Overt and covert capture of images of controlled-environment facility residents using intelligent controlled-environment facility resident communications and/or media devices

• US 10,033,965 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Clements, Alice J., Smith, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh Kien
• Application Number:
  US15/468,098
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401, 348 1402, 348 1403, 348 141, 348 1414, 348 1415
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device enables a controlled-environment facility resident to carry-out one task on the device, and provides a visual indication, to the resident, that an overt image and/or video is being captured during this task. Conversely, a covert image and/or video of a user is captured while the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is in use for another task, without providing the user the same or other visual indication that the covert image is being captured.

Claims

1. A controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device disposed within a controlled-environment facility, device comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to;

enable one resident task involving a resident of the controlled-environment facility, wherein the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is configured to provide a visual indication to the resident that an overt image and/or video is being captured during the task; and

capture a covert image and/or video of a user of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device while the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is in use for another task, by the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, without providing the same or other visual indication to the user that the covert image is being captured.

2. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein the one resident task is creation of a resident account, and the program instructions are further executable to cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to provide for creation and/or acceptance of account login credentials as part of the one resident task.

3. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 2 wherein the other task is entry of the credentials.

4. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 2 wherein the other task is an acknowledgement by the user.

5. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein the other task is a login and the covert image and/or video is captured as a result of a predetermined number of failed login attempts.

6. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to detect whether a face is present in a field of view of a camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, prior to capturing the covert image and/or video using the camera.

7. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 6 wherein the other task is entry of credentials and/or an acknowledgement by the user, and the program instructions are further executable to cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to prohibit entry of the credentials and/or acknowledgement in response to a failure to detect whether a face is present in the field of view of the camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device.

8. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 6 wherein the other task is entry of credentials and/or an acknowledgement by the user, and the program instructions are further executable to cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to prohibit entry of the credentials and/or acknowledgement until a face is present in the field of view of the camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device.

9. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is a video visitation device.

10. The controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is a personal resident communication and/or media device.

11. A method comprising:

enabling, by a controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, a controlled-environment facility resident to carry-out one task on the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device;

providing, by the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, a visual indication, to the resident, that an overt image and/or video is being captured during the one task; and

capturing a covert image and/or video of a user while the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is in use for another task, without providing the user the same or other visual indication that the covert image is being captured.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one task is creation of an account and includes creation and/or acceptance of account login credentials and association of the overt image with the account and/or login credentials.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the other task is entering of the credentials and the method further comprises associating the covert image and/or video with the credentials entered.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the other task is an acknowledgement by the user.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising applying digital facial recognition to compare the covert image of the user to the overt image of the resident to confirm the user as the resident.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting, by the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, whether a face is present in a field of view of a camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, prior to capturing the covert image and/or video with the camera.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the other task is entry of credentials and/or an acknowledgement by the user, and the method further comprises prohibiting entry of the credentials and/or acknowledgement in response to a failure to detect whether a face is present in the field of view of the camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the other task is entry of credentials and/or an acknowledgement by the user, and the method further comprises prohibiting entry of the credentials and/or acknowledgement until a face is present in the field of view of the camera of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the other task is a login and the covert image and/or video is captured as a result of a predetermined number of failed login attempts.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the one task is creation of a resident electronic communications account and the other task is sending an electronic communication using the electronic communications account, and the method further comprises employing the overt image of the resident in the electronic communication.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising enabling the resident to supplement the overt image of the resident in the electronic communication.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is a video visitation device.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is a personal resident communication and/or media device.

24. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, cause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device to:

enable a controlled-environment facility resident to carry-out creation of an account on the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device, including creation and/or acceptance of account login credentials;

provide a visual indication to the resident that an overt image and/or video is being captured during the creation of the account;

associate the overt image with the account and/or login credentials;

capture a covert image and/or video of a user while the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is in use for entry of the credentials and/or an acknowledgment by the user, without providing the user the same or other visual indication that the covert image is being captured; and

associate the covert image and/or video with the credentials entered and/or the acknowledgement.