) the
inspector detail panel in
the web browser. Next, in step 3316, the system updates the inspector element
with selections
from the detail panel. Then, in step 3318, the system highlights the defined
element in green.
Record mode processing steps 3200 (described above), as well as the create job
mode 3400
(discussed below) can also occur.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing steps of the create job mode
3400. In step
3402, the system initializes a job string for the script to be created. Next,
in step 3404, the
system creates the job script (a JSON.Stringify job script) that includes all
of the cases in the
case collection 3406. In step 3408, the system calls the jisTM backend
(server) with a JSON
version of the script. Then, in step 3410, the system closes a window
containing the target
website and the plugin panel. Finally, in step 3412, the system displays a
message to the user.
FIGS. 16-18 are screenshots illustrating sample user interface screens
generated by the
system for allowing a user to review a target website page and to select
portions of the page for
automatic variance detection by the system. Specifically, the user interface
screens generated by
the system and illustrated in FIGS. 16-18 allow for processing of websites
beyond a defined
Base Website or a Base URL, and allow the system to perform automatic variance
detection
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across multiple websites, including third-party websites (also referred to
herein as "Multi-
Website Traverse"). For example, as is known in the art, a business website
can be linked to one
or more external or partner websites in order to complete user functions. This
can include
linking to an external website to submit a credit card payment, to view
account information, to
retrieve rewards information, to conduct a transaction by redeeming point for
travel, etc. The
system of the present disclosure allows the user to traverse across multiple
websites to setup
benchmarks and define variance runs (e.g., jobs) so that the system
automatically detects for
variances across multiple website pages (including third-party website pages),
automatically. As
will be explained in further detail below, the system will "follow" the user's
traversing path
across multiple websites, allow the user to tag specific assets/content across
multiple websites to
create a benchmark, and run variance jobs. The system also records the URLs
within case
records, even if the URL is on a different website. Accessed and requested
content on the URLs
is saved into a database. When the variance job process runs, the same process
is repeated
automatically, and the content at the time of the variance run is compared to
the content from the
benchmark run. This Multi-Website Traverse greatly improves the functionality
of computer
system by allowing the user to automatically detect variances in multiple
websites, thereby
simplifying computational complexity, vastly improving detection speeds, and
reducing memory
requirements.
FIG. 16 is a screenshot of a web browser screen 3500 generated by the system,
which
includes a job definition page 3502 and a benchmark button 3504. The "Base
URL" field
contains the web address of the target website. When the user wants to create
a new benchmark
(i.e. start a recording session), he/she clicks the New Benchmark button 3504
to display the
jisTM Plugin Page. It is noted that the system allows for variance checking
across different
versions of the same website, such as production, pre-production, and test
versions of the same
website. Advantageously, this allows an enterprise to check for variances that
could exist in
such versions of the website, but which are not readily apparent from a visual
inspection/comparison of the website. Such a feature therefore allows the
system to serve an
important quality checking and testing function in connection with the
development and testing
of an organization's website.
FIGS. 17A-17B are screenshots illustrating additional web browser screens
3600a,b
generated by the system, which include a target web page area 3602a,b,
recording and inspection
mode buttons 3604a,b, a plugin panel 3606a,b, action buttons 3608a,b, and
recorder elements
3610a,b (indicated in blue). These browser screen is used to traverse the
target website. User
actions are recorded and displayed in the Recording Log at the bottom. Each
case (i.e.
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collection of web page actions) is highlighted in blue. The cases can then be
stored in database
records.
FIG. 18 is a screenshot illustrating a third web browser screen 3700 generated
by the
system. This screen includes a plugin page in an inspection mode where the
system is used to
select web page elements for the benchmark and later comparison. When a user
locates his
cursor over an element, it is highlighted in blue and the inspector detail
panel flies out, wherein
the user can define the inspection element. Elements previously selected and
defined are
highlighted in green. As can be seen, the system allows the user to define an
inspector element
3702 which, once defined, automatically detects for variations in the element.
The user can also
select another inspector element, such as the element 3704 shown in FIG. 18.
