Patent Publication Number: US-2017357924-A1

Title: Worker-management systems

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of computer applications and more specifically relates to worker-management systems and methods. 
     2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     In many industries, workers are required to have specific certifications or accreditations in order to perform, or be eligible to perform certain work related tasks. Some such tasks include safety procedures, various equipment certifications, fire related training, and/or other similar tasks. These types of certifications and/or accreditations often expire or may require recertification. Further, worker contact information, such as emergency contact or supervisor information must be kept up accurate and up-to-date. 
     Most conventional certifications are currently issued via a hardcopy certificate, badge or other similar means. These hardcopies may include paper certificates, plastic credentials, and/or badges which may be difficult to maintain and carry when a worker has multiple certifications and accreditations that are to be recertified, maintained, and updated. Additionally, hardcopies are prone to being lost or damaged and cannot be remotely available to view the current status of the certification by an individual who is not in possession of the hardcopy. Available are some applications to maintain employee records, however no such application(s) include the compiling of worker certifications. Therefore a suitable solution is desired. 
     Several attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. and Foreign Pat. and Pub. Nos. US2010/0211515 Woodings et al.; US2002/0052773 to Kramer et al.; US2002/0046112 to Nitta et al.; US2013/0139065 to Spinks; US2014/0249877 to Hull et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,321,254 to Bernasconi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,391 to Fields et al.; and WO2002/010989 to Stern et al. This art is representative of computer applications. However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. 
     Preferably, a worker-management system and method should provide a convenient and reliable application which compiles worker data related to contact information, accreditations, and certifications and, yet would operate reliably and be administered at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for reliable worker-management systems and methods to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known computer applications art, the present invention provides novel worker-management systems and methods. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide an application which provides the user with a plurality of modules to compile, store, and manage accreditations, certifications, and contact information for a plurality of workers. 
     A worker-management system is disclosed herein, in a preferred embodiment, comprising a computer-application; with the computer-application comprising a profile-module, a safety-ticket-module, a certification-module, an information-module, a notifications-module, and a calendar-module, all in functional combination. The computer-application preferably includes multiple profiles and accesses such that the employee-user may store information related to multiple employers; and the employer-user may store information related to multiple employees. 
     The worker-management system is useful for providing a computer-assisted application which provides storage, tracking and management of information such that the information which is generally issued and maintained via hardcopy (e.g., ID card, paper-copy, etc.) and maintained on/in a computer-operable medium to conserve resources as a tangible output. The preferred embodiment of the worker-management system further includes digital-video-storage capabilities such that the user (employee-user and/or employer-user) is able to upload and download digital-videos. 
     Upon completion of downloading and viewing a digital-video, the worker-management system may provide the employee-user with a completion ticket related to the digital-video, in the preferred embodiment. The worker-management system may be configured to specify which particular digital-video are applicable to a particular employee-user and may also provide the employee-user with information related to certificates or completion tickets which may be issued upon complete viewing of the digital-video the in preferred embodiment. 
     Preferably, the profile-module, the certification-module, the information-module, the notifications-module, and the calendar-module are all viewable and updateable by an employee-user. Additionally, the profile-module, the certification-module, the information-module, the notifications-module, and the calendar-module are viewable and updateable by an employer-user. Preferably, the profile-module maintains employee-profile information. Such information may include, but not be limited to: emergency contact information, status information, photograph, and prior work history. 
     Calendar-module may also be viewable and alterable by a third-party, such that the third-party may post important dates to the calendar-module. The calendar-module may also include directed-advertisements based on events posted on the calendar-module and the specific region in which the employee-user is located. Preferably, events maintained by calendar-module include only the events related to a current employer-user. 
     The safety-ticket-module preferably maintains information related to current-safety-tickets, expired-safety-tickets, pending-safety-tickets, and provides notifications to the employee and/or the employer when a safety-ticket becomes expired. Preferably, the safety-ticket-module further includes matrix-barcode-reading-capabilities such that the employee may renew his/her expired safety tickets via scanning a matrix-barcode related to a safety-ticket. The certification-module preferably maintains information related to current-certifications, expired-certifications, and pending-certifications and the information-module preferably maintains miscellaneous information inputted by the user(s) and includes photo-storage capabilities such that the user(s) may store photographic copies of documents with the worker-management system. The notifications-module maintains and provides notifications to the user(s). Such notifications preferably include notifications when an employer-employee relationship is created, when information contained by the worker-management system is altered by the employee-user, and when information contained by the worker-management system is altered by the employer-user. 
     The calendar-module preferably maintains important dates which are imputed by the one or more users. The profile-module, the certification-module, the information-module, the notifications-module, and the calendar-module are viewable are all updateable by the user(s) via Smartphone, desktop-computer, a tablet-computer, or other similar device (in the preferred embodiment). 
