Abstract: Improved techniques for secure access to cloud-based services via a gateway proxy. The improved techniques can efficiently manage remote access to cloud-based services by local processing agents in a secure manner using an intermediate authentication token issued by a gateway proxy to authorized local processing agents. The intermediate authentication token can be used to obtain authentication credentials of service providers that are needed to access the cloud-based services that are offered by service providers. In some embodiments, the authentication credentials of service providers need only be distributed to the gateway proxy and need not be distributed beyond the gateway proxy. The improved techniques are well suited for used with robotic process automation systems in which local processing agents, such as software agents, perform user tasks in an automated fashion.

Abstract: Improved techniques for combining a plurality of distinct recordings pertaining to user interactions with one or more software applications each of which concerns performing a task. Then, the combined recording can be used to form a software automation process for performing the task in an automated fashion. Advantageously, the improved techniques enable a robotic process automation (RPA) system to capture multiple recordings, combine (e.g., merge) the recordings, and form a software automation process to perform repetitive tasks in an automated manner, all with little or no assistance from a user.

Abstract: Task automation is enabled by recording, over a period of time, inputs of a computing device user to generate a log of inputs by the user in connection with one or more task applications. The user inputs are stored along with information pertaining to the one or more task applications. The log is processed to identify the one or more task applications to generate a user task file. The log is further processed to identify the fields in the task applications with which the user entered inputs and the identified fields are stored to the task file. The task file is processed to identify one or more tasks performed by the user. An automated software robot which is encoded with instructions to perform automatically, when invoked, one or more of the tasks performed by the user may be automatically generated.

Abstract: A robotic process automation system includes a server processor that performs an automation task to process a work item, by initiating a java virtual machine on a second device. A first user session that employs credentials of a first user for managing execution of the automation task is also initiated on the second device. The server processor loads into the java virtual machine, with a platform class loader, one or more modules, such as logging and security, that perform functions common to the sets of task processing instructions. A first class loader a first set of task processing instructions is also loaded. Then each instruction in the first set of task processing instructions is loaded with a separate class loader. The server processor causes execution, under control of the first user session, on the second device, the task processing instructions that correspond to the work item.

Abstract: Computerized RPA methods and systems that increase the flexibility and lower the cost with which RPA systems may be deployed are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an RPA system and method avoids the need for preinstalled RPA software on a device employed by a user to create and/or execute software robots to perform RPA. In another embodiment, an RPA system and method provides a capability to execute software robots that may have been encoded in one or more programming languages to execute on an operating system different than that employed by a server of the RPA system.

Abstract: Computerized detection of one or more user interface objects is performed by processing an image file containing one or more user interface objects of a user interface generated by an application program. Sub-control objects can be detected in the image file, where each sub-control object can form a portion of a user interface object that receives user input. Extraneous sub-control objects can be detected. Sub-control objects that overlap with or that are within a predetermined vicinity of an identified set of sub-control objects can be removed. Sub-control objects in the identified set of sub-control objects can be correlated to combine one or more of the sub-control objects in the identified set of sub-control objects to generate control objects that correspond to certain of the user interface objects of the user interface generated by the application program.

Abstract: Improved techniques for examining a plurality of distinct recordings pertaining to user interactions with one or more software applications, where each recording concerns performing at least one task. The examined recordings can be processed such that the recordings can be organized and/or rendered in a consolidated manner which facilitates user's understanding of higher-level operations being performed by the examined recordings to carry out the associated task. Advantageously, the improved techniques enable a robotic process automation (RPA) system to recognize and represent repetitive tasks within multiple recordings as multi-level (e.g., hierarchical) patterns of steps, sub-tasks, or some combination thereof. In doing so, a RPA system can identify and define such patterns within recordings and can also accommodate variants in such patterns.

Abstract: Image encoded documents are identified by recognizing known objects in each document with an object recognizer. The objects in each page are filtered to remove lower order objects. Known features in the objects are recognized by sequentially organizing each object in each filtered page into a one-dimensional array, where each object is positioned in a corresponding one-dimensional array as a function of location in the corresponding filtered page. The one-dimensional array is then compared to known arrays to classify the image document corresponding to the one-dimensional array.

Abstract: Improved techniques to access content presented on a user interface by a software program are disclosed. The improved techniques permit the content to be retrieved from process memory used by the software program. Once accessed, the content (e.g., text) can be analyzed and used to understand and interact with the software program (e.g., application program) by way of the user interface (e.g., application window). The improved techniques are well suited for Robotic process automation (RPA) system. In such cases, RPA systems are able to accurately understand the content of the user interfaces such that software automation processes can operate with increased reliability and flexibility.

Abstract: Controls within images of a user interface of a computer application are detected by way of region-based R-FCN and Faster R-CNN engines. Datasets comprising images containing application control, wherein the application controls include images of application where width is greater than height, width is equal to height and height is greater than width are retrieved. Each of the datasets is processed with the R-FCN and Faster R-CNN engines to generate a software configured to recognize, from an input image, application controls wherein the application controls are characterized by dimensions where width is greater than height, where width is substantially equal to height, and where height is greater than width.

