Time period management device, time period management method, and time period management system

Abstract

[Problem] To make it possible to promote the effective use of a paid break time period by an employee and appropriately manage the acquisition of paid break. [Solution] This time period management device 1 comprises: a time recording unit composed of a time recording information generation unit 23, a printing control unit 25, and a card printing unit 16 that acquire and record a time recording time in response to a time recording operation of a user such as an employee; and an operation input part 4 that receives a paid break operation of the user. When the time recording operation at the start or end of the paid break is performed following the paid break operation, the time recording unit acquires the start time and the end time of the paid break on the basis of the time recording time and a preset vacation setting time period and simultaneously performs time recording processing.

Description

Time management device, time management method and time management system

[0001] The present invention relates to a time management device, a time management method, and a time management system, such as a time recorder, that manages the clock-in / clock-out and paid breaks of users such as employees.

[0002] Conventionally, time management devices such as time recorders that manage the clock-in and clock-out times of users, such as employees, accept clock-in and clock-out operations using time cards, IC cards, etc., acquire clock-in and clock-out times, and perform clock-in processing such as printing the clock-in and clock-out times on the time card and saving the clock-in and clock-out data. Meanwhile, in the service industry, call centers, and the like, for example, users may take paid breaks of a predetermined unit time (e.g., 15 minutes) in shifts as needed during working hours. In the United States, there is a demand for time recorders that have the function of recording the paid breaks taken by users.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, a time recorder that prints the start time and end time of a break (paid break) in response to the insertion of a time card for the purpose of recording the start time, end time, or elapsed time of the break is provided. The time recorder sets an auxiliary printing area on the time card and is equipped with a control means that, when an external operation indicates that the time card is inserted within the elapsed time between the start time and the end time, prints the insertion time and the next insertion time of the time card or a specific elapsed time between the start time and the end time in the auxiliary printing area.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-334512

[0005] The time recorder of the aforementioned Patent Document 1 stores the time of insertion and the break status in the operation state memory when a time card is inserted with the operation unit indicating a break time. When a time card is inserted with the operation unit indicating the end of the break, the time recorder calculates the break time and prints it on the time card. However, if the number of paid breaks that can be taken within working hours is predetermined per set time, if the time card is inserted at the end of the paid break even slightly beyond the set time, the excess time is not treated as paid break and is subtracted from the working hours. To avoid this, the user must insert and clock in their time card before the end time of the set paid break, which creates the problem of not being able to take the full set time of the paid break.

[0006] Furthermore, since time recorders are generally installed so that multiple employees can share them, it is expected that many users will concentrate on one time recorder just before the end of their paid break. To avoid having their working hours deducted in such a situation, users may punch in the end of their paid break on the time recorder well in advance of the end of the paid break. As a result, users may end up taking their breaks earlier than expected, further exacerbating the problem of employees not being able to take their allotted paid break time.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a time management device, a time management method, and a time management system that encourage users to make effective use of their paid break time and that enable appropriate management of the taking of paid breaks.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the first time management device of the present invention comprises a time-stamping unit that acquires and stamps a time stamp in response to a user's time-stamping operation, and an operation input unit that accepts the user's paid break operation, and is characterized in that when a time-stamping operation to start or end a paid break is performed following the paid break operation, the time-stamping unit acquires the start time and end time of the paid break based on the time stamped and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously processes the time stamping.

[0009] According to the first time management device of the present invention, the user's intention to take a paid break can be confirmed by accepting an intentional paid break operation on the operation input unit. The time management device simultaneously punches in the start and end times of the paid break in response to a single punch operation when punching in the start or end of the paid break. This eliminates the need for the user to punch in both the start and end times when taking a paid break. This reduces the time required to punch in a paid break, allowing users to take sufficient break time. Furthermore, when multiple users take paid breaks during the same time slot, each user can punch in their paid break on the time management device either at the start or end of the paid break, thereby avoiding congestion as users wait for their breaks to be punched in.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, in the second time management device of the present invention, when the paid break operation is followed by the punching operation to start the paid break, the punching unit obtains the start time in accordance with the punching operation and calculates the end time by adding the break setting time to the start time.

[0011] According to the second time management device of the present invention, if the start time of a paid break is punched, there is no need to punch the end time to match the set break time, so the end time will not be punched after the set break time due to congestion in the time management device, and it is possible to avoid a loss of working hours. Therefore, the time management device can avoid congestion at the end of a paid break due to users waiting to punch in.

[0012] In order to solve the above problem, in the third time management device of the present invention, when the paid break operation is followed by the punching operation to end the paid break, the punching unit obtains the end time in response to the punching operation and calculates the start time by subtracting the break setting time from the end time.

[0013] According to the third time management device of the present invention, if there is a traffic jam in the time management device at the start of a paid break as users wait to punch in, other users can avoid the traffic jam and punch in at the end of the paid break, allowing the punching processes for the start time and end time to be performed simultaneously.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the fourth time management device of the present invention is provided with a card insertion section into which the user's time card is inserted, and the punching section performs the punching process for the paid break by printing the start time and the end time on the time card when the time card is inserted into the card insertion section as the punching operation following the paid break operation.

[0015] The fourth time management device of the present invention can be applied to a time recorder of the time card type.

[0016] In order to solve the above problem, in the fifth time management device of the present invention, the punching unit prints the arrival time in the first time column of the printing column when the punching operation to start work is performed on the time card having multiple printing columns, and prints the departure time in the second time column of the printing column when the punching operation to end work is performed, and when the paid break operation is performed, prints the start time in the second time column of one of the printing columns and prints the end time in the first time column of the next printing column.

[0017] According to the fifth time management device of the present invention, when a paid break is started or ended, the start time and end time of the paid break can be printed simultaneously on a time card in response to a single punch operation.

[0018] In order to solve the above problem, in the sixth time management device of the present invention, when the punching unit prints the start time in the second time column of the bottom printing row of the time card, it returns the time card from the card insertion unit and prompts the user to insert the time card face down into the card insertion unit, and further, when the time card with the top printing row blank is inserted into the card insertion unit, it prints the end time in the first time column of the top printing row.

[0019] According to the sixth time management device of the present invention, even if the start and end times of a paid break are printed on both the front and back of the time card, the start and end times can be punched in simultaneously.

[0020] In order to solve the above problem, in the seventh time management device of the present invention, the punching unit prints a paid break notation indicating the paid break on the time card along with the start time and the end time.

[0021] According to the seventh time management device of the present invention, the start and end times of paid breaks can be recorded on a time card, and the user can check the start and end times of paid breaks at any time by checking the time card. In addition, by checking the user's irregular paid break times, the manager can check the user's work status and provide guidance as needed.

[0022] In order to solve the above problems, the time management method of the present invention is a time management method for a time management device that has a time stamping unit that acquires and stamps stamping times in response to a user's stamping operation, and an operation input unit that accepts the user's operation, and is characterized in that when a paid break operation by the operation input unit is followed by a stamping operation to start or end a paid break, the time stamping unit acquires the start time and end time of the paid break based on the stamping time and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously processes the stamping.

[0023] According to the time management method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-mentioned time management device.

[0024] In order to solve the above problems, the time management system of the present invention is a time management system comprising a time management device having a time-stamping unit that acquires and stamps stamp times in response to a user's stamping operation, an operation input unit that accepts the user's operation, and a management server that manages the time management device, wherein the time management device transmits information regarding the stamping operation to the management server, and when a stamping operation to start or end a paid break is performed following a paid break operation by the operation input unit, the management server acquires the start and end times of the paid break based on the information regarding the stamping operation, the stamping time, and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously processes the stamping.

