Method and system for display of activity of users

• US 7,194,539 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lawrence, Robert Alan, Hughes, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US10/289,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20030090525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/224, 345/167, 345/165, 345/156
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

A method and system for the display of the activity of users at a plurality of workstations (108, 110) is provided. The plurality of workstations (108, 110) are grouped in more than one distributed geographical location (102, 104). The disclosed method and system include continuously collecting data from each workstation (108, 110) with the data relating to the activity of a user at the workstation (108, 110). The data from the workstations (108, 110) is compiled in a central database (120) and displayed in a display in the form of an abstract representation (138, 140, 144) of the activity of users at the workstations (108, 110) displayed in real time. The display includes the data from the workstations (108, 110) in the more than one geographical location (102, 104).

Claims

1. A method for display of activity of users at a plurality of workstations, the method comprising:

continuously collecting data from each workstation of the plurality of workstations, each workstation of the plurality of workstations being in a different geographical location, the collected data relating to a rate of computer input activity of at least one user at each workstation;

compiling the data continuously collected from each workstation in a central database;

displaying the compiled data in a display in a representation of the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user at each workstation;

wherein the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user at each workstation comprises the number of input device clicks of each user at each workstation in a given period, and wherein the input device clicks of each user at each workstation are independently selected from the group consisting of key clicks, mouse clicks, and a combination of key clicks and mouse clicks;

wherein the key clicks are associated with a first color and the mouse clicks are associated with a second color that differs from the first color, wherein the at least one user at each workstation comprises a first user and a second user, wherein the computer input activity of the first user consists of key clicks, wherein the computer input activity of the second user consists of mouse clicks, wherein the representation of the rate of computer input activity of the first user is a first symbol in the first color, and wherein the representation of the rate of computer input activity of the second user is a second symbol in the second color.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying is performed in real time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first color is green, and wherein the second color is blue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the combination of key clicks and mouse clicks is associated with a third color between the first color and the second color such that the third color represents the ratio of the number of key clicks to the number of mouse clicks, wherein the at least one user at each workstation further comprises a third user, wherein the computer input activity of the third user consists of the combination of key clicks and mouse clicks, and wherein the representation of the rate of computer activity of the third user is the third symbol in the third color.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of workstations comprises a first workstation and a second workstation, wherein the at least one user at the first workstation consists of a first plurality of users, wherein the at least one user at the second workstation consists of a second plurality of users, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the representation of the rate of computer input activity of the first and second plurality of users in a first display for a first period followed by displaying the representation of the rate of computer input activity of the first and second plurality of users in a second display for a second period that ends after the first period ends.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the representation of the rate of computer input activity of each user of the first and second plurality of users in each period of the first period and second period is a symbol whose size is an increasing function of the number of input device clicks of each user in the first period and second period, respectively.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input device clicks of each user of the first and second plurality of users in each period of the first period and second period consist of key clicks.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the number of key clicks of each user of the first plurality of users in the first period is a same number of key clicks, and wherein the number of key clicks of two users of the second plurality of users in the first period are different numbers of key clicks.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the number of key clicks of a user of the first plurality of users in the second period differs from the number of key clicks of the user of the first plurality of users in the first period, and wherein the number of key clicks of a user of the second plurality of users in the second period differs from the number of key clicks of the user of the second plurality of users in the first period.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the number of key clicks of a first user of the first plurality of users in the second period differs from the number of key clicks of the first user of the first plurality of users in the first period, and wherein the number of key clicks of a second user of the first plurality of users in the second period and the number of key clicks of the second user of the first plurality of users in the first period is a same number of key clicks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user at each workstation comprises a visual swirl representing X and Y coordinates traced by mouse cursor movement across a screen.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of workstations comprises workstations in different countries.

13. A system, comprising a server adapted to implement the method of claim 1, said server being coupled to the plurality of workstations.

14. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code for performing the method of claim 1.

15. A method for display of activity of users at a plurality of workstations, the method comprising:

continuously collecting data from each workstation of the plurality of workstations, each workstation of the plurality of workstations being in a different geographical location, the collected data relating to a rate of computer input activity of at least one user at each workstation;

compiling the data continuously collected from each workstation in a central database;

displaying the compiled data in a display in a representation of the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user at each workstation;

wherein the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user at each workstation comprises the number of input device clicks of each user at each workstation in a given period, and wherein the input device clicks of each user at each workstation are independently selected from the group consisting of key clicks, mouse clicks, and a combination of key clicks and mouse clicks;

wherein the representation of the rate of computer input activity of the at least one user is a symbol whose size is an increasing function of the number of input device clicks of each user in the given period.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the symbol is a circle.

17. A system, comprising a server adapted to implement the method of claim 15, said server being coupled to the plurality of workstations.

18. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code for performing the method of claim 15.