Method for analyzing and presenting amount of use of application

Abstract

One purpose of embodiments according to the present invention is to enable the actual amount of use of applications including a cloud infrastructure by a user to be accurately calculated and reasonable charges to be set. In this regard, a method for presenting data about the amount of use of an application, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: receiving, from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, amount of use analysis data about the amount of use of an application to be analyzed, the application being executed on the user device, wherein the amount of use analysis data is collected on the basis of a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device by an amount of use analysis application executed on each of the plurality of user devices; generating statistical data about the amount of use of the application to be analyzed on the basis of the amount of use analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices; and presenting a user interface based on the statistical data to a designated device.

Description

Methods for analyzing and presenting application usage

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for analyzing and presenting application usage, and more particularly, to a method for collecting data on application usage of a specific organization or individual, analyzing the collected data, and presenting the data on a user interface of a specified device.

[0002]

[0003] Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) provide cloud infrastructure to users, and users can use the application services they want through the cloud infrastructure without having to directly install the applications on their user devices.

[0004] Cloud Managed Service Providers (MSPs) partner with CSPs to provide optimized cloud services tailored to the specific needs of various users, including businesses, public institutions, schools, and individuals. They also provide maintenance and support. For example, an MSP can partner with multiple CSPs and recommend the most appropriate service combination for a specific organization (e.g., not only cloud products offered by each CSP, but also hybrid cloud and multi-cloud).

[0005] In this era of cloud computing, some CSPs (e.g., Amazon Virtual Server) are adopting a pricing model that charges users for cloud infrastructure usage, covering the entire time from the moment they launch a cloud service to the moment they terminate it. However, this pricing model is disadvantageous to users, as they are charged simply for initiating use, even when they aren't actually using the service.

[0006]

[0007] Accordingly, one purpose of the present invention is to enable reasonable pricing by accurately calculating the actual usage of users for applications including cloud infrastructure.

[0008] However, the problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to what has been mentioned above, and may include purposes that are not mentioned but can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0009]

[0010] A method for analyzing and presenting data on the usage of an application according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving usage analysis data on the usage of an application to be analyzed running on a user device from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, wherein the usage analysis data is collected based on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device by a usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices; generating statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices; and presenting a user interface based on the statistical data on a designated device.

[0011] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data on a designated device, the statistical data includes at least one of comparative statistical data between product groups of analysis-target applications, comparative statistical data between product groups of analysis-target applications constituting a specific product group of analysis-target applications, and comparative statistical data between all product groups of analysis-target applications.

[0012] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data to a designated device, the user interface includes a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used one or more analysis target application product groups running within the organization and the number of user devices that did not use the same during a predetermined period of time.

[0013] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data to a designated device, the user interface includes a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used each of the applications constituting a specific analysis target application group running within the organization during a predetermined period of time and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications.

[0014] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data on a designated device, the user interface includes a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used each of the applications constituting all analysis target application product groups running within the organization during a predetermined period of time and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications.

[0015] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data to a designated device, the user interface includes a user interface for presenting data regarding the maximum number and minimum number of user devices using one or more analysis target application product groups executed within the organization on a daily basis during a predetermined period.

[0016] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, in the step of presenting a user interface based on the statistical data to a designated device, the user interface includes a user interface that displays the daily usage of a target application or a product group of target applications for analysis preset within an organization through a calendar.

[0017] In the method for analyzing and presenting application usage data described above, the method further includes a step of presenting a user interface for adding or removing the application to be analyzed.

[0018] In the aforementioned application usage data analysis and presentation method, collecting usage analysis data based on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a user device by the usage analysis application includes executing the usage analysis application on the user device, initiating session monitoring for the user device by the usage analysis application, determining an analysis target application for performing a collection process among a plurality of applications of the user device by the usage analysis application, wherein the determining of the analysis target application includes determining whether each application currently executing on the user device is included in a preset monitoring application list sequentially, performing a collection process for the analysis target application by the usage analysis application to generate usage analysis data, and transmitting the usage analysis data to a management server by the usage analysis application.

[0019] An apparatus for implementing a method for analyzing and presenting data on the usage of an application according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a processor and a memory including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including receiving, from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, usage analysis data on the usage of an application to be analyzed running on a user device, the usage analysis data being collected by a usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices based on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device, generating statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices, and presenting a user interface based on the statistical data on a designated device.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of receiving, from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, usage analysis data on the usage of an analysis target application running on a user device, the usage analysis data being collected by a usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices based on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device, generating statistical data on the usage of the analysis target application based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices, and presenting a user interface based on the statistical data on a designated device.