[0025] According to the time management system of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-mentioned time management device.

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a time management device, a time management method, and a time management system that encourage users to make effective use of their paid break time and enable appropriate management of the taking of paid breaks.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of paid break setting information in a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a time card in a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of punch information in a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of operation during a punch operation in a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an insertion side switching operation in response to an insertion side switching instruction in a time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a time management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a management server in a time management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are preferred specific examples of the present invention and disclose various preferred techniques, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects.

[0029] A time management device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the time management device 1, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the time management device 1. The time management device 1 is a device that manages the clock-in and clock-out times of users such as employees, as well as managing paid breaks during the users' working hours.

[0030] The time management device 1 of this embodiment is a so-called time card-type time recorder that records punched times such as arrival and departure times on a time card TC. As shown in Fig. 1, the time management device 1 includes a device main body 2 that houses various components, a card insertion section 3 into which a time card TC is inserted, an operation input section 4 that accepts user operations, and a display section 5 that displays various information. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, the time management device 1 includes, within the device main body 2, a control section 10 that is composed of a computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a storage section 11 that is composed of storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk.

[0031] The time management device 1 accepts in-stamps when a user starts work and out-stamps when a user leaves work, acquires the time stamps for the in-stamps and out-stamps, and performs time stamp processing. In-stamps are, for example, clock-in stamps or clock-out stamps for the end of a paid break (i.e., clock-out stamps for the resumption of work). Out-stamps are, for example, clock-out stamps or clock-out stamps for the start of a paid break (i.e., clock-out stamps for the suspension of work).

[0032] The time management device 1 manages the taking of paid breaks in accordance with preset paid break setting information. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the paid break setting information includes the set break time per paid break, the designation of the time period (start time and end time) during which paid breaks can be taken, the maximum number of times paid breaks can be taken (limit on the number of times taken), whether or not the time period is checked, etc. The paid break setting information has multiple break segments with different paid break time periods, and each break segment is assigned an identifiable number.

[0033] FIG. 3A shows an example of paid break setting information in which the break time is set to 15 minutes, no time slot is specified, no maximum number of times the break can be taken, and no check is made on the time slot.

[0034] 3B shows an example of paid break setting information in which the break time is set to 10 minutes, a time slot is specified, a maximum number of breaks is set, and the time slot is not checked. This example of paid break setting information includes a break segment in which the start and end times of the time slot are set to 9:00 and 16:00, and the maximum number of breaks is set to two, and another break segment in which the start and end times of the time slot are set to 16:00 and 20:00, and the maximum number of breaks is set to one.

[0035] 3C shows an example of paid break setting information in which the break time is set to 10 minutes, a specified time slot is set, a maximum number of breaks is set, and time slot checks are enabled. This example of paid break setting information includes a break segment in which the start and end times of the time slot are set to 10:00 and 10:30, respectively, and the maximum number of breaks is set to one, and a break segment in which the start and end times of the time slot are set to 15:00 and 15:30, respectively, and the maximum number of breaks is set to one.

[0036] The time card TC used in the time management device 1 is a card on which the time stamped on the card can be printed. A time card TC is prepared for each user, and personal identification information unique to each user is readably recorded on the time card TC using a recording method such as a magnetic stripe or barcode. As shown in FIG. 4, the time card TC has multiple printing columns arranged vertically, and may have multiple printing columns on both the front and back sides.

[0037] Each printing section of the time card TC has at least a date column C1 where the date is printed, a day column C2 where the day of the week is printed, a first time column C3 where the in-time such as the user's arrival time or the end time of a paid break is printed, and a second time column C4 where the out-time such as the user's departure time or the start time of a paid break is printed. Each printing section also has a first exception column C5 in the first time column C3, a second exception column C6 in the second time column C4, and a remarks column C7.

[0038] Next, an overview of the time management device 1 will be described. In response to a user's clock-in and clock-out operations, the time management device 1 generates clock-in information including clock-in times such as arrival and departure times, as shown in FIG. 5 , and performs clock-in processing by printing the clock-in times on a time card TC. For example, a clock-in operation is inserting the time card TC into the card insertion section 3. The time management device 1 calculates the accumulated time from the arrival time to the departure time as working hours. The time management device 1 may apply the accumulated time directly to working hours, or may apply the hour digits of the accumulated time directly to working hours and extract a predetermined multiple of a predetermined unit time from the minute digits and apply them to working hours.

[0039] Furthermore, when a user performs a paid break operation followed by a clock-in operation to start or end the paid break, the time management device 1 generates clock-in information including clock-in times such as the start and end times of the paid break and performs clock-in processing by printing the clock-in times on the time card TC. For example, the paid break operation is the pressing of the PB key 6a on the operation input unit 4, which will be described later. The time management device 1 pre-sets the number of paid breaks that a user can take during working hours to a predetermined break setting time per break.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 5, the time-stamp information includes, for example, a personal ID and card number, which are personal identification information of each user, a time-stamp date, a time-stamp time, a time-stamp category, an exception category, and the like.

[0041] The personal ID is identification information uniquely assigned to a user, and the card number is a serial number assigned to the time card TC used by the user, and the user can be identified by the personal ID or card number.

[0042] The punch category is information that can identify the punch type, such as a user's clock-in punch or clock-out punch. For example, an in punch is indicated by "IN" and an out punch is indicated by "OUT." The exception category is information that can identify exceptions to working hours, such as paid breaks, early arrivals, lateness for official business, overtime, and half-days. For example, paid breaks are indicated by "PB."

[0043] The paid break time-stamp information is information time-stamped in accordance with the paid break setting information. FIG. 5(A) shows an example of time-stamp information time-stamped in accordance with the paid break setting information shown in FIG. 3(A). FIG. 5(B) shows an example of time-stamp information time-stamped in accordance with the paid break setting information shown in FIG. 3(B). In this example, for the time-stamp information for paid breaks taken more than the maximum number of times, the exception category is indicated by "PBE1" to indicate a number-of-takes error. Even if a paid break is taken more than the maximum number of times, the time management device 1 does not treat the time-stamped information as a paid break, but rather, for example, treats it as an outing.

[0044] 5(C) shows an example of time-stamped information processed according to the paid break setting information of FIG. 3(C). In this example, for the time-stamped information for a paid break taken outside of the taken time slot, the exception category indicates a time slot error with "PBE2." Note that time slot errors may be displayed in a different format (e.g., color or underline) from other notations. When a paid break is taken outside of the taken time slot, the time management device 1 does not treat the time between the start time and end time of the paid break that exceeds the taken time slot as a paid break, but rather treats it as, for example, going out.

[0045] Next, the electrical configuration of the time management device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The time management device 1 is configured to operate by receiving power from a commercial power source. The control unit 10 is connected to a memory unit 11 via a bus 10a, and the bus 10a is further connected to an interface 10b. The control unit 10 is connected to each unit of the time management device 1 via the bus 10a and the interface 10b. For example, the control unit 10 is connected to an operation input unit 4 and a display unit 5, and is further connected to a clock unit 12, a card detection unit 13, a card transport unit 14, a card reading unit 15, a card printing unit 16, an audio output unit 17, and an external recording medium connection unit 18.

