Local browser databases support in state management for user interface based browser automation

Abstract

Automated scans of a browser are used to simulate user action and access client-side code returned by the client application under test. To maintain a state of a logged-in user, scanners such as WebInspect rely on state synchronization mechanisms. Prior art browsers relied on cookies to store state information. With browser advancements, several additions were made to store client-side data in a browser, such as a database for local storage (e.g., web storage). Embodiments herein are directed to utilization of a local data storage to determine and manage a logged-in state of an automated user and enable automated testing that may otherwise fail if a user is not logged in.

Description

LOCAL BROWSER DATABASES SUPPORT IN STATE MANAGEMENT FOR USERINTERFACE BASED BROWSER AUTOMATIONFIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The invention relates generally to systems and methods for automated testing of web clients (e.g., browsers) and backend servers and particularly to applying login state information from a previous session to a subsequent session.BACKGROUND

[0002] Automated scans of multiple web browsers are used to simulate user actions and assess client-side code returned by the client application under test. To maintain the state of a logged-in user, scanners such as Fortify Weblnspect by OpenText, Inc., rely on state synchronization mechanisms, such as cookies.

[0003] If a user is logged out, access to private areas (e.g., areas that require a valid login) are unavailable for testing until the "user" (a human or an automated testing / securing scanning application) logs back in. Logging back in is a time- and resource-intensive process that requires a significant amount of optimization to be feasible and to complete successfully. For example, a login may require multi-factor authentication (MFA) which requires a setup with a secondary device or account, requiring its own setup and authentication such as a cellular phone number or email account to receive a time-based one-time password (TOTP). Once set up, the login process needs timely access to the text message or email, often requiring its own login procedures and time to authenticate in order to access the TOTP for use in logging in to the web application. When performed over multiple accounts and / or web browsers, such a process is resource intensive and error prone.SUMMARY

[0004] These and other needs are addressed by the various embodiments and configurations of the present invention. The present invention can provide a number of advantages depending on the particular configuration. These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s) contained herein.

[0005] Prior art browser technology limited the storage of state information, such as a session login state, to cookies. With advancements in browser technology and browser restrictions (such as ITP - Intelligent Tracking Prevention), several additional optionsbecame available for the storage of client-side data in a browser, including cookies, indexed database (DB), local storage and session storage. In modem single-page applications, storing state information (e.g. token) in the browser storage provides persistence when navigating between pages or switching between browser tabs. Accordingly, client-side frameworks often rely on the presence of those browser-based storage facilities to store information to identify the logged-in user (e.g., via a token, user id, email, etc.), commonly known as state management.

[0006] Prior art browsers using only cookies required state management to intercept network traffic, which revealed most cookie operations. A proxy could then set, clear, and modify a cookie using a predefined set of rules for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) headers. Current web browsers, using web application storage, utilize code execution inside the browser rather than cookies and, therefore, are no longer visible by monitoring network traffic.

[0007] Embodiments herein are, in part, directed to recognizing the usage of web storage, identifying if the state of a browser (e.g., a user instance) is logged in or logged out, and synchronizing the state among multiple browsers being used during a scan. Additional embodiments provide a solution to state management and the use of internal browser databases (web storage). When a browser session is closed (e.g., execution of the browser application is terminated), cleanup processes will typically remove session-specific data, including state information maintained by cookies. Re-establishing the session fails to reestablish the user as being logged in, even if a web server has not yet detected the logout.

[0008] As used herein a "scan" refers to testing of a client application, such as a browser, as it interacts with a host computer (e.g., a server or web host). Such tests may identify usability issues (e.g., a field that should only accept numbers will accept letters) and / or security issues (e.g., vulnerabilities, etc.). The tests may include testing the login process itself, such as to ensure only authenticated users are provided access to private data, such as data specific to the particular user and / or data that is confidential or otherwise nonpublic. A scan may be executed on a single browser (or instance of a browser) or a plurality of browsers. Accordingly, the scan may detect a fault that only occurs when a plurality of browsers concurrently request an operation(s) by the web host.

[0009] A scan may require a "user" to perform operations (e.g., log in, select items, provide information, etc.). Embodiments of the user are partially automated (e.g., a particular user selected by a human user, some but not all information provided by a human user, etc.) or fully automated, such as when the user is executing a script,algorithm, etc. to interact with the browser without any human intervention, with the possible exception of initiating the scan itself. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that unless the user is explicitly identified as being a human user, the embodiments herein are solely directed to a "user" that is an automated user.

