System and method for personalized virtual reality experience in a controlled environment

• US 10,404,804 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Book, Phyllis A
• Application Number:
  US15/419,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses

Abstract

A system and method for initiating a personalized virtual reality session via a virtual reality communication system in a controlled environment is disclosed. The system includes a profile subsystem configured to store an inmate profile of the inmate of the controlled environment. The system also includes a virtual reality subsystem that retrieves the inmate profile associated with the inmate from the profile subsystem, initiates the virtual reality session involving a first communication device used by the inmate of the controlled environment, and personalizes the virtual reality session based on the inmate profile. The system also includes a communication subsystem configured to transmit information related to the virtual reality session to a monitoring system.

Claims

1. A controlled environment virtual reality system, the system comprising:

a profile subsystem that stores an inmate profile of the inmate;

a communication subsystem configured to;

transmit, via a network, authentication information to a monitoring system; and

receive, via the network, an approval message from the monitoring system based on the authentication information; and

a virtual reality subsystem having one or more processors and/or circuits configured to;

retrieve the inmate profile associated with the inmate from the profile subsystem;

initiate, based on the approval message, a virtual reality session involving a first communication device used by the inmate; and

personalize the virtual reality session based on the inmate profile.

2. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 1, wherein the profile subsystem is further configured to receive preferences of the inmate from the first communication device and generate the inmate profile based on the preferences.

3. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 2, wherein the profile subsystem is further configured to registering the inmate before generating the inmate profile based on the preferences.

4. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 2, wherein the preferences relate to a virtual avatar of the inmate and wherein personalizing the virtual reality session comprises at least one of retrieving the inmate profile, retrieving global preferences provided by an administrator of the controlled environment virtual reality system, inmate-specific preferences provided by the administrator, and including the virtual avatar in the virtual reality session.

5. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 1, wherein the profile subsystem is further configured to store an outsider profile of an user outside of the controlled environment.

6. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 5, wherein the a virtual reality subsystem is further configured to:

retrieve the outsider profile associated with the user from the profile subsystem;

initiate the virtual reality session, the virtual reality session comprises the first communication device used by the inmate of the controlled environment and a second communication device used by the user; and

personalize the virtual reality session based on the outsider profile.

7. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication subsystem configured to receive biometric information of the inmate from the first communication device wherein the authentication information related to the virtual reality session includes the biometric information.

8. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 7, wherein the biometric information of the inmate is at least one of a voice sample or retinal information obtained by the first communication device.

9. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 1, wherein the profile subsystem is further configured to receive authorization information indicating at least one of authorized content or prohibited content for the virtual reality session.

10. The controlled environment virtual reality system of claim 9, wherein personalizing the virtual reality session further comprises allowing or prohibiting access to content based on the authorization information.

11. A method for initiating a virtual reality session of a correctional system, the method comprising:

storing profile information of an inmate;

retrieving a profile associated with the inmate from a profile subsystem of the correctional system;

transmitting authentication information to a monitoring system;

receiving, via a network, an approval message from the monitoring system based on the authentication information

initiating, based on an approval message from the monitoring system, the virtual reality session involving a first communication device used by the inmate;

personalizing the virtual reality session based on the retrieved profile.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving preferences of the inmate from the first communication device; and

generating the inmate profile based on the preferences.

13. The method of claim 12, performing a registration process for the inmate before generating the inmate profile based on the preferences.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the preferences relate to a virtual avatar of the inmate and wherein personalizing the virtual reality session comprises at least one of retrieving the inmate profile, retrieving global preferences provided by an administrator of the controlled environment virtual reality system, inmate-specific preferences provided by the administrator, and including the virtual avatar in the virtual reality session.

15. The method of claim 12, storing an outsider profile of an user outside of the controlled environment.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

retrieving the outsider profile associated with the user from the profile subsystem;

initiating the virtual reality session, the virtual reality session comprises the first communication device used by the inmate of the controlled environment and a second communication device used by the user; and

personalizing the virtual reality session based on the outsider profile.

17. The method of claim 11, receiving biometric information of the inmate from the first communication device wherein the authentication information related to the virtual reality session includes the biometric information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the biometric information of the inmate is at least one of voice sample and retinal information obtained by the first communication device.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving authorization information indicating at least one of authorized content and prohibited content for the virtual reality session.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein personalizing the virtual reality session further comprises allowing or prohibiting access to content based on the authorization information.