[0021]

[0022] According to embodiments of the present invention, rather than calculating application usage based on the time from application launch to termination, as is typically the case, actual application usage is analyzed based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device. This allows for a glance at the software usage status of users such as businesses, schools, public institutions, and individuals, and has the effect of identifying the application usage patterns and habits of institutions or organizations. Furthermore, this allows for the reasonable calculation of application usage fees payable by institutions based on the actual application usage.

[0023] However, the effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0024]

[0025] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to further understand the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to matters described in such drawings.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for analyzing and providing application usage according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIGS. 2 to 7 are exemplary drawings showing a user interface of a usage analysis application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for presenting data on usage of an application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting usage analysis data for an application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a specific example of a collection process by a usage analysis application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031]

[0032] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the examples described herein. Furthermore, when describing the operating principles of preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations will be omitted if they are determined to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0033] Additionally, the same drawing symbols are used for parts with similar functions and actions throughout the drawings. Throughout the specification, when a particular part is said to be connected to or above / below another part, this includes not only cases where it is directly connected or above / below another part, but also cases where it is indirectly connected or above / below another part with another component in between.

[0034] Furthermore, when a part of a specification is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0035] While terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. That is, the terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component could be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component could also be referred to as the first component. The term "and / or" includes any combination of multiple related items described or any one of multiple related items described.

[0036] Additionally, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "singular" is used herein to include one or more entities. Finally, as used herein, "or" means a non-exclusive "or" unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms used in this invention have been selected from widely used, common terms, taking into account their functions within the present invention. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant invention. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should not be defined simply as names, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the present invention.

[0038]

[0039] A system for analyzing and providing application usage

[0040] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for analyzing and providing application usage according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Referring to the system illustrated in FIG. 1, multiple user devices (10) belonging to an organization can be connected to a management server (20) via a network (15). In the example of FIG. 1, only a case in which a single organization is connected to the management server (20) is illustrated, but this is merely for convenience of explanation. The management server (20) can receive and store application usage analysis data for multiple organizations and generate statistical data using the data. An administrator can manage applications for multiple organizations via the management server (20) and / or the administrator device (30).

[0042] Meanwhile, in some cases, multiple user devices (10) may be connected to an institutional server (not shown) operated by various institutions such as companies, schools, public institutions, and research institutes, and the institutional server (not shown) may play a role in managing multiple user devices (10) and data within the institution.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a usage analysis application (usage analysis App) may be executed on each of a plurality of user devices (10) belonging to an organization. The usage analysis application may be installed on the user device, or may be executed on the user device by an external resource in the form of a cloud. This usage analysis application may collect usage analysis data for at least one application determined as an analysis target application among the applications (App A, B, C, D, ...) executed on individual user devices (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...).

[0044] According to one embodiment of the present invention, multiple applications (App A, B, C, D, ...) may be running on user devices (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...) of employees or members of each organization. Here, the multiple applications running on the user devices may not only include applications in which installation files are installed on the user devices, but also applications that are provided in a cloud format so that they can be run on the user devices.

[0045] The application to be analyzed may be an application whose usage has been determined to be analyzed by the usage analysis application among multiple applications running on each of multiple user devices belonging to the organization. The application to be analyzed may be an application designated by the administrator through the management server (20) or the administrator device (30), or an application determined to be an analysis target by the usage analysis application among the monitoring target applications that can be added or removed. In one embodiment, this determination may be made based on whether a specific application is currently running, whether it is a monitoring target application, and whether it has a graphical user interface (GUI). This will be described in more detail below.

[0046] According to one embodiment, multiple applications running on a user device may be categorized into application product families (or categories), for example, Adobe product families, MS Office product families, web browser product families, statistical program product families, Hancom product families, and other product families. Furthermore, each application product family may include multiple applications. For example, the MS Office product family may include multiple applications such as Excel, OneDrive, OneNote, and PowerPoint. By categorizing multiple applications running on a user device into application product families in this way, a usage analysis application can collect usage analysis data for each application family as well as usage analysis data for each application family.

[0047] The user device (10) and the administrator device (30) may be any device having a display capable of displaying a graphical user interface of an application, such as a personal computer (PC), laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or wearable device, and may be a device that can be connected to the management server (20).

[0048] The network (15) may be a wired or wireless network, and the user device (10) may be connected to the network (15) via a wired LAN cable, or may be connected to wireless Internet, etc., at a location where a wireless access point (AP) is installed via Wi-Fi, a 3G / 4G / 5G data network, or may be connected to the network (15) by wirelessly transmitting / receiving wireless signals with peripheral devices, and there is no limitation on the specific connection method.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the management server (20) may be a server for providing, servicing, and managing a usage analysis application. The usage analysis application may have the same or different versions running on multiple user devices (10) belonging to the organization and the versions running on the management server (20) or administrator device (30). In addition, the management server (20) may provide, service, and manage at least some of the multiple applications running on the user devices (10).