[0046] Furthermore, control unit 10 performs overall control of each unit and various functions by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in memory unit 11. For example, by executing a time management program stored in memory unit 11, control unit 10 operates as personal information management unit 20, stump information management unit 21, setting information management unit 22, stump information generation unit 23, notification determination unit 24, and print control unit 25. In other words, time management device 1 realizes a time management method including a stumping process by stump information generation unit 23, notification determination unit 24, and print control unit 25, using the time management program.

[0047] The storage unit 11 also includes a personal information storage unit 30 that stores personal information set for each user, a time-stamping information storage unit 31 that stores the time-stamping information, and a setting information storage unit 32 that stores setting information related to the operation of the time management device 1. The personal information storage unit 30, the time-stamping information storage unit 31, and the setting information storage unit 32 may be provided in different storage areas of the same storage medium, or may be provided in different storage media. Note that a removable storage medium 19 such as a microSD or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory that is detachably connected to the external storage medium connector 18 may also function as a storage medium for the storage unit 11.

[0048] The personal information of each user stored in the personal information storage unit 30 includes, for example, each user's personal identification information, such as the personal ID and card number, name, employment type, and last time-stamp information. The last time-stamp information corresponds to the time-stamp information generated by the previous time-stamp operation, and includes the time-stamp date, time, time-stamp category, and exception category. As described above, the time-stamp information stored in the time-stamp information storage unit 31 includes each user's personal identification information, such as the personal ID and card number, time-stamp date, time, time-stamp category, and exception category.

[0049] The setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 32 includes, for example, the maximum number of times each user can clock in per day and paid break setting information related to paid breaks. Each user's daily clock-in includes a clock-out and a clock-out, and one paid break includes a start and end punch. Therefore, the maximum number of paid breaks (maximum number of times taken) per day for each user is (maximum number of times clock-in - 2) divided by 2. The paid break setting information may be common to multiple users, or may be unique to each user. In other words, the set paid break time, time period for taking the break, maximum number of times the break can be taken, and checks for the time period for taking the break may be set for each user.

[0050] Next, each part of the time management device 1 will be described.

[0051] The card insertion section 3 and the operation input section 4 are provided on the upper part of the device main body 2. In this embodiment, the top surface of the device main body 2 is formed in a stepped shape, having a first top surface 2a on the front side and a second top surface 2b that is located behind the first top surface 2a and higher than the first top surface 2a. For example, the card insertion section 3 is provided on the second top surface 2b, and the operation input section 4 is provided on the first top surface 2a.

[0052] The display unit 5 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and is provided, for example, on the front surface of the device main body 2. The display unit 5 is controlled by the control unit 10 to display the day of the week, date, time, errors, and the like.

[0053] The operation input unit 4 is configured with a plurality of operation keys 6, and one of the plurality of operation keys 6 functions as a PB key 6a that accepts a paid break operation related to a paid break (PB). The PB key 6a has an LED or the like and is configured to be lit up under control of the control unit 10. The PB key 6a accepts a normal press operation (hereinafter simply referred to as a press operation) for less than a predetermined time or a long press operation for more than a predetermined time, and transmits an operation signal to the control unit 10. Note that the PB key 6a may accept a paid break operation in response to different operations at the start and end of a paid break. For example, the PB key 6a accepts a paid break operation in response to a press operation at the start of a paid break, and accepts a paid break operation in response to a long press operation (e.g., for 3 seconds or more) at the end of a paid break.

[0054] Alternatively, the operation input unit 4 may be configured as a position input device such as a resistive film type or a capacitive type, and may be combined with the display device of the display unit 5 to configure a touch panel.

[0055] The clock unit 12 is configured with a clock such as an RTC (Real Time Clock) and is provided inside the device main body 2. The current time indicated by the clock unit 12 is always read by the control unit 10 and displayed on the display unit 5, and is also read by the control unit 10 as the punch time when a punch operation is performed.

[0056] The card detection unit 13 is a sensor that detects the time card TC, and is provided along the transport path for the time card TC that is provided inside the device main body 2 via the card insertion unit 3. The card detection unit 13 detects the time card TC that has been inserted into the card insertion unit 3 and has reached the transport start position on the transport path of the card transport unit 14.

[0057] The card transport unit 14, which is composed of a transport roller, a transport motor, etc., is installed inside the device main body 2 along the transport path of the time card TC and transports the time card TC between the transport start position, the reading position, and the printing position. Specifically, when the card detection unit 13 detects a time card TC inserted into the card insertion unit 3 at the transport start position, the card transport unit 14 transports the time card TC to the reading position. Furthermore, when the card reading unit 15 completes the reading process of the time card TC at the reading position, the card transport unit 14 transports the time card TC to the printing position. The printing position is a position where printing is possible on the uppermost printing row of the time card TC, which has a blank second time column C4.

[0058] Furthermore, when the card printing unit 16 completes the printing process of the print information on the time card TC at the printing position, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position. Note that, during the printing process, if there is no printing stage with a blank second time column C4 among the multiple printing stages of the time card TC, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without performing the printing process.

[0059] Furthermore, the card transport unit 14 may eject and transport the time card TC to the transport start position when an instruction to switch the insertion side is received due to a determination that the insertion side of the time card TC is invalid or that the insertion side needs to be switched, or when a paid break operation error occurs due to an invalid paid break operation, a card invalid error due to an invalid card, or an insertion side invalid error due to an invalid insertion side.

[0060] The card reading unit 15 is composed of a magnetic card reader or a barcode reader, and is provided inside the device main body 2 along the transport path of the time cards TC. When the card detection unit 13 detects a time card TC at the reading position, the card reading unit 15 reads card identification information such as the personal ID and card number from the time card TC and transmits it to the control unit 10. The card reading unit 15 reads the card identification information from the inserted side, with the card side of the time card TC on the front side of the device main body 2 being the inserted side. The card side of the time card TC has card side information indicating whether it is the front or back side, and the card reading unit 15 determines whether the inserted side is the front or back side by reading the card side information of the inserted side.

[0061] The card printing unit 16 is comprised of a dot printer or the like, and is provided along the transport path of the time cards TC inside the device main body 2. When the card detection unit 13 detects the time card TC at the printing position, the card printing unit 16 receives printing information such as the punch time, punch category, and exception category from the control unit 10, and prints the printing information on the time card TC as shown in FIG.

[0062] For example, when printing a punch time in response to a punch operation, if the previous punch category was an out punch, the card printing unit 16 prints the in time as the punch time in the first time column C3 of the printing row that is the printing position. If the previous punch category was an in punch, the card printing unit 16 prints the out time as the punch time in the second time column C4 of the printing row that is the printing position.

[0063] Furthermore, when a paid break operation is being performed, the card printing unit 16 prints the punch time and also prints a paid break notation, such as "#," indicating a paid break, in the first exception column C5 or the second exception column C6, which are exception categories on the time card TC. If an error occurs during the operations from the punch operation to the punch process, the card printing unit 16 prints an error notation indicating the error in the first exception column C5 or the second exception column C6, which are exception categories on the time card TC. The paid break notation is not limited to "#" and may be represented by other characters or symbols. The paid break notation may be different for the paid break's out time (the paid break's start time, the work interruption time) and the paid break's in time (the paid break's end time, the work resume time). Furthermore, the card printing unit 16 may print the paid break and error-related information in a different color from the normal printing.

