AUDIO-VIDEO REMOTE VISITATION TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

• US 20140218466A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TW Vending, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TW Vending, Inc.
• Inventors: Bloms, Eric, Westby, Todd, Halberg, Ben, Bengston, Sam
• Granted Patent: US 9,288,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A telecommunications system for use in a secure facility such as a jail, prison or the like. The systems, devices and methods disclosed provide telecommunications, email, other messaging, financial services, vending, and commissary or canteen services for inmates of a secure facility with respect to family, friends and others. The system also includes a system for video visitation via audio-visual communication. The system includes a phone server adapted to be communicatively connected to an external service provider; a monitoring station communicatively connected to the phone server, an account manager server communicatively connected to the phone server, and at least one telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility for use by the inmate and which is communicatively connected to the phone server. A method of telecommunicating, including video visitation, via the system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for providing audio-visual telecommunications between a resident inside a secure facility and at least one person outside the secure facility, and for management of such audio-visual telecommunications by an administrator of the secure facility, comprising:

at least one audio-visual telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility for use by the resident, the secure facility audio-visual telecommunications device adapted to be communicatively connected to an external streaming platform; and

an audio-visual account management server communicatively connected to the at least one secure facility telecommunications device, and wherein the secure audio-visual telecommunications device and the audio-visual account management server are adapted to be communicatively connectible to at least one audio-visual communications device disposed outside the secure facility for use by at least one person outside the secure facility.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure facility is an institution selected from the group of institutions consisting of a jail, a detention center, a short term corrections facility, a penitentiary, a prison and a mental health institution;

wherein the resident is a person selected from the group of persons consisting of an inmate, a prisoner and a patient;

wherein the administrator is a person selected from the group of persons consisting of a sheriff, an officer, a guard, a warden, a jailer, and a mental health worker, and wherein the at least one person outside secure facility is selected from the group of persons consisting of a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, and an attorney.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications between the resident of the secure facility and the at least one person outside the secure facility further includes telecommunications selected from the group of communications consisting of voice, SMS text, IM, and email;

and wherein management of telecommunications is selected from the group of activities consisting of monitoring, recording, controlling and documenting communications and transactions of the resident.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controlling activities are selected from the group of activities consisting of video visitation blocking, blacklisting, email notification, section/station setting, attorney video visitation status, and deferred video visitation status.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the person outside the secure facility is further able to electronically deposit funds or credits to an account of the resident at the secure facility, the account funding products and services at the secure facility selected from the group of products and services consisting of audio-visual communications, voice communications, vending drink, snacks and food items, and commissary items such as personal care items, books, videos, clothing and apparel, and blankets;

and wherein the administrator is further able to monitor, audit and manage the account of the resident.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audio-visual telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility is a device selected from the group of devices consisting of a personal computer (PC), and an audio-visual telecommunications kiosk;

and wherein the person outside the secure facility communicatively connects with the system by a device adapted to connect to the audio-visual management server and the external streaming platform, selected from the group of devices consisting of a smart phone, a PC and an audio-visual telecommunications kiosk.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audio-visual telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility, and devices used by the at least one person outside the secure facility communicatively connect to the streaming platform via RTMP.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising flash attributes applied to the RTMP communicative connections.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audio-visual telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility, and devices used by the at least one person outside the secure facility communicatively connect to the audio-visual account management server via HTTP.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio-visual account management server controls video visitation permissions, video visitation charging, recording and monitoring.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio-visual account management server further functions to pause, fast forward, and rewind a recorded audio-visual telecommunications stream, and to stop a live call in progress.

12. The system of claim, 11 wherein the audio-visual account management server further functions to process calling rules.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio-visual account manager server is a server which communicates remotely via HTTP, and which stores and processes information about the resident, the at least one person outside the secure facility.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the audio-visual account manager server is a further comprises a TEAM Server provided by Team Software of Hudson, Wis. USA.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising storage means connected to the audio-visual account management server.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising server side action script communicatively connected to the audio-visual account management server.

17. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of audio-visual resident kiosks.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to be used with an external streaming platform consisting of an Influxis streaming platform.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes the external streaming platform.

20. A system for providing audio-visual telecommunications between an inmate inside a correctional facility, the facility being of the type having a public lobby, visitor center, or booking area in addition to secure inmate resident section, and at least one non-inmate family member, friend or attorney outside the secure facility, and for management of such audio-visual telecommunications by an administrator of the secure facility, comprising:

a. at least one inmate audio-visual telecommunications kiosk disposed at the secure facility for use by the inmate, the inmate audio-visual kiosk adapted to be communicatively connected to an external streaming platform;

b. an audio-visual account management server communicatively connected to the at least one secure facility telecommunications device, and wherein the secure audio-visual telecommunications device and the audio-visual account management server are adapted to be communicatively connectible to at least one audio-visual communications device disposed outside the secure facility for use by at least one person outside the secure facility;

c. at least one public audio-visual telecommunications kiosk disposed in the public lobby, visitor center or booking area at the secure facility for use by the at least one non-inmate family member, friend or attorney, the at least one public telecommunications kiosk being adapted to be communicatively connected to the external streaming platform; and

d. wherein audio-visual telecommunications between the inmate and the at least one non-inmate family member, friend or attorney is selected from the group of communications consisting of voice, SMS text, IM, email, and audio-visual by way of the public and inmate kiosks; and

wherein management of telecommunications is selected from the group of activities consisting of monitoring, recording, controlling and documenting audio-visual visitation and transactions of the inmate.

21. A method for audio-visually telecommunicating between a resident inside a secure facility and at least one person outside the secure facility, and for management of such telecommunication by an administrator of the secure facility, comprising the step of making an incoming audio-visual chat from at least one person outside the secure facility to the resident inside the secure facility.

22. The method for telecommunicating of claim 21, wherein the step of making an incoming video chat comprises the steps of determining whether the resident is in an active video section, verifying that a chat is authorized, displaying an answer message to the resident, and connecting the at least one person outside the secure facility and the resident.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of making an outgoing video chat from the resident to at least one person outside the secure facility.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of making an outgoing call comprises the steps of receiving an video chat request, verifying that the resident is authorized to make an outgoing video chat, and sending a chat request to the at least one person outside the secure facility.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the method is implemented by a system comprising at least one audio-visual telecommunications device disposed at the secure facility for use by the resident, the secure facility audio-visual telecommunications device adapted to be communicatively connected to an external streaming platform;

and an audio-visual account management server communicatively connected to the at least one secure facility telecommunications device.