CRIME INVESTIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20140040309A1
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3Rd Forensic Limited
• Original Assignee: 3Rd Forensic Limited
• Inventors: Meaney, Patrick, Mcintosh, David, Jimenez, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety

Abstract

A computer-implemented crime investigation system having a computer including a processor is operable to: receive and store one or more image data items, each of which shows one or more offenders in the process of committing an offence; authenticate a user belonging to a first access group; receive, via an application interface, case information from said user; attach portions of said case information, as indicated by said user using said application interface, to one or more of said image data items, as also indicated by said user using said application interface; search at least one of: said image data items or said case information based on search parameters; and return one or more search result image data items, having at least one of image data or attached case information which matches said search parameters, together with any of said case information attached to said search result image data items.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented crime investigation system, comprising:

at least one computer including a processor, said at least one computer operable to;

receive and store one or more image data items, each of which shows one or more offenders in the process of committing an offence;

authenticate a user belonging to a first access group;

receive, via an application interface, case information from said user;

attach portions of said case information, as indicated by said user using said application interface, to one or more of said image data items, as also indicated by said user using said application interface;

search at least one of;

said image data items or said case information based on search parameters; and

return one or more search result image data items, having at least one of image data or attached case information which matches said search parameters, together with any of said case information attached to said search result image data items.

2. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 1, wherein said search is carried out automatically upon attachment of case information to an image data item, with said search parameters based on at least one of said case information or said image data item being attached.

3. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 2, wherein said search parameters are based on said image data item and wherein said search uses facial recognition to match a face visible in said image data item with faces in other image data items stored by said system.

4. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 1, wherein the system is further operable to receive said search parameters from said user and to carry out said search in response.

5. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 1, wherein said attached case information includes information relating to the offence and/or information relating to the offender who is visible within the image.

6. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 5, wherein said crime information includes at least one of:

information describing the type of offence;

information relating to the location of the offence;

information indicating the current status of the investigation with regard to the one or more offenders;

information relating to the type of device that created the image data item;

information describing one or more possible motivating factors for the offence; and

information relating to the type of property that was stolen or damaged during the offence.

7. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 5, wherein said information relating to the one or more offenders visible within the image includes at least one of:

information describing the hair-style of the one or more offenders;

information describing the clothing, head-wear or foot-wear worn by the one or more offenders; and

information describing items carried by the one or more offenders.

8. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 1, wherein the system is further operable to generate publications based on one or more of said image data items selected, via said application interface, by a user.

9. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 8, wherein the system is further operable to:

authenticate a user belonging to a second access group;

update the case information attached to one or more “

approved for publication”

image data items that are selected by said user belonging to said second access group, via said application interface, from said one or more stored image data items, so as to indicate that the approved image data items and their related case information have been approved for publication by said user belonging to said second access group;

and wherein the system allows the generation of publications based on only image data items that have been approved for publication.

10. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 9, wherein users belonging to said first access group do not have sufficient access privileges to approve for publication image data items and their related case information.

11. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 1, wherein the system is further operable to:

receive information relating to the possible identification of an offender;

to attach said possible offender identification information to one of more of said image data items, which is indicated by a user using said application interface, so as to create one or more intelligence reports, each of which includes an image data item, any case information attached thereto, and possible offender identification information, as indicated by the user.

12. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 11, wherein the system is further operable to create a plurality of intelligence reports in response to user-provided offender identification information.

13. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 12, wherein the system is further operable to:

authenticate a user belonging to a third access group;

update one or more “

approved for distribution”

intelligence reports that are selected, via said application interface, by said user belonging to said third access group to indicate that they have been approved for distribution.

14. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 13, wherein the system is further operable to:

analyse the case information attached to “

distributed”

one of said approved for distribution intelligence reports to determine the location of the offence;

identify one or more users that are geographically local to the location of the offence;

notify said one or more geographically local users of the existence of said distributed intelligence report; and

display said distributed intelligence report on-screen, when requested by one or more of said geographically local users.

15. A computer-implemented crime investigation system according to claim 14, wherein the system is further operable to:

update the case information of said distributed intelligence report, in response to commands from said geographically local users via said application interface, to include information relating to whether the possible offender identification information is correct.