Patent Publication Number: US-2007096869-A1

Title: Work time recording system and method for recording work time

Description:
The present invention relates to a work time recording and work time monitoring method, or a corresponding monitoring and work time recording system, in which user data are recorded by a data recording client, and are transmitted to a central unit. Based on the user data, the user is identified by means of a user database, and with successful identification, time and/or place of capture of the user data are stored in a data record assigned to the user and/or further evaluated. The present invention relates in particular to a method and a system for recording work time involving access-controlled buildings or mobile users.  
      Diverse systems for recording work time are already known in the state of the art, and worldwide there are thousands of such systems in use. With these systems, a first work status, such as e.g. start of working time of a user, and a second work status, such as e.g. end of working time of a user, can be individually recorded and evaluated on a person-by-person basis. These systems usually work with a user identification, e.g. by means of magnetic card, user ID (ID: identification number) or a so-called stamp card, to ensure an unambiguous assignment of the work time to a particular employee or user. For recording the working time, the respective user has to enter the corresponding data in the system, for example by introducing a magnetic card into a magnetic card reader. In the last few decades, however, the working behavior of employees has changed drastically with respect to mobility, the requirements made of employees, such as e.g. state of health owing to liability issues, etc., and the requirements with respect to security against fraud, etc. Owing to the propagation of mobile calculating units, such as e.g. laptops, the emergence of worldwide operating networks, such as e.g. the worldwide backbone Internet or mobile radio networks, and owing to the globalization of companies, which requires great mobility of the employees, the conditions of employment today can no longer be compared with those of some years ago. The above-mentioned systems, however, are able to keep up with this development.  
      It is an object of the present invention, to propose a new and improved method and system for recording and monitoring work time which satisfies the present day requirements with respect to conditions of employment (mobility, physical prerequisites, etc.), user friendliness and security, and which in particular does not have the drawbacks mentioned above.  
      These objects are achieved according to the present invention in particular through the elements of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments follow moreover from the dependent claims and from the specification.  
      In particular, these objects are achieved by the invention in that user data are recorded by a data recording client, and are transmitted to a central unit via a first communication channel, based on which user data the user is identified by means of a user database, the data recording client recording biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user by means of an input unit of the data recording client, and transmitting these data together with the user data via a first communication channel to the central unit, the central unit comparing the transmitted biometric data and/or data on physical condition with biometric data and/or data on physical condition of users stored in the user database, and a user being identified, by means of the central unit, if the probability of a correspondence of the transmitted biometric data to particular stored biometric data lies above a predefined threshold, whereby, with successful identification, at least one user status, assigned to a data record of the identified user, is modified and stored, based on time and/or place of capture of the user data, and the data records of the user are transmitted to a remuneration recording module, and are evaluated and/or checked by means of the remuneration recording module. The biometric data can comprise e.g. fingerprints, iris recognition, DNA analysis, etc. The data on physical condition can comprise, for example, body temperature, blood values (e.g. blood sugar, etc.), alcohol values, pulse, etc. The advantage of this invention is in particular that the work time recording and work time accounting as well as productivity calculations and performance recording for individual users can take place simply and efficiently. In particular, the user and/or employee does not need any identification cards for this purpose, such as e.g. magnetic cards, etc., control patches or the like. The system and method are therefore more economical and less error-prone. Thus neither do magnetic cards etc. need to be manufactured, nor is a personnel-intensive administration of the cards necessary. Likewise advantageous is that the employee can neither forget nor lose biometric features, in contrast to identification cards, etc., and the security against fraud (such as e.g. counterfeiting, forgery, theft of cards) is considerably increased. The same applies for an identification by means of user identification code (ID), which e.g. can easily be forgotten by the user and/or employee, or misused in a fraudulent way if the ID has been noted somewhere by the user, for example. The unambiguous and secure user identification can be important in particular in the billing for services or working hours of mobile working users and/or employees. Another advantage lies in the additional capturing of data on physical condition, whereby security in user identification can be increased, in that e.g. during scanning of the fingerprint, the body temperature of the finger and/or chemical/physical characteristics of the skin (skin tension, salt content, etc.) and/or pulse can be measured at the same time. Finger reproductions being used with the system in a fraudulent way can thereby be prevented, for example. Safety regulations, for instance, can also be controlled with respect to the user (e.g. alcohol content, for instance in the case of long distance truck drivers, body temperature in order to detect diseases, etc.).  
