METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING USER PERFORMANCE

• US 20050033619A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Bonalle, David S., Saunders, Peter D., Barnes, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 : Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 : Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 : Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 : Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 : for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

A system and method for using RFID technology to track resource performance and task completion is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a fob and an RFID reader may engage in mutual authentication. Where the RFID reader and the fob successfully mutually authenticate, the fob may transmit to the RFID reader information identifying the resource”s performance tracking account to which the fob is associated. The RFID reader may receive and forward the information to facilitate performance tracking. In one exemplary embodiment, the RFID reader may forward the information to a point of interaction terminal for transaction completion. In another exemplary embodiment, the fob completes tasks via a computer interface. In still another exemplary embodiment, the fob resource and/or a manager access to a resource engine, wherein the resource engine may be used to automatically grade, track, score, and assign resources based on resource skills and skill sets.

Claims

1. A transponder-reader performance tracking system comprising

a transponder system responsive to a Radio Frequency interrogation signal, said transponder system including a transponder database, said transponder database storing at least a transponder system identifier, said transponder system identifier;

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader in Radio Frequency (RF) communication with said transponder system, said RFID reader providing said interrogation signal to said transponder system and receiving said transponder system identifier; and

a resource engine associated with an employer identifier, said resource engine including a point of interaction terminal, said point of interaction terminal in communication with said RFID reader;

wherein said RFID reader provides said transponder system identifier to said point of interaction terminal, said point of interaction terminal associating said employer identifier and transponder system identifier to a resource transaction request, forming a performance tracking request, said point of interaction terminal providing said performance tracking request to a resource engine server.

2. A transponder-reader performance tracking system according to claim 1 wherein said resource engine includes a computer-implemented device configured to facilitate at least one of the management, assignment, grading, and tracking of at least one of resources, tasks, applications, and skills, said method including:

a device configured to facilitate obtaining information on applications problems;

a device configured to facilitate the defining of tasks associated with said application problems;

a device configured to facilitate a determination of the desired resource skills sets to complete said tasks; and

a device configured to facilitate the management of said resources and tasks, wherein said device includes at least one of;

a device configured to facilitate the automatic grading of skills sets of at least one of local and remote resources to determine resource skills sets scores;

a device configured to facilitate the automatic assignment of said resources to said tasks based on said desired resource skills sets and said resource skills sets scores, and a device configured to facilitate the automatic tracking of said resources based on task start and completion times.

3. A transponder system according to claim 1, wherein, said RFID reader is configured to be at least one of a free standing and a computer implemented device.

4. A transponder system according to claim 2, wherein said resource engine further comprises:

a device configured to facilitate grading and tracking said resources and said tasks by the use of an algorithm, said algorithm based upon at least one of;

the start times for said application tasks, the completion times for said application tasks and comparisons of resource efficiencies relating to application tasks.

5. A transponder system according to claim 1, wherein, said RFID reader is further configured to with at least one biometric security devices;

wherein said biometric security devices include at least one of pre-registration biometric information, a biometric sensor, and current biometric information.

6. A transponder system according to claim 5, wherein said biometric information includes at least one of fingerprints, a facial scan, a retinal image, an iris image, a voice print, and a vascular pattern scan.

7. A transponder system according to claim 1, wherein said RFID reader is further configured to communicate with at least one third-party merchant systems.

8. A transponder system according to claim 7, wherein said RFID reader is configured to facilitate at least one of transactions, security, and check-out.

9. A performance tracking system comprising:

a transponder system responsive to a Radio Frequency interrogation signal, said transponder system including a transponder database, said transponder database storing at least a transponder system identifier, said transponder system identifier;

a resource engine in communication with said transponder system, said resource engine further comprising a user interface

said resource engine further comprising a means for the authentication of said transponder system through at least one authentication processes, said authentication processes available through said user interface.

at least one biometric security devices;

wherein said biometric security devices include at least one of pre-registration biometric information, a biometric sensor, and current biometric information;

wherein said biometric information includes at least one of fingerprints, a facial scan, a retinal image, a voice print, an iris scan, and a tongue scan.