[0050] In addition, the management server (20) can receive usage analysis data on the usage of the analysis target application running on each of the user devices (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...) from the usage analysis application (usage analysis App) running on each of the multiple user devices (10) belonging to the organization. This usage analysis data can be collected based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the individual user devices (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...) by the usage analysis application (usage analysis App).

[0051] Usage analysis data received by the management server (20) can be processed by the management server (20) to generate statistical data. Since the usage analysis data is raw, it can be processed and handled in various ways to generate meaningful statistical data. Furthermore, the statistical data thus generated can be presented on the user interface of the display of the management server (20).

[0052] The usage analysis data and statistical data according to one embodiment of the present invention are based on measuring the actual application usage of a user through a screen of a user device, i.e., a graphical user interface (GUI), and as a non-limiting example, may be used to provide a user interface for presenting data regarding the number of user devices that used one or more monitored application product families running within an organization for a predetermined period of time and the number of unused user devices, or to provide a user interface for presenting data regarding the number of user devices that used each specific application within one or more monitored application product families running within an organization for a predetermined period of time and the number of unused user devices, or to provide a user interface for displaying the monitored application product families used on each of the individual dates displayed in a calendar interface and the number of user devices that used the corresponding product families.

[0053] Through this, it is possible to understand the application usage patterns and habits of the organization based on the actual application usage of users of the organization's user devices, and accordingly, not only can the types and numbers of applications to be used on the user devices within the organization be effectively managed, but furthermore, it has the remarkable effect of allowing the application usage fees to be paid by the organization to be reasonably calculated based on the application usage.

[0054]

[0055] User interface of the application for usage analysis of the application

[0056] FIGS. 2 to 7 are exemplary drawings showing a user interface of a usage analysis application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 2, when a usage analysis application is executed on the management server (20), a user interface (101) for selecting a customer (i.e., an institution) may be presented when an administrator completes a login or authentication procedure. This user interface (101) for selecting an institution customer may include one or more customer information display units (103) indicating the name, installation date, and number of installed devices (or number of installed PCs) for one or more institution customers. In the example of FIG. 2, customer information display units (103) are presented for three institution customers, including a customer whose institution customer name is "Customer 1," whose installation date is "2022-06-18," and whose number of installed PCs is "4674," but the number of customer information display units (103) within the user interface (101) may vary depending on the actual number of institution customers.

[0058] In addition, the user interface (101) may include a sort button (105) that can sort the customer information display section (103) according to customer name, installation date, and number of installed PCs, respectively. In addition, the user interface (101) may include a view operation rate selection button (106) that shows the application operation rate of each customer, for example, the operation rate of a specific application product group, in preset levels, and a view integrated chart button (107) that shows the operation rate of a specific application product group in the form of a chart. For example, in the case of the view operation rate selection button (106), if the operation rate of the MS Office product group of customer 1 is 58.9%, the MS Office product group can be displayed in preset levels, such as level 3, and if the operation rate of the Adobe product group is 18.9%, the Adobe product group can be displayed in level 1. In addition, in the case of the view integrated chart button (107), the operation rates of the MS Office product groups of customers 1 to 3 can be displayed in a visualized manner, such as displaying them in the form of a bar graph on a chart.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, when an administrator selects a specific institutional customer in the user interface (101) of FIG. 2, a user interface (110) may be presented that displays the daily usage of a pre-set analysis target application or product family within the institution via a calendar. Such a user interface (110) may display the analysis target application product family used for each date and the number (113) of user devices using the product family. For example, a date corresponding to December 4, 2022 in FIG. 2 may display “Adobe product (63); MS Office product (251),” indicating that, for the customer, 63 user devices within the customer used the Adobe product family and 251 user devices within the customer used the MS Office product family. In addition, the top of the calendar may include multiple tabs (115) from which the monitoring target application product families (categories) to be displayed on the calendar can be selected. Additionally, the calendar includes a previous month button (116) and a next month button (117), allowing the administrator to see at a glance not only the application usage by date for the current month, but also the application usage by date for other months, depending on the administrator's choice.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 3, when an administrator hovers the mouse cursor or other pointer over the items "Asset Inquiry", "Usage Statistics", "Periodical Comparative Analysis", "Usage Report", "Product Management", "Member Management", and "System Management" at the top of the user interface (110) or clicks on a specific item, detailed items for each item are expanded for selection, and the administrator can select a desired detailed item from the expanded detailed items. These items at the top of the user interface (110) can be configured to remain displayed even when the user interface is switched.