The plugin panel
3706 is also displayed to the user, and lists inspect elements 3708 in blue.
The inspector detail
panel 3710 allows the user to provide detailed information for each inspector
element, such as
the name of the inspector element, and attributes such as notifications and
actions to be taken by
the element.
The system can further include a an Enhanced Element Search ("EES") feature,
which
provides a different mechanism to monitor for variances in assets on a given
web page. The
EES allows the user to predefine a web page and an element attribute key pair
for the backend
benchmark and variance processes to search for (as opposed to an element
defined using the
plugin discussed herein). This functionality is particularly useful to find
the same element on
many different websites, allowing the user to not perform a recording session
on each website.
On a web page, elements are defined using HTML and can look like the
following:
<div id.'top section' name= 'top' width.'100pf class.'header'>Hello !</div>
The text "div" is the HTML tag. The "div" element is encapsulated between the
beginning <div> and the ending </div>. The text "id", "name", "width", and
"class" are
.. element attributes. Each attribute has a name and value, which we call the
key pair.
Using the EES feature, the user defines a key pair to use for searching. For
example, the
user would define "name=top" as the search criteria. When the jisTM backend
processes are
finding elements to use for comparison, the system will perform a search on
all elements of a
page for those that have an element attribute called "name" with a value of
"top". This element
will be retrieved and stored in the database.
In addition to the EES feature discussed above, the system can further include
an
Expanded Search Comparison ("ESC") feature, which allows the user to pre-
define websites and
specific asset/content (via an element attribute key pair) for the backend
benchmark and
variance processes (as opposed to an element defined using the plugin). The
ESC feature
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provides significant advantages over existing (open source) Internet search
systems which only
search for a particular name or brand across the Internet but do not provide
intelligence/analytics
as to whether a particular name or brand is actually being displayed correctly
and/or in
accordance with pre-defined parameters on one or more websites. The ESC
feature of the
present disclosure solves this problem by allowing a user to define a field of
URLs and to do
automatic variance checking within the defined field of URLs, thereby
providing intelligence
within one or more web pages as to whether digital assets (e.g., names, logos,
advertisements,
content, etc.) are actually being appropriately displayed within the one or
more web pages.
As discussed above, to select web assets or content for comparison on a
website, the user
starts a recording session using the plugin. When the user finds the asset or
content they want to
'tag' or 'capture', the user then toggles the plugin into inspection mode to
select the specific
asset/content. The inspection mode is used to select specific assets/content
or "web page
elements" for the benchmark and variance comparison jobs. When the user
locates his cursor
over a specific asset or content element, it is highlighted in blue and the
inspector detail panel
flies out; where the user can define the inspection element (elements
previously selected and
defined are highlighted in green).
The ESC feature provides the user with a unique mechanism (element attribute
key pair)
to find specific assets or content that needs to be analyzed on any given
website without
knowing the exact location of the specific asset or content on the website.
For example, the
specific asset or content that needs to be analyzed could appear anywhere on
the website page
and the system will identify the asset or content, 'lock onto it', and perform
the comparison,
analytic and reporting functions discussed herein. The ESC feature is
particularly useful if the
user wants to locate the same asset or content (element) on many different
websites and does not
know where the specific asset's or content's location is on each website.
By way of example, on a website page, all elements are defined using HTML and
can
look like the following HTML code string:
<div id.'top section' name.'Cr24code' width.'100pf class.'header'>Hello
!</div>
In the example HTML code string, the text "div" is the HTML tag. The "div"
element is
encapsulated between the beginning <div> and the ending </div>. The text "id",
"name",
"width", and "class" are element attributes. Each attribute has a name and
value, which is called
the 'key pair.' The key pair is leveraged and used by the system to identify
specific assets or
content on websites without knowing or pre-identifying the location of the
specific asset or
content on the website page. Using the ESC feature, the user can define a key
pair for searching
on any website page.
Using the above HTML code string, the user can define
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"name,Cr24code" as the search criteria. When the backend processes of the
system are finding
elements to use for comparison, they will perform a search on all elements of
a webpage for
those that have an element attribute called "name" with a value of "Cr24code".
