JP7566189B2 - Time Recording Management System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a time record management system that manages records of time, such as arrival and departure times.

Attendance management systems that include a time recorder and a computer and manage the attendance of employees working at a company or the like are known. In attendance management systems, the time recorder has a function of printing the attendance time, etc. on the time card when the employee inserts the time card into the time recorder. The time recorder also has a function of sending the time information indicating the attendance time, etc. printed on the time card, together with the card ID of the time card to the computer. The computer also has a function of storing the time information and card ID sent from the time recorder and using the stored time information and card ID to tally up the working hours of employees. For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes a system similar to such an attendance management system.

There is also known an entrance/exit management system that includes an IC card reader and a computer and manages an individual's entrance/exit to rooms, sections, etc. within a building. In the entrance/exit management system, the IC card reader has a function of, for example, reading the card ID of an IC card carried by an individual when the individual enters a specific room, and transmitting time information indicating the time when the card ID of the IC card was read to the computer together with the card ID of the IC card. The computer also has a function of storing the time information and card ID transmitted from the IC card reader, and using the stored time information and card ID to, for example, monitor an individual's entrance/exit.

JP 2002-230606 A

The above-mentioned attendance management system and entrance/exit management system are both considered to be systems that acquire the ID of an identification medium (such as a time card or IC card) used by an individual from the identification medium, acquire time information indicating the time the ID of the identification medium was read, and ascertain the time when the individual performed a specific action based on the acquired ID of the identification medium and time information. In this system, the individual who used the identification medium is identified based on the ID of the identification medium. Therefore, when operating this system, it is necessary to form an association between the identification medium and the individual who uses that identification medium. Specifically, the ID of the identification medium and the individual's ID need to be associated with each other and stored in a computer. In conventional systems, this association is formed by the system administrator.

This will be explained in detail using an attendance management system as an example. A time card is usually used for one month, from the beginning to the end of the month. Once a month, for example at the end of the month, the administrator of the attendance management system prepares new time cards with blank times printed on them, in a number corresponding to the number of employees who are subject to attendance management. The administrator then inputs the card ID of the new time card into a computer, associates the entered card ID with the employee ID stored in the computer, and stores it in the computer. After completing this task, the administrator issues the time card. In other words, the administrator hands the new time card with the above association formed to each employee, or places it in a time card storage rack, etc., making the new time card available to each employee.

The administrator must create an association between the card ID and employee ID for each new time card, the number of which corresponds to the number of employees who are the subject of attendance management. Therefore, if there are a large number of employees who are the subject of attendance management, the work takes a long time and places a heavy burden on the administrator.

In this regard, the time card issuing system described in Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that uses a time recorder to print the name of the employee to be written on the time card. This technology saves the manager from having to write the name of the employee who will use the time card when issuing a new time card. However, even if this technology is used, it does not reduce the work of associating the card ID of the new time card with the employee ID, and the manager's workload remains large.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems described above, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a time recording management system that can reduce the burden on issuers (e.g., administrators of attendance management systems or entrance/exit management systems) when issuing identification media such as time cards and IC cards.

In order to solve the above problems, the time recording management system of the present invention is a time recording management system including a time transmission device, an input/output device, and a time recording management device, the time transmission device including a medium identification information reading unit that reads medium identification information of an identification medium used by a user from the identification medium, and a first transmission unit that transmits the medium identification information read by the medium identification information reading unit and time information indicating the time when the medium identification information was read by the medium identification information reading unit to the time recording management device, the input/output device including an input unit through which the user inputs information into the input/output device, and a second transmission unit that transmits, when the user inputs his/her own user identification information through the input unit, the input user identification information to the time recording management device, and when the user inputs medium identification information of the identification medium used by the user through the input unit, the input medium identification information to the time recording management device, the time recording management device including a storage unit, an identification medium registration information generation unit that generates identification medium registration information including medium identification information of a plurality of identification media and stores the generated identification medium registration information in the storage unit, and a second transmission unit that transmits, when the user inputs medium identification information of the identification medium used by the user through the input unit, the input medium identification information to the time recording management device, the time recording management device including a storage unit, an identification medium registration information generation unit that generates identification medium registration information including medium identification information of the identification medium and stores the generated identification medium registration information in the storage unit, and a time recording management device including a time recording management device and a time recording management device. The device is characterized by comprising a time-stamp information generating unit that generates the user's time-stamp information by associating the transmitted medium identification information with the time information and stores the generated time-stamp information in the storage unit; an identification medium registration information updating unit that identifies medium identification information that matches the medium identification information transmitted from the second transmission unit from among the medium identification information of the multiple identification media included in the identification medium registration information, and updates the identification medium registration information by adding the user identification information of the user transmitted from the second transmission unit to the identification medium registration information while associating it with the identified medium identification information; and a specific action information generating unit that generates specific action information including the time when the user performed a specific action by associating the user identification information of the user included in the identification medium registration information with the time information in the user's time-stamp information based on the association between the identification medium information and the time information in the user's time-stamp information stored in the storage unit and the association between the medium identification information included in the identification medium registration information stored in the storage unit and the user identification information of the user, and stores the generated specific action information in the storage unit.

In the time recording management system of the present invention, the time recording management device generates identification medium registration information including the medium identification information of the multiple identification media, and stores the generated identification medium registration information in the storage unit. For example, an issuer of the identification media (e.g., an administrator of the time recording management system) operates the time recording management device when issuing the multiple identification media, and causes the time recording management device to execute this process. After that, for example, the issuer gives one of the multiple identification media issued to a user (e.g., an employee). The user uses the given one identification medium to, for example, punch the time of attendance using the time transmission device. After the issuer gives one identification medium to a user, if the user inputs his/her own user identification information to the input/output device, the input user identification information is transmitted from the input/output device to the time recording management device. Also, if the user inputs the medium identification information of the identification medium he/she is using to the input/output device, the input medium identification information is transmitted from the input/output device to the time recording management device. The time storage management device identifies the medium identification information that matches the medium identification information sent from the input/output device from among the medium identification information of the multiple identification media included in the identification medium registration information stored in the storage unit, and updates the identification medium registration information by adding the user identification information of the one user sent from the input/output device to the identification medium registration information in association with the identified medium identification information. This forms an association between the user information of the one user and the medium identification information of the identification medium used by the one user. In this way, in the time recording management system, when a user inputs the user identification information of the user and the medium identification information of the identification medium used by the user, the association between the user identification information of the user and the medium identification information of the identification medium used by the user is automatically formed by the time management device. Therefore, when an identification medium is issued, the issuer does not need to perform the task of forming an association between the medium identification information of the identification medium to be issued and the user identification information of the user who uses the identification medium to be issued. This reduces the burden on the issuer when issuing an identification medium.

In the time recording management system of the present invention, the time transmission device is a time recorder, the identification medium is a time card, the medium identification information of the identification medium is printed on the time card, the time transmission device includes a card insertion unit for inserting the time card and a printing unit for printing the time on the time card inserted in the card insertion unit, and the medium identification information reading unit may read the medium identification information printed on the time card inserted in the card insertion unit. In addition, in the time recording management system of the present invention, the specific action information generating unit may generate attendance information of the user by associating the user identification information of the user included in the identification medium registration information with the time information in the user's time-stamping information based on the association between the identification medium information and the time information in the user's time-stamping information stored in the storage unit and the association between the medium identification information included in the identification medium registration information stored in the storage unit and the user identification information of the user, and store the generated attendance information in the storage unit.

