Method and system for tracking a person's time at a location

• US 6,802,005 B1
• Filed: 10/11/1995
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Berson, William
• Primary Examiner(s): BARRON JR, GILBERTO
• Application Number:
  US08/540,689
• Time in Patent Office: 3,282 Days
• Field of Search: 380/23, 380/25, 380/51, 380/30, 705/30, 705/32, 705/400, 705/405, 705/44, 705/17, 713/176, 713/178, 713/179, 713/185, 713/186
• US Class Current: 713/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• 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: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A method and system for tracking the time spent by an employee at a job site. The employee is provided with an identification card which includes an encrypted representation of a biometric characteristic of the employee. When the employee arrives at, or leaves, the job site the biometric characteristic recorded on the identification card is compared to the characteristic as directly sensed from the employee and, if the comparison is successful, the approximate time as derived from a secure clock, is recorded.

Claims

1. A time keeping system for tracking a person'"'"'s time at a location, said person having identification means, said identification means including an encrypted representation of a selected biometric characteristic of said person, said system comprising:

a) a data processing center;

b) means for providing said identification means, said providing means communicating with said data processing center to record provision of said identification means to said person;

means for validating said person'"'"'s identity and for recording said person'"'"'s times of arrival at, and departure from, said location, said validating and recording means comprising;

c1) a clock

c2) means for comparing, including means for inputting said encrypted representation and for directly sensing said biometric from said person, said inputting and sensing means being physically present at said location, said means for comparing said encrypted representation with said biometric characteristic as directly sensed from said person to verify said person'"'"'s identity; and

c3) means, responsive to said clock and said comparing means, for recording said person'"'"'s times of arrival at, and departure from, said location if said comparison means verities said person'"'"'s identity, for communicating said person'"'"'s time at said location to said data processing center; and

c4) for printing an encrypted record of said person'"'"'s time at said location.

2. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said clock is secure against being reset by unauthorized parties.

3. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said person is an employee and said data processing center determines said person'"'"'s wages in accordance with said time at said location.

4. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said times of arrival and departure are encrypted prior to communication to said data processing center.

5. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said times of arrival and departure are encrypted prior to recording.

6. A system as described in claim 1 wherein:

a) said representation of said selected biometric is encrypted with an encryption key E_i(D_i);

b) said identification means further includes an encrypted decryption key E_s;

c) said means for comparing stores a decryption key D_s corresponding to said encryption key E_s; and

,

d) said means for comparing decrypts said encrypted decryption key E_s(D_i) with said key D_s to recover said decryption key D_i and decrypts said encrypted representation of said selected biometric characteristic with said decryption key D_i.

7. A system as described in claim 6 wherein said keys E_s/D_s are an encryption/decryption key pair for a public key encryption system.