[0064] The audio output unit 17 is comprised of a buzzer, a speaker, etc., and is provided inside the device main body 2. The audio output unit 17 is controlled by the control unit 10 to output an operation confirmation sound such as a beep when performing a time-stamping operation, a paid break operation, or a setting operation. In addition, the audio output unit 17 is controlled by the control unit 10 to output an error notification sound such as a beep when an error occurs.

[0065] The external recording medium connection unit 18 is composed of a connection terminal to which a removable recording medium 19 is detachably connected, and writes information to the removable recording medium 19 in response to a write instruction from the control unit 10, and also reads information from the removable recording medium 19 in response to a read instruction from the control unit 10 and transmits it to the control unit 10.

[0066] Next, each part of the time management program executed by the control unit 10 will be described.

[0067] The personal information management unit 20 manages personal information stored in the personal information storage unit 30. For example, the personal information management unit 20 stores personal information in the personal information storage unit 30 in response to a personal information registration operation. The personal information management unit 20 also identifies and reads out personal information from the personal information storage unit 30 in response to a specified personal ID and / or card number.

[0068] The stump information management unit 21 manages the stump information stored in the stump information storage unit 31. For example, the stump information management unit 21 associates the stump information generated by the stump information generation unit 23 with personal information and stores it in the stump information storage unit 31. The stump information management unit 21 also identifies and reads out stump information from the stump information storage unit 31 in response to a specified personal ID and / or card number.

[0069] The setting information management unit 22 manages the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 32. For example, the setting information management unit 22 stores setting information in the setting information storage unit 32 in response to a setting operation. The setting information management unit 22 also identifies and reads out from the setting information storage unit 32 the setting information that the control unit 10 uses when executing the time management program.

[0070] The time-stamp information generating section 23 generates time-stamp information based on personal identification information registered in advance for each user and card identification information corresponding to the personal identification information and input in response to the time-stamp operation, in response to the user's time-stamp operation.

[0071] Specifically, when the card reader 15 reads card identification information such as a personal ID and card number from the time card TC during a time stamping operation, the time stamp information generator 23 searches the personal information storage unit 30 for personal information including the personal identification information corresponding to the card identification information using the personal information manager 20, thereby identifying the user who stamped the time stamp. The user may be identified by comparing only the personal ID, or only the card number, or both the personal ID and the card number. The personal information may be acquired by the time management program so that it can be commonly used by the time stamp information generator 23, the notification determination unit 24, and the print control unit 25.

[0072] The time-stamp information generation unit 23 receives the time and date of the time-stamp operation from the clock unit 12. If the time-stamp category in the final time-stamp information is an out time-stamp or if there is no final time-stamp information, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 determines the time-stamp category for the current time-stamp operation as an in time-stamp, and if there is no exception category, determines the current time-stamp operation as a clock-in time-stamp. If the time-stamp category in the final time-stamp information is an in time-stamp, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 determines the time-stamp category for the current time-stamp operation as an out time-stamp, and if there is no exception category, determines the current time-stamp operation as a clock-out time-stamp. If the operation input unit 4 is equipped with time-stamp keys such as a clock-in key and a clock-out key that distinguish between in time-stamps and out time-stamps, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 may receive the time-stamp category corresponding to the operation of the time-stamp key from the operation input unit 4.

[0073] If a paid break operation is performed prior to the punching operation, the punch information generation unit 23 sets the exception category to paid break. Here, if a paid break operation is not performed prior to the punching operation, the punch information generation unit 23 sets the punch time of the IN punch as the working time and the punch time of the OUT punch as the working time. On the other hand, if a paid break operation is performed prior to the punching operation, the punch information generation unit 23 sets the punch time of the IN punch as the working time, and the punch time of the OUT punch as the working time.

[0074] Furthermore, when performing a paid break punching process, the punch information generation unit 23 acquires both the start time and end time of the paid break based on the punching time and a preset break time. For example, if a paid break operation is followed by a punching operation to start the paid break and the start time is acquired, the punch information generation unit 23 calculates the end time by adding the break time to the start time. Alternatively, if a paid break operation is followed by a punching operation to end the paid break and the end time is acquired, the punch information generation unit 23 calculates the start time by subtracting the break time from the end time.

[0075] The punch information generation unit 23 generates punch information including personal identification information (personal ID and card number), punch date, punch time, punch category, and exception category corresponding to the card identification information of the time card TC obtained as described above, and stores the generated information in the punch information storage unit 31 via the punch information management unit 21. Here, if the punch category is paid break, the punch information generation unit 23 simultaneously generates punch information including the start time of the paid break and punch information including the end time of the paid break, and stores these information simultaneously in the punch information storage unit 31.

[0076] When the time-stamping operation is completed, the time-stamping information generating unit 23 generates final time-stamping information based on the time-stamping information corresponding to the time-stamping operation, updates the personal information in the personal information storage unit 30, and causes the card transport unit 14 to transport the time card TC to the printing position.

[0077] The notification determination unit 24 determines whether the user's operation of the time management device 1 is valid or invalid (error), and also determines whether to notify the user of the validity or invalidity of the operation. For example, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the user's insertion operation of the time card TC into the card insertion unit 3 is valid or invalid.

[0078] Specifically, when a time card TC is inserted following a paid break operation, if the punch category of the final punch information is an out punch and the punch category of the punch operation is an in punch, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the paid break operation is invalid and displays a paid break operation error on the display unit 5 to notify that the paid break operation is invalid.

[0079] In order to keep the number of daily punches, including clock-in and clock-out punches, within the maximum number of daily punches, when a time card TC is inserted following a paid break operation, if the number of daily punches, including punches from the punch operation, reaches the maximum number of daily punches, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the paid break operation is invalid due to the number of punches exceeding the maximum number, and displays a paid break operation error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the paid break operation is invalid. That is, if the paid break punch operation reaches the maximum number of times, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the paid break operation is invalid due to the number of punches exceeding the maximum number, and sets the number of punches error "PBE1" in the exception category of the punch information. Note that when notifying the user that the paid break operation is invalid due to the number of punches exceeding the maximum number, the notification determination unit 24 may validate the punch, or may ask the user whether to validate or invalidate the punch.

[0080] When the paid break setting information acquisition time zone check is set to ON, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the paid break start time and end time based on the paid break punch time and the break setting time are within the acquisition time zone range of the paid break setting information. If the start time and / or end time is outside the acquisition time zone range, the notification determination unit 24 determines that an acquisition time zone out-of-range error has occurred, displays an acquisition time zone out-of-range error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the acquisition time zone is out-of-range, and sets the acquisition time zone out-of-range error "PBE2" to the exception category of the punch information. Note that when notifying the user that the acquisition time zone is out-of-range, the notification determination unit 24 may validate the punch, or may ask the user whether to validate or invalidate the punch.

[0081] When the front side of the time card TC is inserted and there are no blank spaces in the multiple printing columns on that front side, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the inserted side is invalid and displays an insertion side switch instruction on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the inserted side is invalid. This insertion side switch instruction instructs the user to switch the inserted side of the time card TC to the back side. In this case, the notification determination unit 24 temporarily stores the card identification information of the time card TC and puts the time management device 1 into an insertion side switch standby state.