[0010] It should be appreciated that the systems and methods disclosed herein may, in other embodiments, be utilized to manage data other than session data. For example, a session with a web client may need or return application-specific data, such as a user's age, address, time of last interaction with the application, confirmation code, etc. Accordingly, such data may be maintained and utilized in other browsers' sessions for testing / scanning.

[0011] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, including: a processor; a first data storage; wherein the testing device: launches a web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; and loads the state information to a second data storage utilized by the web browser for state information; and executes tests on the web browser including at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

[0012] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein the state information includes indicum of the web browser being logged in to a user account.

[0013] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein at least one test of the tests requires the web browser to access private data only available when the state information includes the indicum of the web browser being logged in to a user account.

[0014] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein: the state information includes indicum of the web browser not being logged in to the user account; the testing device provides inputs to the web browser to log in to the user account; and upon logging in to the user account, saving the state information from the second data storage to the first data storage.

[0015] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account is determined upon the testing device identifying a key, in a portion of the state information, associated with a current login to the user account.

[0016] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account is determined upon the testing device causing the web browser to attempt to access private data only availablewhen the state information includes the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account and the attempt being successful.

[0017] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, further including: a communication interface to a network; and wherein the testing device launches the web browser, the web browser exchanges data with a web host via the network.

[0018] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein the testing device provides inputs to the web browser to log in to a user account further including the web browser authenticating the inputs with the web host.

[0019] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, further including: a communication interface to a network; and the web browser exchanges data with a web host including user data associated with an authenticated user.

[0020] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein: the testing device: launches a plurality of web browsers, including the web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; and loads the state information to a plurality of second data storage, including the second data storage, wherein ones of the plurality of second data storage are utilized by corresponding ones of the plurality of web browsers for state information; and executes tests on the plurality of web browsers, including at least one test requiring each of the plurality of web browsers to be in the state determined by the state information.

[0021] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a testing device, wherein: the testing device launches the web browser further including causing a client device to launch the web browser on the client device; and the client device includes the second data storage.

[0022] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, including: testing device, the testing device further including a first processor, and a first data storage; a client device, the client device including a second processor, and a second data storage; wherein the testing device: causes the client device to launch a web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; and loads the state information to the second data storage utilized by the web browser for state information; and executes tests on the web browser including at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

[0023] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the state information includes indicum of the web browser being logged in to a user account.

[0024] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein at least one test of the tests requires the web browser to access private data only available when the state information includes the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account.

[0025] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the web browser exchanges data with a web host via a network.

[0026] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the web browser exchanges data with the web host further including exchanging inputs to log in to a user account maintained on the web host.

[0027] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, including: retrieving state information from a first data storage; loading the state information to a second data storage utilized by a web browser for state information; and executing tests on the web browser including at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

[0028] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, further includes executing the at least one test requiring the web browser to be in the state indicating login to a user account.

[0029] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, further including: upon determining the state information is absent state information indicating login to a user account, logging in to the user account; and upon successfully logging in to the user account, saving the state information from the second data storage to the first data storage.

[0030] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the at least one test includes a test of private data maintained by a web host accessible only when the web browser is logged in to the user account.

[0031] A system on a chip (SoC) including any one or more of the above aspects or aspects of the embodiments described herein.

[0032] One or more means for performing any one or more of the above or aspects of the embodiments described herein.

[0033] Any aspect in combination with any one or more other aspects.

[0034] Any one or more of the features disclosed herein.

[0035] Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein.

[0036] Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein in combination with any one or more other features as substantially disclosed herein.

[0037] Any one of the aspects / features / embodiments in combination with any one or more other aspects / features / embodiments.

[0038] Use of any one or more of the aspects or features as disclosed herein.

[0039] Any of the above aspects or aspects of the embodiments described herein, wherein the data storage comprises a non-transitory storage device, which may further comprise at least one of: an on-chip memory within the processor, a register of the processor, an onboard memory co-located on a processing board with the processor, a memory accessible to the processor via a bus, a magnetic media, an optical media, a solid-state media, an input-output buffer, a memory of an input-output component in communication with the processor, a network communication buffer, and a networked component in communication with the processor via a network interface.

[0040] It is to be appreciated that any feature described herein can be claimed in combination with any other feature(s) as described herein, regardless of whether the features come from the same described embodiment.