The present invention can reduce the burden on issuers when issuing identification media.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing time-stamp information in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing card registration information for the current month in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing last month's card registration information in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing employee attendance information in an attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time recorder in an attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external view of a time recorder in an attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view showing a time card. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management device in an attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a new card registration screen in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing card registration information before the use of time cards is started in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an explanatory diagram showing card registration information several days after the start of use of time cards in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a basic time recording process in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing a time card application process in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing a login screen and a time card use application screen when a user applies to use a time card in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart showing a direct input type association process in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a card ID input screen in the direct input type association process. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a candidate selection type association process in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram relating to a candidate selection type association process. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a card ID selection screen in the candidate selection type association process. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a management screen in the attendance management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart showing a last month's card reference type time recording process in the attendance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another card ID selection screen in the candidate selection type association process.

(Attendance management system)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an attendance management system 1, which is one embodiment of the time record management system of the present invention. The attendance management system 1 is a system that manages attendance of employees working in a company or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the attendance management system 1 includes a plurality of time recorders 2, a management device 3, and a plurality of input/output devices 4. The time recorders 2, the management device 3, and the input/output devices 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a computer network 5 such as the Internet. The management device 3 is, for example, a server computer, but may also be a personal computer. In addition, as the input/output device 4, various information processing devices that can be connected to a computer network by wire or wirelessly, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, can be used. In addition, in the attendance management system 1, the number of time recorders 2 and the number of input/output devices 4 are not limited. The time recorder 2 is a specific example of a time transmission device, and the management device 3 is a specific example of a time record management device.

Each time recorder 2 is a device that prints the employee's arrival time, departure time, return time, and departure time on a time card. Each time recorder 2 has a means for detecting that a time card has been inserted into the card insertion section 12 (see FIG. 7). Each time recorder 2 has a function of acquiring the current time and printing the acquired time on the time card when the insertion of a time card is detected. In addition, each time recorder 2 has a function of reading the card ID of the time card from the time card when the insertion of a time card is detected, and then transmitting the read card ID, time information indicating the time printed on the time card (the time when the card ID was read from the time card), type information indicating the type of time, and the recorder ID of the time recorder 2 to the management device 3. In addition, each time recorder 2 acquires the time, prints the acquired time on the time card, and reads the card ID from the time card substantially simultaneously when the insertion of a time card is detected. Therefore, the time printed on the time card is essentially the same as the time when the card ID is read from the time card.

The management device 3 has a function to generate time stamp information in which the card ID, time information, type information, and recorder ID transmitted from each time recorder 2 are arranged in association with each other, and store the information in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. The management device 3 also has a function to generate card registration information in which the card ID, employee ID, etc. are arranged in association with each other, and store the information in the storage unit 42. The management device 3 also has a function to store employee attendance information in which the time information transmitted from each time recorder 2 is accumulated for each employee in the storage unit 42.

Figure 2 shows the time-stamp information. As shown in Figure 2, in the time-stamp information, the recorder ID, card ID, type information, and time information are arranged in association with each other. For example, in Figure 2, the recorder ID: "0001", card ID: "3000", type information: "Clock out", and time of stamping: "2019-12-02-17:18:14", which are arranged in the same row, are each associated with each other.

Here, the recorder ID is information for identifying the time recorder 2, and is, for example, a unique number that is different for each time recorder 2. The card ID is information for identifying the time card, and is, for example, a unique number that is different for each time card. The time card is a specific example of an identification medium, and the card ID is a specific example of medium identification information. The type information is information that indicates the type of time, such as clocking in, clocking out, returning, and clocking out. As described above, the time information is information that indicates the time printed on the time card (the time when the card ID is read from the time card). Specifically, the time information is a number that indicates the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of when the employee clocked in, clocked out, returned, and clocked out.

In the time-stamp information, the recorder ID, card ID, type information, and time information, which are associated with each other, are stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 until they are used to generate or update employee attendance information.

Figure 3 shows card registration information. As shown in Figure 3, in the card registration information, the recorder ID, card ID, employee ID, usage period, and usage flag are arranged in association with each other. For example, in Figure 3, the recorder ID: "0001", card ID: "3000", employee ID: "6511", usage period: "2019-12", and usage flag: "1", which are arranged in the same row, are each associated with each other.

Here, the employee ID is information for identifying an employee, and is, for example, a unique number that is different for each employee. The employee ID is a specific example of user identification information. The usage period means the usage period of the time card. As is well known, the usage period of a time card is generally one month from the beginning to the end of the month. In other words, the times of arrival and departure that can be printed on the time card are only for one month from the beginning to the end of the month. In FIG. 3, "2019-12" means that the usage period of the time card is from the first to the last day of December in 2019. The usage flag is a flag that indicates whether the use of the time card has started. When the use of the time card has not started, the usage flag is set to "0" (off), and when the use of the time card has started, the usage flag is set to "1" (on).

The card registration information includes not only card registration information related to the time card used by each employee in the current month (current month's card registration information), but also card registration information related to the time card used by each employee last month (last month's card registration information). For example, the card registration information shown in FIG. 3 is the card registration information for the current month (December 2019), and the card registration information shown in FIG. 4 is the card registration information for last month (November 2019). Note that the card registration information may also include card registration information related to time cards used by each employee in the past. Card registration information for at least the current month and last month is stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3.

Figure 5 shows employee attendance information. As shown in Figure 5, in the employee attendance information, the employee ID, the employee name, the employee's affiliation (department), type information, and time information are arranged in association with each other. The employee attendance information is information that accumulates time information and type information for each employee over a long period of time. The employee attendance information is used for attendance management such as tallying up the working hours of each employee and calculating wages. In addition, as described below, the employee attendance information is used in the candidate selection type association process to guess the card ID of the time card used by the employee. The accuracy of guessing this card ID increases with the amount of accumulated time information for each employee. Therefore, it is preferable to store the employee attendance information for a long period of time in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3. For example, the retention period of the employee attendance information is set to 1 to 5 years or longer. The employee attendance information is a specific example of "specific activity information".

As shown in FIG. 1, each input/output device 4 has an input unit 71 (e.g., a keyboard and mouse, or a touch panel, etc.) and a display unit 72 (e.g., a display). Each input/output device 4 has the function of accessing the management device 3 via the computer network 5 and displaying information transmitted from the management device 3 on the display unit 72, or transmitting information input by an employee operating the input unit 71 to the management device 3. In other words, each input/output device 4 functions as a terminal device through which an employee inputs and outputs information to the management device 3.

The attendance management system 1 performs the following processes.
(a) Basic time recording process (b) New card registration process (c) Time card use application process (d) Last month's card reference type time recording process The basic time recording process is a process that accumulates the time information sent from the time recorder 2 for each employee every time a time card is punched, and generates or updates employee attendance information that is the basis for tallying up the working hours of each employee and calculating wages. More specifically, the basic time recording process is a process in which the time recorder 2 sends the card ID, time information, type information, and recorder ID to the management device 3, the management device 3 generates and stores punch information by associating the card ID, time information, type information, and recorder ID sent from the time recorder 2 with each other, and the management device 3 recognizes the correspondence between the employee ID and the time information based on the association between the card ID and the time information in the punch information and the association between the card ID and the employee ID in the card registration information, and generates or updates the employee attendance information based on the correspondence.

The new card registration process and the time card use application process are both processes related to the generation and update of card registration information. In the above-mentioned basic time recording process, the management device 3 recognizes the correspondence between the employee ID and the time information based on the association between the card ID and the time information in the punch information and the association between the card ID and the employee ID in the card registration information, and generates or updates the employee attendance information based on the correspondence. Therefore, card registration information is necessary to generate or update employee attendance information. As described above, the time card is used for one month from the beginning to the end of the month. The administrator (issuer of the time card) of the attendance management system 1 issues a new time card every month. The new card registration process is a process in which the card ID of the new time card is added to the card registration information in response to the administrator's operation of the management device 3 when issuing a new time card. The time card use application process is a process in which the employee ID is associated with the card ID and added to the card registration information in response to the operation of the input/output device 4 by each employee after each employee starts using the issued new time card.