[0082] Furthermore, when the front side of the time card TC is inserted following a paid break operation and the paid break start time is printed in the lowest printing section of the front side, the notification determination unit 24 determines that an insertion side switch is required and displays an insertion side switch instruction on the display unit 5 to notify the user that an insertion side switch is required. In this case, the notification determination unit 24 temporarily stores the card identification information of the time card TC and puts the time management device 1 into an insertion side switch standby state. This insertion side switch instruction instructs the user to switch the insertion side of the time card TC to the back side.

[0083] When the back side of the time card TC is inserted, if there are no blank spaces in the multiple printing rows on the back side, the notification determination part 24 determines that the card is invalid and displays a card invalid error on the display part 5 to notify that the card is invalid.

[0084] Furthermore, in order to determine that a time card TC capable of both starting and ending a paid break is valid, when the back side of the time card TC is inserted following a paid break operation, if the printing row capable of printing the start stamp is the lowest printing row on the back side, i.e., if there is a blank space in the second time column C4 only on the lowest printing row on the back side, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the card is invalid and displays an invalid card error on the display unit 5 to notify that the card is invalid.

[0085] In the insertion side switching standby state, the time management device 1 disables operations other than inserting a time card TC (for example, operations on the operation input unit 4) for a predetermined standby time. If the predetermined standby time has elapsed without a time card TC being inserted after an insertion side switching instruction has been issued, i.e., if no operation has been performed during the predetermined standby time, the notification determination unit 24 cancels the insertion side switching standby state of the time management device 1, enables operations other than inserting a time card TC, and cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5. At this time, the notification determination unit 24 may cause the display unit 5 to display an insertion side switching error.

[0086] Even if a time card TC is inserted before a predetermined waiting time has elapsed after an instruction to switch the insertion side is given, if the card identification information of the time card TC differs from the temporarily stored card identification information, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the instructed (legitimate) time card TC was not inserted. In this case, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the card is invalid and displays an invalid card error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the card is invalid. The notification determination unit 24 also cancels the insertion side switching standby state of the time management device 1 and cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5.

[0087] Even if a time card TC is inserted before a predetermined waiting time has elapsed after an instruction to switch the insertion side has been issued, if the insertion side of the time card TC is the front side, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the insertion side is invalid and displays an invalid insertion side error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the insertion side is invalid. In this case, the notification determination unit 24 continues counting the predetermined waiting time. Furthermore, if a time card TC is inserted before the predetermined waiting time has elapsed after an instruction to switch the insertion side has been issued and printing of the punch time (punching process) on the insertion side of the time card TC has been completed, the notification determination unit 24 cancels the insertion side switch waiting state of the time management device 1 and cancels the display of the insertion side switch instruction on the display unit 5.

[0088] The printing control unit 25 controls the card printing unit 16 to perform printing processing on the time card TC, and the punch information generation unit 23, the printing control unit 25, and the card printing unit 16 function as a punch unit. In response to a punch operation for clocking in or out, or a punch operation for starting or ending a paid break, the printing control unit 25 generates print information including the clocking in time or clocking out time, or the paid break start time or end time, as the punch time, based on the punch information generated by the punch information generation unit 23. In particular, in response to a paid break operation, the printing control unit 25 generates both printed information for the start of a paid break, including the start time of the paid break and any exceptions to the paid break, and printed information for the end of a paid break, including the end time of the paid break and any exceptions to the paid break.

[0089] The print control unit 25 also instructs the card print unit 16 to print the generated print information onto the time card TC.

[0090] Specifically, if the punched time is the arrival time of the check-in time, the printing control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print the arrival time in the first time column C3 of the time card TC. Also, if the punched time is the end time of a paid break in the check-in time, the printing control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print the end time in the first time column C3 of the time card TC, and further instructs the printing control unit 25 to print an exception category paid break notation in the first exception column C5 of the time card TC.

[0091] If the punching time is the clock-out time of the check-out time, the printing control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print the clock-out time in the second time column C4 of the time card TC. Also, if the punching time is the start time of a paid break in the check-out time, the printing control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print the start time in the second time column C4 of the time card TC, and further instructs the printing control unit 25 to print an exceptional paid break notation in the second exception column C6 of the time card TC.

[0092] 4A , in response to a clock-in operation for clocking in, the printing control unit 25 prints the arrival time of "9:00" in the first time column C3 of a predetermined printing row of the time card TC. In response to a clock-in operation for a paid break, the printing control unit 25 prints the start time of the paid break of "10:30" in the second time column C4 of the predetermined printing row and prints the paid break symbol "#" in the second exception column C6. Furthermore, in response to a clock-in operation for a paid break, the printing control unit 25 prints the end time of the paid break of "10:45" in the first time column C3 of the next printing row and prints the paid break symbol "#" in the first exception column C5.

[0093] Alternatively, when the front side of the time card TC is inserted following a paid break operation and there is a blank in the second time column C4 only on the bottom printing row of that front side, the printing control unit 25 prints the start time of the paid break and then waits to print the end time of the paid break until the insertion side of the time card TC is switched in response to an insertion side switching instruction from the notification determination unit 24. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B , the printing control unit 25 prints the start time of the paid break (e.g., "15:20") in the second time column C4 on the bottom printing row of the front side of the time card TC and prints the paid break symbol "#" in the second exception column C6, and then waits to print the end time of the paid break. In addition, when the back side of the time card TC is inserted in response to an instruction to switch the insertion side by the notification determination unit 24, the printing control unit 25 prints the end time of the paid break (e.g., "15:35") in the first time column C3 at the top of the back side, as shown in Figure 4 (B), and prints the paid break notation "#" in the first exception column C5.

[0094] Note that if the specified (legitimate) back side of the time card TC is not inserted in response to the insertion side switching instruction from the notification determination unit 24, the printing control unit 25 does not print the paid break end time or paid break notation. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the printing control unit 25 prints the paid break start time (e.g., "10:20") in the second time column C4 of the bottom printing row on the front side of the time card TC and prints the paid break notation "#" in the second exception column C6, and then waits for the printing process of the paid break end time. At this time, if the specified back side of the time card TC is not inserted, the printing control unit 25 does not print the paid break end time or paid break notation, as shown in FIG. 4(C). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4(C), in response to the clock-out operation, the printing control unit 25 prints the clock-out time "17:00" in the second time column C4 of the top printing row on the back of the time card TC, and also prints the working time "6:00" in the remarks column C7 of the same printing row.

[0095] In particular, the printing control unit 25 performs control so that both the printing information for the start of the paid break and the printing information for the end of the paid break are printed for one paid break operation, thereby simultaneously punching in the start time or end time of the paid break. Here, "simultaneous" does not only mean that the punching in process for the start time of the paid break and the punching in process for the end time of the paid break are performed at the same time. "Simultaneous" indicates that, from the user's perspective, both punching processes are simultaneous, because the operation for punching in the start time of the paid break and the operation for punching in the end time of the paid break are the same.

[0096] In addition, if an error occurs in the operations from the punching operation to the punching process, the printing control unit 25 may instruct the card printing unit 16 to print the start time and end time of the paid break in the second time column C4 of a specified printing row on the time card TC and in the first time column C3 of the next printing row, as described above, and may also instruct the card printing unit 16 to print an error notation indicating the error in the remarks column C7 of the specified printing row and the next printing row.

[0097] For example, if a paid break punch operation is invalid due to exceeding the punch count, the print control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print an exception category acquisition count error "PBE1" in the remarks column C7 of the specified print row and the next print row. Also, if the start time and / or end time is outside the acquisition time zone range, the print control unit 25 instructs the printing control unit 25 to print an exception category acquisition time zone range out-of-range error "PBE2" in the specified print row and the next print row.