Abstract: Computerized robotic process automation (RPA) methods and systems that increase the flexibility and lower the cost with which RPA systems may be deployed are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an RPA system and method avoids the need for preinstalled RPA software on a device employed by a user to create and/or execute software robots to perform RPA. In another embodiment, an RPA system and method provides a capability to execute software robots that may have been encoded in one or more programming languages to execute on an operating system different than that employed by a server of the RPA system.

Abstract: Robotic process automation (RPA) systems with improved playback capabilities. Certain embodiments can provide resilient playback of software automation processes by providing enhanced capability to locate user interface controls within a screen image of a user interface. In some embodiments, one or more of the user interface controls located within the screen image of the user interface can be used to manipulate the user interface so that other user interface controls become visible within the screen image. Other embodiments can, additionally or alternatively, provide resilient playback of software automation processes by providing the capability to record, compute and store parameters for user interface controls detected from a screen image of a user interface. These parameters can be used to assist in locating correct corresponding user interface controls within a screen image presented at playback of a software automation process.

Abstract: A robotic process automation system employs centralized compilation to generate a platform independent executable version of a bot, which is encoded to perform user level operations. The system employs an extensible set of commands which can be user generated. The bots execute on devices that are separate and independent from a server processor that controls the system. The devices execute bots in an execution environment that is provided by the server processor. Change in a command in a bot requires recompilation of the bot which is then delivered upon request to a device. The execution environment does not require recompilation upon a change in a command.

Abstract: Improved techniques for combining a plurality of distinct recordings pertaining to user interactions with one or more software applications each of which concerns performing a task. Then, the combined recording can be used to form a software automation process for performing the task in an automated fashion. Advantageously, the improved techniques enable a robotic process automation (RPA) system to capture multiple recordings, combine (e.g., merge) the recordings, and form a software automation process to perform repetitive tasks in an automated manner, all with little or no assistance from a user.

Abstract: A computerized task automation system operates to permit automation of processes comprising one or more computer implemented tasks. Software robots may be created and retrieved to automate human user interaction with computer systems. The software robots each take one of three forms: (i) an attended software robot that is encoded to interact with one or more application programs and to accept one or more inputs from the user as required by the one or more application programs, (ii) an unattended software robot that is encoded to automatically interact with one or more application programs without any user input; and (iii) a cognitive software robot that is encoded to automatically interact with one or more application programs without any user input and is further encoded to automatically alter its interactions with the one or more application programs by way of a machine learning engine.

Abstract: A server responds to a request to perform a first automation task to process a work item from the plurality of work items, on a first computing device that is separate and independent from the server. The server receives a request from the first computing device to download the first automation task and queries a distribution information file to identify one or more other computing devices that have a copy of the first automation task. The server provides to the first computing device, an identifier for each of one or more other computing devices that has a copy of the first automation task. If the distribution information file does not contain an identification of any other device that has a copy of the first automation task, then the server processor causes the first automation task to be retrieved and to be provided to the first computing device.

Abstract: Computerized RPA methods and systems that increase the flexibility and lower the cost with which RPA systems may be deployed are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an RPA system and method avoids the need for preinstalled RPA software on a device employed by a user to create and/or execute software robots to perform RPA. In another embodiment, an RPA system and method provides a capability to execute software robots that may have been encoded in one or more programming languages to execute on an operating system different than that employed by a server of the RPA system.

Abstract: Computerized detection of one or more user interface objects is performed by processing an image file containing one or more user interface objects of a user interface generated by an application program. Sub-control objects can be detected in the image file, where each sub-control object can form a portion of a user interface object that receives user input. Extraneous sub-control objects can be detected. Sub-control objects that overlap with or that are within a predetermined vicinity of an identified set of sub-control objects can be removed. Sub-control objects in the identified set of sub-control objects can be correlated to combine one or more of the sub-control objects in the identified set of sub-control objects to generate control objects that correspond to certain of the user interface objects of the user interface generated by the application program.

Abstract: A robotic process automation system provides a capability to deploy software robots (bots) by receiving from a deployment user a bot deployment request comprising a bot identification that identifies a specific preexisting bot and an authorized class of user to execute the specific preexisting bot. Credentials of the deployment user are checked. An execution device upon which the specific preexisting bot will execute is identified from a set of available devices. An authorization token is issued for the execution device to uniquely identify the execution device and to authorize the execution device to communicate with the robotic process automation system. In response to a request by the execution device the specific preexisting bot and credentials corresponding to the authorized class of user are provided, wherein the specific preexisting bot executes on the execution device automatically without input from any individual corresponding to the authorized class of user.

Abstract: A User Interface (UI) interface object detection system employs an initial dataset comprising a set of images, that may include synthesized images, to train a Machine Learning (ML) engine to generate an initial trained model. A data point generator is employed to generate an updated synthesized image set which is used to further train the ML engine. The data point generator may employ images generated by an application program as a reference by which to generate the updated synthesized image set. The images generated by the application program may be tagged in advance. Alternatively, or in addition, the images generated by the application program may be captured dynamically by a user using the application program.