In addition, in the time card application process, the management device 3 selects and executes either a direct input type association process or a candidate selection type association process in response to the operation of the input/output device 4 by each employee. The direct input type association process is a process in which a card ID that matches a card ID directly input by an employee is identified in the card registration information, and the employee ID acquired upon login to the management device 3 is associated with the identified card ID and added to the card registration information. The candidate selection type association process is a process in which multiple card IDs in the card registration information that are presumed to be the card ID of the time card used by the employee are selected as multiple candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee, and the employee ID acquired upon login to the management device 3 is associated with the card ID selected by the employee from the multiple candidates and added to the card registration information.

The last month's card reference type time recording process is a process that generates or updates the current month's card registration information by associating the employee ID associated with the card ID of last month's time card with the card ID of the current month's time card when last month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2.

(Time Recorder)
Fig. 6 shows the configuration of the time recorder 2. Fig. 7 shows the external appearance of the time recorder 2. As shown in Fig. 7, each time recorder 2 is equipped with a housing 11, a card insertion section 12 for inserting a time card, operation buttons 13 for selecting the type of time to be punched on the time card, a display 16 for displaying the time and the like, a speaker 17 for outputting sound, and a camera 18 for capturing an image of the face of a person punching using the time recorder 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, each time recorder 2 includes a clock unit 21 including a clock, a card transport unit 22 that transports the time card inserted into the card insertion unit 12, a printing unit 23 that prints the time in the printing area 32 of the time card, a card code reading unit 24 that reads the card code from the time card, and a printing area reading unit 25 that reads the printing area 32 of the time card. The card code reading unit 24 and the printing area reading unit 25 each have an optical sensor.

Each time recorder 2 also has a communication unit 26 that communicates with the management device 3 via the computer network 5, and a memory unit 27 that stores information. The memory unit 27 has, for example, a semiconductor memory. A recorder ID is stored in the memory unit 27. Each time recorder 2 also has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 29. The CPU 29 controls the clock unit 21, card transport unit 22, printing unit 23, card code reading unit 24, printing area reading unit 25, communication unit 26, memory unit 27, display 16, camera 18, etc. The card code reading unit 24 and CPU 29 are specific examples of a medium identification information reading unit, the communication unit 26 is a specific example of a first transmission unit, and the camera 18 is a specific example of an imaging unit.

Figure 8 shows an example of a time card. In Figure 8, the time card 31 is made of, for example, thick paper, and on each of the front and back sides, a printing area 32 for printing the time, a card ID 33 for the time card 31, and a card code 34 that is a barcode version of the card ID 33 are pre-printed.

(Management Device)
Fig. 9 shows the configuration of the management device 3. As shown in Fig. 9, the management device 3 includes a communication unit 41 that communicates with each time recorder 2 and each input/output device 4 via a computer network 5, and a storage unit 42 that stores information. The storage unit 42 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory and a hard disk device. The storage unit 42 stores time-stamp information, card registration information, and employee attendance information. The management device 3 also includes an input unit 43 (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) for inputting information, and a display unit 44 (for example, a display) for displaying information. The management device 3 also includes a CPU 45. The CPU 45 controls the communication unit 41, the storage unit 42, and the display unit 44.

The CPU 45 also functions as a time-stamp information generation unit 51, a card usage management unit 52, an employee attendance information generation unit 53, a card addition registration unit 54, a new card registration unit 55, a card usage application unit 56, a direct input type association formation unit 57, a candidate selection type association formation unit 58, and a last month's card reference type association formation unit 62, for example, by reading and executing computer programs stored in the memory unit 42.

The punch information generating unit 51 generates punch information in the basic time recording process and the last month's card reference type time recording process. The card usage management unit 52 monitors the use of time cards in the basic time recording process and the last month's card reference type time recording process, and when the use of a time card is recognized, changes the usage flag associated with the card ID of the time card in the card registration information from "0" to "1". The employee attendance information generating unit 53 generates or updates employee attendance information in the basic time recording process, the direct input type association process, the candidate selection type association process, and the last month's card reference type time recording process. When the use of a time card with no registered card ID is recognized in the basic time recording process and the last month's card reference type time recording process, the card addition registration unit 54 adds the card ID of the time card to the card registration information and sets the usage flag associated with the card ID to "1". The new card registration unit 55 performs new card registration processing. The card usage application unit 56 performs time card usage application processing. The direct input type association forming unit 57 performs direct input type association processing. The candidate selection type association forming unit 58 performs a candidate selection type association process. The candidate selection type association forming unit 58 also has a card ID selection unit 59, a presentation control unit 60, and an association unit 61. The functions of the card ID selection unit 59, the presentation control unit 60, and the association unit 61 will become clear from the explanation of the candidate selection type association process below. The last month's card reference type association forming unit 62 updates the card registration information by associating the employee ID associated with the card ID of last month's time card with the card ID of the current month's time card in the last month's card reference type time recording process.

The new card registration unit 55 and the card addition registration unit 54 are specific examples of an identification medium registration information generation unit. The employee attendance information generation unit 53 is a specific example of a specific action information generation unit. The direct input type association formation unit 57 is a specific example of an identification medium registration information update unit.

(New card registration process)
The new card registration process is a process for adding the card ID of a new time card to the card registration information in response to an operation of the management device 3 by the administrator.

The manager issues new time cards every month. Issuing new time cards means, for example, handing a new time card to each employee or placing it in a time card storage rack, etc., so that each employee can use the new time card.

When issuing new time cards, the manager first prepares a number of new, blank time cards corresponding to the number of employees who are the subject of attendance management. Time cards are sold, for example, in sets of 100 cards. Each set of 100 time cards has consecutive card ID numbers printed on them. By purchasing a set of such time cards, the manager prepares a number of new time cards corresponding to the number of employees.

Next, the administrator operates the management device 3 to cause the management device 3 to execute a new card registration process and register the card IDs of each of the new time cards that have been prepared in the management device 3.

That is, when the manager operates the input unit 43 of the management device 3 to input an instruction to start the new card registration process to the management device 3 in order to execute the new card registration process, the new card registration unit 55 of the management device 3 displays a new card registration screen 81, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, on the display unit 44. The manager operates the input unit 43 of the management device 3 to input the first (smallest) card ID (e.g., 3000) of the consecutive card IDs printed on, for example, 100 time cards, and the number of time cards to be registered (e.g., 100), and clicks the registration button 82.

In response to this, the new card registration unit 55 adds the 100 consecutively numbered card IDs printed on the 100 time cards to the card registration information stored in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. At this time, the new card registration unit 55 also automatically calculates the usage period of the new time card, for example by adding 1 to the current month, and adds information indicating the usage period to the card registration information in association with each added card ID. For example, if the current month is November 2019, December 2019 is calculated as the usage period of the new time card, and "2019-12" is added to the card registration information in association with each added card ID. At this time, the new card registration unit 55 also adds a usage flag to the card registration information in association with each added card ID. All usage flags added at this time are set to "0".

After the administrator has executed the new card registration process on the management device 3 in this way, the administrator issues a new time card.

Figure 11 shows the card registration information immediately after the card ID of a new time card is added by the new card registration process (i.e., the card registration information before employees start using the new time card). As can be seen from Figure 11, in the card registration information immediately after the card ID of a new time card is added, a usage period and usage flag are associated with each added card ID, but an employee ID is not associated with it.

