System and method for monitoring computer usage

A monitor for monitoring usage activities of a user on a computer system, said usage activities of said user including the viewing of a plurality of screen images on a display connected to said computer system, said monitor comprising:

• interception means for intercepting a data transmission over a span of time within said computer system, said data transmission corresponding to at least some of said screen images being viewed by said user at a given time on said display, said screen images each being a snapshot short in time length compared to said span of time, said snapshots being illustrative of the usage activities of said user of said computer system at said given time, said data transmission being a portion of data available to said user of said computer system, said data available to said user not being subject to blocking;
• a memory, connected to said interception means, for storing said snapshots;
• and
• viewing means, connected to said memory, for viewing by another user said snapshots on a display device connected to said computer system, whereby said another user monitors the usage activities of said user on said computer system.

A program storage device readable by a machine and encoding a program of instructions for executing the following method steps:

• intercepting a data transmission over a span of time within said computer system, said data transmission corresponding to at least some of said screen images being viewed by said user at a given time within said span of time on said display, said screen images each being a snapshot short in time length compared to said span of time, said snapshots being illustrative of the usage activities of said user of said computer system within said span of time, said data transmission being a portion of data available to said user of said computer system, said data available to said user not being subject to blocking;
• storing, within a memory, said snapshots;
• and
• viewing, by another user after said step of storing, said snapshots on a display device connected to said computer system, whereby said another user monitors the usage activities of said user on said computer system.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied thereon for monitoring usage activities of a user on a computer system, said usage activities of said user including the viewing of a plurality of screen images on a display connected to said computer system, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:

• (a) computer readable program code for intercepting a data transmission over a span of time within said computer system, said data transmission corresponding to at least some of said screen images being viewed by said user at a given time within said span of time on said display, said screen images each being a snapshot short in time length compared to said span of time, said snapshots being illustrative of the usage activities of said user of said computer system within said span of time, said data transmission being a portion of data available to said user of said computer system, said data available to said user not being subject to blocking;
• (b) computer readable program code for storing, within a memory, said snapshots;
• and
• (c) computer readable program code for viewing by another user said snapshots on a display device connected to said computer system, whereby said another user monitors the usage activities of said user on said computer system.

A computer system for monitoring usage activities of a user of said computer system, said user viewing a plurality of screen images on said computer system, said computer system comprising:

• a computer memory;
• screen image saving means for saving over a span of time, to said computer memory, at least some of said plurality of screen images being viewed within said span of time by said user, said saved screen images being snapshots short in time length compared to said span of time, said snapshots being illustrative of the usage activities of said user within said span of time said plurality of screen images being a portion of data available to said user of said computer system, wherein said data available to said user is not subject to blocking;
• and
• a view screen for viewing said snapshots by another user after said screen image saving means saves at least some of said saved snapshots, whereby said another user may monitor the usage activities of said user on said computer system.