Breath alcohol testing system

• US 4,996,161 A
• Filed: 10/16/1987
• Issued: 02/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: B.I. Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Technologies LLC (Lasko Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pennypacker, Frank C., Stevens, Lawrence R., Gaiser, Don R., Conners, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McMahon, Timothy M.
• Application Number:
  US07/109,815
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573, 340/576, 128/719, 73/23, 180/272, 250/343, 436/132, 436/900, 422/84, 422/85, 422/86
• US Class Current: 436/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/90 Breath testing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/204165 Ethanol

Abstract

A breath alcohol testing system for advantageous use in unsupervised blood alcohol testing includes a face mask having for receiving a breath sample, components to confirm the identity and components to insure that this identity act and breath delivery are performed by the same person. The system requires that the face mask continuously engage the face of the subject between identity confirmation and breath delivery. By making the continuing physical presence of a subject an operative link in the system during both identity confirmation and breath delivery, the integrity of unsupervised testing is greatly enhanced.

Claims

1. A breath alcohol testing system particularly suitable for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of a subject comprising:

a face mask having an internal surface, an external surface and an edge therebetween, said internal surface further defining a breath tube to convey a breath sample to means for testing said sample, said edge shaped for at least partially enclosing a portion of the face of a subject during delivery of said breath sample into said breath tube;

means responsive to the performance of an identity confirming act performed by said subject to verify the identity of said subject, said performance responsive means at least partially disposed within said face mask; and

means partially disposed in said face mask for insuring that the same subject performs both said confirming act and said delivery of said breath sample wherein said insuring means monitors the location of the face with respect to the mask.

2. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 1 wherein said insuring means monitors the continued physical presence of said subject within said face mask during the performance of said identity confirming act and during delivery of said breath sample to said breath tube.

3. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 1 wherein said insuring means further comprises:

means for directing pulsed signals outwardly from said internal surface toward the face of said subject when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask; and

means for receiving said directed signals reflected from said subject'"'"'s face when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask, said receiving means generating a signal indicative of the continued position of said subject'"'"'s face with respect to the face mask.

4. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 3 wherein said directing means directs pulsed electromagnetic signals and said receiving means receives reflected, pulsed, electromagnetic signals.

5. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 4 wherein said directing means emits pulsed infrared light and said receiving means comprises an infrared sensitive phototransistor that receives said pulsed infrared light reflected from said subject'"'"'s face.

6. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 1 wherein said internal surface further defines a voice receiving recess and wherein said performance responsive means further comprises:

a microphone residing within said recess; and

voice verification apparatus in communication with said microphone to receive voiced samples from said microphone for comparison with prior recorded samples from said subject to verify the identity of said subject.

7. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 6 wherein said voice verification apparatus requires voiced samples emanating from a source closer to said microphone than said edge of said face mask in order to verify the identity of said subject.

8. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 7 wherein said internal surface further defines two recesses located on opposite sides of said voice receiving recess, and wherein said insuring means further comprises:

means partially disposed within a first of said two recesses for directing pulsed signals outwardly from said internal surface toward the face of said subject when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask; and

means partially disposed within a second of said two recesses for receiving said directed signals reflected from said subject'"'"'s face when said subject is in the presence of said face mask, said receiving means generating a signal indicative of the continued position of said subject'"'"'s face with respect to the face mask.

9. A breath alcohol testing system as in claim 1 wherein said face mask has a conical shape for enclosing the mouth, upper lip and chin of said subject during delivery of said breath sample to said testing system.

10. A method for unsupervised testing of an alcohol sample received from a predetermined subject delivering a breath alcohol test sample into a face mask, the method comprising the steps of:

comparing a voiced sample delivered within said face mask with prior recorded signals stored in a voice analysis apparatus;

confirming the identity of said subject as a necessary condition to the delivery of a breath sample;

receiving within a face mask a breath sample to be analyzed by a breath sensing apparatus;

monitoring the position of said face mask with respect to said subject to insure that said voiced samples and said breath sample emanate from said subject during continued presence of said subject within said face mask.

11. A breath alcohol testing apparatus particularly suitable for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of a subject comprising:

means defining a predetermined location for the delivery by a subject of a breath sample, and for the performance by the same subject of an identity confirming act;

a breath sample receiving passageway having a breath receiving port disposed within said location defining means;

means disposed within said location defining means for confirming the performance of said identity confirming act; and

means for monitoring the continued position of a subject within said predetermined location for confirming that the subject who performs said identity confirming act is the same subject who delivers said breath sample.

12. A breach alcohol testing system particularly suitable for unsupervised blood alcohol testing of a subject comprising:

means for receiving a breath sample from a subject in order to determine a blood alcohol level;

a face mask partially housing said receiving means, the face mask engaging, enclosing and isolating a portion of the face of the subject during the delivery of the sample; and

validity assurance means at least partially housed within said face mask for preventing outside interference during the test and assuring validity of the breath alcohol test wherein the validity assurance means includes means for monitoring the location of the face with respect to the mask.

13. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 12 wherein said validity assurance means further comprises:

identity confirmation means to confirm the identity of the subject upon successful completion of an identity confirmation test, said identity confirmation means being at least partially housed in the face mask and wherein said validity assurance means assures that the same subject both delivers the breath sample and performs the identity confirmation test.

14. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 13 wherein said identity confirmation means includes voice verification means and said face mask shields said voice verification means from noise generated externally of said face mask when the face is enclosed.

15. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 13 wherein said face mask has an edge that engages the portion of the subject'"'"'s face, and the identity confirmation means further comprises:

voice verification means for receiving voiced samples from said subject for comparison with prior recorded samples from said subject to verify the identity of said subject, said voice verification means requiring said voiced samples to emanate from a source closer to said voice verification means than said edge of said face mask in order to verify the identity of said subject.

16. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 13 wherein said validity assurance means further comprises:

source means directing signals toward the face of said subject when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask;

detection means for receiving said signals reflected from said subject'"'"'s face when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask, said face mask being opaque to said signals.

17. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 13 wherein the face mask has an edge that engages the portion of the subject'"'"'s face and said means for assuring further comprises:

source means for directing signals toward the face of said subject when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask;

detecting means for receiving said signals reflected from said subject'"'"'s face when said subject is in the proximity of said face mask, said source means and said detecting means being oriented such that maximum reflection of said signals from said source means off said subject'"'"'s face and to said detection means occurs when the edge of said face mask engages and encloses a portion of said subject'"'"'s face.

18. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 17 wherein said identity confirmation means further comprises voice verification means, including a microphone at least partially housed within the face mask, said microphone oriented with respect to said source means and said detection means such that successful completion of said identity confirmation test requires positioning of the face mask such that maximum reflection of said signal is provided.

19. A breath alcohol testing system particularly suitable for unsupervised blood alcohol testing of a subject comprising:

a face mask having an internal surface, an external surface and an edge therebetween, said internal surface further defining a breath tube to convey a breath sample to means for testing said sample, said edge shaped for at least partially enclosing a portion of the face of a subject during delivery of said breath sample into said breath tube;

breath alcohol sensing means at least partially disposed within said face mask and in communication with said breath tube, said face mask ensuring delivery of a deep breath sample into said breath tube by substantially isolating said subject during said delivery of said breath sample; and

detection means at least partially disposed within said face mask to detect enclosure of a portion of said subject'"'"'s face and to cause said breath test to be failed if said face mask is withdrawn after said detection of facial enclosure but prior to the delivery of said breath sample.

20. The breath alcohol testing system of claim 19 and further comprising:

means responsive to the performance of an identity confirming act performed by said subject to verify the identity of said subject, said performance responsive means at least partially disposed within said face mask; and

said detection means causing said breath test to be failed if said face mask is withdrawn before said subject completes both said delivery and said performance of said identity confirming act.

21. A method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of a subject comprising the steps of:

engaging a portion of the face of the subject with a facemask having an internal surface, an external surface and an edge therebetween, the internal surface defining a breath tube to convey the breath sample to means for testing the sample, the edge of the face mask adapted to isolate and enclose said portion of the face;

monitoring the location of the face of the subject with respect to the mask during engagement; and

delivering into said face mask a breath sample to be analyzed by a breath sensing apparatus while the portion of the face is engaged.

22. The method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of claim 21 wherein the face mask has voice analysis apparatus at least partially disposed therein and further comprising the step of:

speaking voiced samples into said face mask for comparison with prior recorded signals stored in said voice analysis apparatus to provide identity confirmation of the subject.

23. The method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of claim 21 wherein the face mask has voice analysis apparatus at least partially disposed therein and further comprising the steps of:

enrolling said subject by eliciting spoken enrollment samples into said face mask to generate and to record in said voice analysis apparatus a reference voice signal correlated to said elicited spoken enrollment samples;

speaking voiced samples into said face mask for comparison with said prior recorded reference voice signal to enable identity confirmation of said subject.

24. The method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of claim 21 wherein said face is engaged by said face mask edge during both said speaking step and said delivery step and said face remains engaged continuously in time between said speaking and delivering steps.

25. The method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of claim 23 wherein said enrolling and said speaking steps are performed when the face is engaged by said face mask edge.

26. A method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of a breath sample received from a predetermined subject comprising the steps of:

providing a face mask having an edge adapted to engage and enclose a portion of the face of the subject;

generating a reference voice signal from enrollment words spoken by said subject into said mask with the edge engaging a portion of the face;

recording information correlated to said enrollment words;

comparing said correlated recorded information with a subsequent voiced sample delivered within said face mask;

confirming the identity of said subject via said comparing step as a necessary condition to the delivery of a breath sample;

receiving within the face mask a breath sample to be analyzed by a breath sensing apparatus; and

monitoring the position of said face mask with respect to said subject during delivery of said subsequent voiced samples and during said receiving step and continuously in time therebetween, thereby to insure that the said voiced samples and said breath sample emanate from said subject when the face of said subject is engaged and enclosed by said face mask.

27. The method for unsupervised breath alcohol testing of claim 26 wherein said monitoring step further comprises:

transmitting signals toward the subject from a source means and receiving said signals after reflection from the subject at a detection means when the portion of the face is engaged by said face mask, said source means and said detection means both being at least partially disposed within said face mask.