TIME AND/OR ATTENDANCE RECORDING DEVICE; SYSTEM; METHOD FOR OPERATING A TIME AND/OR ATTENDANCE RECORDING DEVICE; COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

A time and/or attendance recording device for time and/or attendance recording of people, has a local memory or is connected to a local memory, and further includes a communication interface for communicating with a server system.

Personal data may be stored in the local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that personal data is stored in the local memory depending on which group of people from a number of groups of people a person is assigned.

Claims

1. A time and/or attendance recording device for time and attendance recording of people, comprising: a local memory or the device is connected to a local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device has a communication interface for communicating with a server system, wherein personal data is configured to be stored in the local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that personal data is stored in the local memory depending on to which group of people from a plurality of groups of people a person is assigned, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that a person: depending on a number of user interactions of this person, in a definable timeframe, with the time and/or attendance recording device; and/or depending on a number of user interactions of this person, in a definable timeframe, with one or a plurality of additional time and/or attendance recording devices, which are assigned to the same building and/or area as the time and/or attendance recording device, is, assigned to another group of people from the plurality of groups of people.

2. A time and/or attendance recording device for time and attendance recording of people, comprising: a local memory or the device is connected to a local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device has a communication interface for communicating with a server system, wherein personal data is configured to be stored in the local memory wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that personal data is stored in the local memory depending on to which group of people from a plurality of groups of people a person is assigned, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that a person is, assigned to another group of people taking into account the free storage capacity of the local memory.

3. A time and/or attendance recording device for time and attendance recording of people, comprising: a local memory or the device is connected to a local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device has a communication interface for communicating with a server system, wherein personal data is configured to be stored in the local memory, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that personal data is stored in the local memory depending on to which group of people from a plurality of groups of people a person is assigned, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured such that: when the assignment of a person is changed from the first group of people to the second group of people, personal data present in the local memory relating to this person is partially or fully removed from the local memory; and/or when the assignment of a person is changed from the second group of people to the first group of people, personal data relating to this person is received by the time and/or attendance recording device from the server system, wherein the received personal data is stored in the local memory.

4. The time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of groups of people comprises at least one first group of people, wherein personal data relating to people, which are assigned to the first group of people, is stored in the local memory.

5. The time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 4, wherein, in the case of a user interaction of a first person, who is assigned to the first group of people, with the time and/or attendance recording device, the time and/or attendance recording device is configured to record time information, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is configured to store the recorded time information, relating to the user interaction of the first person, in the local memory, as part of personal data of the first person for recording attendance times and/or working times of the first person.

6. The time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of groups of people comprises a second group of people, wherein personal data relating to people, who are assigned to the second group of people, is retrievable by the time and/or attendance recording device from the server system, wherein personal data relating to people, who are assigned to the second group of people, is stored in the server system, wherein personal data relating to people, who are assigned to the second group of people, is not stored in the local memory.

7. The time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 1, wherein personal data comprises a personal working time profile for recording attendance times and/or working times for each person.

8. The time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 6, wherein, for a person, using the server system and/or via an interaction with an input device of the time and/or attendance recording device: an assignment of this person to a group of people from the plurality of groups of people, at least to the first group of people or to the second group of people, is configured to be defined and/or changed; and/or a setting is configured to be defined, which prevents an automatic assignment of this person to another group of people of the plurality of groups of people.

9. A system having the time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 1, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is arranged on or in a building and/or area.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system also comprises the server system, wherein the server system is configured for communicating with the time and/or attendance recording device via the communication interface of the time and/or attendance recording device.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein another time and/or attendance recording device is arranged on or in another building and/or another area, wherein the other time and/or attendance recording device has a communication interface for communicating with the server system, wherein personal data relating to people of another first group of people is stored in another local memory of the other time and/or attendance recording device, wherein the first group of people and the other first group of people comprise at least in part different people.

12. A method for operating a time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 1 or operating a system having the time and/or attendance recording device, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is arranged on or in a building and/or area, wherein personal data is stored in the local memory depending on to which group of people from a plurality of groups of people a person is assigned.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device records time information in the case of a user interaction of a first person, who is assigned to the first group of people, with the time and/or attendance recording device, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device stores the recorded time information in the local memory, as part of personal data relating to the first person, configured for recording attendance times and/or working times of the first person.

