The subject invention relates to a method and system for identifying a person. More particularly, it relates to a method and system for identifying a person and tracking the time that person spends at a particular location.
Tracking the time that a person spends at particular locations is often desirable but frequently difficult. In particular, keeping track of employee work hours is both a business and legal requirement. In large construction contracts there can be large numbers of casual or temporary employees, with a high turn over, working for multiple contractors and subcontractors at multiple job sites and represented by multiple unions. Despite the difficulties such circumstances clearly present, accurate time records must be kept of the time spent by each particular employee at each job site or location. These records form the basis for both paying the employees and if the contract is not a firm fixed price contract, the costs billed to the customer.
Under these circumstances the temptation and opportunity for fraud are high, both for the employer and the employee. Cases of xe2x80x9cno showxe2x80x9d jobs and phantom workers are often in the news.
In response to this problem employee time clocks in which an employee""s hand geometry is read in lieu of punching a time card have been introduced. Although such time clocks are resistant to fraud they require reprogramming with an employee""s identity and hand geometry each time a new employee is hired, an employee leaves, or an employee is transferred from one site to another.
Thus it is an object of the subject invention to provide a system for tracking the time spent by a particular person at a particular location which is suitable for use with large, rapidly changing groups of person who may be at one or more of a large group of locations.
The above object is achieved and the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome in accordance with the subject invention by means of a system and method for tracking the time spent by a person at a location. The person is provided with identification which includes an encrypted representation of a selected biometric characteristic of the person. (By biometric characteristic herein is meant any substantially constant physical characteristic of a person which can be sensed to generate a signal representative of that characteristic, such as fingerprints, hand geometry, facial features, etc.) The system includes a clock and a mechanism for comparing the encrypted representation with the biometric characteristic as directly sensed from the person. Inputs to the comparison mechanism for the encrypted representation and for directly sensing the biometric are physically present at the location. The system also includes a mechanism responsive to the clock and the comparing mechanism for recording the person""s times of arrival at, and departure from the location if the comparison mechanism verifies the persons identity.
In accordance with the method of the subject invention, the selected biometric characteristic is directly sensed from the person whose time is to be tracked, while at the same time the encrypted representation of the biometric characteristic is input and decrypted to produce two signals representative of the biometric characteristic. If the two signals compare then the approximate time of the comparison (e.g. the time may be adjusted to allow for the time required to operate the system) is recorded as a time of arrival at, or departure from the location. These steps are then repeated each time the person arrives or departs from the location to establish a record of time spent by the person at the location.
In accordance with one aspect of the subject invention the system further includes a mechanism for providing the identification to the person.
In accordance with a second aspect of the subject invention, the providing mechanism communicates with a data processing center to record provision of the identification to the person.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention, the system clock is secure against being reset by unauthorized parties.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention, the system includes a mechanism for printing an encrypted record of the persons time at the location.
In accordance with still another aspect of the subject invention, the person is an employee and the system communicates with a data processing center to record the persons time at said location, and the data processing center determines the person""s wages in accordance with the time spent by the person at the location.