      In an embodiment variant, access to definable premises and/or use of definable devices is granted to the user by the central unit only with successful identification and authorization. This has the advantage, among others, that a central access control or respectively access control by the system takes place at the same time. This considerably simplifies the administration of these otherwise heterogeneous systems. At the same time compliance with legal regulations, for example, such as e.g. driving time limitations in the case of truck drivers, etc. can be centrally controlled and enforced simply and effectively. If, for example, the data recording client is integrated in a truck, compliance with the working hours can be enforced via the central unit by means of an interruption of ignition upon surpassing the legally prescribed working times by the user.  
      In an embodiment variant, captured and/or transmitted with the user data are additionally premise-specific and/or device-specific control data, access or use being granted by means of the central unit in dependence upon the control data. This has the advantage, among others, that access to the individual rooms and building sections can be granted selectively according to predefined criteria. Likewise, with devices such as e.g. machines, or vehicles, operational parameters can be checked such as state of battery, filling of the tank, tire pressure, etc., the device being released for use only under predetermined conditions and/or safety standards.  
      In another embodiment variant, an additional identification of the user takes place by means of a user code, which user code is entered by the user via input elements of the data recording client. This embodiment variant has the advantage, among others, that the security standard during the identification can be further increased by an additional control parameter being added which is supposed to be known only to the specific user.  
      In a further embodiment variant, the user code is generated by the central unit based on the identification of the user and the transmitted biometric data, and is transmitted via a second communication channel to a mobile unit of the user. In addition, the data can be transmitted encrypted or signed. The mobile unit can comprise a mobile radio device and/or a PDA and/or a mobile node of a WLAN. The advantage of this invention lies in particular in that through the combination of two separate communication channels, i.e., for example, with a LAN/WLAN connection between the data recording client and the central unit and e.g. a bidirectional communication platform, such as e.g. a mobile radio network, such as a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), GPRS (Generalized Packet Radio Service) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System) network, the advantages of the other platform in each case can be combined in an advantageous way for the invention. In this way e.g. mobile radio networks such as GSM or UMTS networks have a high security standard. At the same time the security during identification of the user is increased by the two communication channels being independent of one another. Fraud can thereby be practically excluded.  
      In an embodiment variant, the additional identification by the central unit by means of user code takes place in the case where the probability of a correspondence of the transmitted biometric data to defined stored biometric data lies below the predefined threshold. This has the advantage, among others, that this embodiment variant has a kind of fall-back function and/or fall-back algorithm, which is easy to handle and cost-efficient to apply.  
      In still another embodiment variant, after successful additional identification of the user by means of user code, new biometric data are captured by the input unit of the data recording client, and are stored, assigned to the user, in the database. This embodiment variant has the advantage, among others, that the biometric data for a user can be continuously improved or respectively adapted. The present method is thereby both improved by way of a secure fall-back mechanism and extended by way of an expedient initialization algorithm. In particular the administration of the database can thereby be significantly simplified and optimized with respect to costs and expenditure of working time.  
      In a further embodiment variant, different central units access the same database with the stored biometric data of the user via a network, the database comprising means for identification and/or authorization of the different central units and means for transmission and reception of data via the network. The database can be conceived as an individual network component. This has the advantage, among others, that the recording service and identification service can be offered as a service e.g. over the Internet.  
      In another embodiment variant, used as the data recording client is a mobile node of a WLAN or a mobile radio device. This has the advantage, among others, that work time recording is really freely possible for the first time, even with mobile users or employees. Owing to the data recording client being a mobile unit, particular devices, such as e.g. trucks, can be checked and restricted with respect to security standards, e.g. through control of physical condition parameters (temperature, alcohol content, etc.) of the user or operational parameters (tire pressure, state of battery, filling of the tank, etc.) of the device.  
