Automated method for reconciling asynchronous time attendance records

• US 8,121,912 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exaktime Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Exaktime Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: Pappas, Anthony Henryk, Renken, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh
• Application Number:
  US11/697,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 705/32
• US Class Current: 705/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/18 with apparatus adapted for use with individual cards

Abstract

A method for reconciling asynchronous time attendance records in a time attendance system is provided. The reconciliation method of the present invention can reconcile and synchronize time attendance records from a single time attendance recorder device, or multiple time attendance recorder devices which are independent from one another and not electronically connected to a central processor or each other. Each time attendance event includes a time attendance recorder identifying code, a user identifying code, and is processed according to whether it is determined to be a start activity or a stop activity. A series of completed time records is created for each user as all of the time attendance events from all of the recorder devices are processed.

Claims

1. An automated method for reconciling asynchronous time attendance records, comprising the steps of:

providing time attendance recorders which are not in real time electronic communication with each other or a common central processor;

assigning each time attendance recorder a unique identifier;

assigning a unique identifying code for each of a plurality of users of a time attendance recorder;

logging in to a plurality of the time attendance recorders using the user identifying code;

for each log in, creating a time attendance event including the time corresponding with the log in and the user identifying code and the time attendance recorder identifier;

periodically electronically transferring time attendance events from the attendance recorders to a central processor in an asynchronous manner; and

processing by the processor each time attendance event for the time attendance recorder to create time attendance records for each user, including the steps of;

determining by the processor whether the time attendance event is a start event time or a stop event time;

for each user, creating chronological time records, each time record having a start time and a stop time;

for missing known start event times and stop event times, completing a time record by automatically assigning a start time or a stop time corresponding with another known event time; and

replacing by the processor the automatically assigned start or stop time when receiving an accurate start event time or stop event time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

verifying user identifying code by comparing the user identifying code with a database of known user identifying codes; and

if unverified, assigning a user identifying code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the step of retrieving a maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically assigning a start time or stop time includes the step of automatically assigning a start time or stop time corresponding to an immediately preceding or following known start event time or stop event time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

verifying the time attendance recorder by comparing the identifying code for the time attendance recorder from which the time attendance event was obtained to a database of known time attendance recorder identifying codes; and

if unverified, assigning an identifying code to the time attendance recorder.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a start event time;

determining if the start event time comes between a completed record;

if the start event comes between a completed record, determining if the completed time record has a known start event time from a time attendance recorder, or an automatically assigned start time; and

if the start event does not come between a completed record, determining if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event.

7. The process of claim 6, including the steps of:

if it is determined that the time record start time is a known start event time, creating a new time record with the received start event time as the start time and assigning the time record a stop time corresponding to the stop time of the previous completed time record.

8. The process of claim 6, including the steps of:

if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span, updating the time record with an automatically assigned stop time that matches the received time attendance events time.

9. The process of claim 8, including the steps of:

determining that the immediately following time is not an assigned stop time, and creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if not retrieving and processing the next time attendance event.

10. The process of claim 8, including the steps of:

determining that the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if so, updating the new time record stop time with the start time of the next time record.

11. The process of claim 6, including the steps of:

determining that the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event, and determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and if not, creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if not, retrieving and processing the next time attendance event.

12. The process of claim 6, including the steps of:

determining that the start event time comes between a completed record;

determining that the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event, and determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and if not, creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if so, updating the new time record stop time with the start time of the next time record.

13. The process of claim 6, including the steps of:

determining that the start event time does not come between a completed record; and

determining if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event and if not, determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time and if so, updating the immediately following time record start time with the received time attendance event time.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a stop event time; and

determining that the previous time record does not have a stop time and is not within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event.

15. The process of claim 14, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record; and

if not, creating a new time record and inserting the received time attendance event stop time as the stop time.

16. The process of claim 14, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is not between a completed time record; and

inserting received time attendance event stop time in previous time record.

17. The process of claim 14, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is between a completed time record;

determining that the completed time record has a known stop event time;

creating a new time record and inserting received time attendance event time as the time record'"'"'s stop time;

updating the new time record start time with an automatically assigned start time based on time attendance event stop time; and

overwriting stop time in time recorder with the received time attendance stop time.

18. The process of claim 14, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is between a completed time record;

determining that the completed time record does not have a known stop event time; and

overwriting stop time in time recorder with the received time attendance stop time.

34. The process of claim 6, including the steps of determining that the start time is an automatically assigned start time and overwriting the assigned start time with the received start time.

35. The process of claim 8, including the steps of determining that the immediately following time is an assigned stop time and updating the immediately following time record start time with the received time attendance event time.

36. The process of claim 1, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a stop event time;

determining that the previous time record does not have a stop time and is within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event; and

closing the previous time record with the received time attendance event stop time.