14. A computer program product, comprising commands, which, when executed by computer means, by a time and/or attendance recording device according to claim 1 and/or by a system having the time and/or attendance recording device, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is arranged on or in a building and/or area, causes this time and/or attendance recording device to carry out a method for operating the time and/or attendance recording device or a system having the time and/or attendance recording device, wherein the time and/or attendance recording device is arranged on or in a building and/or area, wherein personal data is stored in the local memory depending on to which group of people from a plurality of groups of people a person is assigned.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] Further advantages and details of the disclosure will be explained below on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which is shown

[0074] FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of a system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0075] FIG. 2 a schematic illustration of a system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0076] FIG. 3 a schematic illustration of a time and/or attendance recording device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0077] FIGS. 4 to 9 schematic illustrations of methods in each case according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] In the different figures, identical parts are always provided with the identical reference numerals and are therefore generally also each named and mentioned only once.

[0079] The present disclosure will be described in relation to determined embodiments and with reference to determined drawings, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, but only by the claims. The described drawings are only schematic and not limiting. In the drawings, the size of some elements may be exaggerated and not shown to scale for illustration purposes.

[0080] If an indefinite or a definite article is used and/or if reference is made to a single noun, e.g. “a”, “one”, “the”, this includes a plural of this noun, unless otherwise explicitly indicated.

[0081] Furthermore, the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and the like in the description and in the claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and are not limited to the description of a sequential or chronological order. It is understood that the terms used in this manner can be interchanged in appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein can function in a different sequence to the one described or illustrated herein.

[0082] A system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. A time and/or attendance recording device 1 for time and/or attendance recording of people 20, 21, 22 is arranged in a building 10 or area 11. The time and/or attendance recording device 1 is typically located in an entrance region or near the entrance of the building such that the people 20, 21, 22 can interact with the time and/or attendance recording device 1 when entering or exiting the building 10 or area 11. The building 10 or area 11 can for example be a hospital or a commercial operation or another company. A user interaction 100 of a person 20 with the time and/or attendance recording device 1 is illustrated by way of example with an arrow. The user interactions can for example be identified via a sensor of the time and/or attendance recording device 1 and typically comprise the recognition or reading of identification information of the person 20 in order to maintain the attendance times or working times of the person 20. It is conceivable that the person 20 can access their personal data via the time and/or attendance recording device 1 and can input and request holidays for example, or view or change their personal master data. It is also conceivable that via the time and/or attendance recording device 1 a person 20, 21, 22 can communicate with a human resources department of the company to which the time and/or attendance recording device 1 is assigned.

[0083] A system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 2. A time and/or attendance recording device 1 is arranged in a building 10 or area 11. Furthermore, an additional time and/or attendance recording device 2 is arranged in the building 10 or area 11 and can be designed for example to be identical in design to the time and/or attendance recording device 1. The time and/or attendance recording device 1 has a communication interface via which a communication connection 111 can be established with a server system 30. The additional time and/or attendance recording device 2 also has a communication interface via which a communication connection 112 can be established with a server system 30. The server system 30 can be arranged within or outside of the building 10 or area 11. It is conceivable that the server system 30 comprises one or a plurality of servers, which are arranged at different locations or sites.

[0084] Furthermore, another building 12 or another area 13 is illustrated in which another time and/or attendance recording device 3 is arranged. The other time and/or attendance recording device 3 is in particular assigned to the same company or the same group of companies as the time and/or attendance recording device 1. The other time and/or attendance recording device 3 also has a communication interface via which a communication connection 113 can be established with a server system 30.

[0085] The communication connections 111, 112, 113 can each be designed in a wireless and/or wired manner. The communication connections 111, 112, 113 can in particular be designed by means of an internal company network.

[0086] A time and/or attendance recording device 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 3. The time and/or attendance recording device 1 is intended for time and/or attendance recording of people. The time and/or attendance recording device 1 has a local memory 5 and a communication interface 4 for communicating with a server system 30 via a communication connection 111. Personal data can be stored in the local memory 5.

[0087] Furthermore, the time and/or attendance recording device 1 comprises an internal control device 6, in particular computer means and a sensor 7 for detecting user interactions, which users carry out at the time and/or attendance recording device 1. Moreover, the time and/or attendance recording device 1 comprises a screen 8 on which information, for example personal data, can be displayed. The screen 8 can be designed simultaneously in the form of a touchscreen and input device. Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that the time and/or attendance recording device 1 has an input device separate from the screen, for example a keypad or buttons. Alternatively or additionally, the time and/or attendance recording device 1 can have for example a signal lamp. Alternatively or additionally, the time and/or attendance recording device 1 can have for example an acoustic playback device and/or an acoustic input device.

