# US 2019/0318289 A1 · System and method for increasing employee productivity through gamification > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0318289 A1 - Document ID: US20190318289A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/453,345 - Filed: 2019-06-26 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2009-03-27 - Inventors: Mark Lamoncha - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190318289A1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/06398: {Performance of employee with respect to a job function} - A63F 13/35: Details of game servers - A63F 13/50: Controlling the output signals based on the game progress - A63F 13/822: Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence) - C12Q 1/6883: for diseases caused by alterations of genetic material - G06Q 10/0639: Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations - G06Q 10/06393: {Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis} - C12Q 2600/156: Polymorphic or mutational markers - G06Q 10/063114: {Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES ## Abstract Systems and methods are provided for increasing employee productivity in a production process. One or more machines for accomplishing a production activity and in communication with a database which includes pay rates and predetermined thresholds for the production activity. Data acquiring devices associated with each machine measure production rates in substantially real time. A processor retrieves the pay rate and the production rate to determine a real-time-pay rate. A display provides a ranking and visualization reflecting each employee's real-time-pay and a graphic indicating whether each employee's real-time-pay rate exceeds one or more of the predetermined thresholds. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for increasing an employee's productivity in a production process, comprising: a machine associated with the employee and configured to assist the employee in accomplishing a production activity; a database in electronic communication with the machine by way of an electronic interface and comprising a pay rate as well as one or more predetermined thresholds for the production activity; a data acquiring device associated with the machine and configured to measure an actual production metric for said production activity in substantially real time from said machine; a processor adapted to retrieve the pay rate for the employee and one or more predetermined thresholds from the database, receive the actual production metric from the data acquiring device, determine a real-time-pay rate for the employee, and determine whether the real-time-pay-rate exceeds one or more of the predetermined thresholds; and a display associated with the machine and in electronic communication with said processor, wherein said display is configured to display, in substantially real time, the real-time-pay rate and a graphic reflecting whether one or more of the predetermined thresholds has been exceeded by the employee. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the display is located on the machine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising: a second machine associated with a second employee and configured to assist the second employee in accomplishing the production activity, wherein the second machine is in electronic communication with the database by way of a second electronic interface; and a second data acquiring device associated with the second machine and configured to measure a second actual production metric for said production activity in substantially real time from said second machine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein: the processor is adapted to receive the second actual production metric from the data acquiring device, determine a second real-time-pay rate for the second employee, and determine whether the second real-time-pay-rate exceeds one or more of the predetermined thresholds. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4 further comprising: a second display associated with the second machine, and configured to display, in substantially real time, the second real-time-pay rate and a second graphic reflecting whether one or more of the predetermined thresholds has been exceeded by the second employee. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5 further comprising: a common display associated with the machine and the second machine, wherein the common display is configured to display a relative ranking of the first and second employees by the real-time-pay rate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6 wherein: the common display is configured to display a visualization reflecting the real-time-pay rate of each employee associated with the production activity. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein: the visualization comprises a bar chart reflecting the real-time-pay rate of each employee associated with the production activity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein: the machine and the second machine are associated with a common assembly line; and the common display is located in a common area within direct visual range of the assembly line. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the actual production metric comprises the number of units produced over a period of time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein: the real-time-pay rate is determined by multiplying the pay rate with the actual production metric. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the one or more of the predetermined thresholds comprises three predetermined thresholds, each associated with a different graphic. ### Claim 13 A system for increasing employee productivity in a production process, comprising: a series of machines, each configured to accommodate an employee and assist the employee with accomplishing an aspect of a production activity for a common assembly line, wherein each of the machines comprise a data acquiring device configured to measure one or more actual production metrics of for the respective machine in substantially real time; a database in electronic communication with each of the machines by way of an electronic interface and comprising a pay rate associated with each employee and one or more predetermined thresholds associated with each employee; one or more processors in electronic communication with the data acquiring devices and adapted to receive the actual production metric from each of the data acquiring devices, retrieve the pay rate and predetermined thresholds associated with each employee, determine a real-time-pay rate for each of the employees, and determine whether the real-time-pay-rate exceeds one or more of the retrieved predetermined thresholds; and a common display associated with the one or more processors, wherein the display is configured to, in substantially real time, display each employee's relative ranking based on the employee's real-time-pay rate, a visualization reflecting each employee's real-time-pay rate, and a graphic indicating whether each employee's real-time-pay rate exceeds one or more of the predetermined thresholds. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein: the common display is located remote from each of the machines; and the common display is located within visual range of each of the machines on the common assembly line. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein: the actual production metric for each employee comprises the number of units processed by the respective machine over a period of time; the real-time-pay rate for each employee is determined by multiplying the employee's pay rate with the actual production metric. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 further comprising: a number of individual displays, each associated with one of the series of machines and configured to display the real-time-pay rate of the employee associated with the respective machine. ### Claim 17 A method for increasing employee productivity in a production process, comprising the steps of: providing a series of machines, each associated with an employee, for accomplishing a production activity; storing, at a database in electronic communication with each of the machines, a pay rate for each employee for the production activity and one or more predetermined thresholds associated with each employee; monitoring, by way of data acquiring devices, each associated with one of the machines, an actual production metric for each of said series of machines for said production activity in substantially real time; retrieving the pay rate for each employee from the database; receiving the actual production metric for each employee from the respective data acquiring device; determining, at the processor, a real-time-pay rate for each employee based on the actual production metric and the pay rate for the employee; and displaying, at a display associated with each of the series of machines, in substantially real-time, a ranking of each employee comprising each employee's real-time-pay rate, a visualization reflecting the real-time-pay rate of each employee, and a graphic indicating whether each employee's real-time-pay rate exceeds one or more of the predetermined thresholds. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein: said visualization comprises a bar chart reflecting the real-time-pay rate of each employee. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of: the display is located remote from each of the series of machines. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19 wherein: the pay rate and the predetermined thresholds are the same for each employee.