Patent ID: 9628956
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: G01S,G06Q,H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A method of processing attendance reporting, the method comprising: providing at least one beacon for installing at a designated facility for an attendance reporting service such that a first beacon is installed at a first facility for the attendance reporting service, each beacon being configured to broadcast wireless signals such that the wireless signals can be received by at least one mobile terminal located within the facility where the beacon is installed, the wireless signals carrying a service ID and a hardware ID, the service ID being pre-assigned to and indicative of an attendance reporting service, the hardware ID being pre-assigned and specific to hardware of the first beacon; providing at least one database comprising data identifying users and facilities and further comprising hardware IDs of beacons such that, in the at least one database a first user working at a first facility is linked to the first facility and a first beacon installed in the first facility is linked to the first facility; providing a mobile application for installation on mobile terminals and for operation of the attendance reporting service such that the mobile application is installed on a first mobile terminal; providing a server comprising at least one computing device capable of accessing the at least one database and capable of communicating with mobile terminals; subsequent to installation of the first beacon at the first facility and further subsequent to installation of the mobile application on the first mobile terminal, authenticating, by the server, the first user for reporting attendance via the mobile application installed on the first mobile terminal; subsequent to authentication of the first user, finding the first beacon, the first facility or both in the at least one database using data identifying the first user based on that in the at least one database the first beacon is linked to the first facility and the first facility is linked to the first user, wherein a particular hardware ID of the first beacon is identified by finding the first beacon, the first facility or both identifies; in response to the first user's command for reporting attendance on the mobile application, causing to process wireless signals received by the first mobile terminal to identify the wireless signals broadcast by a beacon associated with the attendance reporting service and further to acquire the hardware ID contained in the identified wireless signals; subsequent to finding the first beacon, the first facility or both in the at least one database and further subsequent to acquiring the hardware ID, comparing the acquired hardware ID against the particular hardware ID of the first beacon found in the at least one database using the data identifying the first user; subsequent to determining that the acquired hardware ID is that of the first beacon, monitoring signal strength of the wireless signals broadcast by the first beacon; and processing a signal strength profile of the wireless signals broadcast by the first beacon over time to determine a predetermined pattern of abnormality indicating a potential abuse in attendance reporting, wherein in the predetermined pattern, the signal strength stays stronger than a reference level in a time frame at which the first user is not expected to be at the first facility.