Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Accounting
Patent
1995-03-31
1999-09-21
Cosimano, Edward R.
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Accounting
705 28, G06F 1700
Patent
active
059566965
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to data logging systems, and in particular, to systems for logging or registering items of data related to persons or articles. It is particularly, although not exclusively, adapted for use as a classroom roll-taking system, for recording the presence or absence of pupils or students, their test results and other such data.
Various alternative methods of automating the collection of attendance data in schools have previously been proposed, including systems in which pupils are issued with cards which must be inserted in card readers to record attendance, and systems in which specially prepared forms are completed in the classroom, and subsequently inserted into a "optical mark reader" at a central point, to transfer the information into the schools information system.
Both of these systems have specific weaknesses, and in particular, the card reader system is open to abuse by pupils who give their cards to others to make registrations for them, while the "optical mark reader" system suffers from the inherent deficiency of "paper bound" systems, since it requires the completed forms to be physically transferred from the classroom to the school office, wasting staff time and also, of course, giving rise to pupil supervision problems if the teachers themselves are required to deliver the collected data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a data collection system particularly suitable for use as an "electronic attendance register" system, comprising one or more portable computer devices, forming a mobile data collection means, each including data transceiving means and an attendance data collection program, and a central data collecting station comprising a further computer including at least one data transceiving means and a data collation programmed for assembling data transmitted from the individual portable computer device.
Preferably, the central data collection station comprises a network of wireless transceivers distributed over the area of the premises which are connected to a central computer.
Preferably, the transceivers of the central data collection station are radio devices, but alternatively, other methods of data communication, such as modem links or broad band networks may be utilized. For example, data could be transmitted via the schools internal telephone network, but it will be appreciated that radio links have the advantage that the apparatus can be made completely portable, without any temporary or permanent connections being required, to fixed apparatus installed in the premises.
Preferably, the program of the portable computer is adapted to present the name of each pupil in turn, so as to prompt the teacher to respond appropriately, in accordance with a predetermined number of options, to enable an appropriate record to be made for that pupil. For example, a single key stroke such as ".backslash.", ".phi.", "L" may be used to indicate that the pupil is present, absent or late respectively and two key strokes, such as a letter code plus "enter", may be used to indicate other circumstances, so as to minimise the time and number of key strokes required for each roll call.
In use, when all the attendance data has been collected, the portable computer device is arranged to transmit it to the central computer collection station, and preferably, a known communication protocol will be used to establish that the data has been properly received in uncorrupted form.
In addition, the individual portable computers may also be provided with further software for storing pupils performance records, and other general purpose "personal computer" type software such as spread sheets, calculator, or memo writing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a number of portable computer devices in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration
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