[0061] FIG. 4 is a user interface (120) displayed when an administrator selects "S / W monitoring target," which is a detailed item of the "asset inquiry" item among the items at the top of the user interface (110) of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 4, one or more monitoring target applications (123) may be set by classifying them by application product group (121). In addition, the administrator may add or remove monitoring target applications (123) by classifying them by application product group (121). For example, if the administrator wishes to add a monitoring target application (123) to a specific application product group (121), the administrator may select the S / W addition button (124) and then add the desired application. In addition, if the administrator wishes to deselect an already designated monitoring target application (123), the monitoring target application may be excluded from the monitoring target by selecting it by clicking the mouse or the like, and the application may be displayed as grayed out as shown in the drawing reference numeral 123a. Additionally, if the administrator wants to add an application family (121), the administrator can select the Add Category button (125) and then add the desired application family.

[0062] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a user interface is provided that displays the monitoring target applications that are the targets of S / W monitoring in a manner that can be identified at a glance, and the monitoring target applications can be freely added or deleted through this user interface, thereby having the effect of enabling flexible analysis of application usage.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a user interface (130) displayed when an administrator selects "Category Integrated Statistics," which is a sub-item of the "Usage Statistics" item among the items at the top of the user interface (110) of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 5, when an administrator selects "PC Usage Rate" and "General Usage Rate" as the data types through the data type selection box (135), the user interface (130) for the category integrated statistics may present general operation rate integrated statistics (category general operation rate integrated statistics) (131) of the monitoring target application product group on one side, and individual statistics of general operation rates (category general operation rate individual statistics) (133) of the monitoring target application product group on the other side. Here, the general operation rate is based on the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that used a specific application product group at least once during a given period. For example, if a particular user device uses the MS Office suite at least once during a week, that user device will be counted, and this counting will be performed for user devices within the organization to determine the general uptime rate.

[0064] The general operating rate integrated statistics (131) of the monitoring target application family (or analysis target application family) are intended to allow for visual comparison of the general operating rates of multiple monitoring target application families on a chart. For example, in the example of Fig. 5, it can be seen from the general operating rate integrated statistics (131) of the monitoring target application family that the general operating rates of the Adobe family and the MS Office family account for 29% and 9% of the total operating rates, respectively.

[0065] The individual statistics (133) for the general operation rate of the monitoring target application product family are visually displayed by comparing the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that were used at least once during a given period of time with the number of unused user devices for each of multiple monitoring target application product families. For example, in the example of Fig. 5, in the case of the Adobe product family, the number of "used" user devices for which the general operation rate is measured is 3455, while the number of "unused" user devices is 864, and in the case of the MS Office product family, the number of "used" user devices is 1612, while the number of "unused" user devices is 2707.

[0066] Meanwhile, selection of data types can be made through the first drop-down box (135b) and the second drop-down box (135a) displayed when the data type selection box (135) is clicked, and the administrator can receive statistics on various data types through the user interface through the data type selection box (135). According to one embodiment, the S / W usage rate, PC operation rate, daily average usage frequency (based on aggregated actual usage period), and daily average usage frequency (based on total aggregated time) can be selected through the first drop-down box (135b), and the lower data type corresponding to the data type selected through the first drop-down box (135b) can be selected through the second drop-down box (135a). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when “PC operating rate” is selected through the first drop-down box (135b), “normal operating rate,” “maximum operating rate,” and “minimum operating rate” can be selected as sub-data types through the second drop-down box (135a).

[0067] According to one embodiment, when an administrator selects the data type as “PC operation rate” and “maximum operation rate” through the data type selection box (135), statistical data on the maximum number of user devices using the target application product group per day for a given period of time, i.e., maximum operation rate combined statistics and maximum operation rate individual statistics, can be presented in the user interface.

[0068] In addition, when the administrator selects the data type as “PC operation rate” and “minimum operation rate” through the data type selection box (135), statistical data on the minimum number of user devices that used the target application product group for monitoring on a daily basis for a given period, i.e., minimum operation rate integrated statistics and minimum operation rate individual statistics, can be presented in the user interface.

[0069] Meanwhile, if the administrator selects the data type as “S / W usage rate” through the data type selection box (135), statistical data on the number of days of use based on the number of user devices that used the monitoring target application product group at least once during a given period, i.e., integrated statistics on category S / W usage rate and individual statistics on category S / W usage rate, can be presented on the user interface.