[0041] The phrases "at least one," "one or more," "or," and "and / or" are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "A, B, and / or C," and "A, B, or C" means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together.

[0042] The term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more," and "at least one" can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

[0043] The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to any process or operation, which is typically continuous or semi-continuous, done without material human input when the process or operation is performed. However, a process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input, if the input is received before performance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human input that consents to the performance of the process or operation is not deemed to be “material.”

[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an embodiment that is entirely hardware , an embodiment that is entirely software (including firmware, residentsoftware, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.” Any combination of one or more computer-readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer- readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0045] A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible, non-transitory medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0046] A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer- readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium that is not a computer- readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0047] The terms “determine,” “calculate,” “compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

[0048] The term “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f) and / or Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materialsor acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

[0049] The preceding is a simplified summary of the invention to provide an understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the invention and its various embodiments. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention but to present selected concepts of the invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms of exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciated that an individual aspect of the disclosure can be separately claimed.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appended figures:

[0051] Fig. 1 depicts a system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0052] Fig. 2 depicts a process flow in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0053] Fig. 3 depicts a code portion in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0054] Fig. 4 depicts a device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The ensuing description provides embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the ensuing description will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the embodiments. It will be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0056] Any reference in the description comprising a numeric reference number, without an alphabetic sub-reference identifier when a sub-reference identifier exists in the figures, when used in the plural, is a reference to any two or more elements with the like reference number. When such a reference is made in the singular form, but without identification of the sub-reference identifier, it is a reference to one of the like numbered elements, butwithout limitation as to the particular one of the elements being referenced. Any explicit usage herein to the contrary or providing further qualification or identification shall take precedence.

[0057] The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure will also be described in relation to analysis software, modules, and associated analysis hardware. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the following description omits well- known structures, components, and devices, which may be omitted from or shown in a simplified form in the figures or otherwise summarized.

[0058] For purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific details set forth herein.

[0059] Fig. 1 depicts system 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. System 100 illustrates one topology deployed to implement certain embodiments described herein. While system 100 illustrates discrete components performing discrete operations, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that system 100 may be modified without departing from the scope of the embodiments herein. Embodiments include, but are not limited to, modifications to system 100 that add additional components to perform a portion of the function described herein, reducing the number of components to perform a combination of functions described herein. For example, and in one embodiment, system 100 is modified to include a single physical component comprising processing components and data storage components, such as a virtual system wherein the functionality of a client device is embodied as a virtual process. Additionally or alternatively, web server functionality is provided by another virtual process.

[0060] When one or more components of system 100 are embodied as discrete components, one or more links 114 may be embodied as one or more networks or other data conduit (e.g., Ethernet). When one or more components of system 100 are embodied as a virtual process, one or more links 114 may be a simulated network that is physically embodied as an inter-process communication and / or a single component communication (e.g., bus, backplane, etc.).

[0061] In one embodiment, testing device 102 executes scans on web browser(s) 112 executing on client device 104. Testing device 102 alone or via client device 104 may launch web browser(s) 112. Testing device 102 may utilize first storage 108 as arepository for browser configurations, tests, test data, test results, etc. Client device 104 executes web browser(s) 112, which may further interact with web host 106. Web host 106 may utilize its own data storage (not shown) and / or be configured with data maintained in another data storage of system 100, such as first storage 108. As a further option, web host 106 may be a process executing on testing device 102.

[0062] In another embodiment, client device 104 executes web browser(s) 112, which may utilize second storage 110, such as a repository for browser data (e.g., state information).

[0063] In one embodiment, recognizing and / or indicating the usage of storage to maintain state data (or simply, "state") is provided. During the configuration / recording step of the scan, multiple hooks are installed in the browser, such as by testing device 102 accessing data from first storage 108. In a replay state, collected data is applied to modify web browser(s) 112. These hooks communicate with code when an entry in the storage solution, such as second storage 110, is being added, removed, and / or modified. The entries are collected by testing device 102 and / or client device 104 at the end of the recording to end up with a list of entries that were used during the login process performed by web browser(s) 112.

[0064] If the user's interaction does not modify the list of entries, by default all recorded entries into both session / local storage (common web storage used by scanned applications, such as maintained in second storage 110) will be used during the scan to maintain the logged-in state.

[0065] The entry names and storage types are stored inside a macro produced during the configuration / recording step of the scan for later usage, which may be further maintained in first storage 108.

