Attendance tracking via device presence

• US 9,123,031 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marshall, John, Sorensen, Christian Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US13/871,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Attendance tracking via mobile devices may be provided. Once a meeting begins, a plurality of mobile devices present at the meeting may be identified. An attendance report for a plurality of attendees at the meeting may be provided based on the presence of each of the identified plurality of mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a meeting has begun;

identifying, via at least one processing device, a plurality of mobile devices present at the meeting by;

defining a geographical area associated with the meeting, the geographical area comprising an area within which a respective mobile device must be located in order for presence at the meeting to be registered; and

for each of the plurality of mobile devices, obtaining a global positioning system (GPS) location associated with the respective mobile device and determining whether the respective mobile device is within the geographical area;

correlating, via the at least one processing device, one or more of the plurality of mobile devices present at the meeting with one or more users so as to determine one or more attendees of the meeting;

creating an attendance log based at least in part on the one or more attendees of the meeting to determine a number of the one or more attendees;

determining whether a discrepancy exists between the number of the one or more attendees and a number of the plurality of mobile devices; and

authorizing, in an instance in which it is determined that the discrepancy does not exist between the number of the one or more attendees and the number of the plurality of mobile devices, communication of electronic content to one or more authorized attendees.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the identified plurality of mobile devices to a list of expected attendees.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a mobile device associated with at least one of the expected attendees is not present at the meeting; and

logging the at least one of the expected attendees as absent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of mobile devices in attendance at the meeting comprises receiving a communication signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the communication signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises receiving a near-field communications (NFC) signal at an NFC receiver associated with a location of the meeting.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the communication signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises receiving a wireless network signal at a wireless network transceiver associated with a location of the meeting.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the communication signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises receiving a verification signal from an application executing on each of the plurality of mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the verification signal comprises a meeting-specific identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a count of the one or more of attendees;

determining whether the count of the one or more of attendees differs from a count of a list of expected attendees; and

in response to determining that the count of the one or more of attendees differs from the count of the list of expected attendees, including the difference between the count of the one or more of attendees and the count of the list of expected attendees in the attendance log.

10. A system comprising:

a memory storing program code; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the memory and program code being configured to, with the processor, cause the system to at least;

identify, by the processor, a plurality of devices present at a meeting,

identify, by the processor, a number of attendees present at the meeting by obtaining at least one digital image of a location of the meeting and performing an image analysis on the at least one digital image, wherein a result of the image analysis comprises a number of attendees appearing within the at least one digital image,

determine, by the processor, whether a discrepancy exists between the number of attendees and a number of the plurality of devices,

generate, by the processor, a meeting attendance report comprising the number of the plurality of devices present at the meeting location and the number of attendees present at the meeting location, the meeting attendance report further comprising information about the discrepancy when the discrepancy exists,

determine, by the processor, whether the number of attendees present at the meeting includes all required attendees, and

authorizing, by the processor, in an instance in which it is determined that the number of attendees present at the meeting includes all required attendees, communication of electronic content to one or more authorized attendees.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying, by the processor, the number of attendees present at the meeting location comprises receiving, by the processor, a count of the number of attendees from an organizer of the meeting.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying, by the processor, the at least one discrepancy between the at least one of the plurality of devices and the at least one of the attendees comprises:

verifying, by the processor, each of the attendees present at the meeting according to a user authentication; and

comparing, by the processor, each of the verified attendees to a profile associated with each of the plurality of devices.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions that, when executed, causes a method to be performed, the method compromising:

identifying, by at least one processor, a plurality of registered devices present at a meeting;

identifying, by the at least one processor, a plurality of attendees present at the meeting;

providing, by the at least one processor, an attendance report for the meeting comprising a correlation between the plurality of registered devices present at a meeting location corresponding to the meeting and a number of attendees present at the meeting location;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether there is a discrepancy between the number of attendees present at the meeting and a number of the plurality of registered devices; and

authorizing, by the at least one processor, in an instance in which it is determined that no discrepancy exists between the number of attendees present at the meeting and the number of the plurality of registered devices, communication of electronic content to one or more authorized attendees.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the number of attendees present at the meeting comprises:

receiving, by the at least one processor, a plurality of authentications associated with the plurality of attendees, the plurality of authentications obtained in response to a plurality of request to authenticate a meeting attendance of the plurality of attendees via the plurality of registered devices;

associating, by the at least one processor, the plurality of authentications with at least some of the plurality of attendees; and

determining, by the at least one processor, whether at least one of the plurality of authentications is not associated with at least one of the plurality of attendees.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of authentications comprise at least one of the following:

a login, a password, a meeting code, a fingerprint, an identity certificate, a retina scan, a voiceprint, and an image.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the plurality of registered devices present at the meeting comprises receiving, by the at least one processor, a communication signal from each of the plurality of registered devices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the plurality of registered devices present at the meeting comprises detecting, by the at least one processor, each of the plurality of registered devices present in a configured geographic area.