INTERACTIVE AUDIO/VIDEO SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR USE IN A SECURE FACILITY

• US 20120262271A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intelmate LLC
• Inventors: Torgersrud, Richard, O'Neil, Kevin, Gongaware, Grant, Collins, Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

A system and device for providing services to a secure facility. The system includes a kiosk with a processor, display, speaker, microphone, and a camera, and the kiosk communicates with a server that includes a server processor, a network interface unit, and a computer memory. The kiosk receives communications and transmits audio and video of the communications to the server via an internet connection, and the server records the audio and video and transmits the audio and video to a destination. The kiosk is configured to authenticate the identity of a user by verifying a personal identification number entered by the user and also performing one or more of a facial recognition via the camera or a biometric voice recognition via the microphone. The kiosk provides access to services including internet services, text-based messaging, tele-medical services, religious and educational materials, commissary ordering, and entertainment.

Claims

1. A system for providing services to a secure facility, the system comprising:

a kiosk located at a secure facility, the kiosk comprising a processor, display, speaker, microphone, and a camera; and

a server that communicates with the kiosk via a network connection, the server comprising a server processor, a network interface unit, and a computer memory;

the kiosk being configured to receive communications from the camera and microphone and transmit audio and video of the communications to the server via the network connection,

wherein the server records the audio and video and transmits the audio and video to a destination, and

wherein the kiosk is configured to authenticate the identity of a user of the kiosk by verifying log in information entered by the user and also performing a biometric verification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the destination is a device communicating with the server and the server is configured to authenticate a user of the device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the destination is a second kiosk located in a visitation area of a second secure facility.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second kiosk located in a visitation area of the secure facility; and

a local server located at the secure facility

the kiosk being configured to transmit the audio and video to the local server when the communications are intended for the second kiosk located in the visitation area, and

wherein the local server is configured to record the audio and video and transmit the audio and video to the second kiosk located in the visitation area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to periodically extract a frame of the video and perform a check to determine if a face is present in the frame, and the server is further configured to stop transmitting video to the destination when the check determines that a face is not present in the video.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to periodically extract a frame of the video and authenticate a face in the frame against a stored identification image of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to periodically record a frame of video and transmit the frame to the server, and wherein the server processor authenticates a face in the frame against a stored identification image of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk accepts anonymous messages input by the user without requiring the user to enter the log in information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to allow the user to reserve use of the kiosk by receiving a user request for use at a certain time and checking permissions related to the user that are stored on the server, and, when the user request is granted, the kiosk does not allow anyone other than the user to log in at the certain time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, in intervals of time leading up to the certain time, when a second user is logged in, the kiosk is configured to display notification messages alerting the second user that the second user will be logged off at the certain time due to a reservation.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to accept messages input by the user after the user has logged on and transmit the messages to the server, and the server is configured to provide a third party access to the messages.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to present the messages via the web interface such that the third party is restricted from copying or forwarding the messages.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to receive an incoming call for the user from a third party caller, determine whether the user has permission to receive incoming calls, if the user has permission, transmit the incoming call to the kiosk and at least a second kiosk, and

wherein the kiosk and the second kiosk are configured to, upon receipt of the incoming call, display a screen notifying the user of the incoming call, and prompt the user to input the log in information.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to provide the user with at least one of:

access to audio, video, and text of educational and religious materials stored on the server and/or the kiosk, and the ability to order items from a list of commissary items.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to connect to the Internet and provide access to authorized Internet web pages, and the kiosk is configured to log all visited Internet web pages and to transmit logs to the server.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to receive text-based messages from a server, and to display a notification of an available text-based message on an idle screen of the kiosk.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to receive voice or video messages from a server, and to display a notification of an available voice or video message on an idle screen of the kiosk.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is configured to receive a visitation request from a server, and to display a notification of an available visitation request on an idle screen of the kiosk.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the kiosk is configured to provide access to Internet web pages via a proxy server.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the log in information is a personal identification number.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric verification comprises a facial authentication via the camera.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric verification comprises a voice authentication via the microphone.

19. A kiosk for providing facility services in a secure manner, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory connected to the processor via a bus;

a camera connected to the bus for inputting video communications;

a microphone connected to the bus for inputting audio communications;

a speaker connected to the bus;

a touchscreen display connected to the bus; and

a network interface connected to the bus for communicating with a server via a network connection,

wherein the kiosk authenticates a user by receiving personal log in information and comparing the received personal log in information against a known personal log in information associated with the user, verifies the user'"'"'s identity using a biometric verification, records audio and video communications and transmits the audio and video communications to the server, and provides access to internet web pages via a web proxy.

20. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein the kiosk is configured to detect when a face is not present in the field of view of the camera, and stop transmitting video when a face is not present.

21. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein the kiosk provides the user with at least one of:

access to audio, video, and text of educational and religious materials;

the ability to order items from a list of commissary items;

the ability to reserve times for using the kiosk; and

the ability to send text messages to third parties.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the personal log in information is a personal identification number.

34. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein the biometric verification comprises a facial authentication of an image captured by the camera.

35. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein the biometric verification comprises a voice authentication of an audible phrase recorded using the microphone.

22. A method of monitoring use of an interactive kiosk, comprising:

using a camera of the kiosk to periodically capture an image of a user of the kiosk during use of the kiosk;

transmitting the image to a server;

comparing, at the server, the image with a pre-stored image of the user of the kiosk; and

restricting use of the kiosk when the image does not match the pre-stored image to a predetermined degree.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

periodically extracting a frame of the video information during use of the kiosk to transmit video information;

determining whether the frame includes an image of a human face; and

restricting transmission of the video information when the frame does not include an image of a face.

28. A system for providing services to a secure facility, the system comprising:

a plurality of kiosks located at a secure facility, each kiosk comprising a processor, display, speaker, and microphone; and

a server that communicates with the kiosks and a device of an outside party via one or more network connections, the server comprising a server processor, a network interface unit, and a computer memory;

wherein the server is configured to receive a communications request from the device of the outside party and, in response to the received communications request, identify a kiosk in a vicinity of a requested party and transmit a message to the kiosk, and

wherein the kiosk is configured to receive the message, and, upon receipt of the message, display an incoming communications request message and initiate a login procedure.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the communications request is a request to initiate a voice call or a video call.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the server identifies the kiosk in the vicinity of the requesting party by referencing a resident schedule that is stored on a computer readable medium of the server.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the kiosk is configured to play an alert tone or audio message upon receiving the message.