Automated attendance tracking and event notification

• US 8,928,483 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Nasir, Azim, Moshrefi, Afshin, Gharachorloo, Nader
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US12/975,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.4, 455/456.1, 455/556.1, 455/550.1, 348/552, 705/32
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity

Abstract

A system is configured to receive information associated with a location of a user device; retrieve information associated with a location at which a user, of the user device, is to be during a period of time; determine whether to assign, to the user device, a late status or an absent status based on the location of the user device, the assigned location, and the period of time; assign a late status when the location of the user device does not match the assigned location when the period of time begins; send, to another user device, a notification that the user device is late to the assigned location based on the assigning of the late status; assign an absent status when the location of the user device does not match the assigned location during the period of time; and send to the other user device, another notification that the user device was absent from the assigned location based on the assigning of the absent status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server device, information associated with a location of a user device;

retrieving, by the server device and from a memory associated with the server device, information associated with a personnel data structure, where the personnel data structure includes information associated with an assigned location at which a user of the user device is to be during a period of time, and wherein the period of time begins at a first point of time and ends at a second point of time, and the second point of time is different from the first point of time;

determining, by the server device, whether to assign, to the user device, a late status or an absent status based on the location of the user device, the assigned location, and the period of time;

assigning, by the server device and to the user device, the late status in response to determining that the location of the user device does not match the assigned location when the period of time begins;

sending, by the server device and to another user device or another server device, a first notification that the user device is late to the assigned location based on the assigning of the late status, where the other user device is associated with a parent or guardian of the user, and where the other server device is associated with a teacher or supervisor of the user;

assigning, by the server device and to the user device, the absent status in response to determining that the location of the user device does not match the assigned location during the period of time;

sending, by the server device and to the other user device or the other server device, a second notification that the user was absent from the assigned location in response to assigning the absent status to the user device;

determining that the absent status, assigned to the user device, is not excused when the personnel data structure does not store information that indicates that the absent status is to be excused;

determining whether a distance, between the assigned location and the location associated with the user device, is greater than a threshold based on the determination that the absent status is not excused; and

sending, to a third server device, a third notification indicating that a safety event, associated with the user device, exists based on determining that the distance is greater than the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, to the user device, an on-time status in response to determining that the location of the user device matches the assigned location when the period of time begins; and

storing, in the personnel data structure, information indicating that the user device was on time to the assigned location based on the assigning of the on-time status.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, from the personnel data structure, information that indicates that the absent status is to be excused, where the information that indicates that the absent status is to be excused was stored in the personnel data structure, in response to receiving, at a prior point of time relative to the period of time, from the other user device or the other server device, a notification that the absent status is to be excused; and

excusing the absent status based on the retrieved information that indicates that the absent status is to be excused.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the late status is not excused when the personnel data structure does not store information that indicates that the late status is to be excused; and

sending a fourth notification to the other user device or the other server device indicating that the user device was tardy during the period of time based on determining that the late status is not excused.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

updating the personnel data structure based on the fourth notification indicating that the user device was tardy, where updating the personnel data structure includes storing information indicating that the user device was tardy during the period of time;

identifying, from the updated personnel data structure, a plurality of indications that the user device was tardy within a particular period of time;

determining that a tardiness condition, associated with the user device, exists based on a determination that the quantity of the indications that the user device was tardy, is greater than a threshold; and

sending, to the other user device, a fifth notification that the tardiness condition exists.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the third server device is associated with local, state, or federal government authorities.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying that two or more user devices are present based on a determination that the two or more user devices are located at respective assigned locations, each corresponding to one of the two or more user devices;

determining that a quantity of the two or more user devices is greater than a threshold value in response to identifying that the two or more user devices are present, where the threshold corresponds to a minimum quantity of user devices to be present in order to establish a quorum; and

scheduling a meeting in response to determining that the quantity of the two or more user devices is greater than the threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

clocking in the user device when the user device enters a room that corresponds to the assigned location;

