Automated Web Navigation and Content Extraction via Modular API
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for automating web navigation and content extraction are time-consuming, complex, and prone to failure when website structures change, particularly when dealing with scripted content, requiring skilled programmers and manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
A storage medium with program components executable through a common API that includes navigation, parsing, and querying capabilities, allowing adaptive website navigation, content extraction, and standardization, including support for XPath query language, to automate website navigation and content extraction without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If custom applications are written to automate content collection, then automation capability is improved, but device complexity and programming difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex automation task into distinct functional modules: a navigation module that handles website traversal and a content extraction module that handles data collection. This modular architecture reduces overall system complexity by allowing each module to be developed, tested, and maintained independently, while still providing comprehensive automation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component that acts as a bridge between the navigation module and content extraction module. This intermediary handles the complex interactions and data transformations between modules, shielding users from the underlying complexity while maintaining full automation capability.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom applications are developed with detailed navigational routes, then content extraction accuracy is improved, but development time and programming expertise requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the navigation module with standard navigational patterns and templates for common website structures. This allows the system to achieve high content extraction accuracy by matching websites against these pre-established patterns, eliminating the need for developers to create custom navigational routes from scratch for each website.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by allowing the navigation module to dynamically adjust its behavior based on detected website characteristics. The system can modify navigation parameters such as click sequences, form filling patterns, and data extraction points automatically, maintaining high accuracy without requiring manual reprogramming for different website types.
3Reliability
If navigation routes are hard-coded in custom applications, then initial content collection works reliably, but reliability decreases when website structures change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing a navigation module that can dynamically adapt to different website structures. Instead of using static, hard-coded navigation routes, the system dynamically generates navigation paths by analyzing website structure during runtime, allowing it to maintain reliable content collection even when websites change their layouts or structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that allow the navigation module to detect changes in website structures during execution. When structural changes are detected, the system automatically adjusts its navigation strategy and relearns the appropriate paths, maintaining reliability without requiring manual updates to the application code.
4Ease of manufacture
If manual navigation and data reentry are used, then ease of implementation is improved, but productivity and time efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing a system that automatically performs both navigation and content extraction without requiring manual intervention. The modular architecture allows the system to service itself by automatically adapting to website changes and adjusting its behavior, eliminating the need for manual navigation while maintaining high productivity and data collection efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Storage mediums and a computer-implemented method for automating web navigation and content extraction are provided. In particular, a storage medium with program components which are executable through a common application program interface and are utilizable by a developer to write programming instructions is provided. In some cases, the storage medium may include a program component for adaptively navigating through one or more websites and another program component for extracting scripted content from the one or more websites. In addition or alternatively, the storage medium may include a program component for standardizing content on a web page. In some cases, the storage medium may be configured to allow a user to include XPath query language in program instructions written from the storage medium. A storage medium comprising program instructions executable using a processor for performing such functions and a computer-implemented method employing such processes are also provided herein.