User transparent software malfunction detection and reporting
US7149928B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 2002 |
| Grant date | Dec 12, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 12, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/366
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention, generally speaking, “instruments” an arbitrary software program, without changing the software program, to automate malfunction detection and reporting. Although users can be invited to enter a description of what the user was doing prior to receiving the error, report generation and transmission to a remote server can be fully automatic and transparent to the user. In the case of beta testing, therefore, a software developer is guaranteed to receive all pertinent information about malfunctions of an application without having to rely on “fallible humans” for this information. The effectiveness of beta testing, in terms of ultimately contributing to an improved product, is therefore greatly increased. Various kinds of malfunctions may be detected and reported, including an application “crashing,” becoming “hung,” etc.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.