    
    
      An embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following with reference to an example. The example of the embodiment is illustrated by the four attached  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3  and  4 , showing a schematic block diagram of a work time recording system. It is thereby clear that the invention also comprises a corresponding inventive method.  
      FIGS.  1  to  3  illustrate a block diagram of a work time recording system, in which biometric data are captured, are transmitted to a central unit, and finally are evaluated by means of a remuneration recording module.  
       FIG. 4  shows a flow chart representing schematically the course of the method, or respectively system, according to the invention. 
    
    
      In  FIG. 1 , user data of a user  1  are captured by a data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 , and are transmitted to a central unit  20 / 21  via a first communication channel  30 / 31 . The data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  comprises an input unit  101  for capturing biometric data and/or data on physical condition of a user  1 . The biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user  1  are transmitted together with the user data via the first communication channel  30 / 31  to the central unit  20 / 21 . The user data comprise e.g. place and time of capture of the biometric data or respectively of the data on physical condition. The biometric data can comprise e.g. fingerprints, iris recognition, DNA analysis, etc. The data on physical condition can comprise, for instance, body temperature, blood values (e.g. blood sugar, etc.), alcohol values, pulse, etc. of the user  1 . Depending upon data acquisition, the input unit  101  of the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  possesses corresponding scanning or measuring means of the state of the art, via which the data can be measured, for instance by a corresponding API (Application Programmable Interface), and queried by the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 . The data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  does not necessarily have to be a fixed installed device, but can also be achieved e.g. as a mobile node of a WLAN or a mobile radio device. The connection  30 , i.e. the first communication channel  30 , between data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  and central unit  20 / 21  can take place via different data channels, and not just directly over a particular communication network  30 . The data can be transmitted between the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  and the central unit  20 / 21 , e.g. also via an interface (e.g. a wireless interface such as an infrared interface or Bluetooth) to a data terminal, and from the data terminal over a communication network  30 , or by means of a removable chipcard of the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  inserted in a data terminal, via this data terminal and a communication network, to the central unit  20 / 21 . In the preferred embodiment variant, the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  and the central unit  20 / 21  each comprise a communication module. By means of the communication modules, data can be exchanged over the communication network  30 , i.e. the first communication channel  30 . The communication network  30  comprises, for example, a mobile radio network, for instance a GSM, GPRS or UMTS network, or another, e.g. satellite-based mobile radio network, or a fixed network, for example an ISDN network, the public switched telephone network, a TV or radio cable network, or an IP network (Internet Protocol). In particular in data recording clients  10 , . . . ,  16 , which are equipped as mobile devices, the communication module comprises a mobile radio module for communication over the mobile radio network  30 . By means of the communication module, in particular the above-mentioned user data can be transmitted to the central unit  20 / 21 , for instance using GSM/SMS, GSM/USSD, GPRS or UMTS. According to the present invention, the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  is connected bidirectionally over the network  30  to a central unit  20 / 21 . The connection between the central unit  20  and the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  can comprise a protected channel (security channel) or respectively the safety mechanisms necessary for security (encryption, limited time window, electronic signature, etc.) in the central unit  20  and the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 . The download mechanisms to the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  can also comprise DAB/MExE applets. A central unit  20  can be assigned as many data recording clients  10 , . . . ,  16  as desired. In turn, a multiplicity of central units  20  can be assigned to a superordinate computing unit which combines the data of the central units  20 . With such multi-level systems, determined at the operator level is which calculations, data compressions and/or data synchronizations are to be carried out at which level of the central units  20 . This system has the advantage that complete company structures are able to be represented at system level (e.g. company/branch/cost center/section/coworker).  