This element
will be retrieved and stored in the database.
The ESC feature can also provides new, incremental data elements and
aggregated
reports for new measurement and analytics for specific assets or content, such
as the following:
1. Number of times, and percentage of time, a specific asset or content is
presented or
shown to an audience;
2. How often (number of times) the asset or content is rendered correctly
according to
specific corporate brand standards, without defects to an audience;
3. When specific asset or content renders incorrectly, outside of corporate
brand
standards ¨ which specific browser versions are responsible for the
'distortion/defect';
4. When the specific asset or content appears to an audience ¨ the number of
times/frequency percentage of time, it appears "above the fold" visually.
When the specific asset or content appears to an audience the system takes a
screenshot
of the entire website page to reveal the other content on the website page
that is around or near
the specific asset or content to be analyzed.
Importantly, the EES and ESC features described herein provide a multi-tiered,
triangulated, automatic content search and comparison system in a way not
possible with
existing search tools. Specifically, the EES component of the system allows
for rapid searching
for desired content across a variety of web pages using key pair searching
(the first tier/module
of the system), and when matches are found, the system provides even deeper
comparison and
variance checking and analysis to ensure that the located content conforms
with pre-defined
standards and has not been varied (the second tier/module of the system).
Together, the EES
and ESC features represent a significant technological improvement in the
functioning of
computer-based content searching systems by allowing for not only rapid
searching and
identification of desired content in digital assets, but also deep evaluation
and analysis of the
located content to rapidly ascertain whether the content conforms to expected
standards.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a case flow example of the system performing
a Multi-
Website Traverse, indicated generally as 3800, where the following steps are
performed:
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= In step 3802, on WEBSITE #1 ¨ Bank Home Website:
o The user goes to the website www.bankofamerica.com [WEBSITE #1]
o The user 'tags' the "view credit cards" button
o The user clicks the 'view credit cards' button and goes to the credit
card page
of that same website
o The user clicks 'View rewards' and goes to the 'rewards' website (which
is a
different website ¨ WEBSITE #2)
= In step 3804, on WEBSITE #2¨ Bank Rewards Website:
o The user tags multiple assets on the 'Rewards' website
o The user clicks 'redeem travel' button and goes to the 'travel redemption'
website (which is a different website ¨ WEBSITE #3)
= In step 3806, on WEBSITE #3 ¨ Bank Rewards Redemption Website:
o The user tags multiple assets on the 'Travel Rewards Redemption' website
o The user completes benchmark job
Advantageously, in the case flow example 3800, only one jisTM benchmark job is
created and consists of multiple assets and specific content being tagged
across three different
and unique website. This greatly simplifies computational complexity and
storage requirements,
as well as greatly simplifies and expedites the variance detection process, by
allowing variance
detection to rapidly occur automatically across multiple websites using a
single job executed by
the system.
FIGS. 20A-25B are screenshots illustrating sample user interface screens
generated by
the system for allowing a user to review a target website page in graphical
format as well as in
HTML code format using the systems and methods discussed herein. Specifically,
the screens
shown in FIGS. 20A-25B allow for real-time graphic and HTML code assert
discovery across
numerous browser versions.
FIG. 20A is an example of a screenshot of a web browser screen 3900 generated
by the
system, which includes a benchmark view 3902 and a variance view 3904. The
benchmark view
3902 and the variance view 3904 show a graphical view of a website page. As
can be seen in
FIG. 20A, there is no variance visible between the benchmark page, and the
current view of the
website page.
FIG. 20B is example screenshot of a web browser screen 4000 generated by the
system,
which includes a benchmark view 4002 and a variance view 4004 of the HTML code
associated
with the website page shown in FIG. 20A. As can be seen, red highlights with
strike-through in
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the variance view 4004 indicate code that is not present from the benchmark
view 4002, while
green highlights indicate net new code that is not present in the benchmark
view 4002. As can
be appreciated, by presenting a web page in both graphical and code
representations, the system
allows for detection of variances that might not be visible by the human eye,
but nonetheless
exist. Vice versa, the system allows for detection of variances in a web page
that are not
detectable in code, but are detectable via visual inspection of the graphical
rendering of the web
page, such as web pages that display the same images but with different
resolutions.
