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US 10,706,731 B2Granted
Attendance monitoring system
AssigneeBedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC.
InventorsSteven Harper-Ray, Renee Altier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The system set forth herein relates to a network of a server, proctor device and user devices that connect to provide attendance information at a gathering location. The proctor may define an area that constitutes a meeting location for a particular time. Users may connect to a network to join the meeting and when the user is within the area at a particular time, the user can authorize the transmittal of information to alter the system that the user is present. The system is able to determine the proximity of the user to identify a present status without needing to store or transmit the user's actual location to the proctor and thereby maintain a level of anonymity for the user while still confirming the user's presence at the location.
Claims19
An attendance monitoring system comprising:
- a server connected to a network, a course manager stored on the server, an attendance module stored on the server, and, associated with the server, a repository that
- a) stores data relating to at least one user,
- b) stores data relating to at least one proctor, and
- c) stores data relating to at least one event including a location area for at least one event,
- wherein the course manager has access to data stored in the repository,
- wherein the attendance module receives one or more signals through the network containing location information corresponding to the user and identification information corresponding to the user,
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to compare the location information corresponding to the user with a stored location area for an event and compare the time that the location information was received to a time for the event and
- a) reject the location information corresponding to the user if the location information is received outside of a predetermined time frame,
- b) reject the location information corresponding to the user if the location information indicates that the user's location is outside of the location area for an event,
- c) record an indication that the location information corresponding to the user is within the location area if location information corresponding to the user is within the location area, and
- d) update a database to indicate that the user associated with the identification information is present within the stored location area if the location information received indicates a location corresponding to the user that is within the location area, and
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to transmit one or more signals containing information about the presence of the user associated with the identification information if the comparison indicates that the location information indicates a location that is within the location area.
9 more elements
An attendance monitoring system comprising:
- a server connected to a network, a course manager stored on the server, an attendance module stored on the server, a repository associated with the server that stores data, a plurality of user devices connected to the network, an attendance application stored on a plurality of the user devices, a proctor device connected to the network, and an attendance monitor stored on a proctor device,
- wherein the course manager has access to stored data relating to
- a) at least one user,
- b) at least one proctor, and
- c) at least one event;
- wherein the attendance module is configured to receive through the network one or more signals requesting data relating to the event and transmit through the network signals providing data relating to the event to user devices;
- wherein the attendance application is configured to gather location information about the location of at least one user device on which the attendance application is stored and location information about the location of a proctor device, receive data relating to the event including a location area for the event where the location area is dependent on the location of the proctor device and the attendance application is configured to alter the location area if the proctor device moves, compare the location information of at least one student device to the location area, determine a proximity of the user device to a location within the location area if the user device is within the location area, and transmit to the server a proximity signal containing an indication of the proximity where the user has authorized the transmission of the proximity signal;
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to update the repository after receipt of the proximity signal to indicate that the user associated with the proximity signal is present within the location area, and
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to transmit one or more signals containing information about the presence of the user associated with the proximity signal to the attendance monitor stored on the proctor device.
6 more elements
An attendance monitoring system comprising:
- a server connected to a network, a course manager stored on the server, and an attendance module stored on the server, and, associated with the server, a repository that
- a) stores data relating to at least one user,
- b) stores data relating to at least one proctor, and
- c) stores data relating to at least one event including a location area for at least one event,
- wherein the course manager has access to data stored in the repository,
- wherein the attendance module is configured to allow the server to receive through the network one or more signals requesting data relating to an event, to transmit through the network one or more signals providing data relating to the event, and to receive one or more signals through the network containing location information and identification information corresponding to the user,
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to compare the location information corresponding to the user with a stored location area for the event and compare the time that the location information was received to a time for the event and
- a) reject the location information corresponding to the user if the location information is received outside of a predetermined time frame and transmit a signal to the user device indicating that the location information was rejected as being outside a required timeframe,
- b) reject the location information corresponding to the user if the location information indicates that the user's location is outside of the location area for an event and transmit a signal to the user device indicating that the location information was rejected as being outside the location area, and
- c) record an indication that the location information corresponding to the user is within the location area if the location information corresponding to the user is within the location area,
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to update the repository to indicate that the user associated with the identification information is present within the stored location area if the location information received indicates a location that is within the location area, and
- wherein the attendance module is further configured to transmit one or more signals containing information about the presence of the user associated with the identification information if the comparison indicates that the location information indicates a location that is within the location area.
9 more elements
A method of monitoring attendance through the use of
- a server connected to a network, a course manager stored on the server, an attendance module stored on the server, at least one proctor device connected to the network, at least one user device connected to the network, and a repository associated with the server that
- a) stores data relating to at least one user,
- b) store data relating to at least one proctor, and
- c) stores data relating to at least one event including a location area for at least one event, the method comprising:
- the server receiving through the network one or more signals requesting data relating to the event and subsequently transmitting through the network one or more signals providing data relating to the event to the user device,
- upon receipt by the user device of the one or more signals providing data relating to the event, generating an alert by the user device requesting authorization for the transmission of location information of the user device,
- transmitting the location information of the user device to the server after receiving the authorization,
- comparing the location information of the user device to a location area stored in the repository,
- updating the status of the user associated with the device with an indication that the user is present where the comparison indicates that the user device is within the location area or sending a rejection notice that the user device is outside of the location area if the comparison indicates that the user device is outside the location area,
- transmitting one or more signals to the proctor device indicating that the user is present where the comparison indicates that the user device is within the location area,
- upon receipt by the proctor device of one or more signals indicating that the user device is within the location area, displaying on the proctor device a plurality of indicators associated with a plurality of the users and updating at least one of the indicators to display the status of a user as present.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.