[0066] Fig. 2 depicts process flow 200 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, process flow 200 is embodied as machine-readable instructions maintained in a non-transitory memory that when read by a machine cause the machine to execute the instructions and thereby execute process flow 200 or a portion thereof. The processor of the server may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor of testing device 102, client device 104, and / or web host 106.

[0067] In one embodiment, process flow 200 begins at entry 202. Next, domain object model (DOM) automation tool 204 is executed, such as by testing device 102. DOM automation tool 204 initializes, at operation 206, a login playback and enters user credentials in login dialog 214 of application under test 212 (e.g., a client browserinteracting with a server, such as browser 112 interacting with web host 106). The login dialog 214 obtains access to authenticated application 216 (such as on web host 106) and obtains web storage data via the web storage hooks in operation 208. Operation 210 then notifies the web storage manager 220, which sets the web storage data in operation 222. The browser(s) 226 get the web storage data from Web Storage Manager’s Get Operation 224. When browser(s) 226 are embodied as a plurality of browsers, each browser thereof comprises DOM crawl / audit evaluation 228. Additionally or alternatively, browser(s) 226 specifically request the web storage data.

[0068] Operation 230 applies web storage data to access authenticated application 218 of application under test 212. Next, operation 232 loads application under test DOM and operation 234 evaluates an event-based logout condition, which is either logged-in state 236 or logged-out state 238. When logged-in state 236 is evaluated as true, operation 240 performs the DOM crawl / audit evaluations as a part of a scan and, when complete, exits 242. When logged-out state 238 is true, processing returns to repeat operation 206.

[0069] Fig. 3 depicts code portion 300 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, a browser (e.g., one or more of browser(s) 112, one or more of browser(s) 226) is recognized as not logged in during a scan. A user may not be logged in due to an omission of the login process or due to a server-side operation, such as the web host timing out or an expired token.

[0070] To recognize whether a user was logged out during a requested browser operation that occurred during a scan, an event-based / code-based logout condition is provided.

[0071] When a browser is requested to perform an action (e.g., the test side is in the browser), after the browser has loaded the synchronized storage, and the page has successfully loaded (e.g., has successfully gotten past the document loading stage), the code predicate representing the logout condition will execute flagging true if the user is logged out.

[0072] In one embodiment, code portion 300 includes instruction 302 to set a token in accordance with retrieving a particular key, such as a key stored in an entry in a data record maintained in second storage 110. Instruction 304 determines if the current user is logged in by performing an "and" operation to locate particular web content (e.g., a path / port), such as from web host 106, and if the particular key was retrieved. The result is reported, such as to an application (e.g., Weblnspect) by instruction 306.

[0073] Fig. 4 depicts device 402 in system 400 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, one or more of testing device 102, client device,104, and / or web host 106 may be embodied, in whole or in part, as device 402 comprising various components and connections to other components and / or systems. The components are variously embodied and may comprise processor 404. The term "processor," as used herein, refers exclusively to electronic hardware components comprising electrical circuitry with connections (e.g., pin-outs) to convey encoded electrical signals to and from the electrical circuitry. Processor 404 may comprise programmable logic functionality, such as determined, at least in part, from accessing machine-readable instructions maintained in a non-transitory data storage, which may be embodied as circuitry, on-chip read-only memory, computer memory 406, data storage 408, etc., that cause the processor 404 to perform the steps of the instructions. Processor 404 may be further embodied as a single electronic microprocessor or multiprocessor device (e.g., multicore) having electrical circuitry therein which may further comprise a control unit(s), input / output unit(s), arithmetic logic unit(s), register(s), primary memory, and / or other components that access information (e.g., data, instructions, etc.), such as received via bus 414, executes instructions, and outputs data, again such as via bus 414. In other embodiments, processor 404 may comprise a shared processing device that may be utilized by other processes and / or process owners, such as in a processing array within a system (e.g., blade, multi-processor board, etc.) or distributed processing system (e.g., "cloud", farm, etc.). It should be appreciated that processor 404 is a non-transitory computing device (e.g., electronic machine comprising circuitry and connections to communicate with other components and devices). Processor 404 may operate a virtual processor, such as to process machine instructions not native to the processor (e.g., translate the VAX operating system and VAX machine instruction code set into Intel® 9xx chipset code to enable VAX-specific applications to execute on a virtual VAX processor). However, as those of ordinary skill understand, such virtual processors are applications executed by hardware, more specifically, the underlying electrical circuitry and other hardware of the processor (e.g., processor 404). Processor 404 may be executed by virtual processors, such as when applications (i.e., Pod) are orchestrated by Kubemetes. Virtual processors enable an application to be presented with what appears to be a static and / or dedicated processor executing the instructions of the application, while underlying non-virtual processor(s) are executing the instructions and may be dynamic and / or split among a number of processors.