     Also disclosed herein, in a preferred embodiment, is a method of using a worker-management system; comprising the steps of: providing a worker-management system (comprising a computer-application), inputting information into one or more modules of the computer-application, receiving alerts from the computer-application related to the information inputted into the one or more modules of the computer-application, accessing the information from the computer-application, and altering the information inputted into the computer-application. 
     The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a worker-management system and method. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures that accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, worker-management systems and methods, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view illustrating a user during an ‘in-use’ condition showing the worker accessing the worker-management systems and methods via a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a diagram of a worker-management system comprising a computer-application according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates ‘screenshots’ of the worker-management system operable upon a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates ‘screenshots’ of the worker-management system operable upon a desktop computer according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of use for the worker-management system according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to computer applications and more particularly to worker-management systems and methods as used to improve the availability, ease of use and the compilation and reduction of hard-copies of worker information. 
     Generally speaking, the worker-management system comprises a computer-application, with the a computer-application comprising: a profile-module, a safety-ticket-module, a certification-module, an information-module, a notifications-module, a calendar-module. 
     Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , worker-management system  100  comprising computer-application  110  comprising profile-module  120 , safety-ticket-module  122 , certification-module  124 , information-module  126 , notifications-module  128 , and calendar-module  130 , in functional combination. 
     Notifications-module  128  may provide the employee-user  140  with notifications when an employer-employee relationship is created. Additionally, worker-management system  100  may include notifications-module  128 , which may provide a notification to the employer-user when information contained by worker-management system  100  is altered by the employee-user  140 . Also, notifications-module  128  may also provide a notification to the employee-user  140  when information contained by the worker-management system  100  is altered by the employer-user. 
     Profile-module  120  may maintain employee-profile information, and safety-ticket-module  122  may maintain information related to current-safety-tickets, expired-safety-tickets, and/or pending-safety-tickets. Certification-module  124  may maintain information related to current-certifications, expired-certifications, and/or pending-certifications. Safety-ticket-module  122  may also provide notifications to the employee and the employer when a safety-ticket becomes expired. Safety-ticket-module  120  may additionally include matrix-barcode-reading-capabilities (e.g., QR-code reader) such that the employee may renew his or her expired safety tickets via scanning a matrix-barcode  144  related to a safety-ticket. 
     Information-module  126  may maintain miscellaneous information inputted by a user, notifications-module  128  may maintain and provide notifications to user and calendar-module  130  may maintain important dates. 
     Worker-management system  100  is useful for providing computer-assisted application  110  which may provide storage, tracking and management of information such that the information which is generally issued and maintained via hardcopy (e.g., paper certificates, plastic badges, etc.) is maintained in a computer-operable medium  142  to conserve resources as a tangible output. Worker-management system  100  may include profile-module  120 , certification-module  124 , information-module,  126  notifications-module  128 , and calendar-module  130  may be viewable and updateable by an employee-user  140 , and additionally viewable and updateable by an employer-user. 
     Profile-module  120 , certification-module  124 , information-module  126 , notifications-module  128 , and calendar-module  130  may be viewable and updateable by user via Smartphone  146 . Also, profile-module  120 , certification-module  124 , information-module  126 , notifications-module  128 , and calendar-module  130  may be viewable and updateable by a user via desktop-computer  148  or tablet-computer. Information-module  126  of worker-management system  100  may further include photo-storage capabilities such that user may store photographic copies of documents with worker-management system  100 . 
     Worker-management system  100  may also include computer-application  110  which includes multiple profiles, such that the employer-user may store information related to multiple employees. Also, computer-application  110  may also include multiple profiles, such that the employee-user  140  may store information related to multiple employers. Worker-management system  100  may further include digital-video-storage capabilities, such that user is able to upload and download digital-videos. Worker-management system  100  may include an employee which is employed by the employer-user, or may additionally or alternately include an employee who is employed as an independent-contractor performing work for the employer-user. 
     Upon completion of downloading and viewing a digital-video, worker-management system  100  may provide employee-user  140  with a completion ticket related to the digital-video. Worker-management system  100  may also be configured to specify which particular digital-video are applicable to a specific employee-user  140  and may also provide employee-user  140  with information related to certificates and/or completion tickets which may be issued upon complete viewing of the digital-video. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5  showing flowchart  550  illustrating method of use  500  for worker-management system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     As shown, method of use  500  may comprise the steps of: step one  501 , providing worker-management system comprising computer-application  110 ; step two  502 , inputting information into one or more modules of computer-application  110 ; step three  503 , receiving alerts from computer-application  110  related to the information inputted into the one or more modules of computer-application  110 ; step four  504 , accessing the information from computer-application  110 ; and step five  505 , altering information inputted into computer-application  110 . 
     It should be noted that step four  504  and step five  505  are optional steps and might not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use  500  are illustrated using dotted lines in  FIG. 5  so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method of use  500 . 
     It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f). Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.