[0070] In addition, when the administrator selects the data type as “average daily usage frequency” through the data type selection box (135), statistical data on the average number of user devices using the monitored application product group per day, i.e., the combined statistics of the category average daily usage frequency and the individual statistics of the category average daily usage frequency, can be presented in the user interface.

[0071] FIG. 6 is a user interface (140) displayed when an administrator selects "Category Detailed Statistics," which is a detailed item of the "Usage Statistics" item among the items at the top of the user interface (110) of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 6, when "PC Operation Rate" and "General Operation Rate" are selected in the data type selection box in the user interface (140) for the category detailed statistics, the general operation rate detailed statistics (S / W general operation rate detailed statistics within a specific category) (141) of each monitoring target application within a specific monitoring target application product group may be presented on one side, and the general operation rate individual statistics (S / W general operation rate individual statistics within a specific category) (143) of each monitoring target application within a specific monitoring target application product group may be presented on the other side.

[0072] Here, the general operation rate is based on the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that used a specific monitoring target application at least once during a given period. The general operation rate detailed statistics (specific category S / W general operation rate detailed statistics) (141) for each monitoring target application within a specific monitoring target application product family are used to visually compare the general operation rates of multiple monitoring target applications within a product family on a chart. For example, in the example of Fig. 6, the MS Office product family (category) may include monitoring target applications such as Excel (EXCEL.EXE), OneDrive (OneDrive.exe), OneNote (ONENOTE.EXE), Outlook (OUTLOOK.EXE), and PowerPoint (POWERPNT.exe), and the general operation rates for each monitoring target application can be visually compared on a chart. It can be seen from the detailed statistics (141) that the general operation rates of Excel and PowerPoint account for 32% and 37% of the total operation rates, respectively.

[0073] The individual statistics of the general operation rate of each monitored application within a specific monitoring target application product group (individual statistics of the general operation rate of S / W within a specific category) (143) are visually displayed by comparing the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that have been used at least once during a given period of time with the number of unused user devices for each monitored application within the product group. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, in the case of the Excel application, the number of "used" user devices for which the general operation rate is measured is 1792, while the number of "unused" user devices is 2511, and in the case of the PowerPoint application, the number of "used" user devices is 2098, while the number of "unused" user devices is 2205.

[0074] Meanwhile, as described above with respect to FIG. 5, if the administrator selects the data type as “PC operation rate / maximum operation rate,” “PC operation rate / minimum operation rate,” “S / W usage rate,” or “daily average usage frequency” rather than “PC operation rate / general operation rate” through the data type selection box, corresponding statistical data may be presented on the user interface (140).

[0075] FIG. 7 is a user interface (150) displayed when an administrator selects "S / W collection statistics," which is a detailed item of the "Usage Statistics" item among the items at the top of the user interface (110) of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the user interface (150) for S / W collection statistics, general operation rate collection statistics (S / W general operation rate collection statistics) (151) of each of all monitoring target applications may be presented on one side, and general operation rate individual statistics (S / W general operation rate individual statistics) (153) of each of all monitoring target applications may be presented on the other side.

[0076] Here, the general operation rate is based on the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that used a specific monitoring target application at least once during a given period. The general operation rate collection statistics (S / W general operation rate collection statistics) (151) for each monitoring target application visually compare the general operation rates of all monitoring target applications with each other on a chart. For example, in the example of Fig. 7, all monitoring target applications such as Excel (EXCEL.EXE), Acrobat (Acrobat.exe), Photoshop (Photoshop.exe), and Chrome (chrome.exe) can be included regardless of the product group, and the general operation rates of each monitoring target application can be visually compared with each other on a chart. For example, it can be seen from the collection statistics (151) that the general operation rates of Acrobat and Chrome applications account for 9% and 5% of the total operation rate, respectively.

[0077] The individual statistics of the general operation rate of each application to be monitored (S / W general operation rate individual statistics) (153) are to allow for a visual comparison of the number of user devices (e.g., PCs) that have been used at least once during a given period of time for each application to be monitored with the number of unused user devices. For example, in the example of Fig. 7, in the case of the Acrobat application, the number of "used" user devices for which the general operation rate is measured is 3679, while the number of "unused" user devices is 640, and in the case of the Chrome application, the number of "used" user devices is 2899, while the number of "unused" user devices is 1420.

[0078] Meanwhile, as described above with respect to FIG. 5, if the administrator selects the data type as “PC operation rate / maximum operation rate,” “PC operation rate / minimum operation rate,” “S / W usage rate,” or “daily average usage frequency” rather than “PC operation rate / general operation rate” through the data type selection box, corresponding statistical data may be presented on the user interface (150).

