Patent filing for Attendance NFC
Invention description
-Electronic attendance system without using standalone hardware/devices/stationnor to install any software to users
-Maintenance free attendance solution
-Combination of smartphones, mobile app, NFC (Near Field Communication) tags and cloud base attendance system
-Employer buys and installs NFC tags as attendance checkpoints around the working environment or individual work desk
-Employees install mobile app into individual smartphones. Run the app, sign in to the app and tap at checkpoint to report attendance
-All records upload to cloud base system immeidately and process as attendance records
-Mobile data connection or WiFi connection is a must to use this app. App connects to Internet to sync date and time to avoid employees to cheat
-System administrator has a unique login account to access into the cloud base system to setup company proofile, employee profile and attendance rules
-Syste administrator can appoint secondary administrators to perform assigned duties to handle the system
-Individual employees assign with individual login credentials to access to the cloud base system to view individual attendance records and reports
- Briefly summarize the problems associated with the conventional state of the technology which your invention tries to solve?
Involve installation, configuration and maintenance of hardware
-The electronic attendance system requires hardware (a station or device) to store employees’ credentials and collect attendance records. The credentials can be biometric (iris, face, fingerprints, veins etc), cards or password.
-The station or device requires proper configuration and setup to work perfectly. Most of the time, the configurations and setup are complicated. End users must receive training from vendor to learn to use the hardware. Company must appoints a person as administrator to in charge of configurations and setup to the hardware.
-The station of device requires scheduled maintenance to hardware by vendor to upkeep its performance.
-In case of system expansion, users must continue to use the same brand hardware and software to avoid incompatibilities issues. User cannot switch to use any other brands of similar products.
Costs
-Vendor charges implementation fee to install hardware and software before system runs. The implementation cost include wiring cost, labour, training fee and consultation fee. Very less user can work out the installation by themselves. By the end, this is part of expenses to kick start electronic attendance system
-Vendor charges maintenance fees to users for scheduled maintenance to upkeep the hardware and software. Normally vendor suggests a maintenance contract to users, mostly yearly basis. Due to the complex of hardware and software, users will agree with the maintenance contract to keep peace of mind to the system.
-In case of relocating the hardware, vendor charges additional fees. Users cannot do this by themselves because this involves hardware installation and wiring works.
-Repairing cost is another hidden cost to users after the hardware warranty period. When comes to expansion, vendors charge users again to do system upgrade.
Additional administration work load
-System administration plays important role while electronic attendance system starts. System administrator must learn to register employees’ credentials into the station. The next step is to create employees’ profile in software. And then to setup other settings in the software. This adds additional work load to administration staff.
-During operation, system administration must schedule roster to collect data from stations/devices to process attendance and analysis. When there is new employee, or somebody resign, system administrator shall be the first person inform, so he/she can update the hardware, either to add or delete the credentials. This involves data in software too.
-System administrator needs to handle employees’ credentials in different stations/devices. In case of transfer department or relocating a staff, system administrator must amend in both hardware and software
Bad users’ experiences
-Long queue at every station or device during report attendance due to inexperience employees
-Use of biometric identifications depends on the human experience and biological changes. In case of aging, body injuries, sick or illness, which causes changes to biometrics identities, system cannot recognise the person and lead to high verification failure.
-Hygienic issue always a big concern when users must touch at the hardware to report attendance especially fingerprint verification station.
-Installation of multiple stations or devices at different locations is a must for company with many employees to reduce waiting time
-Employees confused which station or device to use while there are more stations or devices install in the working environment
Failure and down time
-Hardware failure downtime causes inconvenience to employees to report attendance. In serious case, attendance data store in the hardware can lost due to the hardware failure.
-Hardware downtime affects payroll processing and delay pay to employees
-All repairing or re-installation of hardware can only done by the vendor. It depends on how efficient the vendor is.
-Unexpected vandalism to the station or device causes downtime and extra expenses to the company
- Please provide an elaborate note on how the aforementioned problems are solved by your invention?