[0074] In addition to the components of processor 404, device 402 may utilize computer memory 406 and / or data storage 408 for the storage of accessible data, such asinstructions, values, etc. Communication interface 410 facilitates communication with components, such as processor 404 via bus 414 with components not accessible via bus 414 and may be embodied as a network interface (e.g., ethernet card, wireless networking components, USB port, etc.). Communication interface 410 may be embodied as a network port, card, cable, or other configured hardware device. Additionally or alternatively, human input / output interface 412 connects to one or more interface components to receive and / or present information (e.g., instructions, data, values, etc.) to and / or from a human and / or electronic device. Examples of input / output devices 430 that may be connected to input / output interface include, but are not limited to, keyboard, mouse, trackball, printers, displays, sensor, switch, relay, speaker, microphone, still and / or video camera, etc. In another embodiment, communication interface 410 may comprise, or be comprised by, human input / output interface 412. Communication interface 410 may be configured to communicate directly with a networked component or configured to utilize one or more networks, such as network 420 and / or network 424.

[0075] Links 114 may be embodied, in whole or in part, as network 420. Network 420 may be a wired network (e.g., Ethernet), wireless (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc.) network, or combination thereof and enable device 402 to communicate with networked component(s) 422. In other embodiments, network 420 may be embodied, in whole or in part, as a telephony network (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), private branch exchange (PBX), cellular telephony network, etc.).

[0076] Additionally or alternatively, one or more other networks may be utilized. For example, network 424 may represent a second network, which may facilitate communication with components utilized by device 402. For example, network 424 may be an internal network to a business entity or other organization, whereby components are trusted (or at least more so) than networked components 422, which may be connected to network 420 comprising a public network (e.g., Internet) that may not be as trusted.

[0077] Components attached to network 424 may include computer memory 426, data storage 428, input / output device(s) 430, and / or other components that may be accessible to processor 404. For example, computer memory 426 and / or data storage 428 may supplement or supplant computer memory 406 and / or data storage 408 entirely or for a particular task or purpose. As another example, computer memory 426 and / or data storage 428 may be an external data repository (e.g., server farm, array, "cloud," etc.) and enable device 402, and / or other devices, to access data thereon. Similarly, input / output device(s) 430 may be accessed by processor 404 via human input / output interface 412 and / or viacommunication interface 410 either directly, via network 424, via network 420 alone (not shown), or via networks 424 and 420. Each of computer memory 406, data storage 408, computer memory 426, data storage 428 comprise a non-transitory data storage comprising a data storage device. In another embodiment, one or more of first storage 108 and second storage 110 may be embodied as memory 406, data storage 408, and / or data storage 428.

[0078] It should be appreciated that computer readable data may be sent, received, stored, processed, and presented by a variety of components. It should also be appreciated that components illustrated may control other components, whether illustrated herein or otherwise. For example, one input / output device 430 may be a router, a switch, a port, or other communication component such that a particular output of processor 404 enables (or disables) input / output device 430, which may be associated with network 420 and / or network 424, to allow (or disallow) communications between two or more nodes on network 420 and / or network 424. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other communication equipment may be utilized, in addition or as an alternative, to those described herein without departing from the scope of the embodiments.

[0079] In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described without departing from the scope of the embodiments. It should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed as algorithms executed by hardware components (e.g., circuitry) purpose-built to carry out one or more algorithms or portions thereof described herein. In another embodiment, the hardware component may comprise a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., CPU, GPU) that is first converted to a special-purpose microprocessor. The special-purpose microprocessor then having had loaded therein encoded signals causing the, now special-purpose, microprocessor to maintain machine- readable instructions to enable the microprocessor to read and execute the machine- readable set of instructions derived from the algorithms and / or other instructions described herein. The machine-readable instructions utilized to execute the algorithm(s), or portions thereof, are not unlimited but utilize a finite set of instructions known to the microprocessor. The machine-readable instructions may be encoded in the microprocessor as signals or values in signal-producing components by, in one or more embodiments, voltages in memory circuits, configuration of switching circuits, and / or by selective use of particular logic gate circuits. Additionally or alternatively, the machine-readableinstructions may be accessible to the microprocessor and encoded in a media or device as magnetic fields, voltage values, charge values, reflective / non-reflective portions, and / or physical indicum.