[0079] In this way, according to the user interface of the usage analysis application according to one embodiment of the present invention, not only can comparative statistics be presented by product group, comparative statistics by application within the product group, and comparative statistics by all applications, but also more systematic statistical information can be provided by introducing concepts such as general operation rate, minimum / maximum operation rate, etc. Accordingly, it is possible for the administrator to determine the actual application usage by customer (organization) based on the actual application usage of individual user devices. Through this, the application usage patterns and habits of the organization can be determined based on the actual application usage of users of the user devices belonging to the organization, and accordingly, not only the types and numbers of applications to be used on the user devices within the organization can be effectively managed appropriately, but also, a remarkable effect is generated in which the application usage fee to be paid by the organization can be reasonably calculated based on the application usage.

[0080]

[0081] A method for presenting data about application usage.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for presenting data on usage of an application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 8, in step S1, usage analysis data regarding the usage of an analysis target application running on a user device may be received from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to the organization. The usage analysis data may be collected based on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device by a usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices.

[0084] In step S2, statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed can be generated based on usage analysis data collected from each of a plurality of user devices.

[0085] The statistical data may include at least one of comparative statistical data between product families of analyzed applications, comparative statistical data between product families of analyzed applications that constitute a particular product family of analyzed applications, and comparative statistical data between all product families of analyzed applications.

[0086] In step S3, a user interface based on statistical data may be presented to a designated device. The designated device may be a management server located within the organization or in the cloud.

[0087] In one embodiment, a user interface based on statistical data may include a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used one or more analysis target application suites running within the institution and the number of user devices that did not use one or more analysis target application suites running within the institution over a given period of time.

[0088] In one embodiment, a user interface based on statistical data may include a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications constituting a particular analysis target application suite running within the institution over a given period of time.

[0089] In one embodiment, a user interface based on statistical data may include a user interface for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications constituting all analyzed application suites running within the institution during a given period of time.

[0090] In one embodiment, a user interface based on statistical data may include a user interface for presenting data regarding a maximum and minimum number of user devices using one or more analysis target application suites running within the institution on a daily basis during a given period.

[0091] In one embodiment, a user interface based on statistical data may include a user interface that displays daily usage of a preset analysis target application or suite of analysis target applications within an institution via a calendar.

[0092]

[0093] How to collect usage analytics data for your application

[0094] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting usage analysis data for an application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 9, in step S10, a usage analysis application may be executed on a user device belonging to an organization. The usage analysis application executed on the user device belonging to the organization may not have a separate user interface and may operate in the background. Alternatively, a simple user interface may be provided to enable confirmation of whether the usage analysis application is currently operating in the background. Once installed, this usage analysis application may be set to automatically execute by default whenever the user device is turned on.

[0096] In step S11, session monitoring for the user device may be initiated by the usage analysis application. This session monitoring corresponds to the process of determining whether the usage analysis application initiates a collection process to collect data on the usage of multiple applications on the user device.

[0097] According to one embodiment, when session monitoring by a usage analysis application is initiated, it is determined whether the operating system (OS) is logged on (step S112), and if it is determined that the OS is logged on, it may be determined whether the OS is unlocked (step S114). Here, the OS logon state refers to a state in which the user must enter the normal operating state of the OS (i.e., a state in which the user can use applications on the OS) by entering a password preset in the OS or performing an operation such as a click. In addition, the OS locked state may refer to a state in which the user must re-login or perform an operation such as a click to restart the OS when the user does not use the laptop for a predetermined period of time after logging on or closes the laptop cover (including the display unit) in the case of a user device such as a laptop. If the OS is not logged on or is locked, since the OS is not operating normally, there is no need to perform usage analysis even if the OS of the user device is running, and thus the step of collecting usage analysis data may not be entered.

[0098] In step S12, if the OS is logged on and the OS is not locked, the usage analysis application can determine an analysis target application to perform a collection process for collecting usage analysis data among multiple applications of the user device.

[0099] As a non-limiting example, the determination of the target application for analysis may include a step (S122) of sequentially determining whether each application (i.e., process) currently running on the user device is included in a preset list of monitoring applications, and a step (S124) of determining whether the application has a graphical user interface (GUI). Step S122 is for determining whether the currently running application is a target application for monitoring, and step S124 is for determining whether the application has a graphical user interface and is thus actually usable by the user for work. That is, among the target applications for monitoring, applications having a GUI may be determined as target applications for analysis.