[0088] A method according to the disclosure can be implemented by means of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0089] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 4. A person is assigned to a group of people from a plurality of groups of people in a step S41. The plurality of groups of people comprises in particular at least one first group of people and a second group of people. It is conceivable that the plurality of groups of people comprises further groups of people, in addition to the first and second group of people. Personal data is stored in the local memory 5 in a step S42 depending on to which group of people from the plurality of groups of people the person is assigned.

[0090] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 5. A person is assigned to a first group of people from a plurality of groups of people in a step S51. Personal data is stored in the local memory 5 in a step S52, in particular in the local memory 5 of the time and/or attendance recording device 1. Personal data is thereby stored in the local memory 5 in step S51 as a result of the assignment of the person to the first group of people. In particular, personal data for all people, who are assigned to the first group of people, is stored in the local memory 5. The first group of people comprises in particular such people, who are regularly present at the location, at which the time and/or attendance recording device 1 is arranged.

[0091] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 6. A person is assigned to a second group of people from a plurality of groups of people in a step S61. Personal data is removed from the local memory 5 in a step S62, in particular from the local memory 5 of the time and/or attendance recording device 1. Personal data is thereby removed from the local memory 5 in step S61 as a result of the assignment of the person to the second group of people. In particular, personal data for all people, who are assigned to the second group of people, is not stored in the local memory 5 and/or removed from the local memory 5 as a result of the assignment to the second group of people. The second group of people comprises in particular such people, who are seldom or never present at the location, at which the time and/or attendance recording device 1 is arranged.

[0092] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 7. In a step S71, a number of user interactions of a person in a definable timeframe is determined with: [0093] the time and/or attendance recording device 1 and/or [0094] one or a plurality of additional time and/or attendance recording devices 2. The one or plurality of additional time and/or attendance recording devices 2 are thereby in particular arranged at the same building 10 or area 11 as the time and/or attendance recording device 1. This person is assigned to another group of people from the plurality of groups of people in a step S72 depending on the determined number of user interactions of the person in the definable timeframe. Personal data is stored in the local memory in a step S73 depending on to which group of people from the plurality of groups of people the person is assigned. By changing the assignment of a person to a determined group of people in this way on the basis of the usage history of time and/or attendance recording devices 1, 2 by this person, a dynamic storage management can take place, wherein the system can be adapted to changes of the behavior or of the attendance pattern of people.

[0095] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 8. A user interaction of a first person, who is assigned to the first group of people, is recorded by the time and/or attendance recording device 1 in a step S81. Time information relating to the user interaction of the first person is recorded by the time and/or attendance recording device 1 in a step S82. The recorded time information relating to the user interaction of the first person is stored in the local memory 5 in a step S83 as part of the personal data of the first person for recording attendance times and/or working times of the first person. For such a person, who is assigned to the first group of people, in the case of a clocking process or user interaction for recording the working time or attendance, communication with the server system 30 can therefore be advantageously dispensed with, which for example reduces the network utilization and latency. Wait times at the time and/or attendance recording device 1 can be hereby minimized and energy saved.

[0096] An illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically in FIG. 9. A user interaction of a second person, who is assigned to the second group of people, is recorded by the time and/or attendance recording device 1 in a step 91. Time information relating to the user interaction of the second person is recorded in a step S92. A step S93 is carried out before, during and/or after step S92. Alternatively or additionally to step S93, a step S94 is carried out after step S92. Personal data relating to the second person is retrieved by the time and/or attendance recording device 1 from the server system for recording attendance times and/or working times of the second person in step S93. The recorded time information relating to the user interaction of the second person is transmitted from the time and/or attendance recording device 1 to the server system 30 for recording attendance times and/or working times of the second person in step S94. The second person is a person who is assigned to the second group of people, i.e. preferably a person who is never or seldom present at the location of the time and/or attendance recording device 1. The personal data of this second person is therefore not stored in the local memory 5. Instead, communication takes place with the server system 30 to record attendance times and/or working times for this second person.

[0097] Features of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 9 can be combined with one another.