[0098] In addition, even if the time management device 1 simultaneously prints the start time at the time of the punch operation and the end time based on the start time and the set break time in response to the punch operation to start a paid break, it may accept another punch operation (for example, clocking out) before the end time has passed. Also, the time management device 1 may set the date change time to a predetermined time (for example, midnight or 5:00), and in this case, it may print the end time regardless of whether the start time and end time of the paid break straddle the date change time.

[0099] Next, the control of the control unit 10 to illuminate the PB key 6a and to control the audio output of the audio output unit 17 will be described. First, during normal standby when the PB key 6a is not operated, the control unit 10 turns off the PB key 6a and turns off the audio output of the audio output unit 17. When the PB key 6a is operated, the control unit 10 turns on the PB key 6a to select it, turns on the audio output of the audio output unit 17, and sounds a buzzer, for example. Note that the PB key 6a can be operated both during clock-in and clock-out, but the control unit 10 only accepts paid break operation during clock-out.

[0100] Furthermore, the control unit 10 may change the lighting mode of the PB key 6a and the audio output mode of the audio output unit 17 depending on whether the PB key 6a is pressed at the start of a paid break or pressed and held down at the end of the paid break. For example, in response to a press of the PB key 6a, the control unit 10 lights up the PB key 6a and briefly sounds the buzzer of the audio output unit 17. In addition, in response to a long press of the PB key 6a, the control unit 10 flashes the PB key 6a and longer sounds the buzzer of the audio output unit 17.

[0101] When the paid break has been successfully punched, the control unit 10 cancels the selection state of the PB key 6a and turns off the light of the PB key 6a. When the selected PB key 6a is pressed again, the control unit 10 cancels the selection state of the PB key 6a and turns off the light of the PB key 6a.

[0102] Next, an example of the operation of the time management device 1 during a time-stamping operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 6 and 7. In this example, the case where the time-stamping category of the final time-stamping information is in-time stamping will be described.

[0103] First, as shown in FIG. 6, when the user inserts a time card TC into the card insertion section 3 of the device main body 2 (step S1), the card detection section 13 detects the time card TC at the transport start position, and the card transport section 14 is driven to transport the time card TC to the reading position.

[0104] When the card reading unit 15 reads the card identification information from the insertion side of the time card TC at the reading position, the punch information generating unit 23 acquires personal information including personal identification information corresponding to this card identification information. The card reading unit 15 also reads card surface information from the insertion side of the time card TC at the reading position, determines whether the insertion side is the front or back side, and detects the printing position from the multiple printing rows on the insertion side.

[0105] If the time card TC is inserted while the insertion side switch command is issued (step S2: No), the time management device 1 proceeds to the insertion side switch operation (step S3) described below. If the time card TC is inserted without the insertion side switch command (step S2: Yes), the time management device 1 performs the time stamping process depending on whether the paid break operation of the PB key 6a was performed before the insertion of the time card TC (step S4).

[0106] If the paid break operation using the PB key 6a has not been performed (Step S4: No), the time management device 1 performs normal time-stamp processing (Step S5). At this time, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 generates time-stamp information for clocking in or clocking out based on the time stamped when the time card TC is inserted, and the printing control unit 25 instructs the card printing unit 16 to print the time stamp information for clocking in or clocking out on the time card TC based on the time-stamp information.

[0107] On the other hand, if a paid break operation is being performed using the PB key 6a (Step S4: Yes), the time management device 1 performs a paid break punch process. At this time, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the punch category of the final punch information is an in-time punch, i.e., whether the current punch category is an out-time punch (Step S6). If the current punch category is an in-time punch (Step S6: No), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the paid break operation is invalid and displays a paid break operation error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the paid break operation is invalid (Step S7). Furthermore, in response to the invalid paid break operation, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without printing punch information using the printing control unit 25 and card printing unit 16 (Step S7).

[0108] If the current punch category is an out punch (Step S6: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the number of punches for the day, including the current punch, reaches the maximum number of punches for the day (Step S8). If the number of punches reaches the maximum number of punches (Step S8: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the paid break operation is invalid due to the excess number of punches, and displays a paid break operation error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the paid break operation is invalid (Step S9). In addition, in response to the invalid paid break operation, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without printing punch information using the printing control unit 25 and card printing unit 16 (Step S9).

[0109] If the number of punches does not reach the maximum number (Step S8: No), the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the bottommost printing row on the back side of the time card TC is the only printing row on which the start punch of the paid break can be printed (Step S10). If the bottommost printing row on the back side of the time card TC is the only printing row on which the start punch can be printed (Step S10: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the card is invalid and causes the display unit 5 to display an invalid card error to notify the user that the card is invalid (Step S11). In addition, in response to the invalid card, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without printing punch information using the printing control unit 25 and card printing unit 16 (Step S11).

[0110] If the bottom row on the back side is not the only printing row on which the start stamp can be printed (step S10: No), the notification determination unit 24 determines whether there is a printing row on the inserted side of the time card TC on which the end stamp can be printed (step S12). In other words, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the bottom row on the front side is the only printing row on which the start stamp can be printed.

[0111] If there is no printing column capable of printing the end stamp (Step S12: No), i.e., if the printing column capable of printing the start stamp is the lowest column on the front side, the printing position of the time card TC will be the lowest printing column on the front side. In this case, the card transport unit 14 transports the time card TC to the printing position, and the printing control unit 25 and the card printing unit 16 print the paid break start time in the second time column C4 on the lowest column on the front side and print the paid break notation in the second exception column C6 (Step S13). Furthermore, after printing the start time, the notification determination unit 24 determines that the insertion side needs to be switched and displays an insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the insertion side needs to be switched (Step S14). The card transport unit 14 then ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position (Step S14) and proceeds to the insertion side switching operation (Step S15), which will be described later.

[0112] If there is a printing stage capable of printing the end time stamp (Step S12: No), the printing position is set to the topmost printing stage with the blank second time column C4. At this time, the card transport unit 14 transports the time card TC to the printing position, and the printing control unit 25 and card printing unit 16 print the paid break start time in the second time column C4 of the printing stage corresponding to the printing position and print the paid break notation in the second exception column C6 (Step S16). The card transport unit 14 then transports the time card TC to the printing position capable of printing on the next printing stage, and the printing control unit 25 and card printing unit 16 print the paid break end time in the first time column C3 of the next printing stage and print the paid break notation in the first exception column C5 (Step S17). The card transport unit 14 then ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position.

[0113] Next, the insertion side switching operation (steps S3 and S15) in response to an insertion side switching instruction will be described.

[0114] 7, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether or not there has been no operation for a predetermined waiting time in response to an insertion side switching instruction (step S21). If there has been no operation for the predetermined waiting time (step S21: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5, thereby canceling the insertion side switching instruction (step S22).

[0115] If a time card TC is inserted before the specified waiting time has elapsed (Step S21: No), the card detection unit 13 detects the time card TC at the transport start position, and the card transport unit 14 is driven to transport the time card TC to the reading position. The card reading unit 15 reads card identification information from the insertion side of the time card TC at the reading position, and the punch information generation unit 23 acquires personal information including personal identification information corresponding to this card identification information. At this time, the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the currently inserted time card TC is the time card TC specified in the insertion side switching instruction (Step S23), i.e., whether the card identification information at the time the insertion side switching instruction was issued corresponds to the card identification information read from the currently inserted time card TC.