[0080] In another embodiment, the microprocessor further comprises one or more of a single microprocessor, a multi-core processor, a plurality of microprocessors, a distributed processing system (e.g., array(s), blade(s), server farm(s), "cloud", multi-purpose processor array(s), cluster(s), etc.) and / or may be co-located with a microprocessor performing other processing operations. Any one or more microprocessors may be integrated into a single processing appliance (e.g., computer, server, blade, etc.) or located entirely, or in part, in a discrete component and connected via a communications link (e.g., bus, network, backplane, etc. or a plurality thereof).

[0081] Examples of general-purpose microprocessors may comprise, a central processing unit (CPU) with data values encoded in an instruction register (or other circuitry maintaining instructions) or data values comprising memory locations, which in turn comprise values utilized as instructions. The memory locations may further comprise a memory location that is external to the CPU. Such CPU-external components may be embodied as one or more of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), random access memory (RAM), bus-accessible storage, network- accessible storage, etc.

[0082] These machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine- readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions.Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.

[0083] In another embodiment, a microprocessor may be a system or collection of processing hardware components, such as a microprocessor on a client device and a microprocessor on a server, a collection of devices with their respective microprocessor, or a shared or remote processing service (e.g., "cloud" based microprocessor). A system of microprocessors may comprise task-specific allocation of processing tasks and / or shared or distributed processing tasks. In yet another embodiment, a microprocessor may execute software to provide the services to emulate a different microprocessor or microprocessors. As a result, a first microprocessor, comprised of a first set of hardware components, may virtually provide the services of a second microprocessor whereby the hardware associatedwith the first microprocessor may operate using an instruction set associated with the second microprocessor.

[0084] While machine-executable instructions may be stored and executed locally to a particular machine (e.g., personal computer, mobile computing device, laptop, etc.), it should be appreciated that the storage of data and / or instructions and / or the execution of at least a portion of the instructions may be provided via connectivity to a remote data storage and / or processing device or collection of devices, commonly known as "the cloud," but may include a public, private, dedicated, shared and / or other service bureau, computing service, and / or "server farm."

[0085] Examples of the microprocessors as described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 microprocessor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion comicroprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family of microprocessors, the Intel® Xeon® family of microprocessors, the Intel® Atom™ family of microprocessors, the Intel Itanium® family of microprocessors, Intel® Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22nm Ivy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of microprocessors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri microprocessors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment microprocessors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile microprocessors, ARM® Cortex™-M microprocessors, ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ microprocessors, other industry-equivalent microprocessors, and may perform computational functions using any known or future-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and / or architecture.

[0086] Any of the steps, functions, and operations discussed herein can be performed continuously and automatically.

[0087] The exemplary systems and methods of this invention have been described in relation to communications systems and components and methods for monitoring, enhancing, and embellishing communications and messages. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention, the preceding description omits a number of known structures and devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scope of the claimed invention. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. It should, however, be appreciated that the present invention may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.

[0088] Furthermore, while the exemplary embodiments illustrated herein show the various components of the system collocated, certain components of the system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LAN and / or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the components or portions thereof (e.g., microprocessors, memory / storage, interfaces, etc.) of the system can be combined into one or more devices, such as a server, servers, computer, computing device, terminal, "cloud" or other distributed processing, or collocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and / or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switched network, or a circuit-switched network. In another embodiment, the components may be physical or logically distributed across a plurality of components (e.g., a microprocessor may comprise a first microprocessor on one component and a second microprocessor on another component, each performing a portion of a shared task and / or an allocated task). It will be appreciated from the preceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the system can be arranged at any location within a distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system. For example, the various components can be located in a switch such as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communications devices, at one or more users’ premises, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could be distributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associated computing device.

[0089] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and / or communicating data to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.

[0090] Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation of the invention.

[0091] A number of variations and modifications of the invention can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of the invention without providing others.

[0092] In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this invention can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal microprocessor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various aspects of this invention. Exemplary hardware that can be used for the present invention includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include microprocessors (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component / object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein as provided by one or more processing components.

[0093] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or object-oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance with this invention is dependent on the speed and / or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized.