In the attendance management system 1 of this embodiment, when issuing a new time card, the manager registers the card ID of the new time card in the management device 3, but does not form an association between the card ID of the new time card and the employee ID of the employee who will use that time card. The association between the card ID of the new time card and the employee ID of the employee who will use that time card is formed by the employee who will use the time card after the new time card is issued. In other words, after a new time card is issued and the employee starts using the time card, the employee applies to use the time card within the usage period of the time card. Specifically, each employee accesses the management device 3 via the input/output device 4 and causes the management device 3 to execute a time card use application process. This time card use application process forms an association between the employee ID of the employee and the card ID of the time card used by the employee.

Figure 12 shows the card registration information one week after a new time card was issued. In Figure 12, an employee with employee ID: "6511" who uses a time card with card ID: "3000" applied to use a time card two or three days after the time card was issued. As a result, employee ID: "6511" is associated with card ID: "3000" and added to the card registration information. On the other hand, an employee who uses a time card with card ID: "3001" has not yet applied to use a time card after the time card was issued. As a result, in the card registration information, card ID: "3001" is not associated with the employee ID of any employee. Note that if all employees who are subject to attendance management apply to use a time card after a new time card is issued, all card IDs in the card registration information for the current month are associated with employee IDs, as shown in Figure 3.

(Basic time recording process)
The basic time recording process is a process that accumulates the time information sent from the time recorder 2 for each employee each time the employee punches in on a time card, and generates or updates employee attendance information that is the basis for tallying up the working hours of each employee and calculating payroll.

Figure 13 shows the basic time recording process. As shown in Figure 13, in the basic time recording process, when an employee presses the operation button 13 of the time recorder 2 to select the type of time to be stamped on the time card and inserts the time card into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 recognizes the type of time selected by the employee and also recognizes that the time card has been inserted into the card insertion section 12 (step S1: YES). Next, the CPU 29 controls the card transport section 22 to transport the inserted time card to the back of the card insertion section 12.

Next, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 determines whether the time card is for the current month (step S2). For example, the CPU 29 controls the print area reading unit 25 to check the time print state within the print area of the inserted time card to determine whether the time card is for the current month.

If the inserted time card is the time card for the current month (step S2: YES), the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 reads the card ID of the time card from the time card (step S3). Specifically, the CPU 29 controls the card code reading unit 24 to read the card code printed on the inserted time card, decode the read card code, and recognize the card ID of the inserted time card. Note that the insertion of the time card and the reading of the card code are performed simultaneously.

Next, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 obtains the current time from the clock of the clock unit 21 (step S4) and prints the obtained current time in the printing area of the inserted time card (step S5).

Then, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 controls the communication unit 26 to transmit to the management device 3 the recorder ID previously stored in the memory unit 27 of the time recorder 2, the card ID read in step S3, time information indicating the time obtained in step S4 (the time printed on the time card), and type information indicating the type of time selected by the employee (step S6).

Then, the CPU 45 of the management device 3 controls the communication unit 41 to receive the recorder ID, card ID, time information, and type information transmitted from the time recorder 2. The punch information generation unit 51 of the CPU 45 then generates punch information by associating the received recorder ID, card ID, time information, and type information with each other, and stores the generated punch information in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 (step S7). Note that if past punch information is already stored in the memory unit 42, the punch information generation unit 51 adds the currently generated punch information to the past punch information.

Then, the card usage management unit 52 of the management device 3 searches the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 to determine whether or not a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 is present in the card registration information, i.e., whether or not the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 has been registered (step S8).

As a result of the search, if a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 is present in the card registration information (step S9: YES), the card usage management unit 52 then checks the card registration information and determines whether the usage flag associated with the card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 is "1" (step S10). If the usage flag is "0", the card usage management unit 52 sets the usage flag to "1" (step S11). In this way, when an employee clocks in for the first time using a new time card with a registered card ID, the usage flag associated with the card ID of the time card is changed from "0" to "1". On the other hand, if the usage flag associated with the card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 in the card registration information is "1", the card usage management unit 52 skips step S11.

Next, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 of the management device 3 checks the card registration information and determines whether an employee ID is associated with a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 (step S12).

If an employee ID is associated with a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 (step S12: YES), the employee attendance information generation unit 53 recognizes the correspondence between the employee ID of the employee who punched in using the time card and the time information sent from the time recorder 2 in response to the punching, based on the association between the card ID and the time information in the punching information stored in the memory unit 42 and the association between the card ID and the employee ID in the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42. The employee attendance information generation unit 53 then reads the time information and type information corresponding to the employee ID of the employee who punched in using the time card from the punching information stored in the memory unit 42, and updates the employee attendance information by adding the read time information and type information to the employee attendance information in association with the employee ID (step S13). The basic time recording process ends when the employee attendance information has been updated.

On the other hand, if an employee ID is not associated with a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 (step S12: NO), the employee attendance information generation unit 53 does not update the employee attendance information. In this case, the basic time recording process ends without updating the employee attendance information.

For example, assume that the state of the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 is currently as shown in FIG. 12, and an employee with employee ID: "6511" who has already applied to use a time card has punched a time card with card ID: "3000". In this case, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 determines in step S12 in FIG. 13 that the employee ID is associated with a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2. Then, in step S13, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 recognizes the correspondence between the employee ID: "6511" of the employee and the time information sent from the time recorder 2 in response to the employee's punching, reads the time information and type information corresponding to the employee ID: "6511" of the employee from the punching information stored in the memory unit 42, and adds the read time information and type information to the employee attendance information in association with the employee ID: "6511", thereby updating the employee attendance information.

Meanwhile, assume that the state of the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 is currently as shown in FIG. 12, and an employee who has not yet applied to use a time card has punched a time card with card ID: "3001". In this case, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 determines in step S12 in FIG. 13 that an employee ID is not associated with a card ID that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2, and does not update the employee attendance information.

On the other hand, if in step S9 there is no card ID in the card registration information that matches the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 (step S9: NO), the card additional registration unit 54 of the management device 3 adds the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 to the card registration information (step S14). At this time, the card additional registration unit 54 also adds the current month to the card registration information as information indicating the usage period, in association with the added card ID. Furthermore, the card additional registration unit 54 adds a usage flag to the card registration information in association with the added card ID. The usage flag added at this time is set to "1".

(Time card application processing)
The time card use application process is a process in which, after each employee starts using a newly issued time card, the management device 3 associates the employee ID with the card ID and adds them to the card registration information in response to the operation of the input/output device 4 by each employee.

Figure 14 shows the time card application process. The time card application process is realized, for example, by a web application program for time card application stored in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. As shown in Figure 14, when an employee operates the input unit 71 of the input/output device 4 to access the management device 3 to apply for a time card, the time card application process is executed based on the web application program for time card application. In the time card application process, first, the card application unit 56 of the management device 3 displays the login screen 85 shown in Figure 15 (A) on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4 (step S21). When the employee operates the input unit 71 of the input/output device 4, inputs the employee ID and password on the login screen 85, and clicks (or touches) the login button 86, the employee ID and password input by the employee are transmitted from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3.

Next, the card usage application unit 56 receives (acquires) the employee ID and password sent from the input/output device 4 (step S22), checks whether the employee ID and password are correct, and if they are correct, displays the time card usage application screen 88 shown in FIG. 15 (B) on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4 (step S23).

In the attendance management system 1, the following two methods are provided as methods by which an employee can apply to use a time card.
(1) A method in which an employee directly inputs the card ID of the time card they are using. (2) A method in which an employee selects the card ID of the time card they are using from among multiple card IDs that are presumed to be the card ID of the time card they are using. On the time card usage application screen 88, an employee can select either the above method (1) or the above method (2) as the method for applying to use a time card.

When an employee selects "Enter card ID directly" on the time card application screen 88 and clicks the "Next" button 89, an instruction to execute the direct input type association process is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3. The direct input type association process is a process that realizes the time card application by the method (1) above. In this case, the direct input type association process is executed by the direct input type association formation unit 57 of the management device 3 (steps S24 to S26). Then, after the direct input type association process is completed, the time card application process ends.

