APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO AND USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160300409A1
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renovo Software, Inc. (Global Tel-Link Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Renovo Software, Inc. (Global Tel-Link Corporation)
• Inventors: PETERS, Brian, EICKHOFF, Timothy J., JAROSEK, Ehren R., SKAJA, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 9,786,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/00 Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/005 for the hiring of content carriers, e.g. of DVDs or CDs reverse vending for box-like objects such as videocassettes G07F7/069
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

Various prison services are rendered more efficient by providing inmates access to portable electronic devices in a controlled and regulated manner. A dispenser is employed to control and monitor the checking out and return of portable electronic devices and to communicate with such devices during use by inmates to monitor inmate use and ensure the portable electronic devices are only used by inmates as authorized.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling prisoner access to and use of portable electronic devices comprising:

a. a plurality of portable electronic devices, each portable electronic device comprising a user interface, a processor, memory, a battery, a two-way wireless communicator, and an identification tag;

b. at least one dispensing unit, the at least one dispensing unit comprising a wireless communications unit for two-way communications with the two-way wireless communicator of each of the plurality of portable electronic devices, a user interface, an alarm, and a plurality of storage compartments each sized to receive one of the plurality of portable electronic devices, each storage compartment comprising an access door movable between a closed position preventing access to the compartment and an open position permitting access to the compartment, an electronic lock for selectively locking the door when the door is in the closed position, a door sensor for sensing the position of the door, a light sensor for detecting the whether an object is located within the compartment, a weight sensor for detecting the weight of any objects located within the compartment, an identification sensor for reading the identification tags of the portable electronic devices to determine whether a specific portable electronic device is located within the compartment, a battery charging device for charging the battery of a portable electronic device within the compartment, and at least one status indicator;

c. a relational database for storing (i) prisoner data related to prisoner identity, prisoner accounts, prisoner rights, prisoner schedules, programs and content accessible by prisoners, usage by prisoners and groups of prisoners, and (ii) equipment data related to the identity, attributes and status of the at least one dispensing unit and the identities, attributes and status of the portable electronic devices,; and

d. at least one server coupled to the at least one dispensing unit, and the relational database, and operated under control of a program based on data within the relational database to monitor and control operations of the at least one dispensing unit and the plurality of portable electronic devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a workstation adapted to be operated by prison personnel to add and update information contained in the database.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a workstation for monitoring the use and operation of the portable electronic devices and the at least one dispensing unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a switch coupled between the server and any of the dispensing units.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a router enabling communication between the portable electronic devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the router is controlled by the server based on data included in the database to limit the exchange of data between the internet and the portable electronic devices. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data related to prisoner schedules includes data identifying the time periods during which specific prisoners are permitted to use specific types of portable electronic devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the portable electronic devices is selected from a group consisting of tablet computers, wireless telephones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and media players.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein portable electronic devices include displays and the data related to usage by prisoners includes screen shots of the displays of the portable electronic devices, each such screen shot captured as a separate file which is indexed in the database and related to the prisoner authorized to use the portable electronic device at the time of the screen shot capture.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data related to usage by prisoners includes the times a portable electronic device was dispensed by and returned to a dispensing unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein selected programs and content stored on a specific portable electronic device are made accessible before that specific portable electronic device is dispensed to a specific prisoner based on the rights and restrictions held by that specific prisoner.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein selected programs and content stored on a specific portable electronic device are made inaccessible to a particular prisoner before the specific portable electronic device is dispensed to the particular prisoner based on the rights and restrictions associated with that particular prisoner.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least some of the uses of the apparatus by a prisoner are subject to charge and a prisoner is only permitted to engage in such uses if the prisoner'"'"'s account has a sufficient balance to cover the charge and the database is updated to debit prisoner'"'"'s account for the charge.

14. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein when a prisoner returns a device to a storage compartment of a dispensing unit, the identity and weight is ascertained by the server based on signals supplied by the weight sensor and the identification sensor, and compared to data in the database to determine whether the correct portable electronic device is being returned to the compartment, the entire portable electronic device is being returned to the compartment and whether contraband has been placed in the storage compartment.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein an alert is transmitted to at least one of the workstation and the user interface of the dispending unit if either the correct portable electronic device is not being returned to the compartment, the entire portable electronic device is not being returned to the compartment or contraband has been placed in the storage compartment.