Patents by Inventor Tessa A. Lau

Tessa A. Lau has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130227366
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to the conversion and execution of functional tests. In one embodiment, a current test step of a manual functional test is executed. The test includes a set of test steps each including at least one action and one target of the action. The test is associated with an application that includes a plurality of objects to be tested. At least two of the objects are determined to be associated with the target of the test step. A user is prompted to provide a selection of one of the at least objects for association with the target of the test step. A new test step is generated. The new test step associates the object selected by the user with the target of the current test step. The new test step is designated for automatic execution in place of the current test step for subsequent executions thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tessa A. LAU, Jalal U. Mahmud, Pablo Pedemonte
  • Publication number: 20130227351
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to the conversion and execution of functional tests. In one embodiment, a current test step of a manual functional test is executed. The test includes a set of test steps each including at least one action and one target of the action. The test is associated with an application that includes a plurality of objects to be tested. At least two of the objects are determined to be associated with the target of the test step. A user is prompted to provide a selection of one of the at least objects for association with the target of the test step. A new test step is generated. The new test step associates the object selected by the user with the target of the current test step. The new test step is designated for automatic execution in place of the current test step for subsequent executions thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tessa A. LAU, Jalal U. MAHMUD, Pablo PEDEMONTE
  • Patent number: 8490056
    Abstract: A system and program product for automatic identification of subroutines from test scripts is disclosed. An instruction class may be coded as a subroutine vector in a vector space model. A test script action may be coded as a test script vector in a vector space model. The test script vector may be compared to the subroutine vector. The test script vector may be identified and labeled. The test script vector may be labeled as a new test script action if the result of comparing is below a threshold value. An identifier may be associated with a new test script action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tessa A. Lau, Jalal U. Mahmud
  • Publication number: 20130055268
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to generating automated web task procedures from an analysis of web history logs. One aspect of the invention concerns a method that comprises identifying sequences of related web actions from a web log, grouping each set of similar web actions into an action class, and mapping the sequences of related web actions into sequences of action classes. The method further clusters each group of similar sequences of action classes into a cluster, wherein relationships among the action classes in the cluster are represented by a state machine, and generates automated web task procedures from the state machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Saleema A. Amershi, Tessa A. Lau, Jalal U. Mahmud, Jeffrey W. Nichols
  • Publication number: 20120317547
    Abstract: A method for automatic identification of subroutines from test scripts is disclosed. An instruction class may be coded as a subroutine vector in a vector space model. A test script action may be coded as a test script vector in a vector space model. The test script vector may be compared to the subroutine vector. The test script vector may be identified and labeled. The test script vector may be labeled as a new test script action if the result of comparing is below a threshold value. An identifier may be associated with a new test script action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: TESSA A. LAU, JALAL U. MAHMUD
  • Patent number: 8307357
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8250554
    Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically generating computer executable technical support procedures, as well as updating/augmenting such executable procedures, by tracking and processing sequences of actions (execution traces) that are taken by experts (or users) when performing a procedure or when executing an executable procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa Lau, Daniel Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20120198355
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to integrating a messaging system with at least one collaboration tool. According to one embodiment of the invention, in response to a user creating a message in a messaging system, information from the message is compared with data sets associated with the user. Each of the data sets correspond to a collaboration topic of the user for the at least one collaboration tool. At least one of the data sets is selected based on the comparison, and information indicating the one or more collaboration topics of the user that correspond to the at least one data set that is selected is presented to the user via a user interface, with the information suggesting to the user to post the message to the one or more corresponding collaboration topics of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tessa A. LAU, Jalal U. Mahmud, Tara L. Matthews, Thomas P. Moran, Barton A. Smith, Stephen J. Whittaker
  • Patent number: 8176422
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20120072823
    Abstract: A method, a system, and a computer medium for testing may be provided. An instruction including a natural language assertion statement may be received. The instruction may be parsed. The natural language assertion statement may be evaluated to true or false.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: TESSA A. LAU, JALAL U. MAHMUD
  • Publication number: 20110271255