[0094] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executed on programmed general- purpose computer with the cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this invention can be implemented as a program embedded on a personal computer such as an applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and / or method into a software and / or hardware system.

[0095] Embodiments herein comprising software are executed, or stored for subsequent execution, by one or more microprocessors and are executed as executable code. The executable code being selected to execute instructions that comprise the particular embodiment. The instructions executed being a constrained set of instructions selected from the discrete set of native instructions understood by the microprocessor and, prior to execution, committed to microprocessor-accessible memory. In another embodiment, human-readable "source code" software, prior to execution by the one or more microprocessors, is first converted to system software to comprise a platform (e.g., computer, microprocessor, database, etc.) specific set of instructions selected from the platform's native instruction set.

[0096] Although the present invention describes components and functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be included in the present invention. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in the present invention.

[0097] The present invention, in various embodiments, configurations, and aspects, includes components, methods, processes, systems and / or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure. The present invention, in various embodiments, configurations, and aspects, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and / or described herein or in various embodiments, configurations, or aspects hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease, and\or reducing cost of implementation.

[0098] The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments, configurations, or aspects for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features ofthe embodiments, configurations, or aspects of the invention may be combined in alternate embodiments, configurations, or aspects other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment, configuration, or aspect. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0099] Moreover, though the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments, configurations, or aspects and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights, which include alternative embodiments, configurations, or aspects to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. A testing device, comprising: a processor; and a first data storage; wherein the testing device: launches a web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; loads the state information to a second data storage utilized by the web browser for state information; and executes tests on the web browser comprising at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

2. The testing device of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises indicum of the web browser being logged in to a user account.

3. The testing device of claim 2, wherein the at least one test of the tests requires the web browser to access private data only available when the state information comprises the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account.

4. The testing device of claim 2, wherein: the state information comprises indicum of the web browser not being logged in to the user account; the testing device provides inputs to the web browser to log in to the user account; and upon logging in to the user account, saves the state information from the second data storage to the first data storage.

5. The testing device of claim 2, wherein the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account is determined upon the testing device identifying a key, in a portion of the state information, associated with a current login to the user account.

6. The testing device of claim 2, wherein the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account is determined upon the testing device causing the webbrowser to attempt to access private data only available when the state information comprises the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account and the attempt being successful.

7. The testing device of claim 1, further comprising: a communication interface to a network; and wherein the testing device launches the web browser, and the web browser exchanges data with a web host via the network.

8. The testing device of claim 7, wherein the testing device provides inputs to the web browser to log in to a user account, further comprising the web browser authenticating the inputs with the web host.

9. The testing device of claim 1, further comprising: a communication interface to a network; and the web browser exchanges data with a web host comprising user data associated with an authenticated user.

10. The testing device of claim 1, wherein: the testing device: launches a plurality of web browsers, comprising the web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; loads the state information to a plurality of second data storage, comprising the second data storage, wherein ones of the plurality of second data storage are utilized by corresponding ones of the plurality of web browsers for state information; and executes tests on the plurality of web browsers comprising at least one test requiring each of the plurality of web browsers to be in the state determined by the state information.

11. The testing device of claim 1, wherein: the testing device launches the web browser, further comprising causing a client device to launch the web browser on the client device; and the client device comprises the second data storage.

12. A system, comprising: a testing device, the testing device further comprising a first processor and a first data storage; and a client device, the client device comprising a second processor and a second data storage; wherein the testing device: causes the client device to launch a web browser; retrieves state information from the first data storage; loads the state information to the second data storage utilized by the web browser for state information; and executes tests on the web browser comprising at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the state information comprises indicum of the web browser being logged in to a user account.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one test of the tests requires the web browser to access private data only available when the state information comprises the indicum of the web browser being logged in to the user account.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the web browser exchanges data with a web host via a network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the web browser exchanges data with the web host, further comprising exchanging inputs to log in to a user account maintained on the web host.

17. A method, comprising: retrieving state information from a first data storage; loading the state information to a second data storage utilized by a web browser for state information; and executing tests on the web browser comprising at least one test requiring the web browser to be in a state determined by the state information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising executing the at least one test requiring the web browser to be in the state indicating login to a user account.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: upon determining the state information is absent state information indicating login to a user account, logging in to the user account; and upon successfully logging in to the user account, saving the state information from the second data storage to the first data storage.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one test comprises a test of private data maintained by a web host accessible only when the web browser is logged in to the user account.

Images