Remote forensic investigation

• US 10,118,698 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zerick, Juliette, Cottrill, William, McHugh, Michelle, Meredith, Sheldon Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US15/203,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20180009528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 70 1, 70 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method includes dispatching a drone to a site. The drone includes audio/visual equipment. The method includes logging a plurality of timestamped locations of the drone and receiving, from the audio/visual equipment, site data captured by an on-site operator of the audio/visual equipment. The method includes correlating a portion of the site data with at least one of the timestamped locations of the drone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

dispatching, by a drone beacon, a drone to a site, the drone including audio/visual equipment, where the audio/visual equipment is being delivered to the site by the drone to an on-site operator;

logging, by the drone beacon, a plurality of timestamped locations of the drone;

receiving, by the drone beacon, from the audio/visual equipment, site data captured by the on-site operator of the audio/visual equipment; and

correlating, by the drone beacon, a portion of the site data with at least one of the timestamped locations of the drone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a chain of custody of the site data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein dispatching the drone is in response to receiving a drone request from the drone beacon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the site data includes a witness account.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, from the drone, physical evidence from the site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the site data comprises downloading the site data over a network from the audio/visual equipment located at the site.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dispatching a network access point to an access point location, wherein the drone is configured to communicate with a network via the network access point.

8. A drone comprising:

a body;

a drive system coupled to the body;

audio/visual equipment detachably coupled to the body;

a processor; and

memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

controlling the drive system to cause the drone to arrive at a site;

logging a plurality of timestamped locations of the drone; and

in response to a trigger, controlling the drive system to cause the drone to travel to a dispatch location.

9. The drone of claim 8, further comprising an evidence collection kit detachably coupled to the body.

10. The drone of claim 8, wherein the trigger comprises determining the audio/visual equipment being detached and reattached to the drone.

11. The drone of claim 8, further comprising a transceiver, wherein the operations further comprise communicating via the transceiver with an access point.

12. The drone of claim 8, wherein the trigger comprises an expiration of a timer.

13. The drone of claim 8, wherein the operations include causing the drone to hover at the site.

14. The drone of claim 8, wherein the operations include transmitting site data captured by an on-site user using the audio/visual equipment to the dispatch location.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause a processor executing the instructions to effectuate operations, the operations comprising:

dispatching a drone to a site, the drone including audio/visual equipment,

where the audio/visual equipment is being delivered to the site by the drone to an on-site operator;

logging a plurality of timestamped locations of the drone;

receiving, from the audio/visual equipment, site data captured by the on-site operator of the audio/visual equipment; and

correlating a portion of the site data with at least one of the timestamped locations of the drone.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising establishing a chain of custody of the site data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising instructing the drone to travel to a home base.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising securely storing the site data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein dispatching the drone is in response to a state of emergency.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the site data includes a witness account.