FIG. 21A is another example a screenshot of a web browser screen 4100
generated by
the system, which includes a benchmark view 4102 and a variance view 4104. The
benchmark
view 4102 and the variance view 4104 show a graphical view of a website page.
FIG. 21B is an
example a screenshot of a web browser screen 4200 generated by the system,
which includes a
benchmark view 4202 and a variance view 4204 of HTML code associated with the
website
page shown in FIG. 21A. FIGS. 21A and 21B are screenshots from a bank
production website.
The system scanned a scrolling 7-8 page asset of graphics and its 954 lines of
HTML code in
less than 60 seconds. The system automatically discovered a variance 4206 in
the HTML code
on line 851.
As can be appreciated, the system of the present disclosure provides powerful
tools for
automatically traversing website content and detecting variances in such
content, thereby
representing a marked technological improvement over existing content
management software
systems. The system provides speed, comprehensiveness, and precision in
detecting variances
in content in a manner not possible in existing systems.
FIG. 22A is another example of a screenshot of a web browser screen 4300
generated by
the system, which includes a benchmark view 4302 and a variance view 4304. The
benchmark
view 4302 and the variance view 4304 show a graphical view of a website page,
where the
variance view 4304 shows two variances 4306. FIG. 22B is an example screenshot
of a web
browser screen 4400 generated by the system, which includes a benchmark view
4402 and a
variance view 4404 of HTML code associated with the website page shown in FIG.
22A. Red
highlights with strike-through in the variance view 4404 indicate code that is
not present from
the benchmark view 4402, while green highlights indicate net new code that is
not present in the
benchmark view 4402. As seen, the system scanned the website home page and
detected and
identified two graphical changes, and changes in the HTML code. The system
identifies,
locates, highlights, archives, notifies users, and reports the new marketing
images. Other
graphical changes can include blurred or distorted images, a change in image
size, a change in
image location, etc.
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FIG. 23A is another example of a screenshot of a web browser screen 4500
generated by
the system, which includes a variance view 4502, which shows a graphical view
of a website
page. The variance view 4502 shows two variances 4504, which are graphical
changes from a
benchmark page (not shown). FIG. 23B is an example screenshot of a web browser
screen 4600
generated by the system, which includes a benchmark view 4602 and a variance
view 4604 of
HTML code associated with the website page shown in FIG. 23A. Red highlights
with strike-
through in the variance view 4606 indicate code that is not present from the
benchmark view
4602, while green highlights indicate net new code that is not present in the
benchmark view
4602. As seen in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the owner of the website changed the
graphical view of
.. the webpage to indicate that the APY is 1.50%, whereas the HTML code was
change to increase
the APY from 1.40% to 1.45%. The system scanned the home page and
automatically detected
this change, which is not visually apparent and can easily be overlooked
during a manual and
time-consuming search. The system identified this important rate change in
under 20 seconds.
FIG. 24A is another example of a screenshot of a web browser screen 4700
generated by
the system, which includes a benchmark view 4702 and a variance view 4704. The
benchmark
view 4702 and the variance view 4704 show a graphical view of a website page.
A difference
4706 exists between the two views, where the "buy your home" graphic is
blurred on the
benchmark view. FIG. 24B is an example screenshot of a web browser screen 4800
generated
by the system, which includes a benchmark view 4802 and a variance view 4804
of HTML code
associated with the website page shown in FIG. 24A. As can be seen, the HTML
code is the
same between the benchmark view 4802 and the variance view 4804, even though
the "buy your
home" graphic is different between the benchmark view 4702 and the variance
view 4704 in
FIG. 24A. This is a false positive identified by the system.
FIG. 25A is example of a screenshot of a web browser screen 4900 generated by
the
system in a desktop/laptop/tablet format. FIG. 25B is example of a screenshot
of a web browser
screen 5000 generated by the system in a mobile device format. FIGS. 25A and
25B show the
system providing the same capabilities across different device formats and
screen sizes.