On the other hand, when an employee selects "Select a card ID from candidates" on the time card application screen 88 and clicks the "Next" button 89, an instruction to execute the candidate selection type association process is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3. The candidate selection type association process is a process that realizes a time card application by the method (2) above. In this case, the candidate selection type association process is executed by the candidate selection type association formation unit 58 of the management device 3 (steps S24, S25, S27). Then, after the candidate selection type association process is completed, the time card application process ends.

If the employee clicks the cancel button 90 on the time card application screen 88, the time card application process ends without executing either the direct input association process or the candidate selection association process.

(Direct Input Type Association Processing)
The direct input type association process will be described. The direct input type association process is a process of identifying a card ID that matches a card ID directly input by an employee in the card registration information, and adding the employee ID acquired at the time of logging in to the management device 3 to the card registration information by associating it with the identified card ID. The direct input type association process is realized, for example, by a dedicated web application program stored in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. In the time card use application process, when an instruction to execute the direct input type association process is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3 based on the employee's selection, the direct input type association forming unit 57 of the management device 3 executes the direct input type association process.

Figure 16 shows the direct input type association process. As shown in Figure 16, in the direct input type association process, the direct input type association formation unit 57 first displays the card ID input screen 93 shown in Figure 17 on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4 (step S31). When an employee operates the input unit 71 of the input/output device 4, inputs the card ID of the time card he or she is using on the card ID input screen 93, and clicks (or touches) the OK button 94, the card ID input by the employee is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3.

Then, the direct input type association forming unit 57 receives (acquires) the card ID transmitted from the input/output device 4 (step S32). The direct input type association forming unit 57 then searches the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 to identify a card ID that matches the card ID transmitted from the input/output device 4, and updates the card registration information by adding the employee ID entered by the employee when logging in (the employee ID acquired in step S22 in FIG. 14) to the card registration information in association with the identified card ID (step S33).

Then, the employee attendance information generating unit 53 of the management device 3 updates the employee attendance information (step S34). That is, based on the association between the card ID and time information in the punch information stored in the memory unit 42 and the association between the card ID and employee ID in the currently updated card registration information, the employee attendance information generating unit 53 recognizes the correspondence between the employee ID of the employee who applied to use the time card and the time information stored in the memory unit 42 as punch information based on the employee's punching. Then, the employee attendance information generating unit 53 reads the time information and type information corresponding to the employee ID of the employee who applied to use the time card from the punch information stored in the memory unit 42, and updates the employee attendance information by adding the read time information and type information to the employee attendance information in association with the employee ID.

(Candidate Selection Type Association Processing)
The candidate selection type association process will be described. The candidate selection type association process is a process in which a plurality of card IDs that are presumed to be the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees in the card registration information are selected as a plurality of candidates of the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees, and the employee ID acquired at the time of logging in to the management device 3 is associated with the card ID selected by the employee from the plurality of candidates and added to the card registration information. The candidate selection type association process is realized, for example, by a dedicated web application program stored in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. In the time card use application process, when an instruction to execute the candidate selection type association process is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3 based on the employee's selection, the candidate selection type association forming unit 58 of the management device 3 executes the candidate selection type association process.

Figure 18 shows the candidate selection type association process. As shown in Figure 18, in the candidate selection type association process, first, the card ID selection unit 59 of the candidate selection type association formation unit 58 identifies card IDs that have been started to be used and are not associated with an employee ID in the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 (step S41). For example, assume that the card registration information shown in Figure 19 (A) is stored in the memory unit 42. In this case, in this card registration information, the card IDs that have been started to be used and are not associated with an employee ID are "3001" and "3003". Therefore, these card IDs are identified by the card ID selection unit 59 as card IDs that have been started to be used and are not associated with an employee ID in the card registration information.

Next, the card ID selection unit 59 searches the time-stamp information stored in the memory unit 42, and identifies a card ID that matches a card ID that has been started to be used and is not associated with an employee ID in the card registration information, that is, a card ID that has been started to be used and is not associated with an employee ID in the time-stamp information. Hereinafter, a card ID that has been started to be used and is not associated with an employee ID in the time-stamp information is referred to as an "unassociated card ID". Next, the card ID selection unit 59 reads out the type information, time information, and recorder ID associated with the unassociated card ID from the time-stamp information (step S42). For example, assuming that the card registration information shown in FIG. 19(A) and the time-stamp information shown in FIG. 19(B) are stored in the memory unit 42, "3001" and "3003" are identified as unassociated card IDs in the time-stamp information. Then, the card ID selection unit 59 reads out from the time-stamping information the type information: "Clock out", time information: "2019-12-02-17:34:18", and recorder ID: "0001" associated with the unassociated card ID: "3001", type information: "Clock out", time information: "2019-12-02-18:03:20", and recorder ID: "0001" associated with the unassociated card ID: "3001", type information: "Clock in", time information: "2019-12-03-08:24:31", and recorder ID: "0001", and type information: "Clock in", time information: "2019-12-03-08:29:33", and recorder ID: "0001" associated with the unassociated card ID: "3003".

Next, the card ID selection unit 59 searches for the employee attendance information stored in the memory unit 42 based on the employee ID entered by the employee when logging in (the employee ID acquired in step S22 in FIG. 14), identifies the employee's type information and time information, and reads the identified type information and time information from the employee attendance information (step S43). The employee attendance information is information that accumulates the type information and time information of each employee over a long period of time. The memory unit 42 stores a huge amount of past type information and time information of each employee as employee attendance information. In step S43, the card ID selection unit 59 reads a huge amount of past type information and time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card from the employee attendance information. For example, FIG. 19 (C) shows employee attendance information for the employee with employee ID: "6700". If the employee ID of the employee applying to use a time card is "6700", the portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in the employee attendance information in FIG. 19(C) is read by the card ID selection unit 59.

Next, the card ID selection unit 59 compares the time information read from the punch information (i.e., the time information associated with the unassociated card ID) with the time information read from the employee attendance information (i.e., the past time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card) to determine the similarity between the two (step S44). The similarity between the time information read from the punch information and the time information read from the employee attendance information can be determined, for example, by comparing the average value of each type of time information read from the punch information with the average value of each type of time information read from the employee attendance information. The similarity between the time information read from the punch information and the time information read from the employee attendance information may also be determined by comparing the latest time information among the time information read from the punch information with the average value of the time information of the same type as the latest time information among the time information read from the employee attendance information. In addition, based on the time information read from the employee attendance information, the characteristics of the working pattern of the employee who has applied to use the time card may be grasped, and the similarity between the time information read from the punch information and the time information read from the employee attendance information may be determined by taking into account the characteristics of the working pattern. In addition, when determining this similarity, the attributes of the time information, specifically, the day of the week and the month on which the time information was acquired, may be taken into account. For example, if the time information read from the punch information was acquired on Monday, the similarity may be determined based on the time information and the time information acquired on Monday among the employee's past time information in the employee attendance information. In addition, if the time information read from the punch information was acquired in April, the similarity may be determined based on the time information and the time information acquired in April among the employee's past time information in the employee attendance information. Furthermore, various methods can be used to determine this similarity, such as multiple regression analysis in which the day of the week, the time of arrival at work, the time of leaving work, the time of leaving work, and the time of return are input and the employee is output, or a method of predicting employees who use time cards after building a prediction model using deep learning.