      The user  1  is identified by the central unit  20 / 21  based on the user data and the biometric data, or respectively data on physical condition, by means of a user database  40 . In so doing, the central unit  20 / 21  compares the transmitted user data and/or biometric data and/or data on physical condition with corresponding data on the users of the system stored in the user database  40 . A user  1  is identified, by means of the central unit  20 / 21 , if the probability of a correspondence of the transmitted biometric data to defined stored biometric data lies above a predefined threshold. The database  40  can be connected directly  22  to the central unit  20 / 21  or be achieved as a separate network component of the communication network  30 , the central unit  20 / 21  and the database  40  communicating over the communication channel  23 . With success identification, at least one user status assigned to a data record of the identified user is modified based on time (e.g. time/day/month/year) and/or place of capture of the user data and/or biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user  1 , and stored in the database. The data records of the user are transmitted to a remuneration recording module  50 , and are evaluated and/or checked by means of the remuneration recording module  50 . The transmission of the data records to the remuneration recording module  50  can be transmitted to the central unit  20 / 21 , for instance periodically (e.g. using GSM/SMS, GSM/USSD, GPRS or UMTS), or upon reaching a defined value (a number of modified records and/or a particular sum of services rendered or working hours, etc) or a defined time window. The remuneration recording module  50  can be connected e.g. via an interface to a monetary institution, which releases the payment of the remuneration to the employee for the services rendered or respectively periods of work. Based on the modular structure of the system, it is clear that, in addition to the remuneration recording module  50 , further computing modules (e.g. assigned in the same way as the remuneration recording module  50 )&lt;are possible&gt;, which have functionalities based on times/controls of a company. Such modules can comprise e.g. project planning and administration, entry of services rendered, order processing, inventory control, temporal access controls to rooms and equipment, model calculations (productivity optimization of sections, productivity projections, etc.) and/or PPS (productivity monitoring), etc. In particular the system can comprise links to evaluation units such as e.g. office products, report systems (e.g. List &amp; Label, Crystal Reports etc.). Based on the present system, enterprises and their structures can be optimized by means of planning tools in a simple way (e.g. by means of model calculations of the assignments of the employees).  
      As an embodiment variant, the central unit  20 / 21  can control in s particular access, through the central unit  20 / 21 , of the user  1  to definable premises and/or the use of definable apparatus, based on the identification and authorization of a particular user  1 . In this way systems otherwise heterogeneous, such as entry of services rendered and access controls to rooms and buildings, can be centrally administrated and controlled in a simple  1 o and efficient way. Electronic locks, for example, can thus be controlled via the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  and/or central unit  20 / 21 . At the same time compliance with legal regulations, such as e.g. driving time limits for truck drivers, etc. can be centrally controlled and enforced. If, for example, the data recording client is integrated into a truck, compliance with working times can be  15  enforced via the central unit by means of an interruption of ignition upon surpassing of the legally prescribed working hours by the user. By means of the data on physical condition, alcohol consumption by the user during working hours, for example, can be controlled and/or checked. Moreover, using the user data, premises-specific and/or device-specific control data can be  20  additionally captured and/or transmitted, the access and/or the use being controllable once again by means of the central unit  20 / 21  in dependence upon the control data. Access to individual rooms and sections of buildings can be selectively granted according to predefinable criteria using the control data. Likewise, in the case of devices such as e.g. machines or vehicles, operational  25  parameters can be checked, such as e.g. state of battery, filling of tank, tire pressure, etc., the device being released for use only under predefinable conditions and/or security standards. In this case the control data would then include the corresponding parameters (machines or vehicles, operational parameters such as state of battery, filling of tank, tire pressure, etc.).  30  In particular, as an embodiment variant, an additional identification can take place for identification of the user  1  by means of a user codes (ID: Identification Number), which user code is entered by the user  1  via input elements  102  of the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 . The input elements  102  can comprise e.g. keyboards, graphic input means (mouse, trackball, eyetracker with Virtual Retinal Display (VRD) etc.), but also IVR (Interactive Voice Response), etc.  