Specifically, FIG. 25A shows a variance 4906 between a benchmark view 4902 and
a variance
view 4904 on the desktop/laptop/tablet format, and FIG. 25B shows a variance
5000 between a
benchmark view 5002 and a variance view 5004 on the mobile device format.
FIG. 26 shows a screenshot of a web browser screen 5100 generated by the
system,
showing real-time graphic and code asset discovery across multiple browsers.
As shown in
circle 5102, the system expands a testing footprint beyond a standard 5-20
reviews of a digital
asset, providing for more active browsers, operating systems, and devices to
match an adaptation
stand of 450+ reviews, and beyond with reduced costs. As shown in circle 5104,
the system
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monitors digital content every specified time period (e.g., every minute,
every month, etc.)
Again, the system provides vast speed improvements over a manual review,
which, for example,
would require 630 hours and cost $25,200 to review 10 assets across 10
reviews, 3 days a week,
every other hour.
FIG. 27A shows a screenshot of an audit format an audit compliance report for
an assert
review generated by the system. The audit format allows asset reconciliation
and archived
history to be easily validated and understood. FIG. 27B shows a screenshot of
a dashboard of
the present disclosure, which shows compliance reporting for asset view with
Date/Time, Status,
User ID, and a link to screenshots for quick internal-user spot-check and
validation.
The plugin discussed herein is installed by the user before the user ever
records a
session. The plugin is executed every time a page is loaded within the web
browser, whether the
page is part of the target website or not. The plugin will determine if the
web page is a target or
not and will execute appropriate functions if so. When the New Benchmark
button is clicked on
the jisTM Job Definition page, the new window will be assigned a browser
window name of
"aegisWindow" to indicate it is a target website. The following are steps
performed during an
jisTM benchmark session:
1. Any web page is loaded and the jisTM plugin gets control.
2. selenium-ide-overlay.xul is loaded and has script definitions.
3. The script definitions load other JavaScript libraries which call various
JavaScript functions.
4. selenium-ide-overlay.js calls SeleniumIDE.Overlay.onContentLoaded.
5. seleniumIDE.Overlay.onContentLoaded calls aegis.onContentLoaded.
6. aegis.onContentLoaded:
a. Get URL of page being viewed within plugin page.
b. If a Firefox system page ("chrome:"), if it is, exit.
c. Add jisTM event listeners for main functions.
d. If an jisTM administration page, initialize plugin panel functions and make
sure panel is
hidden.
i. Initialize MainController.init and call JavascriptAdapter.js -->
DOMInjector.js to
inject MainController into plugin page.
ii. Call RecordingContoller.init
1. Previous script definitions will now load other JavaScript libraries
which
call various JavaScript functions to initialize the recorder.
2. Injects required recorder JavaScript functions into plugin page
3. Add event handlers for different user actions e.g. typing, changing field
focus, mousedown, mouseover, click, select.
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4. Call JavascriptAdapter.js --> DOMInjector.js to inject
RecordingController into plugin page.
iii. Call InspectionContoller.init
1. Call JavascriptAdapter.js --> DOMInjector.js to inject
InspectionController into plugin page.
2. The acid_dom JavaScript's (the inspector) are injected and ready to
capture the selection of html elements. Inspection event handlers are
added for mouseover, mouseout, and click.
e. If window name is not "aegisWindow", exit.
f. At this point, we have the target web site start page, we've initialized
the plugin page,
now initialize the target page.
i. Call lInspectorController.init.
1. Set up toggle of show panel.
2. If in inspection mode (at this point were not), call me.loadState to
load
ADI.activateLookup.
g. Call aegis.showPanel to display the bottom panel in recording mode.
7. The target website start page is now being displayed in the top half of the
browser window and
the jisTM plugin panel on the bottom half in recording mode.