in response to clocking in the user device, storing, in the personnel structure data, information indicating a first time that corresponds to a point in time at which the user device was clocked in;

clocking out the user device when the user device leaves the room that corresponds to the assigned location;

in response to clocking out the user device, storing, in the personnel structure data, information indicating a second time that corresponds to a point in time at which the user device was clocked out; and

determining whether the user device was present for a full period of time based on whether a time period from the first time to the second time is greater than the full period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, a request to set up an account, where the request includes set up information associated with the user device, the set up information including information associated with the user device, one or more assigned locations, and one or more periods of time that correspond to the one or more assigned locations; and

setting up, in response to the request, the account, wherein setting up the account includes at least one of;

storing the set up information in a set up data structure associated with the user device,

storing all or a portion of the information in the personnel data structure, or

storing all or a portion of the information in a roster data structure that corresponds to the one or more assigned locations at which the user device is to be located for the one or more periods of time.

10. A server device, comprising:

a memory to store a data structure that includes information associated with a schedule of locations at which a user device is to be present during a plurality of non-overlapping time periods, where the plurality of non-overlapping time periods correspond to the respective locations; and

a processor to;

receive information associated with a location of the user device,

identify, from the information associated with the schedule of locations, an assigned location at which the user device is scheduled to be present during a period of time of the plurality of non-overlapping time periods, wherein the period of time begins at a first point in time and ends at a second point in time, and the second point in time is different from the first point in time,

determine that the user device is not present at the assigned location when the location of the user device does not match the assigned location from the first point in time to the second point in time,

determine whether the data structure stores information indicating that the user device is excused from being present at the assigned location,

send, to another server device, a first notification that the user device is excused from being present at the assigned location, in response to determining that the data structure stores the information indicating that the user device is excused from being present at the assigned location, where the other server device is associated with the assigned location,

send, to another user device, a second notification that the user device is absent at the assigned location, in response to determining that the data structure does not store the information indicating that the user device is excused from being present at the assigned location, where the other user device is associated with a parent or guardian of the user,

perform a security operation to determine whether a security condition, associated with the user device, exists based on the determination that the user device is not present,

send a query to the user device to obtain updated information associated with the location of the user device,

determine that the user device is located at a distance that is not greater than a threshold relative to the assigned location based on the updated information associated with the location of the user device, and

send a third notification to the other user device or the other server device indicating that the security condition, associated with the user device, does not exist based on the determination that the user device is located at the distance that is not greater than the threshold.

11. The server device of claim 10, where, when performing the security operation, the processor is further to:

send a query to the user device to obtain updated information associated with the location of the user device,

determine that the user device is located at a distance that is greater than a threshold relative to the assigned location, and

send a fourth notification to the other user device or a third server device indicating that the security condition, associated with the user device, exists, where the third server device is associated with local, state, or federal government authorities.

12. The server device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

update a roster data structure associated with the assigned location, where, in response to updating the roster data structure, the processor is to store information indicating that the user device is absent, and

where the roster data structure includes information associated with a plurality of user devices that are scheduled to be present at the assigned location.

13. The server device of claim 12, where the processor is further to:

identify that one or more user devices, of the plurality of user devices, are not present at the assigned location,

determine that all or a portion of a curriculum was associated with the one or more user devices that are not present, and

generate a modified curriculum that is associated with the portion of the plurality of user devices that are present at the assigned location, where the modified curriculum does not include all or the portion of the curriculum associated with the one or more user devices that are not present.

14. The server device of claim 10, where, when determining that the user device is not present, the processor is further to:

identify that the user device is not present when the location of the user device does not match the assigned location at starts first point in time, and

send, to the other user device or to the other server device, a fourth notification that the user device is late when the location of the user device does not match the assigned location at starts first point in time.

15. The server device of claim 14, where the processor is further to:

receive a fifth notification from the other user device that indicates that the user device is excused from being late to the assigned location, and

store, in the data structure and based on the fifth notification, an indication that the user device is excused from being late to the assigned location.