In addition, when multiple unassociated card IDs are identified in step S42 and the type information, time information, and recorder ID associated with each of the multiple unassociated card IDs are read from the punch information, the card ID selection unit 59 judges the similarity between the time information associated with each of the multiple unassociated card IDs and the time information read from the employee attendance information for each card ID. For example, assuming that the card registration information shown in FIG. 19(A) and the punch information shown in FIG. 19(B) are stored in the storage unit 42, the card ID selection unit 59 judges the similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID: "3001" and the time information read from the employee attendance information, and judges the similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID: "3003" and the time information read from the employee attendance information. In the following explanation, we will assume that in step S42, multiple unassociated card IDs are identified, the type information and time information associated with each of these multiple unassociated card IDs are read from the stamp information, and in step S44, a determination is made for each card ID as to the similarity between the time information associated with each of these multiple unassociated card IDs and the time information read from the employee attendance information.

Next, based on the result of judging the similarity between the time information read from the punch information and the time information read from the employee attendance information, the card ID selection unit 59 selects, from among the multiple unassociated card IDs identified in step S42, multiple unassociated card IDs associated with time information highly similar to the time information read from the employee attendance information as multiple candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee who is applying to use the time card (step S45). In other words, each of the multiple unassociated card IDs associated with time information highly similar to the time information read from the employee attendance information is presumed to be the card ID of the time card used by the employee who is applying to use the time card. Therefore, the card ID selection unit 59 selects each of the multiple unassociated card IDs associated with time information highly similar to the time information read from the employee attendance information as multiple candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee who is applying to use the time card.

Next, the presentation control unit 60 of the management device 3 generates a card ID selection screen displaying the card IDs selected as the multiple candidates, the times (latest stamp time) indicated by the latest time information associated with each of the card IDs selected as the multiple candidates, the types indicated by the type information associated with each of the card IDs selected as the multiple candidates, and the recorder names corresponding to the recorder IDs associated with each of the card IDs selected as the multiple candidates, and displays the card ID selection screen on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4 (step S46).

Figure 20 shows an example of a card ID selection screen. As shown in Figure 20, the card ID selection screen 96 lists the multiple card IDs selected as candidates, as well as their corresponding most recent punch times, types, and recorder names. As shown in Figure 20, it is preferable that the card IDs selected as candidates are arranged in the card ID selection screen in order of most recent most recent punch times corresponding to those card IDs. Furthermore, a selection button 97, an OK button 98, etc. are displayed in the card ID selection screen 96.

Here, the recorder name is the name of each time recorder 2. Each time recorder 2 provided in the attendance management system 1 is assigned a recorder name, and this recorder name is associated with the recorder ID of the time recorder 2 and stored as recorder setting information in the storage unit 42 of the management device 3. The presentation control unit 60 refers to the recorder setting information stored in the storage unit 42, identifies the recorder name corresponding to the recorder ID associated with the card ID selected as the multiple candidates, and displays it on the card ID selection screen as shown in FIG. 20. The recorder name displayed on the card ID selection screen is the name of the time recorder 2 that punched the time card having the card ID selected as the multiple candidates. FIG. 20 shows an example in which the name of the business establishment where the time card 2 is placed is used as the recorder name.

Since employees often remember their most recent time of punching more clearly than their previous time of punching, the most recent time of punching is a very useful clue for an employee applying to use a time card to select the card ID of the time card he or she is using. In addition, the name of the business where the time recorder 2 is installed matches the name of the business where the employee works. Therefore, the recorder name, which uses the name of the business where the time recorder 2 is installed, is a very useful clue for an employee applying to use a time card to select the card ID of the time card he or she is using. An employee applying to use a time card selects the card ID of the time card he or she is using based on the most recent time of punching and the recorder name displayed in the card ID selection screen 96, and inputs a selection instruction to the input/output device 4. Specifically, the employee clicks (or touches) the selection button 97 corresponding to the selected card ID, and then clicks the OK button 98. As a result, the card ID selected by the employee is sent from the input/output device 4 to the management device 3.

Then, the association unit 61 of the management device 3 receives (acquires) the card ID transmitted from the input/output device 4 (step S47). The association unit 61 then identifies a card ID that matches the card ID transmitted from the input/output device 4 in the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42. The association unit 61 then updates the card registration information by adding the employee ID entered by the employee when logging in (the employee ID acquired in step S22 in FIG. 14) to the identified card ID and associating it with the card registration information (step S48).

Next, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 of the management device 3 updates the employee attendance information (step S49). This employee attendance information update process is the same as the employee attendance information update process in the direct input type association process (step S34 in FIG. 16).

(Association from the admin page)
The management device 3 has a function of, when an employee ID is input on a management screen dedicated to the administrator, associating the input employee ID with a card ID and adding it to the card registration information. For example, when an employee ID is input in the area surrounded by a two-dot chain line on the management screen 101 shown in Fig. 21, the management device 3 associates the employee ID with the card ID and adds it to the card registration information. For example, if an employee forgets to apply for a time card, the administrator can add the employee ID of the employee to the card registration information in association with the card ID of the time card used by the employee.

(Last month card reference time recording process)
The last month's card reference type time recording process is described below. The last month's card reference type time recording process is a process in which, when last month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion unit 12 of the time recorder 2, the employee ID associated with the card ID of last month's time card is associated with the card ID of the current month's time card to generate or update the current month's card registration information. Note that the last month's time card refers to a time card whose usage period is last month, and the current month's time card refers to a time card whose usage period is the current month.

Figure 22 shows the last month's card reference type time recording process. The last month's card reference type time recording process is executed when an employee inserts last month's time card into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2 in the basic time recording process shown in Figure 13. That is, in step S2 in Figure 13, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 determines whether the time card inserted into the card insertion section 12 is the time card for the current month. If the result of this determination is that the time card inserted into the card insertion section 12 is not the time card for the current month (step S2: NO), the CPU 29 transitions the process from step S2 in Figure 13 to step S61 in Figure 22. This starts the last month's card reference type time recording process.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the last month's card reference type time recording process, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 reads the card ID of the last month's time card inserted into the card insertion section 12 (step S61).

Next, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 determines whether the current month's time card has been inserted into the card insertion section 12 within a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) after the previous month's time card was removed from the card insertion section 12 (step S62). If the current month's time card has not been inserted into the card insertion section 12 within the above-mentioned predetermined time after the previous month's time card was removed from the card insertion section 12 (step S62: NO), the CPU 29 ends the previous month's card reference time recording process.

On the other hand, if the current month's time card is inserted into the card insertion unit 12 within the above-mentioned specified time period after the previous month's time card was removed from the card insertion unit 12 (step S62: YES), the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 reads the card ID of the current month's time card inserted into the card insertion unit 12 (step S63). Next, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 obtains the current time from the clock in the clock unit 21 (step S64) and prints the obtained current time in the printing area of the current month's time card (step S65).

Then, the CPU 29 of the time recorder 2 transmits to the management device 3 the recorder ID previously stored in the memory unit 27 of the time recorder 2, the card ID of the previous month's time card read in step S61, the card ID of the current month's time card read in step S63, time information indicating the time obtained in step S64, and type information indicating the type of time selected by the employee (step S66).

Then, the CPU 45 of the management device 3 receives the recorder ID, the card ID of the previous month's time card, the card ID of the current month's time card, the time information, and the type information transmitted from the time recorder 2. The punch information generating unit 51 of the CPU 45 then generates punch information by associating the received recorder ID, the card ID of the current month's time card, the time information, and the type information with each other, and stores the generated punch information in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 (step S67).

Then, the card usage management unit 52 of the management device 3 searches the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 to determine whether or not there is a card ID in the card registration information that matches the card ID of the time card for the current month transmitted from the time recorder 2, i.e., whether or not the card ID of the time card for the current month transmitted from the time recorder 2 has been registered (step S68).

