Patent ID: 6397167
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: B21B,G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
A user-activity monitoring system that automatically collects and analyzes information about time and continuous activity performed on a computer, comprising:(a) a data collector for monitoring certain portions of a user's computer activity; (b) a software module interposed between said data collector and a user input device, said software module for monitoring and detecting activity of various types of input devices; (c) a data analyzer for determining which portions of said certain portions of a user's computer activity constitutes a continuous predefined activity, wherein said continuous predefined activity includes a series of events including file activity and an external user input activity, said data analyzer for reading said series of events and categorizing activities as belonging to a certain predetermined task; and (d) a timer provided by said data analyzer for a task, said timer for accumulating actual time the user is engaged in said task for time intervals greater than an idle limit time interval, said timer starting when an activity for said task is detected and stops after expiration of a preset idle time limit interval, said timer restarting when another subsequent activity for said task is detected such that, when an idle time limit interval is determined to have elapsed between activities belonging to said task, said time for said task as an activity period is totaled.