[0116] If the time card TC is not the one specified in the insertion side switching instruction (step S23: No), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the card is invalid and displays a card invalid error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the card is invalid. In response to the invalidity of the card, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without printing the time-stamping information by the printing control unit 25 and the card printing unit 16, and the notification determination unit 24 cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5 to cancel the insertion side switching instruction (step S24).

[0117] If the time card TC is the one specified by the insertion side switching instruction (step S23: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 determines whether the insertion side of the currently inserted time card TC is the back side (step S25).

[0118] If the inserted side is not the back side (step S25: No), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the card is invalid and displays a card invalid error on the display unit 5 to notify the user that the card is invalid. In response to the invalidity of the card, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position without printing the punching information by the printing control unit 25 and the card printing unit 16, and the notification determination unit 24 cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5 to cancel the insertion side switching instruction (step S26).

[0119] If the insertion side is the back side (Step S25: Yes), the notification determination unit 24 determines that the insertion operation of the time card TC in response to the insertion side switching instruction is valid, and the printing position for the paid break end stamp is set to the top printing row on the back side, where printing is possible. At this time, the card transport unit 14 transports the time card TC to the printing position, and the printing control unit 25 and the card printing unit 16 print the paid break end time in the first time column C3 of the printing row at the printing position and print the paid break notation in the first exception column C5 (Step S27). Then, the card transport unit 14 ejects and transports the time card TC to the transport start position, and the notification determination unit 24 cancels the display of the insertion side switching instruction on the display unit 5.

[0120] As described above, according to this embodiment, the time management device 1 comprises a time-stamping unit consisting of a time-stamping information generation unit 23 that acquires and stamps the time stamp in response to the time-stamping operation of a user such as an employee, a printing control unit 25, and a card printing unit 16, and an operation input unit 4 that accepts the user's paid break operation.When a time-stamping operation to start or end the paid break is performed following a paid break operation, the time-stamping unit acquires the start time and end time of the paid break based on the time stamped and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously processes the time stamping.

[0121] In other words, this is a time management method for a time management device 1 that is equipped with a time-stamping unit that acquires and stamps stamping times in response to a user's stamping operation, and an operation input unit 4 that accepts user operations, and when a stamping operation to start or end the paid break is performed following a paid break operation by the operation input unit 4, the time-stamping unit acquires the start and end times of the paid break based on the stamping time and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously processes the stamping operation.

[0122] With this configuration, the time management device 1 can confirm a user's intention to take a paid break by accepting the user's intentional paid break operation on the operation input unit 4. The time management device 1 simultaneously punches in the start and end times of the paid break in response to a single punch operation when punching in the start or end of the paid break. This eliminates the need for the user to punch in both the start and end times when taking a paid break. This reduces the time required to punch in a paid break, allowing users to take sufficient break time. Furthermore, when multiple users take paid breaks during the same time slot, each user can punch in their paid break on the time management device 1 either at the start or end of the paid break, thereby avoiding congestion as users wait for their breaks to be punched in.

[0123] For example, when a time-stamping operation to start a paid break is performed following a paid break operation, the time-stamping information generation unit 23 of the time-stamping unit obtains the start time in accordance with the time-stamping operation and calculates the end time by adding the break setting time to the start time.

[0124] With this configuration, once the paid break start time is punched in, there is no need to punch in the end time to match the set break time, so it is possible to avoid a loss of working hours by preventing the end time from being punched in after the set break time due to congestion in the time management device 1. Therefore, the time management device 1 can avoid congestion at the end of a paid break as users wait to punch in.

[0125] Alternatively, when a time-stamping operation for the end of a paid break is performed following a paid break operation, the time-stamping information generating unit 23 of the time-stamping unit obtains the end time in accordance with the time-stamping operation and calculates the start time by subtracting the break set time from the end time.

[0126] With this configuration, if there is a traffic jam at the time management device 1 as users wait to punch in at the start of a paid break, other users can avoid the traffic jam and punch in at the end of the paid break, allowing the punching processes for the start time and end time to be performed simultaneously.

[0127] In addition, in this embodiment, the time management device 1 is equipped with a card insertion unit 3 into which a user's time card TC is inserted, and the punching unit, which is composed of the punching information generation unit 23, the printing control unit 25, and the card printing unit 16, performs the punching process for the paid break by printing the start time and end time on the time card TC when the time card TC is inserted into the card insertion unit 3 as a punching operation following the paid break operation.

[0128] With this configuration, the time management device 1 of the present invention can be applied to a time recorder of the time card type.

[0129] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the punching unit, which is composed of the punch information generation unit 23, the printing control unit 25, and the card printing unit 16, prints the arrival time in the first time column C3 of a printing column when a punching operation is performed to start a shift on a time card TC having multiple printing columns, and prints the departure time in the second time column C4 of a printing column when a punching operation is performed to end a shift. Also, when a paid break is performed on a time card TC having multiple printing columns, the punching unit prints the start time in the second time column C4 of one printing column and prints the end time in the first time column C3 of the next printing column.

[0130] With this configuration, the time management device 1 can simultaneously print the start time and end time of a paid break on the time card TC in response to a single punch operation when punching in the start or end of a paid break.

[0131] In this embodiment, when the embossing unit, which is made up of the embossing information generating unit 23, the printing control unit 25, and the card printing unit 16, prints the start time in the second time column C4 of the bottom printing row of the time card TC, it returns the time card TC from the card insertion unit 3 and prompts the user to insert the turned-over time card TC into the card insertion unit 3. When a time card TC with a blank top printing row is inserted into the card insertion unit 3, the embossing unit prints the end time in the first time column C3 of the top printing row.

[0132] With this configuration, the time management device 1 can simultaneously perform the stamping process of the start time and end time of a paid break, even if the start time and end time are printed on both the front and back of the time card TC.

[0133] In addition, in this embodiment, the time-stamping unit, which is composed of the time-stamping information generating unit 23, the printing control unit 25, and the card printing unit 16, prints a paid break notation indicating a paid break on the time card TC along with the start time and end time.

[0134] With this configuration, the time management device 1 can record the start and end of paid breaks on the time card TC, and the user can check the start and end of paid breaks at any time by checking the time card TC. In addition, by checking the user's irregular paid breaks, the manager can check the user's work status and provide guidance as needed.

[0135] In the above-described embodiment, the time management device 1 simultaneously punches in the start and end times of a paid break when a user punches in the start or end of the paid break following a paid break operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In another example, the time management device 1 may be configured to simultaneously punch in the start and end times of a paid break only when a user punches in the start of the paid break following a paid break operation. Alternatively, the time management device 1 may be configured to simultaneously punch in the start and end times of a paid break only when a user punches in the end of the paid break following a paid break operation.

[0136] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example in which the time management device 1 operates independently has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the time management device 1 may be applied to a time management system 100 that includes a management server 101 that manages the time management device 1. Fig. 8 illustrates an example in which the management server 101 of the time management system 100 is connected to one time management device 1, but the management server 101 may be connected to two or more time management devices 1.

