US 6,185,514 B2 · Time and work tracker with hardware abstraction layer

Abstract

A method and system for automatically collecting and for analyzing information about time and work performed on a computer includes a hardware abstraction layer for monitoring activity on various user input devices. The system also includes the following elements: a data collector for monitoring certain portions of a user's computer activity and for logging into a log file those certain portions of a user's computer activity; a data analyzer for determining by following user-defined rules showing which portions of those certain portions of a user's computer activity constitutes continuous work activities, and how this work should be categorized by project and task with project; and an external interface for building the rules defining work. The data collector includes a resident module, such as a TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) module, which extends the file system of the computer so that detailed records are kept of file activities. The data collector also routes information about file and keyboard activity, and tabulates and writes such information to a user's disk periodically. The hardware abstraction layer is a software module which is interposed between actual physical user input devices and the data collector.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented automatically-operated user-activity monitoring system for automatically collecting and analyzing information about time and continuous work performed on a computer without manually starting and stopping a clock or having a user specify that work is being performed prior to the user beginning the work, comprising:

automatic data collector means for monitoring certain portions of a user's computer activity;
a hardware abstraction layer for providing monitoring and detection of activity of various types of input devices;
automatic data collector means for logging into a log file certain portions of a user's computer activity;
data analyzer means for determining, by means of rules defining work previously defined by a user, which portions of a user's computer activity constitutes work;
wherein the log file includes a series of events including file activity and one or more external user input activities;
wherein the data analyzer means include means for reading the series of chronologically ordered events from the log file and for categorizing activities as belonging to a certain predetermined task;
wherein for each task a respective timer is provided by the data analyzer means for accumulating actual time worked on a task for time intervals greater than an idle time limit interval;
wherein a respective timer is started by the data analyzer means when an activity for a task is detected and wherein the timer stops after expiration of a preset idle time limit interval;
wherein the timer is restarted when another subsequent activity for a task is detected;
and
such that when an idle time limit interval is determined to have elapsed in the log file between activities belonging to a work task, means are provided for totaling the time for the task as a work period.

8 more elements

A computer-implemented method for automatically collecting and analyzing information about time and work performed on a computer without the manual starting and stopping of a clock or specifying that work is being performed prior to beginning work, comprising the steps of:

differentiating between multiple types of external user input devices using a hardware abstraction layer;
automatically collecting and logging into a log file certain portions of a user's computer activity;
determining, by means of rules previously defined, which portions of a user's computer activity constitutes a measurable work task;
when a certain user-defined and task-specific time period has elapsed between certain activities in the log file for a given task, accumulating the time as a work period for the given task;
wherein the step of determining which portions of a user's computer activity constitutes a measurable work task includes the steps of:
loading current times for each of a number of events from a cumulative time file;
for each event in the event file:
(a) getting the event from the log file;
(b) determining the owner of the task to which the event belongs;
(c) if an event is to be included in a task, then accumulating job time;
(d) if an event is not to be included in a task, then checking time duration of the active time for the event;
(e) checking the active time for the event;
wherein the step of checking the active time for an event includes for each task:
(a) calculating the difference between a current activity and a previous activity for a task;
(b) if the difference is greater than an idle time limit interval, accumulating task time;
and
(c) accumulating total time for each task;
and
writing time data for each task to a file.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Time and work tracker with hardware abstraction layer

Life of this patent

Time and work tracker with hardware abstraction layer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16