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment example, for further increasing the security of the system or respectively simplifying operation of the system for the user and/or operator. The user code is thereby generated by the central unit  20 / 21  based on the identification of the user  1  and the transmitted biometric data, and transmitted via a second communication channel  32  to a mobile unit  2  of the user  1  (see  FIG. 3 ). The user code can also comprise e.g. an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) or an MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber ISDN), which serves for identification in a mobile radio network, the user identification being stored, for example, in the chipcard, for instance an SIM card (Subscriber Identification Module). The mobile unit  2  can comprise one or more interfaces, in particular a device interface, for example a contactless interface, for instance an infrared interface, e.g. a High Speed Infrared (HSIR) interface, or an IrDA interface (Infrared Data Association), an inductive interface, for instance a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interface, a home RF (Radio Frequency) interface, a Digital European Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) interface or another Cordless Telecommunications System (CTS) interface, or a high frequency radio interface, for instance a so-called Bluetooth interface. Via such an interface, the mobile unit  2  can exchange data with external data terminals outside the mobile unit  2  which have a corresponding interface. Thus it is possible in particular to transmit the user code from the mobile unit  2  directly to a data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 , the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16  likewise having one of the above-mentioned interfaces. The second communication channel  32  comprises, for example, a mobile radio network, for example a GSM, GPRS or UMTS network, or another, e.g. satellite-based mobile radio network, or a fixed network, for example an ISDN network, the public switched telephone network, a TV or radio cable network, or an IP network (Internet Protocol), such as a WLAN and/or the international backbone Internet. The mobile unit  2  can comprise e.g. a mobile radio device and/or a PDA and/or a mobile node of a WLAN.  
      It is to be pointed out that it can make sense, for certain areas of application, for the additional identification by the central unit  20 / 21  by means of user code to take place in the cases where the probability of a correspondence of the transmitted biometric data to defined stored biometric data lies below the predefined threshold. That is, the additional identification is used as a fall-back method or fallback algorithm. If the additional identification of the user  1  by means of user code is successful, e.g. new biometric data can be captured by means of the input unit  101  of the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 , and can be stored, assigned to the user  1 , in the database  40 . In this way the biometric data for a user can be continuously improved or respectively adapted. This extends the present method both through a secure fall-back mechanism and through an expedient initialization algorithm. In particular the administration of the database with respect to costs and investment in working time can thereby be significantly simplified and optimized. For example, it is even possible to capture new and not registered users with new biometric data and/or data on physical condition and/or user data, since an identification by means of the mobile unit  2  can be verified. This is not possible with the conventional systems.  
       FIG. 2  shows an embodiment example, in which different central units  20 / 21  access the same database  40  with the stored biometric data of the user via a network  31 , the database  40  comprising means  41  for identification and/or authorization of the different central units  20 / 21  and means  41  for transmitting and receiving data via the network  31 . The database can thus be conceived as an individual network component. The work time recording method or respectively system, or the recording service and identification service can thus be offered separately as a service, e.g. over the Internet.  
       FIG. 4  shows schematically a possible course of the method according to the invention. A user can activate and/or initialize  71  the identification or respectively the work time recording e.g. by touching the input unit  101  of a data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 . In step  72 , the biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user  1  are captured by means of the input unit  101 , and are transmitted together with the user data via a first communication channel  30 / 31  to the central unit  20 / 21 . Based on the captured data, the user  1  is identified  73  by the central unit  20 / 21 . If the user  1  can be identified  74 , the user data (e.g. place and time) are analyzed  75 , and a user status (e.g. coming/going) is determined  76 . In a further step, the further data are analyzed (e.g. the data on physical condition of the user)  77 , and are stored together with the other data in a user record for the user  1 . If the user  1  cannot be identified  79 , the process can be either aborted  84 , or the user  1  can be recorded as a new user  80 . If the particulars already exist stored  81  in the database  40 , the method can continue directly with the capturing  82  of new biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user  1 . If the particulars are not yet present  85 , the data can be recorded  86  by means of the data recording client  10 , . . . ,  16 , and a new data record can be stored, assigned to the user  1 , in the database  40 . After step  86 , the method likewise continues with the capturing  82  of new biometric data and/or data on physical condition of the user  1 . In step  83 , finally, the new biometric data are stored in the data record for the user  1 , after which the method can continue e.g. with step  75 , or has to be started over again at step  71  or  72 .  
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS  
     
         
           1  user  
           2  mobile unit  
           10 , . . . ,  16  data recording client  
           101  input unit  
           102  input elements  
           20 / 21  central unit  
           30 / 31  first communication channel  
           32  second communication channel  
           40  user database  
           50  remuneration recording module