As a result of the search, if a card ID that matches the card ID of the time card for the current month sent from the time recorder 2 is present in the card registration information (step S69: YES), the card usage management unit 52 then checks the card registration information and determines whether the usage flag associated with the card ID that matches the card ID of the time card for the current month sent from the time recorder 2 is "1" (step S70). If the usage flag is "0", the card usage management unit 52 sets the usage flag to "1" in step S71, and if the usage flag is "1", skips step S71.

Next, the employee attendance information generation unit 53 of the management device 3 checks the card registration information and determines whether the employee ID is associated with a card ID that matches the card ID of the time card for the current month sent from the time recorder 2 (step S72). If the employee ID is associated with a card ID that matches the card ID of the time card for the current month sent from the time recorder 2 (step S72: YES), the employee attendance information is updated (step S73). The employee attendance information update process here is the same as the employee attendance information update process in the basic time recording process described above (step S13 in FIG. 13). Completion of the employee attendance information update ends the previous month's card reference time recording process. In this way, last month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2, and if a card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card for the current month exists in the card registration information, processing similar to the basic time recording processing is performed (i.e., the card ID of last month's time card sent from the time recorder 2 is not used for processing in the management device 3).

On the other hand, if an employee ID is not associated with the card ID sent from the time recorder 2 (step S72: NO), the previous month's card reference type association formation unit 62 of the management device 3 searches the card registration information stored in the memory unit 42 of the management device 3 to determine whether or not there is a card ID in the card registration information that matches the card ID of the previous month's time card sent from the time recorder 2 (step S75).

If the search results in a card ID matching the card ID of the time card of the previous month sent from the time recorder 2 being present in the card registration information (step S76: YES), the previous month's card reference type association forming unit 62 reads out the employee ID associated with the card ID matching the card ID of the time card of the previous month sent from the time recorder 2 from the card registration information. The previous month's card reference type association forming unit 62 then updates the card registration information by associating the read employee ID with the card ID matching the card ID of the time card of the current month sent from the time recorder 2 in the card registration information and adding it to the card registration information (step S77). Next, the employee attendance information generating unit 53 updates the employee attendance information (step S73). In this way, last month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2, and if a card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card for the current month exists in the card registration information but no employee ID is associated with it, and a card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card for the previous month exists in the card registration information, an association is formed in the card registration information between the employee ID associated with the card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card for the previous month and the card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card for the current month.

On the other hand, if the search in step S75 shows that there is no card ID in the card registration information that matches the card ID of last month's time card sent from the time recorder 2 (step S76: NO), the last month's card reference time recording process immediately ends. If the time card initially inserted into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2 is neither the current month's time card nor last month's time card, the last month's card reference time recording process ends without updating the card registration information or the employee attendance information.

On the other hand, if the previous month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion unit 12 of the time recorder 2, and the card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card of the current month does not exist in the card registration information, that is, if the card ID of the inserted time card of the current month has not been registered, the card additional registration unit 54 adds the card ID of the inserted time card of the current month, the usage period, and the usage flag set to "1" to each other in association with each other in step S74 to the card registration information. Then, steps S75 to S77 are executed, and an association is formed in the card registration information between the employee ID associated with the card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card of the previous month and the card ID that matches the card ID of the inserted time card of the current month. Then, in step S73, the employee attendance information is updated.

As described above, in the attendance management system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, card registration information is generated or updated by the new card registration process and the time card use application process, in which the card ID of the time card and the employee ID are arranged in association with each other. Therefore, the manager executes the new card registration process when issuing a new time card to add the card ID of the new time card to the card registration information, and each employee executes the time card use application process after starting to use the time card to associate their own employee ID with the card ID of the time card they are using and add it to the card registration information, thereby reducing the workload of the manager when issuing a new time card. That is, conventionally, when issuing a new time card, the manager associates the employee ID of each employee who is the subject of attendance management with the card ID of the new time card. However, in this embodiment, the employee ID can be associated with the card ID of the time card by each employee. In this way, the burden on the manager can be reduced by distributing the work that was conventionally performed by the manager to each employee.

In addition, in this embodiment, the management device 3 has a card addition registration unit 54, which adds the card ID of a time card that has not been registered to the card registration information when the basic time recording process and the last month's card reference type time recording process recognize the use of the time card (see step S14 in FIG. 13 and step S74 in FIG. 22). This allows the administrator to omit the task of executing the new card registration process to add the card ID of the new time card to the card registration information when issuing a new time card. This further reduces the administrator's workload when issuing a new time card.

In this embodiment, the management device 3 has a candidate selection type association unit 61, which selects multiple card IDs in the card registration information that are presumed to be the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees as multiple candidates for the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees, and performs a process (candidate selection type association process) in which the employee ID acquired when logging in to the management device 3 is associated with the card ID selected by the employee from the multiple candidates and added to the card registration information. This allows the employee to easily perform the time card use application work, that is, the work of associating his/her own employee ID with the card ID of the time card used by the employee and adding it to the card registration information. Specifically, when applying to use a time card, the candidate selection type association unit 61 displays multiple candidates for the card IDs of the time cards used by the employee on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4. The employee can quickly and easily perform the time card use application work by selecting the card ID of the time card used by the employee from the multiple card ID candidates displayed on the display unit 72.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20, the candidate selection association unit 61 displays a plurality of candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee, along with the corresponding most recent punch time, on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4. By looking at the most recent punch time displayed on the display unit 72, the employee can identify and select the card ID of the time card he or she is using based on the most recent punch time, even in a situation where the employee is unable to confirm the card ID of the time card he or she is using. Therefore, the employee can apply to use a time card even if he or she does not have the time card he or she is using at hand. For example, the employee can use the smartphone he or she carries to apply to use a time card on the way to work or after returning home.

In addition, in this embodiment, the management device 3 has a direct input type association unit 61, which identifies a card ID in the card registration information that matches a card ID directly input by an employee, and performs a process (direct input type association process) of associating the employee ID acquired when logging in to the management device 3 with the identified card ID and adding it to the card registration information. As a result, when an employee is in a situation where he or she can confirm the card ID of the time card he or she is using, for example, when the employee has the time card he or she is using in front of him or her, he or she can easily perform the time card usage application work by directly inputting the card ID.

In addition, when the previous month's time card and the current month's time card are inserted consecutively into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2, the attendance management system 1 of this embodiment can perform a process (last month's card reference type time recording process) that generates or updates the current month's card registration information by associating the employee ID associated with the card ID of the previous month's time card with the card ID of the current month's time card. By using this process, employees can perform the task of forming an association between their employee ID and the card ID of the current month's time card without applying to use a time card.

In addition, in this embodiment, the card ID selection unit 59 of the management device 3 determines the similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID present in the punch information and the past time information of the employee who is applying to use the time card present in the employee attendance information, and selects the unassociated card ID associated with time information that is highly similar to the past time information of the employee who is applying to use the time card as one of the candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee who is applying to use the time card. This makes it possible to select a candidate for the card ID of the time card used by the employee with high accuracy when applying to use the time card. Therefore, it is possible to reliably include the card ID of the time card used by the employee among the candidates for the card ID displayed on the card ID selection screen 96 when applying to use the time card. Therefore, the employee who applies to use the time card can smoothly select the card ID of the time card used by himself/herself from the multiple candidates for the card ID displayed on the card ID selection screen 96.

In the above embodiment, when applying to use a time card, the card ID selection screen 96 displays candidates for the card ID of the time card used by the employee along with the corresponding most recent punch time. However, the information displayed on the card ID selection screen 96 along with the candidate card ID of the time card used by the employee is not limited to the most recent punch time corresponding to the candidate card ID. For example, along with the candidate card ID of the time card used by the employee, the corresponding punch time at the time of arrival at work and punch time at the time of leaving work on the last punch day may be displayed.