40. The process of claim 2, wherein the verifying user identifying code step includes the step of comparing the date of the log in to the database of known user identifying codes.

19. An automated method for reconciling asynchronous time attendance records from a plurality of time attendance recorders which are not in electronic communication with each other or a central processor, comprising the steps of:

assigning each time attendance recorder a unique identifier;

assigning a unique identifying code for each of a plurality of users of a time attendance recorder;

logging in to the time attendance recorder using the user identifying code;

for each log in, creating a time attendance event including the time corresponding with the log in, the user identifying code, and the time attendance recorder identifier;

periodically electronically transferring time attendance events from the attendance recorders to a central processor; and

processing by the processor each time attendance event for the time attendance recorders, including the steps of;

verifying user identifying code by comparing the user identifying code with a database of known user identifying codes;

if unverified, assigning a user identifying code;

verifying the time attendance recorder by comparing the identifying code for the time attendance recorder from which the time attendance event was obtained to a database of known time attendance recorder identifying codes; and

if unverified, assigning an identifying code to the time attendance recorder;

retrieving a maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event;

determining by the processor whether the time attendance event is a start event time or a stop event time;

for each user, creating chronological time records, each time record having a start time and a stop time;

for missing known start event times and stop event times, completing a time record by automatically assigning a start time or a stop time corresponding with another known event time; and

replacing by the processor the automatically assigned start or stop time when receiving an accurate start event time or stop event time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of automatically assigning a start time or stop time includes the step of automatically assigning a start time or stop time corresponding to an immediately preceding or following known start event time or stop event time.

21. The process of claim 19, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a start event time;

determining if the start event time comes between a completed record;

if the start event comes between a completed record, determining if the completed time record has a known start event time from a time attendance recorder, or an automatically assigned start time; and

if the start event does not come between a completed record, determining if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event.

22. The process of claim 21, including the steps of:

if it is determined that the time record start time is a known start event time, creating a new time record with the received start event time as the start time and assigning the time record a stop time corresponding to the stop time of the previous completed time record.

23. The process of claim 21, including the steps of:

if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span, updating the time record with an automatically assigned stop time that matches the received time attendance events time.

24. The process of claim 23, including the steps of:

determining that the immediately following time is not an assigned stop time, and creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if not retrieving and processing the next time attendance event.

25. The process of claim 23, including the steps of:

determining that the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if so, updating the new time record stop time with the start time of the next time record.

26. The process of claim 21, including the steps of:

determining that the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event, and determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and if not creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if not, retrieving and processing the next time attendance event.

27. The process of claim 21, including the steps of:

determining that the start event time comes between a completed record;

determining that the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event, and determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time, and if not, creating a new time record having the received time attendance event time as the start time with no stop time; and

determining if there is a time record immediately following this new time record and if the time span between this start time and the next start time is within the maximum time span, and if so, updating the new time record stop time with the start time of the next time record.

28. The process of claim 21, including the steps of:

determining that the start event time does not come between a completed record; and

determining if the previous time record has a stop time within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event and if not, determining if the immediately following time is an assigned stop time and if so, updating the immediately following time record start time with the received time attendance event time.

29. The process of claim 19, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a stop event time; and

determining that the previous time record does not have a stop time and is not within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event.

30. The process of claim 29, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record; and

if not, creating a new time record and inserting the received time attendance event stop time as the stop time.

31. The process of claim 29, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is not between a completed time record; and

inserting received time attendance event stop time in previous time record.

32. The process of claim 29, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is between a completed time record;

determining that the completed time record has a known stop event time;

creating a new time record and inserting received time attendance event time as the time record'"'"'s stop time;

updating the new time record start time with an automatically assigned start time based on time attendance event stop time; and

overwriting stop time in time recorder with the received time attendance stop time.

33. The process of claim 29, including the steps of:

determining if there is a previous time record;

if so, determining that the received time attendance event stop time is between a completed time record;

determining that the completed time record does not have a known stop event time; and

overwriting stop time in time recorder with the received time attendance stop time.

37. The process of claim 21, including the steps of determining that the start time is an automatically assigned start time and overwriting the assigned start time with the received start time.

38. The process of claim 23, including the steps of determining that the immediately following time is an assigned stop time and updating the immediately following time record start time with the received time attendance event time.

39. The process of claim 19, wherein the processing step includes the steps of:

receiving a time attendance event and determining that it is a stop event time;

determining that the previous time record does not have a stop time and is within the maximum time span allowed for the user associated with the time attendance event; and

closing the previous time record with the received time attendance event stop time.

41. The process of claim 19, wherein the verifying user identifying code step includes the step of comparing the date of the log in to the database of known user identifying codes.