No installation, configuration and maintenance of hardware
-The Attendance NFC is a combination by using NFC (near field communication) tags, Android smartphones (with NFC function) and Cloud base attendance system (TimeTec Cloud)
-NFC tags are common item and comply to standard frequency 13.56MHz. Users can purchase it anywhere and install at their offices as attendance checkpoint. The Attendance NFC requires the unique serial numbers from each tag as Checkpoint ID and to manage it.
-BYOD (Bring your own device) concept. Employees use own phones and there will be no restriction to hardware
-Android smartphones with ability to read and write NFC tags by default. Install unique mobile apps into smartphones and users can read and write information into the tags. However user cannot change the unique serial number of each tag without knowing the details manufacturing information of the tag. This make every tag unique and secure.
-No maintenance require to NFC tag as it is robust and it can work under all weathers.
-No configurations to the NFC tag during installation.
-Minor setup to the mobile app after installed into Android smartphones and individual employees can do it
-Most of the configurations are done into the Cloud base attendance system
Low costs to implement and maintain the system
-NFC tag is common electronic item and sell at very low cost.
-NFC tag is concealed and weather proof. No maintenance or repairing at all
-NFC tag comes in various shape pattern (tags or sticker) and easy to install (nail it to wall, stick it to table and etc). No need to engage any installer to save installation cost
-NFC tag does not require additional power source as it actives automatically while smartphones come near to it. No wiring work is required to save wiring cost
-BYOD concept. Employees have individual Android smartphone to install mobile app before using Attendance NFC. Company does not need to install any hardware or station for employees, and there is no restriction to devices. Employees use their own devices.
-No maintenance or repairing costs as smartphones are belong to employees
-Install more NFC tags as checkpoint without worrying cost
Minimum administration work load and delegation of authorities
-No configuration to hardware is require
-Cloud base solution does not require any software installation
-Online login account to create and manage employees’ profiles and appoints the checkpoints to report attendance
-Online login account to create and manage list of checkpoint, no special configuration require for each checkpoint.
-Use mobile app to register NFC tags as checkpoints
-Provide multi levels administrator configuration to create secondary administrators with different restrictions. Delegating administration works to secondary administrators to department managers
-Individual login accounts for employees to check individual attendance records
-Installation of mobile app done by employees themselves and every settings set by employees
-No training to employees to use Attendance NFC as mobile app can guides them through all
-No need to collect data from all checkpoints to process attendance. Every attendance record uploads from individual mobile app immediately after tapping at checkpoint
New users’ experiences
-BYOD concept where employees use their own smartphone to install mobile app to scan NFC tag to report attendance
-Every employee has individual login at appointed smartphone to report attendance. No chance to share one smartphone for multiple employees to report attendance
-Only administrator’s account login can allow to share one smartphone to multiple employees’ logins to report attendance
-Tap-and-go concept to speed up attendance reporting process per employees.
-No need to provide any credentials to store in hardware or device.
-Attendance uploads to server to process as attendance immediately. Employee can view result in mobile app after tapping to report attendance
-Install multiple checkpoints available to scan to reduce waiting time
-No hygienic issue because only tap smartphones to checkpoints
Almost zero system down time
-DIY concept to replace NFC tags in case of hardware failure, relocating or replace with new tags.
-No software installation to any PC thus there will be zero software downtime
-Error happened in individual smartphone or mobile app will not affect others to use the system. Zero hardware downtime
- Briefly summarize the “unique” or “novel” aspects of your invention?
-Use of NFC tags as attendance checkpoints
- Electronic attendance system uses a standalone device/station to recognise employees’ credentials before marking attendance.
- However the invention does not use any device/station, nor to store any credentials, but only as a checkpoint.
- The verification process happens inside the mobile app, where app verify the employee profile ID, with the scanned Checkpoint ID (unique serial number of NFC tag). This turns every smartphone (belongs to individual employee) becomes a private verification engines.
