Telecommunication call management and monitoring system with voiceprint verification

• US 10,135,972 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US15/346,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20170104869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 379 37- 52, 379188-200, 379441-456
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/435 having six-membered rings with one nitrogen as the only ring hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/44 Non condensed pyridines; Hydrogenated derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/505 Pyrimidines; Hydrogenated pyrimidines, e.g. trimethoprim
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10396 the interrogation device being wearable, e.g. as a glove, bracelet, or ring wearable aerials in general H01Q1/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/41 using speaker recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 : Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/305 : Recording playback features, e.g. increased speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 : Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 : Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/20 : with means for interrupting existing connections; with means for breaking-in on conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 : Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 : Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 : Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 : using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 : using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42025 : Calling or Called party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 : Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 : for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

Disclosed is a secure telephone call management system for authenticating users of a telephone system in an institutional facility. Authentication of the users is accomplished by using a personal identification number, preferably in conjunction with speaker independent voice recognition and speaker dependent voice identification. When a user first enters the system, the user speaks his or her name which is used as a sample voice print. During each subsequent use of the system, the user is required to speak his or her name. Voice identification software is used to verify that the provided speech matches the sample voice print. The secure system includes accounting software to limit access based on funds in a user'"'"'s account or other related limitations. Management software implements widespread or local changes to the system and can modify or set any number of user account parameters.

Claims

1. A method for restricting access to a telephone network by a call management system associated with a controlled environment facility, the method comprising:

registering a user of the call management system, the registering including;

receiving a first image from the user via a camera coupled to a plurality of user telephones;

verifying the first image is indicative of a face using image recognition;

associating the verified first image with the user; and

storing the verified first image in a database; and

authenticating a call access attempt by the user, the call access attempt being an attempt by the user to gain access to the telephone network for purposes of making a telephone call, the authenticating including;

the call management system;

receiving the call access attempt by the user of a telephone, the telephone being one of the plurality of user telephones;

prompting the user for a second image;

determining whether a visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to a visual characteristic of the stored verified first image; and

allowing or rejecting the call access attempt based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the allowing the call access attempt, sampling image data of the user during the telephone call;

comparing the sampled image data with the visual characteristic of the stored verified first image; and

detecting if an unauthorized person is a party to the telephone call based on the comparing.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

taking a control action in response to detecting that an unauthorized person is a party to the telephone call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first image further includes using an infrared camera, and the first image, the verified first image, and the second image are infrared images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the user further comprises:

assigning an identification to the user; and

associating the identification with the first image in the database; and

wherein the authenticating further comprises;

receiving the identification from the user; and

locating the first image in the database using the identification.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the stored verified first image;

querying the database with the identification;

determining whether the user is authorized to place the telephone call based on the querying;

allowing or rejecting the telephone call based on the determining whether the user is authorized to place the telephone call.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring call access attempts by the user to the call management system by updating the database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first image from the user via the camera further comprises:

prompting the user to position his/her face within a field of view of the camera, and wherein the prompting is implemented using a graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting the user for the second image further comprises:

prompting the user to position his/her face within a field of view of the camera, and wherein the prompting includes implementing with a graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual characteristic of the first image, the visual characteristic of the verified first image, and the visual characteristic of the second image are measures of face architecture.

11. A call management system for restricting access to a telephone network, the call management system associated with a controlled environment facility and comprising:

a database;

a plurality of user telephones; and

one or more processors and/or circuits configured to;

register a user of the call management system by being configured to;

receive a first image from the user via a camera coupled to the plurality of user telephones;

verify the first image is indicative of a face using image recognition;

associate the verified first image with the user; and

store the verified first image in the database; and

authenticate a call access attempt by the user, the call access attempt being an attempt by the user to gain access to the telephone network for purposes of making a telephone call, by being configured to;

receive the call access attempt by the user of a telephone, the telephone being one of the plurality of user telephones;

prompt the user for a second image;

determine whether a visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to a visual characteristic of the stored verified first image; and

allow or reject the call access attempt based on the determination.

12. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

after allowing the call access attempt, sample image data of the user during the telephone call;

compare the sampled image data with the visual characteristic of the stored verified first image; and

detect if an unauthorized person is a party to the telephone call based on the comparison.

13. The call management system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

take a control action in response to detecting that the unauthorized person is the party to the telephone call.

14. The call management system of claim 11, further comprising an infrared camera to capture the first image, and wherein the first image, the first verified image, and the second image are infrared images.

15. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

assign an identification to the user; and

associate the identification with the first image in the database; and

wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to authenticate by being configured to;

receive the identification from the user; and

locate the first image in the database using the identification.

16. The call management system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the stored verified first image;

query the database with the identification;

determine whether the user is authorized to place the telephone call based on the query; and

allow or reject-the telephone call based on the determination of whether the user is authorized to place the telephone call.

17. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

monitor call access attempts by the user to the call management system by updating the database.

18. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to receive a first image from the user via a camera by being further configured to:

prompt the user to position his/her face within a field of view of the camera using a graphical user interface.

19. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to receive the second image from the user via the camera by being further configured to:

prompt the user to position his/her face within a field of view of the camera using a graphical user interface.

20. The call management system of claim 11, wherein the visual characteristic of the first image, the visual characteristic of the verified first image, and the visual characteristic of the second image are measures of face architecture.