Automated Testing Platform for Cross-Platform Compatibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

The complexity of ensuring compatibility and reliable operation of software applications across diverse devices, operating systems, and web browsers poses a significant bottleneck in the testing process, making it difficult to achieve timely and comprehensive testing.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an automated testing platform that allocates virtual computing environment instances corresponding to various device operating systems and web browsers, establishing communication links to apply test commands, receive test results, and correlate state information, enabling rich, time-correlated data capture and presentation to developers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If automated testing is implemented across multiple device operating systems and web browsers, then testing coverage and compatibility assurance are improved, but system complexity and resource allocation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompatibility assuranceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the testing infrastructure into virtual computing environment instances, each representing a specific device operating system and web browser combination. This segmentation allows independent management and configuration of each testing environment, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive coverage across multiple platforms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a control/capture service as an intermediary component that mediates between test execution and data collection. This intermediary layer simplifies the testing architecture by centralizing control functions and enabling standardized interaction with diverse virtual computing environments without requiring direct complex integrations with each individual platform.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If comprehensive test data collection including state information is implemented, then troubleshooting efficiency and pattern identification are improved, but data processing complexity and storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetroubleshooting efficiencyVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and storing state information from virtual computing environments during test execution. This preliminary data collection includes screenshots, device states, and contextual information that are preserved for later analysis, enabling efficient troubleshooting without requiring complex real-time processing during the analysis phase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where test results and state information are correlated and fed back to the testing system. This feedback loop enables automatic pattern identification and facilitates iterative improvement of testing processes, reducing the need for manual complex analysis while maintaining high troubleshooting efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12086051B2Automated application testing system
Publication Date: 2024.09.10 SAUCE LABS
  • US12086051B2 patent drawing
  • US12086051B2 patent drawing
  • US12086051B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods and apparatus are described by which a rich, time-correlated information set is captured during automated testing of an application in a way that allows the application developer to understand the state of the application under test (AUT), the browser interacting with the AUT, and/or the device interacting with the AUT, as it/they changed over time. Mechanisms or features associated with browsers and/or device operating systems are exploited to capture such information, not only for the purpose of better understanding individual test runs, but also to enable the use of analytics over data sets.