System and method for providing automatic supervision of employees using virtual geographic zones

• US 9,319,834 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonal Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Pierce II
• Inventors: Pierce, Robert L. II, Northrup, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US14/102,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20140099975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for user interaction includes a network, a server connected to the network, a supervisor device receiving information from a global positioning system and connected to the network, a user device receiving information from the global positioning system and connected to the network. The supervisor, having the supervisor device, defines a set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones in which the user device is tracked, and saves the set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones to a supervisor account on the server. The user downloads a user application, sets-up a user account, and downloads the set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones. As the user, having the user device, moves through the virtual geographic zones and sub-zones the location of the user device is determined and a set of supervisor-defined actions are executed on the user device based on the location of the user device.

Claims

1. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, a supervisor device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the server programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the supervisor device, a first set of points;

defining, by the supervisor device, a zone from the first set of points;

receiving, by the supervisor device, a second set of points within the zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a sub-zone from the second set of points;

defining, by the supervisor device, a set of actions for the zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a predetermined time for the zone;

receiving, by the user device, a location of the user device;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the zone;

receiving, by the user device, a time for the location of the user device;

comparing, by the server, the time to the predetermined time for the zone;

executing, by the user device, the set of actions if the location of the user device engages the zone; and

,

generating, by the server, a notification if the time is greater than the predetermined time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the sub-zone; and

,

executing, by the user device, the set of actions if the location of the user device is within the sub-zone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of defining a sub-zone by the supervisor device further comprises the steps of:

defining, by the supervisor device, an “

exclusion”

zone;

receiving, by the supervisor device, a subset of excluded actions from the set of actions; and

,

associating, by the supervisor device, the subset of excluded actions with the exclusion zone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of periodically monitoring, by the user device, the location of the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending, by the supervisor device, the notification to the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending, by the supervisor device, the notification to the supervisor device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of executing further comprising the step of receiving, by the server, a check-in notification for the user device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the server, an end tour request for the user device;

comparing, by the server, the end tour request to the check-in notification; and

,

sending, by the server, an end tour verification to the user device if the end tour request is equal to the check-in notification.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

defining, by the supervisor device, a set of zones from the first set of points;

defining, by the supervisor device, an order for the set of zones;

receiving, by the server, a set of check-in notifications;

comparing, by the server, the set of check-in notifications to the order; and

,

generating, by the server, the notification if the set of check-in notifications is not equal to the order.

10. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, a supervisor device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the server programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the supervisor device, a first set of points;

defining, by the supervisor device, a zone from the first set of points;

receiving, by the supervisor device, a second set of points within the zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a sub-zone from the second set of points;

defining, by the supervisor device, a first set of actions for the zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a second set of actions for the sub-zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a first predetermined time for the zone;

defining, by the supervisor device, a second predetermined time for the sub-zone;

determining, by the user device, a location of the user device;

determining, by the user device, a time of the location of the user device;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the zone;

executing, by the user device, the first set of actions if the location of the user device is within the zone;

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the sub-zone;

executing, by the user device, the second set of actions if the location of the user device is within the sub-zone;

comparing, by the server, the time to a first predetermined time for the zone;

generating, by the server, a first notification if the time is greater than the first predetermined time;

comparing, by the server, the time to a second predetermined time for the sub-zone; and

,

generating, by the server, a second notification if the time is greater than the second predetermined time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

defining, by the supervisor device, a subset of excluded actions from the first set of actions; and

,

associating, by the supervisor device, the subset of excluded actions with the sub-zone.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of updating, by the supervisor device, the first set of actions.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of defining, by the supervisor device, a first set of actions for the zone further comprises the step of defining, by the supervisor device, a set of checkpoint notifications.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving, by the supervisor device, a first set of points further comprises receiving, by the supervisor device, a set of location information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of defining, by the supervisor device, a first set of actions for the zone further comprises the step of defining, by the supervisor device, a set of check-in actions.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

periodically monitoring, by the user device, the location of the user device; and

,

periodically determining, by the user device, if the location of the user device is within the zone.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of defining a zone by the supervisor device further comprises the step of determining, by the supervisor device, a zone type selected from the group of an “

exclusion”

zone and an “

inclusion”

zone.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of defining a sub-zone by the supervisor device further comprises the step of determining, by the supervisor device, a sub-zone type selected from the group of an “

exclusion”

sub-zone and an “

inclusion”

sub-zone.