- This provides faster verification and more secure data transfer. No credential can be stolen as there is no credentials store in any devices nor the cloud base attendance solution
-Use of NFC read/write compatibilities in smartphones to report attendance
- Android smartphone with OS 4.4.3 above support NFC read and write feature
- Developing mobile app to install into Android smartphone can turn the device become NFC scanner and writer.
- Mobile app allows checkpoint registration while administrator login
- App connects to cloud base attendance system to receive the list of attendance checkpoint. Administrator use the NFC read function of the phone to scan unique serial number from every tag, then to register as Checkpoint ID. In case of changing checkpoint or replacing new NFC tag, administrator can delete and register again.
-Use of GPS and Internet date-time synchronization to determine location and time of verification
- Mobile app requires Internet connection to link up cloud base attendance system to retrieve list of checkpoints before use to register or report attendance
- This make the mobile app a must to sync its date and time before employees use it to report attendance.
- Mobile app requires to read the current GPS location to avoid any cheat of location
- Enlist all advantages of your invention and how it improves the experience of the end user with respect to electronic attendance system
-No additional devices/station to install to save cost and maintenance
-Use of the most common NFC tags which is general, low cost and weatherproof
-DIY concept to decide the location of attendance checkpoints
-Easy installation of NFC tags to ease system administrator to add or relocate checkpoint
-BYOD concept to allow employees to decide what devices they want to use
-Not to store any credentials in devices/stations which could be a worry to employees
-Turn all individual smartphones to become a private verification engine for individual employees to secure their credentials and speed up verification process
-System administrator can configure and assign employees only report attendance at specific attendance checkpoints. This can restrict employees must present themselves to the assigned NFC tag then to report attendance.
-System administrator can set individual tag at employees’ work desk and employees can only report attendance by tapping smartphone to their individual NFC tags to improve accuracy of attendance
-System administrator does not need to collect attendance records from every checkpoint. All attendance records upload to server while employees report attendance at checkpoint. This keep attendance records in cloud base attendance system always up to date for viewing and analyse.
Advancement
1.Explain what is the prior art ?
The Attendance NFC can be extended to human resource module and notification in cloud base attendance system. System administrator can configure “next action” for every checkpoint in cloud base attendance system. The types of next action include:
- Configure messages to display to all employees or a dedicated employee only
- Configure notifications to display to all employees or a dedicated employee only
- Select type of attendance summaries/tardiness to display to the employee
- Select type of reports to send to employees
Every time employee sign in to mobile app and mobile app connects to cloud base attendance system to download list of checkpoints to scan and list of “next actions” for each checkpoints.
Administrator can configure cloud base attendance system to send notifications or messages to mobile app while the employees report attendance at checkpoints. The type of information can be apply to all employees scan at a checkpoint, or private message/notification to individual employee scans at different checkpoints. For example, a sales manager can write some instructions in cloud base attendance system and select production planner as recipient. While production planner reports attendance at checkpoint, cloud case attendance system receives his attendance record and system sends the instruction to his smartphone. The production planner can read the instruction from sales manager right after he reports attendance.
Besides instructions, system administrator can configure various type of notifications, for example company announcement of increasing staff benefits, to send to employees who are reporting attendance by specific attendance checkpoint. System can configure the mobile app to display total late time and leave taken to the employees while they scan at checkpoint. This can alert the employees to take note with their attendance performance. System administrator can select type of report to send to the employees while they scan checkpoint during early of the month.
2.Please elaborate the level of advancement of your present invention with respect to the prior art or your previous filed similar patent applications
-The advancement extends the usage of mobile apps and NFC tags from attendance reportings to become message or notification centers. Employees scan at different checkpoints to review different messages or notifications. The messages or notifications can be same to all employees or only to individual employee.
-The advancement extends cloud base attendance system from attendance server to become administration and human resource center. HR manager can define attendance rules to capture tardiness of employees and reflects the records to individual employees. Administration department can post memo or messages in the cloud base attendance server then to display to all employees after they tap smartphones at checkpoint to report attendance