    Abstract: A method, system, and program product for automatic identification of subroutines from test scripts is disclosed. An instruction class may be coded as a subroutine vector in a vector space model. A test script action may be coded as a test script vector in a vector space model. The test script vector may be compared to the subroutine vector. The test script vector may be identified and labeled. The test script vector may be labeled as a new test script action if the result of comparing is below a threshold value. An identifier may be associated with a new test script action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: TESSA A. LAU, JALAL U. MAHMUD
  • Patent number: 8046754
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20110196853
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for automatically generating a script for a target web interface instance. Embodiments include receiving a task description of a task to be completed on a target web interface instance. The computer-implemented method also includes repeating steps until the task is completed. The repeating steps include determining from the target web interface instance a plurality of actions that may be performed on the target web interface instance and using the task description, predicting which action of the plurality of actions from the target web interface instance is an action most likely to be selected. The repeating steps also include performing the action most likely to be selected, thus proceeding to a first web interface instance and setting the first web interface instance as the target web interface instance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey P. Bigham, Clemens Drews, Tessa A. Lau, Ian A. R. Li, Jeffrey W. Nichols
  • Publication number: 20110179087
    Abstract: A method, system and program product for combining and processing web data using tables and programming-by-demonstration is disclosed. Direct manipulation and programming-by-demonstration techniques are used to automatically populate tables with information collected from various web sites. The invention augments a data set with new values computed by a web site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: ALLEN CYPHER, TESSA A. LAU, JAMES LIN, JEFFREY W. NICHOLS, JEFFREY WONG
  • Patent number: 7890948
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Inernational Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7801835
    Abstract: A system for and method of constructing an executable reusable procedure which includes determining an executable procedure from at least one scored trace of a procedure execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Prabhakar N. Kudva, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20100153515
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of an invention for assisting a user with creating a customized web application from an existing web application. The embodiments use a first computer system to access an existing website. As a user performs a task on the existing website, a software application for a new website is authored by processor(s) on the first computer system and/or a second computer system in communication with the first computer system based on traced interactions between the user and the existing website. Additionally, a storyboard for the new website is developed. The storyboard will contain screens with both automatically-clipped and user-clipped content from the existing website. Navigation details for the transitions between the storyboard screens are provided based on the recorded interaction events. Once developed, the software application for the new website can be uploaded to a proxy server through which it can be accessed by another computer system (e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tessa A. Lau, Jeffrey W. Nichols
  • Publication number: 20090193339
    Abstract: Embodiments herein provide a method that maintains computerized scripts. The scripts provide assistance to users with respect to using at least one computer software application that is operating on a computerized device. The method receives, from the user, at least one trigger. This process creates or “authors” the trigger. This “trigger” is an item that automatically initiates at least one of the scripts for the user. In addition, the method adds the trigger to the computer software application (not automatically, but instead based on user input). Thus, when initiated by the trigger, the script automatically outputs assistance (text, sounds, illustrations, educational videos, etc.) to the user through the computerized interface of the computerized device, so as to provide the needed assistance to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Nichols, Tessa A. Lau, Allen Cypher, James Lin, Eben M. Haber, Clemens Drews, Eric M. Wilcox, Barton A. Smith
  • Patent number: 7559057
    Abstract: A method and system for generating one or more Computer-executable procedures simultaneously learns from a collection of procedure instances recorded by different users on a variety of computers aligning multiple traces and using the aligned traces to generalize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vittorio Castelli, Lawrence D. Bergman, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080189600
    Abstract: A method is provided for automatically applying named styles to existing documents including word processing documents. The existing document is scanned and parsed into style regions of uniform style. The style attributes of each uniform style region are identified, and these identified style attributes are used to create style groups containing style regions having identical or substantially identical style attributes. These style attributes can be expressed in set or vector form. Named styles are then associated with the identified style group by either comparing the style attributes of a given style group to the attributes of a pre-defined named style or by extracting a named style from the style group. Once associated with a named style, the style regions within a given style group can be modified to be consistent with the named style associated with the style group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Applicant: IBM
    Inventors: Tessa Lau, John J. Turek, Hui Su, Tian Shu Wang