19. A system for interacting with a user, comprising:

a network;

a server, connected to the network,

a supervisor device connected to the network,

a user device, connected to the network,

the supervisor device programmed to carry out the steps of;

receiving a first set of points;

defining a set of zones from the first set of points;

receiving a second set of points within the zone;

defining a sub-zone from the second set of points;

receiving a set of actions related to the set of zones;

receiving a set of predetermined times for the set of zones;

the server programmed to carry out the steps of;

sending the set of zones and the set of predetermined times to the user device;

sending the set of actions to the user device;

comparing the location of the user device to locations of the set of zones;

comparing the time to the set of predetermined times;

the user device programmed to carry out the steps of;

determining a location of the user device;

executing the set of actions, if the location of the user device is engaged with the set of zones;

determining a time for the location of the user device;

generating a notification if the time is different than the set of predetermined times.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein the supervisor device is programmed to carry out the steps of:

defining the set of actions; and

,

defining the set of predetermined times.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the supervisor device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

receiving a subset of excluded actions from the set of actions; and

,

associating the subset of excluded actions with a zone of the set of zones.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the user device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

monitoring the location of the user device at a predetermined frequency; and

,

altering the predetermined frequency, based on a velocity of the user device.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the user device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

determining a forward path for the user device;

identifying a subset of zones of the set of zones along the forward path; and

,

displaying the subset of zones.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the supervisor device is further programmed to carry out the step of determining an “

exclusion”

zone.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of actions is a set of checkpoint notifications.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

collecting a set of present tour data for a present tour;

retrieving a set of historical tour data;

comparing the set of present tour data to the set of historical tour data; and

,

executing a set of notifications if the present tour is on-time.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the step of generating further comprises the step of generating the notification if the time is greater than the set of predetermined times.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the step of generating further comprises the step of generating the notification if the time is less than the set of predetermined times.

29. A method of a user device connected to a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the user device and from a server associated with a zone, a first set of points, a second set of points, and a set of actions;

wherein a zone is defined from the first set of points by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the zone;

wherein a sub-zone is defined from the second set of points;

wherein a predetermined time interval is defined for the zone;

receiving, by the user device, a location of the user device;

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the zone;

executing, by the user device, the set of actions delivered from the server associated with the zone, if the location of the user device is within the zone;

wherein a time is received for the location of the user device;

wherein the time is compared to the predetermined time for the zone; and

,

wherein a notification is generated if the time is greater than the predetermined time.

30. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, a supervisor device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the server programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the user device, a first set of points and a second set of points within a zone;

wherein the zone is defined from the first set of points;

wherein a sub-zone is defined from the second set of points;

wherein a first set of actions is defined for the zone;

wherein a second set of actions is defined for the sub-zone;

wherein a first predetermined time is defined for the zone;

wherein a second predetermined time is defined for the sub-zone;

determining, by the user device, a location of the user device;

wherein a time of the location of the user device is determined;

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the zone;

executing, by the user device, the first set of actions if the location of the user device is within the zone;

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the sub-zone;

executing, by the user device, the second set of actions if the location of the user device is within the sub-zone;

wherein the time is compared to a first predetermined time for the zone;

wherein a first notification is generated if the time is greater than the first predetermined time;

wherein the time is compared to a second predetermined time for the sub-zone; and

,

wherein a second notification is generated if the time is greater than the second predetermined time.