8. In recording mode, user interacts with the web page by typing, clicking, or
moving the mouse
over web page elements.
a. On a click:
i. Recorder-handlers.js event handler gets control, determines if its a valid
click
(i.e. good mouse coordinates).
ii. Calls locatorBuilders.js to determine all of the different ways to locate
the
element (by id, by position in DOM tree, by position from another element,
etc.).
iii. Passes command "click" and locator paths to recorder.js.record function,
which
notifies ISeleniumController.notify("record").
iv. ISeleniumController calls aegis.js onrecord event handler to create a new
case if
necessary and add a recorder element to the cases collection within internal
memory and being displayed on the plugin panel.
b. The same process occurs for each type of interaction (keydown, mouseover,
and select)
by calling its specific functions. Any pertinent information for that
interaction (e.g. the
value typed in a text box) is recorded within the recorder element.
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9. In inspection mode, the user selects which elements of a web page,
they'd like to save for later
comparison for variances. The user enters inspection mode by clicking the
Inspection Mode
button on the plugin panel. Click on Inspection Mode button
a. Clear any selections not defined.
b. Set inspection mode flags and begin inspection mode.
c. On mouseover, the DOM element, pointed to by the mouse
coordinates, is validated to
determine if its "chooseable", that is, not a predefined, exlcuded element AND
it is an
actual HTML DOM element.
i. If so, highlight the element in blue.
ii. If the user clicks on that highlighted element function aegis.js.onselect
is called
from event handler.
1. Insert new case if needed
2. Stage inspection element
iii. Open the inspection item detail panel and wait for user input, passing
inspection element.
iv. In the Inspector detail panel, the user can choose to:
1. "watch" this element (compare it during a variance run)
2. "ignore" the element (he might want to ignore an element embedded
in a larger element)
3. "instant notification", where a user or group of users is notified via
email when the element is out of compliance (as opposed to being
notified when the variance job ends)
v. When the inspection details are saved:
1. Add the returned inspection element to the cases collection.
2. Highlight saved DOM element in green on the target web page.
d. For each inspection, perform the same process.
10. When user is finished traversing site, jisTM has built a collection of
cases, recordings, and
inspections. To complete the process and submit the job as a Benchmark, they
click on the
"Create Job" button.
a. Initialize a Javascript variable "job" and build a string with the jobid,
baseurl, screen
dimensions, window dimensions, and the cases built from the session. This is
the script
b. Perform an ajax call to the jisTM backend with the JSON
version of the script.
c. Close the window with the target website and plugin panel.
d. Present a dialog message to the user informing that the job
was submitted.
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It is noted that the web browser plugin described herein is a customized,
special-purpose
software plugin which is executed by the web browser, which itself executes on
a user's local
computer system (e.g., smart phone, computer system, tablet, etc.). The plugin
communicates
with one or more backend (remote) computer systems, and both the plugin and
the backend
computer system provide the automatic variance detection functions described
herein.
Importantly, the systems and methods disclosed herein allow provide a
significant
advantage in that the system can be used to automatically detect whether a
"production" version
of a website is correctly operating and, most importantly, correctly
presenting desired assets
(e.g., content) to the user and in accordance with expected outcomes by
illustrating for the user
instances where variances are detected. By flexibly allowing the user to
identify assets for
which variance detection is desired and allowing the system to focus only on
such assets, the
system saves time, effort, and computing resources. Moreover, by "de-coupling"
assets from
web pages (e.g., by allowing the user to do variance detection at a granular
level with in a
particular web page as noted above, such as by detecting for changes in image
locations, content
.. locations within a page, image resolutions, advertisement "area" taken up
within a certain page
by an advertisement, etc.), the system allows for rich and automatic detection
of variance in
assets present within web pages. By way of example, using the system, a
provider of advertising
content can determine whether an advertisement has been placed at the proper
location within a
web page, whether the advertisement is rendered by the web page in way that
advertisement
.. takes up expected screen area, whether graphical elements corresponding to
the advertisement
are rendered with the correct resolution, whether any links associated with
the advertisement are
currently functioning, etc.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the herein described systems
and methods are
susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions. There is
no intention to limit
the scope of the invention to the specific constructions described herein.
Rather, the herein
described systems and methods are intended to cover all modifications,
alternative constructions,
and equivalents falling within the scope and spirit of the invention and its
equivalents.
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