Remote Mobile App Control via Intermediary Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile application users often face difficulties in utilizing features and encounter errors due to confusion or communication issues between the mobile application and network services, such as marketplaces, which existing technologies fail to address effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows customer support agents to remotely view and control mobile applications, using a client help application on the user's device and a server help application, enabling them to diagnose and resolve issues by accessing the application's state and screen display, and performing actions on behalf of the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mobile applications are streamlined with larger graphics and simpler layout, then ease of operation is improved, but application errors and user confusion still occur due to communication issues between mobile application and network services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server help application as an intermediary between the mobile application and network services. This intermediary captures screenshots, transmits them to the server, and enables remote assistance to diagnose and resolve communication errors between the mobile application and network services, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving ease of operation.
2Productivity
If customer support agents need to remotely view and control mobile applications to diagnose issues, then problem-solving capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional help application components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy of the mobile application interface by capturing screenshots and transmitting them to the server help application. This allows customer support agents to view and diagnose issues remotely without adding complex control mechanisms to the mobile device itself, thus improving problem-solving capability while minimizing increases in device complexity.
3Ease of repair
If a help application is integrated into the mobile application, then ease of repair is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional software components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the server help application to serve multiple functions: capturing screenshots, transmitting them to the server, receiving and executing remote control commands, and providing feedback to the user. This multi-functional approach consolidates repair capabilities into a single integrated system, improving ease of repair while managing device complexity through functional consolidation rather than adding separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus for providing assistance to a user of a mobile application are described. A request to establish a session for a single mobile application executing on a mobile device is received on a remote device via an application programming interface (API) that is integrated with the single mobile application. Information from the single mobile application is received on the remote device via the API, the information including information about the single mobile application. A command is sent from the remote device to the mobile device, causing the mobile device to execute the command in the single mobile application.