16. The server device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

retrieve, from the memory, information that indicates that a portion of a plurality of user devices, which are scheduled to be present at a plurality of assigned locations, are not present,

identify that one or more user devices, of another portion of the plurality of user devices that are present, are scheduled to attend a meeting at a particular assigned location,

determine that a quantity of the one or more user devices is less than a threshold value above which the meeting is authorized to be held, and

send a message that cancels the meeting based on the determination that the quantity of the one or more user devices is less than the threshold value.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions to receive information associated with a location of a user device;

one or more instructions to determine whether the user device is present at a particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located during a period of time based on the information associated with the location of the user device, wherein the period of time begins at a first point of time and ends at a second point of time, and the second point of time is different from the first point of time;

one or more instructions to determine whether the user device is excused from being present at the particular location based on a determination that the user device is not present at the particular location;

one or more instructions to send, to another device, a first notification that the user device is excused from being present based on a determination that the user device is excused;

one or more instructions to send a second notification to another user device indicating that the user device is not present at the particular location based on a determination that the user device, not being present at the location, is not excused;

one or more instructions to send a third notification to the user device instructing the user of the user device to report to the location or to respond to the second notification based on a determination that absence of the user device, at the particular location, is not excused;

one or more instructions to update a data structure associated with an assigned location, and store information indicating that the user device is absent, and wherein the data structure includes information associated with a plurality of user devices that are scheduled to be present at the assigned location;

one or more instructions to identify that one or more user devices, of the plurality of user devices are not present at the assigned location;

one or more instructions to determine that all or a portion of a curriculum was associated with the one or more user devices that are not present; and

one or more instructions to generate a modified curriculum that is associated with the portion of the plurality of user devices that are present at the assigned location where the modified curriculum does not include all or the portion of the curriculum associated with the one or more user devices that are not present.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the one or more instructions to determine whether the user device is present at the particular location further includes:

one or more instructions to determine whether the location of the user device matches the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located at a point in time that is within the period of time;

one or more instructions to store, in the data structure associated with the user device, first information indicating that the user device is present based on a determination that the location of the user device matches the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located at the point in time; and

one or more instructions to store, in the data structure, second information indicating that the user device is not present based on a determination that the location of the user device does not match the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located at the point in time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions to retrieve, from the data structure, information that identifies one or more occurrences of when the user device was not present at one or more locations at which the user device was scheduled to be located over a particular period of time; and

one or more instructions to send, to the other user device, a fourth notification that the user device has not been present an excessive quantity of times when a quantity associated with the one or more occurrences is greater than a threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive a fourth notification from the other user device that indicates that the user device will not be present at a certain location that corresponds to a particular point in time; and

one or more instructions for excusing the user device for not being present at the certain location that corresponds to the particular point in time based on the fourth notification from the other user device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions to determine that the user device is located at a distance, from the particular location at which the user device is schedule to be located, that is greater than a threshold; and

one or more instructions to place a call to the other user device, that permits a user of the other user device to communicate with an administrator to determine whether the user device is authorized to be at the distance that is greater than the threshold; and

one or more instructions to send a fourth notification to a server device indicating that a potential safety event, associated with the user device, exists, where the server device is associated with local, state or federal government authorities or first responders.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive an alert that indicates that inclement weather may affect a plurality of user devices scheduled to be at the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located during a future period of time; and

one or more instructions to broadcast a fourth notification to the plurality of user devices instructing the plurality of user devices not to report to the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located during the future period of time.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive, from the other user device, a fourth notification that a particular medication, to be taken by the user of the user device at a particular point in time, is authorized;

one or more instructions to store, in a data structure, information associated with the particular medication to be taken by the user at the particular point in time; and

one or more instructions to send, to the user device or to a server device at the particular point in time, an instruction that the medication is to be taken, where the server device is associated with a person that is located at the particular location at which the user device is scheduled to be located at the particular point in time.