Sobriety Monitoring System

• US 20110079073A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Brad Keays
• Inventors: Keays, Brad
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/23.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring sobriety using a hand-held breath testing device that, on receipt of a user'"'"'s breath, generates a breath test signal comprising substance content data and user identification data, and wirelessly transmits the breath test signal to a breath test signal receiving station. The breath test signal includes substance content data and user identification data. The substance content data includes a blood alcohol level and the user identification data includes compressed image data. The signal receiving station is monitored by a supervisor who is able to intervene should the blood alcohol level be greater than a predetermined threshold, or should the user identification data no match with a reference user identification data.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring sobriety, comprising:

a breath test signal receiving station; and

a mobile hand-held breath testing device operable to wirelessly transmit a breath test signal to the breath test signal receiving station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath test signal comprises substance content data and user identification data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the substance content data includes at least a blood alcohol level.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the breath test signal further comprises a user tracking signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath testing device comprises:

a breath testing module for receiving a user'"'"'s breath and generating substance content data therefrom;

a user identification module, for generating user identification data;

a signal generating module, for generating the breath test signal from the substance content data and the user identification data;

a transceiver, for wirelessly transmitting the breath test signal to the breath test signal receiving station;

wherein the signal generating module compresses the user identification data according to a compression process.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the breath testing device further comprises a global satellite positioning (GPS) unit for generating a user tracking data, and wherein the breath test signal further comprises the tracking data.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the breath test signal receiving station receives the wireless transmission of the breath test signal within 60 seconds of the breath testing module having received the user'"'"'s breath.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the user identification module comprises a digital camera.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath test signal receiving station comprises a supervisor monitored internet website.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath test signal receiving station comprises a supervisor monitored mobile device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath testing device is not more than twenty-seven cubic inches in volume.

12. A system for monitoring sobriety, comprising:

a mobile breath testing device for receiving a user'"'"'s breath and generating a breath test signal therefrom, the breath test signal including a compressed user identification data; and

a mobile device in automatic communication with the breath testing device;

wherein the breath testing device is operable to wirelessly transmit the breath test signal to the mobile device; and

wherein the mobile device is operable to wirelessly transmit the breath test signal to a breath test signal receiver.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the breath test signal comprises substance content data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the breath test signal further comprises a user tracking signal.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the substance content data includes at least a blood alcohol level.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the breath test signal receiver receives the wireless transmission of the breath test signal within 60 seconds of the breath testing module having received the user'"'"'s breath.

17. A method of monitoring sobriety with a hand-held breath testing device having a GPS unit and a wireless interlock unit, the method comprising the steps of

generating a breath test signal on receipt of a user'"'"'s breath, the breath test signal comprising substance content data, user identification data and user tracking data;

wirelessly transmitting the breath test signal to a breath test signal receiving station; and

wirelessly transmitting a vehicle interlock signal derived from the breath test signal to a vehicle interlock switch;

wherein the user identification data comprises compressed image data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein wirelessly transmitting the breath test signal to the breath test signal receiver includes the steps of:

automatically establishing a wireless communication between the breath testing device and a signal transmitting mobile device;

wirelessly transmitting the breath test signal from the breath testing device to the signal transmitting mobile device;

wirelessly transmitting the breath test signal from the signal transmitting mobile device to the breath test signal receiving station.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein breath test signal receiving station is a supervisor monitored mobile device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless interlock unit includes a Bluetooth device.