System and Method for Providing Secure Video Visitation

• US 20110096139A1
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Stauff Communications, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stauff Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Rudolf, James
• Application Number:
  US12/603,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20110096139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• 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 video visitation communication system configured to establish a communication channel using transmittal of simple identifiers. The system includes a plurality of communication stations, each station having a microphone configured to generate an audio signal, a video camera configured to receive the audio signal and generate a combined audio/video signal for transmission, and a display configured to display a received audio/video signal. The system further includes a communication administration station configured to perform steps stored on a computer readable medium to establish a communication channel between the first communication station and the second communication station. The steps include receiving a selection of a first communication station from the plurality of communication stations, receiving a selection of a second communication station from the plurality of communication stations, receiving a selection of parameters for a communication channel between the first and second communication stations, retrieving an identifier for the first and second communication stations, and transmitting an identification message including a simple identifier to each of the communication stations, each simple identifier specifying the other of the communication stations.

Claims

1. A video communication system, comprising:

a plurality of communication stations, each station including

a microphone configured to generate an audio signal,

a video camera configured to receive the audio signal and generate a combined audio/video signal for transmission, and

a display configured to display a received audio/video signal; and

a communication administration station configured to perform steps stored on a computer readable medium to establish a communication channel between the first communication station and the second communication station, the steps including;

receiving a selection of a first communication station from the plurality of communication stations;

receiving a selection of a second communication station from the plurality of communication stations;

receiving a selection of parameters for a communication channel between the first and second communication stations;

retrieving an identifier for the first and second communication stations; and

transmitting an identification message including the (?) identifier to each of the communication stations, each identifier specifying the other of the communication stations.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication station is configured to transmit the combined audio/video signal to the communication station identified in the received identifier.

3. The communication system of claim 2, further including a network video recorder and wherein transmitting the combined audio/video signal to the communication station identified in the received communication station includes transmitting the signal to the network video recorder.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the video camera is an Internet Protocol (IP) camera.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication administration station is further configured to start a timer when the identifiers are transmitted and to transmit a timer warning message when the timer has counted down to a specified value.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the communication administration station is further configured to transmit an end communication message when the timer has lapsed.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each communication station further includes a tamper proof enclosure surrounding the components of the communication station.

8. A computer-implemented method, stored on a computer-readable medium, for establishing a communication channel between a first and a second communication station, including:

receiving a selection of the first communication station from the plurality of communication stations;

receiving a selection of the second communication station from the plurality of communication stations;

receiving a selection of parameters for a communication channel between the first and second communication stations;

retrieving an identifier for the first and second communication stations from a memory; and

transmitting an identification message to each of the communication stations, each message including the identifier of the other of the communication stations.

9. The method of claim 8, further including transmitting the combined audio/video signal to the communication station identified in the received identification message.

10. The method of claim 9, further including transmitting the combined audio/video signal to a network video recorder.

11. The method of claim 8, further including

starting a timer when the identification messages are transmitted, and

transmitting a timer warning message when the timer has counted down to a specified value.

12. The method of claim 11, further including transmitting an end communication message when the timer has lapsed.

13. A video visitation communication station, comprising:

a microphone configured to generate an audio signal;

a video camera configured to receive the audio signal and generate a combined audio/video signal for transmission;

a display configured to display a received audio/video signal; and

communication channel management software configured to perform steps stored on a computer readable medium to establish a communication channel between the communication station and a second communication station, the steps including;

receiving an identification message including an alphanumeric identifier of the second communication stations; and

generating a communication channel based on the received identification message.

14. The communication station of claim 13, wherein the communication channel management software is further configured to transmit the combined audio/video signal to the second communication station identified in the received identification message.

15. The communication station of claim 14, wherein the communication channel management software is further configured to transmit the audio/video signal to a network video recorder.

16. The communication station of claim 13, wherein the video camera is an Internet Protocol (IP) camera.

17. The communication station of claim 13, wherein the communication channel management software is further configured to display a warning message upon receipt of a timer warning message.

18. The communication station of claim 13, wherein the communication channel management software is further configured to terminate communication with the second communication station upon receipt of an end communication message.

19. The communication station of claim 13, further including a tamper proof enclosure surrounding the components of the communication station.