[0100] In step S13, the user analysis application may perform a collection process on the analysis target application determined in step S12 to generate usage analysis data. The collection process may include determining whether the user has actually performed an action on the application based on the status of the graphical user interface corresponding to the application. This determination may be performed at predetermined time intervals or according to rules. This will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0101] In step S14, usage analysis data including the results of the collection process may be transmitted to the management server. In one embodiment, such usage analysis data may be converted into XML format and transmitted to the management server, but there is no limitation on the format of the transmitted data.

[0102] FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a specific example of a collection process by a usage analysis application according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 10, as described above, in the collection process, the usage analysis application analyzes the usage of each of the multiple analysis target applications (205, 2013, 214, 216) based on the status of the graphical user interface (GUI) of each application.

[0104] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the usage analysis application can assign different status identifiers (e.g., GUI_ON or GUI_OFF) depending on whether the graphical user interface (GUI) of each application is displayed on the screen of the user device, and can assign different status identifiers (e.g., Focus_ON or Focus_OFF) depending on whether the GUI is placed in the foreground even if it is displayed on the screen. In addition, even when a specific application includes multiple tabs, the usage can be analyzed based on distinguishing the tab currently placed in the foreground from other tabs and assigning different status identifiers (e.g., Focus_ON or Focus_OFF) to them.

[0105] For the sake of convenience of explanation, the example of Fig. 10 specifically illustrates a state in which a user is actually using a Chrome web browser application (205) on the screen (200) of his / her user device. According to one embodiment, since the graphical user interface of the Chrome web browser application (205) is displayed in the foreground, a state identifier called GUI_ON can be assigned to indicate that the graphical user interface (GUI) is activated.

[0106] In addition, in the example of FIG. 10, there are multiple tabs within the Chrome web browser application (205), and a tab (210) currently displayed in the foreground within the graphical user interface of the Chrome web browser application (205) may be assigned a detailed state identifier of Focus_ON, and a tab (212) that is not displayed in the foreground may be assigned a detailed state identifier of Focus_OFF. This is to assume that the user is focusing on and performing a task on the tab currently displayed in the foreground.

[0107] In addition, in the example of FIG. 10, it can be seen that, in addition to the Chrome web browser (205), a graphical user interface (i.e., a window) corresponding to Adobe's Acrobat application (213) is displayed as a background for the Chrome web browser application (205) displayed in the foreground on the screen of the user device. Accordingly, according to one embodiment of the present invention, for an application such as the Acrobat application (213) displayed in the background of the screen, GUI_ON may be granted because a GUI is displayed on the screen, but Focus_OFF may be granted because it is estimated that the user is not currently performing a task.

[0108] In addition, in the example of FIG. 10, the usage analysis application can grant GUI_OFF to an application (214) that is executed as an analysis target application but is hidden in the Windows taskbar and does not display a GUI. In addition, the usage analysis application can similarly grant GUI_OFF to an application (216) that is executed as a startup program or the like and is included in the Windows taskbar as a tray icon but on which the user is not performing any operation.

[0109] Meanwhile, even if the user doesn't currently have a GUI displayed on the screen, there may be situations where the user is using the application to perform tasks in parallel with other applications. Therefore, a usage analysis application can periodically check the graphical user interface (GUI) of each application, or determine whether a specific application is actually being used based on the duration of GUI_ON and / or Focus_ON, the interval between status changes, etc. In other words, a usage analysis application can analyze application usage by checking the status of each application's graphical user interface at predetermined time intervals or rules.

[0110] In this way, according to the method for collecting usage analysis data for an application according to one embodiment of the present invention, the usage analysis application can perform a collection process on a monitoring target, i.e., an analysis target application, which has a user interface (UI) that can actually be used by a user when the OS is operating normally, and in particular, since this collection process performs usage analysis based on the status of a graphical user interface corresponding to the analysis target application, it has a remarkable effect of being able to provide more accurate and practical usage analysis data compared to existing usage analysis methods that are simply based on whether or not the application is running.

[0111]

[0112] computer-readable recording medium

[0113] It is obvious that each step or operation of the method according to embodiments of the present invention can be performed by a computer including one or more processors by executing a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

[0114] The computer-executable instructions stored in the aforementioned recording medium can be implemented through a computer program programmed to perform each corresponding step, and such a computer program can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium and executed by a processor. The computer-readable recording medium may be a non-transitory readable medium. In this case, the non-transitory readable medium means a medium that semi-permanently stores data and can be read by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, a cache, or a memory. Specifically, the programs for performing the various methods described above can be stored and provided in a non-transitory readable medium, such as semiconductor memory devices such as erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, optical-magnetic disks, and non-volatile memories including CD-ROMs and DVD-ROM disks.