10. A performance tracking system of claim 9, said resource engine further comprising universal serial bus interface.

11. A performance tracking system of claim 9, wherein said RFID reader is further configured to communicate with at least one third-party merchant systems and wherein said RFID reader is configured to facilitate at least one of transactions, security, and check-out.

12. A performance tracking system of claim 9, wherein said RFID reader is further configured with a device to monitor and track locational information.

13. A method for facilitating performance tracking comprising:

using a transponder to provide a transponder account identifier to a radio frequency identification reader via a radio frequency signal;

associating the transponder account identifier with an employer account identifier to form a performance tracking request;

communicating said performance tracking request to a point of interaction terminal;

wherein said point of interaction terminal further communicates with a resource engine using said resource engine to facilitate tracking the performance of a resource associated with said transponder; and

wherein said tracking includes at least one of managing, assigning, tracking and grading at least one of resources, tasks, applications, and skills.

14. A method for facilitating performance tracking of claim 13, wherein said step of using a resource engine further comprises:

obtaining information related to application problems;

defining tasks associated with said application problems;

determining desired resource skills to complete said tasks; and

managing said resource skills and said tasks, wherein managing includes at least one of;

grading skills sets of at least one of local and remote resources to determine resource skills sets scores;

assigning said resources to said tasks based on said desired resource skills and said resource skills sets scores, and tracking said resource skills based on task start and task completion times.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of obtaining information related to applications problems further comprises the step of accessing a system for the management, assignment, grading, and tracking of at least one of resources, tasks, applications, and skills said step of accessing comprises:

inputting authentication information including at least one of a name, password, and identification;

verifying said authentication information; and

transmitting at least one of a homepage and webpage for interfacing with said system

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of tracking further includes:

combining relationships for resources, tasks, skills and time entry to facilitate a determination of expected completion times and efficiencies.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein, said steps of using a transponder to provide a transponder account identifier to a radio frequency identification reader via a radio frequency signal and associating the transponder account identifier with an employer account identifier to form a performance tracking request further include using one or more biometric security devices to provide a transponder identifier and employer identifier;

wherein said biometric security devices include at least one of pre-registration biometric information, a biometric sensor, and current biometric information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said biometric information includes at least one of fingerprints, a facial scan, a retinal image, a voice print, an iris scan, and a tongue scan.

19. The method of claim 13, comprising an additional step of communicating with at least one third-party merchant systems.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of communicating further comprises using said communications to facilitate at least one of performing a transaction, purchasing at least one product and checking out.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of communicating further comprises using said communications to facilitate security measures.

22. A method for facilitating performance tracking comprising:

facilitating receiving a transponder account identifier into a radio frequency identification reader via a radio frequency signal;

facilitating associating the transponder account identifier with an employer account identifier to form a performance tracking request; and

facilitating tracking the performance of a resource using said performance tracking request, wherein said tracking includes;

managing, assigning, grading, and tracking of at least one of resources, tasks, applications, and skills.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, said steps of receiving a transponder account identifier and associating the transponder account identifier with an employer account identifier further comprise using one or more biometric security devices;

wherein said biometric security devices include at least one of pre-registration biometric information, a biometric sensor, and current biometric information and wherein said biometric information includes at least one of fingerprints, a facial scan, a retinal image, a voice print, an iris scan, and a tongue scan.

24. The method for facilitating performance tracking of claim 22, said method comprising:

obtaining information on applications problems;

defining of tasks associated with said application problems;

determining the desired resource skills sets to complete said tasks; and

managing said resources and tasks, wherein managing includes at least one of;

grading the skills sets of at least one of local and remote resources to determine resource skills sets scores;

assigning said resources to said tasks based on said desired resource skills sets and said resource skills sets scores, and tracking of said resources based on task start and completion times.

25. The method for facilitating performance tracking of claim 22, comprising an additional step of communicating with at least one third-party merchant systems to facilitate at least one of performing a transaction, purchasing at least one product, checking out and facilitating security measures.

26. The method for facilitating performance tracking of claim 22, further comprising using a device to monitor and track locational information.