[0137] The management server 101 is configured as a cloud server and is communicatively connected to the time management device 1 via a network 102 such as the Internet. As shown in FIG. 9 , the management server 101 includes a control unit 110 configured as a computer such as a CPU, and a storage unit 111 configured as a storage medium such as a ROM, RAM, and hard disk. The control unit 110 is connected to the storage unit 111 via a bus 110a, and the bus 110a is further connected to an interface 110b. The control unit 110 is connected to each unit of the management server 101 via the bus 110a and the interface 110b. For example, the control unit 110 is connected to a keyboard 112, a mouse 113, a monitor 114, a printer 115, a wireless communication unit 116, an external interface 117, and a network communication unit 118.

[0138] Furthermore, the control unit 110 performs overall control of each unit and various functions by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the memory unit 111. In the management server 101, instead of the control unit 10 of the time management device 1, the control unit 110 executes the time management program stored in the memory unit 111, thereby operating as a personal information management unit 20, a time-stamp information management unit 21, a setting information management unit 22, a time-stamp information generation unit 23, and a notification determination unit 24. In the management server 101, instead of the memory unit 11 of the time management device 1, the memory unit 111 has a personal information storage unit 30, a time-stamp information storage unit 31, and a setting information storage unit 32.

[0139] The operations of the personal information management unit 20, the timestamp information management unit 21, the setting information management unit 22, the timestamp information generation unit 23, and the notification determination unit 24 of the management server 101 will be described below in terms of differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0140] In the time management system 100, when a user punches in on the time management device 1, the time management device 1 transmits information related to the punching operation to the management server 101. For example, when a time card TC is inserted into the card insertion unit 3 as a punching operation, the time management device 1 reads card identification information from the time card TC using the card reading unit 15 and transmits the card identification information to the management server 101 as information related to the punching operation.

[0141] The management server 101 generates time-stamp information using the time-stamp information generation unit 23 based on the card identification information received from the time management device 1. For example, when a time-stamp operation for the start or end of a paid break is performed following a paid break operation, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 obtains the start and end times of the paid break based on the card identification information, the time-stamping time, and the preset break time setting, and simultaneously performs time-stamping processing. Specifically, the time-stamp information generation unit 23 generates time-stamp information for the start and end times of the paid break, respectively, and transmits it to the time management device 1 for simultaneous time-stamping processing.

[0142] The time management device 1 controls the card printing unit 16 via the printing control unit 25 to print the punched time on the time card TC based on the punched information received from the management server 101. For example, when a paid break is punched, the time management device 1 simultaneously punches the start time and end time of the paid break by printing them on the time card TC based on the punched information for the start time and end time of the paid break.

[0143] Furthermore, the management server 101 determines whether the user's time-stamping operation is valid or not using the notification determination unit 24 based on the information stored in the personal information storage unit 30, the time-stamping information storage unit 31, and the setting information storage unit 32, and transmits the determination result to the time management device 1. Based on the determination result of the notification determination unit 24 received from the management server 101, the time management device 1 displays necessary information on the display unit 5 and also ejects the time card TC.

[0144] In the above embodiment, the time management device 1 is configured as a time card-type time recorder that identifies a user based on card identification information read from a time card TC and performs clock-in processing by printing the punch time on the time card TC. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In another example, the time management device 1 may be configured as a card reader-type time recorder that identifies a user based on card identification information read from an ID card and performs clock-in processing by recording the punch time in the memory unit 11. Alternatively, in a configuration in which the time management device 1 performs clock-in processing by recording the punch time in the memory unit 11, the time management device 1 may identify a user based on a captured image of the user, or may identify a user based on biometric information such as the user's fingerprint or iris.

[0145] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or idea of ​​the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and time management devices, time management methods, and time management systems that involve such modifications are also included in the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0146] The technology of the present invention can be suitably used as a time management device, a time management method, and a time management system for managing the arrival and departure times and paid breaks of users such as employees in offices, stores, etc.

[0147] 1 Time management device 2 Device main body 2a First top surface 2b Second top surface 3 Card insertion section 4 Operation input section 5 Display section 6 Operation keys 6a PB key 10 Control section 11 Memory section 12 Clock section 13 Card detection section 14 Card transport section 15 Card reading section 16 Card printing section 17 Audio output section 18 External recording medium connection section 19 Removable recording medium 20 Personal information management section 21 Stamp information management section 22 Setting information management section 23 Stamp information generation section 24 Notification determination section 25 Printing control section 30 Personal information storage section 31 Stamp information storage section 32 Setting information storage section 100 Time management system 101 Management server 102 Network 110 Control section 111 Memory section 112 Keyboard 113 Mouse 114 Monitor 115 Printer 116 Wireless communication unit 117 External interface 118 Network communication unit

Claims

1. A time management device comprising: a stamping unit that acquires a stamping time in response to a stamping operation by a user and performs stamping; and an operation input unit that receives a paid break operation by the user, wherein when the stamping operation for starting or ending a paid break is performed following the paid break operation, the stamping unit acquires the start time and end time of the paid break based on the stamping time and a preset break setting time, and simultaneously performs a stamping process.

2. The time management device according to claim 1, wherein when the stamping operation for starting the paid break is performed following the paid break operation, the stamping unit acquires the start time in response to the stamping operation, and calculates the end time by adding the break setting time to the start time.

3. The time management device according to claim 1, wherein when the stamping operation for ending the paid break is performed following the paid break operation, the stamping unit acquires the end time in response to the stamping operation, and calculates the start time by subtracting the break setting time from the end time.

4. The time management device according to claim 1, further comprising a card insertion unit into which the user's time card is inserted, wherein when the insertion of the time card into the card insertion unit is performed as the stamping operation following the paid break operation, the stamping unit performs the stamping process for the paid break by printing the start time and the end time on the time card.

5. The time management device according to claim 4, wherein for the time card having a plurality of printing fields, when the stamping operation for starting work is performed, the stamping unit prints the arrival time in the first time field of the printing field, and when the stamping operation for ending work is performed, the stamping unit prints the departure time in the second time field of the printing field. Also, when the paid break operation is performed, the stamping unit prints the start time in the second time field of one of the printing fields and prints the end time in the first time field of the next printing field.

6. When the engraving unit prints the start time in the second time column of the printing field at the bottommost row of the time card, it returns the time card from the card insertion unit and prompts the user to insert the reversed time card into the card insertion unit. Further, when a time card with an empty printing field at the uppermost row is inserted into the card insertion unit, the time management device according to claim 5, wherein the end time is printed in the first time column of the printing field at the uppermost row.

7. The time management device according to claim 4, wherein the engraving unit prints a paid break notation indicating the paid break on the time card together with the start time and the end time.

8. A time management method for a time management device including an engraving unit that acquires and engraves an engraving time in response to a user's engraving operation and an operation input unit that receives the user's operation. When an engraving operation for starting or ending a paid break is performed following a paid break operation by the operation input unit, the engraving unit acquires and simultaneously performs an engraving process on the start time and the end time of the paid break based on the engraving time and a preset break setting time. A time management method characterized by that.

9. A time management system including a time management device including an engraving unit that acquires and engraves an engraving time in response to a user's engraving operation and an operation input unit that receives the user's operation, and a management server that manages the time management device. The time management device transmits information regarding the engraving operation to the management server. When an engraving operation for starting or ending a paid break is performed following a paid break operation by the operation input unit, the management server acquires and simultaneously performs an engraving process on the start time and the end time of the paid break based on the information regarding the engraving operation, the engraving time, and a preset break setting time. A time management system characterized by that.

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