[0115] The methods according to various examples disclosed in this document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an application store (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0116]

[0117] As described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without altering its technical spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

[0118] The features and advantages described in this specification are not exhaustive, and many additional features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the drawings, specification, and claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that the language used in this specification has been primarily selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not be intended to delineate or circumscribe the subject matter of the invention.

[0119] The above description of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for illustrative purposes. It is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, nor is it intended to be exhaustive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

[0120] Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the detailed description, but is defined by any claims of the application based on the description. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of the present invention is illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing and presenting data on application usage, A step of receiving usage analysis data on the usage of an analysis target application running on a user device from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, wherein the usage analysis data is collected based on the display state of a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by the usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices, and A step of generating statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices; A step for presenting the above statistical data to a designated device. Including, but not limited to, Collecting the usage analysis data based on the display status of the graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by the usage analysis application, Running the above usage analysis application on the user device; Initiating session monitoring for the user device by the usage analysis application; Determining an analysis target application for performing a collection process among a plurality of applications of the user device by the usage analysis application, wherein the determination of the analysis target application includes sequentially determining whether each application currently running on the user device is included in a preset monitoring application list. Generating usage analysis data by performing a collection process on the analysis target application by the usage analysis application, and Including transmitting the usage analysis data to the management server by the usage analysis application. How to analyze and present application usage.

2. In paragraph 1, In the step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device, The above statistical data includes at least one of comparative statistical data between product families of analysis-target applications, comparative statistical data between analysis-target applications constituting a specific analysis-target application product family, and comparative statistical data between all analysis-target applications. How to analyze and present application usage.

3. In paragraph 1, The step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device is: A step of presenting a user interface to the designated device for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used one or more product families of analysis applications running within the institution and the number of user devices that did not use the product family during a given period of time. How to analyze and present application usage.

4. In paragraph 1, The step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device is: A step of presenting a user interface to the designated device for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications constituting the specific analysis target application family running within the institution during a given period of time. How to analyze and present application usage.

5. In paragraph 1, The step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device is: A step of presenting a user interface to the designated device for presenting comparative data regarding the number of user devices that used and the number of user devices that did not use each of the applications constituting all analysis target application families running within the institution during a designated period of time. How to analyze and present application usage.

6. In paragraph 1, The step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device is: A step of presenting a user interface to the designated device for presenting data regarding the maximum and minimum number of user devices using one or more product families of analysis applications running within the institution on a daily basis during a given period of time. How to analyze and present application usage.

7. In paragraph 1, The step of presenting the above statistical data to a designated device is: A step of presenting a user interface on the designated device that displays the daily usage of a preset analysis target application or analysis target application family within the institution through a calendar. How to analyze and present application usage.

8. In paragraph 1, The above method, A step of presenting a user interface for adding or removing the above analysis target application. A method for analyzing and presenting application usage including:

9. A device for implementing a method for analyzing and presenting data on application usage, comprising a processor and memory containing computer-executable instructions; The above computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: Receiving usage analysis data on the usage of an analysis target application running on a user device from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, wherein the usage analysis data is collected based on the display state of a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by a usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices, and Generating statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices, To present the above statistical data to a designated device. Perform actions that include: Collecting the usage analysis data based on the display status of the graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by the usage analysis application, Running the above usage analysis application on the user device; Initiating session monitoring for the user device by the usage analysis application; Determining an analysis target application for performing a collection process among a plurality of applications of the user device by the usage analysis application, wherein the determination of the analysis target application includes sequentially determining whether each application currently running on the user device is included in a preset monitoring application list. Generating usage analysis data by performing a collection process on the analysis target application by the usage analysis application, and A device comprising transmitting the usage analysis data to a management server by the usage analysis application.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing computer-executable instructions, The above computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: Receiving usage analysis data on the usage of an analysis target application running on a user device from each of a plurality of user devices belonging to an organization, wherein the usage analysis data is collected based on the display state of a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by the usage analysis application running on each of the plurality of user devices, Generate statistical data on the usage of the application to be analyzed based on the usage analysis data collected from each of the plurality of user devices, To present the above statistical data to the specified device. Let the actions be performed, Collecting the usage analysis data based on the display status of the graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the application running on the user device by the usage analysis application, Running the above usage analysis application on the user device; Initiating session monitoring for the user device by the usage analysis application; Determining an analysis target application for performing a collection process among a plurality of applications of the user device by the usage analysis application, wherein the determination of the analysis target application includes sequentially determining whether each application currently running on the user device is included in a preset monitoring application list. Generating usage analysis data by performing a collection process on the analysis target application by the usage analysis application, and A computer-readable recording medium comprising transmitting the usage analysis data to a management server by the usage analysis application.

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