Telephone-based personnel tracking system

• US 5,646,839 A
• Filed: 09/14/1994
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sandata Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Katz, Penina
• Primary Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US08/306,301
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/406, 364/409, 364/413.02, 364/464.01, 235/375, 235/376, 235/377, 379/90, 379/93, 379/96, 379/106, 379/142, 379/38, 382/2, 382/3, 382/4
• US Class Current: 379/142.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific

Abstract

A computer system includes hardware for interfacing with the public telephone network and for accepting incoming telephone calls. The computer system detects from the incoming telephone calls automatic number identification data (ANI data), such as Caller-ID data, which identifies the calling telephone and further accepts personal identification codes from the caller. The system generates reports of the incoming telephone calls in which reports the location of the calling telephone is correlated with the person who is making the telephone call. Preferably, the system is applied for recording remotely, through the telephone network, the arrival and departure times of field based employees at various work sites.

Claims

1. A method for tracking employees and generating employee reports, the method comprising:

receiving telephone calls by a computer system from calling telephones located at various work sites;

detecting calling number identification (Caller ID) data which precedes the telephone calls, said Caller ID data operating in a manner of ANI information for the identifying telephones;

receiving from each of the calling telephones calling employee identification data which identifies a calling employee;

providing an employee identification data base containing valid employee identification data;

verifying the calling employee identification data against the data stored in the employee identification data base;

creating telephone call records of incoming calls and stamping each telephone call record with a time and date mark; and

generating a report containing information which defines for each telephone call record the location from which the telephone call was received based on said Caller ID data, the time and date of the telephone call and the identity of the employee.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a telephone location data base which correlates the location of the calling telephones to the Caller ID data and a list of authorized telephone locations and generating said report with a section which includes only authorized telephone calls.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the calling telephones computer compatible function codes indicative of whether an employee has arrived or is departing from a work site and generating said report with information indicating the arrival and departure time of each employee at the work site.

4. The method of claim 2, further including providing a valid ANI (Automatic Number Identification) data base comprising predetermined telephone locations and accepting telephone calls only from calling telephones whose associated ANI data is included in the valid ANI data base.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating said report on a predetermined basis.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting voice messages to the calling telephones to prompt employees to respond to the computer system.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the report to a customer electronically, through a telephone network.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating the calling employee identification data by means of a voice recognition system.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving the calling employee identification data from a device which is effective for generating data which defines particularized characteristics of the calling employee.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing alphanumeric messages in the device for generating particularized characteristics data, and transmitting the alphanumeric messages to the computer system for being relayed to an employer.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising initiating telephone calls to work sites to verify the presence of an employee thereat.

12. The system of claim 1, further including a hand held device for communicating with the computer system, the hand held device comprising:

means for enabling the device to dial the telephone number of a telephone line to which the computer system is coupled;

means for transmitting to the computer system the calling employee identification data, wherein said calling employee identification data defines particularized characteristics of a calling employee; and

means for identifying to the computer system whether an employee has arrived at or is presently departing from a work site.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said device is activatable to report an indication of an arrival or an indication of departure with a touch of a single push button.

14. A system for tracking the arrival and departure times of employees at various work sites, the system comprising:

a computer system and means for coupling the computer system to the telephone network;

means for receiving telephone calls from calling telephones at the computer and for detecting calling number identification data which precedes the telephone calls;

means for receiving from the calling telephones calling employee identification data, wherein each calling employee identification data defines a given employee and is generated by a device for generating data which defines particularized characteristics of the calling employee;

an employee identification data base containing valid employee identification data;

means for verifying said calling employee identification data against said identification data base and accepting valid telephone calls;

a telephone location data base containing information relating ANI (Automatic Number Identification) data to the locations of the telephones;

means for creating a computer record of each accepted telephone call and for stamping each telephone record with a time and a date and means for creating a report containing information which defines the locations from which the telephone calls were made, the time and date of the telephone calls, and the identity of the telephone caller.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for accepting from the calling telephones function codes indicative of whether an employee has arrived or is departing from a work site, said report being effective to generate said report with information indicating the arrival and departure time of each employee at each work site.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a valid ANI data base which defines authorized calling telephones and means for accepting telephone calls only from calling telephones which are included in the valid ANI data base.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said reports are generated on a predetermined basis.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for transmits voice messages to the calling telephones.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising ID means for calling the computer system and for generating the calling employee identification data which defines particularized characteristics of the calling employee.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the ID means includes a finger print recognizing device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the device includes means for indicating whether the employee has arrived at or is departing from a work site.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the device is effective for storing therein and transmitting to the computer system an alphanumeric message.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer system is located so that it is reachable telephonically through the dialing of an 800, tollfree, telephone number.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer is effective for noting and reporting a telephone cell which defines the general geographic area from which an employee has made a telephone call.