23, when applying to use a time card, the card ID selection screen 103 may display candidate card IDs of the time card used by the employee along with the corresponding captured image 105 of the employee. For example, in the basic time recording process, when an employee inserts a time card into the card insertion section 12 of the time recorder 2, the camera 18 of the time recorder 2 captures an image of the employee's face, and the captured image is transmitted from the time recorder 2 to the management device 3 together with the recorder ID, card ID, time information, and type information. The punch information generating section 51 of the management device 3 then generates punch information by associating the recorder ID, card ID, time information, type information, and captured image transmitted from the time recorder 2 with each other, and stores the generated punch information in the memory section 42 of the management device 3. Then, in the candidate selection type association process, the presentation control unit 60 of the candidate selection type association formation unit 58 acquires the latest time information and captured image, etc., corresponding to the candidate card ID of the time card used by the employee from the punch information, and displays the card ID selection screen 103 on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4, displaying the candidate card ID, as well as the punch time indicated by the acquired latest time information and the captured image 105. An employee who applies to use a time card can easily select the card ID of the time card he or she is using based on the captured image displayed on the card ID selection screen 103.

In addition, after the association between the card ID and the employee ID is formed, the captured image sent from the time recorder 2 in the basic time recording process may be stored in association with the employee ID, and then in the candidate selection type association process, the captured image in the time-stamping information may be compared with the captured image previously associated with the employee ID and stored to determine the similarity between the two, and based on the result of this determination, the card ID of the time card used by the employee who is applying to use the card may be inferred.

In the candidate selection type association process in the above embodiment, multiple card IDs in the card registration information that are presumed to be the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees are selected as multiple candidates for the card IDs of the time cards used by the employees, and a card ID selection screen 96 displaying the selected card ID candidates is displayed on the display unit 72 of the input/output device 4. At this time, the multiple card ID candidates on the card ID selection screen 96 may be arranged in order of the degree of similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID and the past time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card. Alternatively, for each card ID candidate, a value indicating the degree of similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID and the past time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card may be displayed on the card ID selection screen 96.

In addition, in the candidate selection type association process in the above embodiment, when selecting candidates for card IDs to be displayed on the card selection screen 96, the similarity between the time information associated with the unassociated card ID and the past time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card is determined, and an unassociated card ID associated with time information that is highly similar to the past time information of the employee who has applied to use the time card is selected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. All card IDs that are not associated with any employee ID in the card registration information may be selected as card IDs to be displayed on the card selection screen 96. This reduces the processing burden on the management device 3.

In the above embodiment, when an employee clocks in during the basic time recording process and the last month's card reference type time recording process, if an association has already been formed between the employee ID of the employee and the card ID of the time card used by the employee, the employee attendance information is updated. In the above embodiment, in the direct input type association forming process and the candidate selection type association forming process, the employee attendance information is updated immediately after the employee applies to use a time card and inputs or selects the card ID of the time card used by the employee. However, the timing of updating the employee attendance information is not limited to these. For example, the clock-in information may be stored in the memory unit 42 during the usage period, and the employee attendance information may be updated immediately after the usage period expires.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the usage period of the time card is one month, but for example, when the attendance management system 1 is used in a foreign country, the usage period of the time card may be a period other than one month depending on the customs of that country.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which time cards with consecutive card IDs printed on them are used. However, if the card IDs of the time cards have a number of digits that will not overlap even over a reasonable period of time, or if the card IDs of new time cards are managed in advance to prevent overlaps, neither the manager nor the employee will need to register a new card, and employees may randomly use new time cards.

In the above embodiment, the employee ID is a unique number that is different for each employee, but the employee's biometric information, such as fingerprint information, can also be used as the employee ID.

In addition, in the management device 3 of the attendance management system 1, the memory unit 42 is not limited to a storage device provided in the management device 3, but may be a storage device communicatively connected to the management device 3 via a computer network or the like.

In the above embodiment, the time recording management system of the present invention is applied to an attendance management system that uses time cards, but the time recording management system of the present invention can also be applied to attendance management systems that use IC cards, for example. Furthermore, the time recording management system of the present invention is not limited to attendance management systems, but can be applied to various systems, such as entrance and exit management systems, that obtain the ID of an identification medium used by an individual from the identification medium, obtain time information indicating the time when the ID of the identification medium was read, and know the time when an individual performed a specific action based on the obtained ID of the identification medium and time information.

The present invention may be modified as appropriate without going against the gist or concept of the invention as can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the time recording management system involving such modifications is also included in the technical concept of the present invention.

The present invention can be used in attendance management systems that manage the attendance of employees working at a company, etc., and entrance/exit management systems that manage the entry and exit of rooms within a building, etc.

1. Attendance management system (time record management system)
2. Time recorder (time transmitting device)
3. Management device (time record management device)
4 Input/Output device 12 Card insertion section 23 Printing section 24 Card code reading section (medium identification information reading section)
26 Communication unit (first transmission unit)
29 CPU (medium identification information reading unit)
31 Time card 33 Card ID
34 Card code 42 Memory unit 51 Time-stamp information generation unit 53 Employee attendance information generation unit (specific action information generation unit)
54 Card additional registration unit (identification medium registration information generation unit)
55 New card registration unit (identification medium registration information generation unit)
57 Direct input type association formation unit (identification medium registration information update unit)

Claims (3)

A time record management system including a time transmission device, an input/output device, and a time record management device,
The time transmission device
a medium identification information reading unit that reads medium identification information of an identification medium used by a user from the identification medium;
a first transmission unit that transmits to the time record management device the medium identification information read by the medium identification information reading unit and time information indicating a time when the medium identification information was read by the medium identification information reading unit,
The input/output device is
an input unit through which the user inputs information into the input/output device;
a second transmission unit that, when the user inputs his/her own user identification information through the input unit, transmits the input user identification information to the time recording management device, and, when the user inputs medium identification information of an identification medium that the user uses through the input unit, transmits the input medium identification information to the time recording management device;
The time record management device includes:
A storage unit;
an identification medium registration information generating unit that generates identification medium registration information including medium identification information of a plurality of identification media and stores the generated identification medium registration information in the storage unit;
a time stamp information generating unit that generates time stamp information of the user by correlating the medium identification information and the time information transmitted from the first transmitting unit with each other, and stores the generated time stamp information in the storage unit;
an identification medium registration information update unit that identifies medium identification information that matches the medium identification information transmitted from the second transmission unit from among the medium identification information of a plurality of identification media included in the identification medium registration information, and updates the identification medium registration information by adding the user identification information of the user transmitted from the second transmission unit to the identification medium registration information in association with the identified medium identification information;
A time recording management system characterized by comprising a specific action information generation unit that generates specific action information including the time when the user performed a specific action by associating the user identification information of the user included in the identification medium registration information with the time information in the user's stamp information stored in the memory unit based on the association between the identification medium information and time information in the user's stamp information stored in the memory unit, and the association between the medium identification information included in the identification medium registration information stored in the memory unit and the user identification information of the user, and stores the generated specific action information in the memory unit. The time transmitting device is a time recorder,
the identification medium is a time card,
medium identification information of the identification medium is printed on the time card,
The time transmission device
a card insertion section for inserting the time card;
a printing unit that prints a time on the time card inserted into the card insertion unit,
2. The time recording management system according to claim 1, wherein the medium identification information reading unit reads the medium identification information printed on the time card inserted in the card insertion unit. The time recording management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the specific action information generating unit generates attendance information for the user by associating the user identification information of the user contained in the identification medium registration information with the time information in the user's time-stamp information based on the association between the identification medium information and time information in the user's time-stamp information stored in the storage unit, and the association between the medium identification information contained in the identification medium registration information stored in the storage unit and the user identification information of the user, and stores the generated attendance information in the storage unit.

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