Notification system

Abstract

A notification system and method that allows a user to be placed on a waiting list, disclosing only the personal information the user chooses to disclose, and receive updates or other information relating to his status on the waiting list through a personal communication device. A timekeeping system and method generates time in and time out record entries based upon a display code presented the personal communication device. A form data aggregation system and method consolidates inputted information from multiple applications on the personal communication device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for tracking working time with a mobile device of a user, the method comprising the steps of:
 displaying, on the mobile device, a display code corresponding to an account defined by one or more account record fields created on a service server and including an account identifier associated with the account encoded therein, the display code being deployed to the mobile device in response to an account creation request transmitted from the mobile device;   reading the display code from the mobile device with a logger associated with an employer;   extracting the account identifier from the display code;   transmitting to a service server the account identifier with logger device information including a logger location identifier retrieved from the logger device appended thereto, the service server transmitting an application invocation message to the mobile device in response;   transmitting a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device and a user location identifier retrieved from the mobile device to a time tracking server in response to the application invocation message; and   recording a time entry associated with the user on the time tracking server upon the user location identifier being correlated with the logger location identifier as being within a predefined distance.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, on the mobile device, input data for at least one of the one or more account record fields; and   transmitting the input data to the service server.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the logger is a portable computing device including a camera for capturing the display code displayed on the mobile device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the portable computing device is a tablet. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the portable computing device is a smartphone. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the application invocation message is transmitted to the mobile device as a short message service (SMS) message. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the application invocation message includes a user-activable link operative to initiate a time tracking application. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the time tracking application transmits the mobile identifier and the user location identifier to the time tracking server. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable quick response (QR) code. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable bar code. 
     
     
         11 . A time tracking system, comprising;
 a logger device configured to capture a display code displayed on a mobile device of a user, the logger device having a logger location identifier associated therewith;   a service server in communication with the logger device, the captured display code and the location identifier being received by the service server from the logger device, in response to the receipt of the display code, the service server transmits an application invocation message to the mobile device; and   a time tracking server in communication with the mobile device and receptive to a user location identifier associated with the mobile device, a time entry being recorded on the time tracking server in response to a validation of the mobile device based at least in part upon an evaluation of the user location identifier and the logger location identifier being within a predefined distance of each other.   
     
     
         12 . The time tracking system of  claim 11 , wherein the service server is receptive to an account creation request from the mobile device of the user, the account creation request including one or more account record values input by the user into to the mobile device. 
     
     
         13 . The time tracking system of  claim 11 , wherein the logger device is a portable computing device including a camera for capturing the display code displayed on the mobile device. 
     
     
         14 . The time tracking system of  claim 13 , wherein the portable computing device is a tablet. 
     
     
         15 . The time tracking system of  claim 13 , wherein the portable computing device is a smartphone. 
     
     
         16 . The time tracking system of  claim 11 , wherein the application invocation message is transmitted to the mobile device of the user as a short message service (SMS) message. 
     
     
         17 . The time tracking system of  claim 13 , wherein the application invocation message includes a user-activable link operative to initiate a time tracking application being executed on the mobile device. 
     
     
         18 . The time tracking system of  claim 17 , wherein the time tracking application transmits a mobile device identifier and the location identifier to the time tracking server. 
     
     
         19 . The time tracking system of  claim 11 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable quick response (QR) code. 
     
     
         20 . The time tracking system of  claim 11 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable bar code. 
     
     
         21 . A method for aggregating form data input to a mobile device of a user, the method comprising the steps of:
 displaying, on the mobile device, a display code corresponding to an account defined by one or more account record fields created on a service server and including an account identifier associated with the account encoded therein, the display code being deployed to the mobile device in response to an account creation request transmitted from the mobile device;   reading the display code from the mobile device with a logger;   extracting the account identifier from the display code;   transmitting to a service server the account identifier extracted from the display code, the service server transmitting one or more application invocation messages to the mobile device in response; and   transmitting one or more sets of form data to an aggregate database, each of the sets of form data being input to a separate application on the mobile device invoked from a respective one of the one or more application invocation messages each including an application identifier corresponding to a specific one of the applications.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, on the mobile device, input data for at least one of the one or more account record fields; and   transmitting the input data to the service server.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the logger is a portable computing device including a camera for capturing the display code displayed on the mobile device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the portable computing device is a tablet. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the portable computing device is a smartphone. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the application invocation message is transmitted to the mobile device as a short message service (SMS) message. 
     
     
         27 . A form data aggregator system, comprising;
 a logger device configured to capture a display code displayed on a mobile device of a user;   a service server in communication with the logger device, the captured display code and the location identifier being received by the service server from the logger device, in response to the receipt of the display code, the service server transmits an application invocation message including one or more application identifiers to the mobile device of the user; and   a form data server in communication with the mobile device of the user and receptive to one or more sets of form data input to a separate application on the mobile device each invoked from the application invocation message and corresponding to a respective one of the one or more application identifiers in the application invocation message.   
     
     
         28 . The form data aggregator system of  claim 27 , wherein the application invocation message is transmitted to the mobile device as a short message service (SMS) message. 
     
     
         29 . The form data aggregator system of  claim 27 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable quick response (QR) code. 
     
     
         30 . The time tracking system of  claim 27 , wherein the display code is a machine-readable bar code.