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US 5,862,341 AGranted
Screen identification method
AssigneeNet Manage, Inc.
InventorHanna Hsia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of identifying computer screens is disclosed. The method is particularly useful in identifying IBM host screens in script creation and playback. According to the method, a signature is composed for a given screen. The signature comprises characteristics of a given screen which differentiate that screen from substantially different screen displays. For an IBM host screen, signature composition is based upon the screens protected fields. The protected fields are further processed by removing transient information such as the date and time.
Claims38
A screen identification method to be performed by a computer program, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) a training phase comprising the steps of:
- (i) selecting a screen as a reference screen,
- (ii) storing the contents of the reference screen in a first buffer, and
- (iii) composing and storing a signature of the reference screen from the buffer, comprising the steps of:
- if the screen is blank, the signature is a predetermined value, else
- if the screen is unformatted or has no protected fields, then the signature is composed of a number of the first characters of the screen, else
- a signature element of the first protected field is composed and placed into a signature list, the signature being comprise of the signature list,
- if a second protected field is present, then a signature element of the second protected field is composed and placed into the signature list,
- where decisions as to which elements to use for creating a signature and the steps of composing a signature of the reference screen from the buffer are performed automatically by the computer program;
- (b) a recognition phase comprising the steps of:
- (i) selecting a current screen,
- (ii) storing the contents of the current screen in a second buffer,
- (iii) composing a signature of the current screen from the buffer, and
- (iv) comparing the signature of the current screen with the signature of the reference screen.
11 more elements
A method of navigating an IBM host from a guest computer comprising:
- a training phase wherein a reference screen's signature is composed by the guest computer;
- and
- a recognition phase wherein a current screen is compared to the signature of the reference screen by the guest computer;
- wherein signature composition comprises the steps of:
- if the screen is blank, the signature is set to a predetermined value, else
- if the screen is unformatted or has no protected fields, then the signature is composed of a number of the first characters of the screen, else
- a signature element of the first protected field is composed and placed into a signature list,
- if a second protected field is present, then a signature element of the second protected field is composed and placed into the signature list,
- if more than three signature protected fields are present, then a signature element of the second to last protected field is composed and placed into the signature list.
6 more elements
A screen identification method comprising composing a signature of the screen, the method comprising the steps of:
- storing the screen in a buffer,
- if the screen is blank, then setting the signature to a predetermined value, else
- if the screen is unformatted or has no protected fields, then composing the signature of a number of the first characters of the screen, else
- composing a signature element of the first protected field and placing the signature element into a signature list,
- if a second protected field is present, then composing a signature element of the second protected field and placing the signature element into the signature list,
- if more than three signature protected fields are present, then composing a signature element of the second to last protected field and placing the signature element into the signature list.
3 more elements
A screen identification method comprising the steps of:
- (c)a training phase comprising the steps of:
- (i) selecting a screen as a reference screen,
- (ii) storing the contents of the reference screen in a first buffer, and
- (iii) composing and storing a signature of the reference screen from the buffer, comprising the steps of:
- if the screen is blank, the signature is a predetermined value, else
- if the screen is unformatted or has no protected fields, then the signature is composed of a number of the first characters of the screen, else
- a signature element of the first protected field is composed and placed into a signature list, the signature being comprise of the signature list,
- if a second protected field is present, then a signature element of the second protected field is composed and placed into the signature list,
- if more than three protected fields are present, then a signature element of the second to last protected field is composed and placed into the signature list;
- (d) a recognition phase comprising the steps of:
- (i) selecting a current screen,
- (ii) storing the contents of the current screen in a second buffer,
- (iii) composing a signature of the current screen from the buffer, and
- (iv) comparing the signature of the current screen with the signature of the reference screen.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.