Systems and methods for management and dissemination of information from a controlled environment facility

• US 7,519,169 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Evercom Systems Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Hingoranee, Rajesh R., Hoffman, Randy, Keiser, Luke, Hite, Marc, Falcone, Richard, Johnson, Lee R., Davis, Michelle L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu; Binh K
• Application Number:
  US10/952,327
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.1, 379/114.13, 379/114.2, 379/114.21, 379/114.22, 379/114.23, 379/144.01, 379/144.02, 379/210.02, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 379/114.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Systems and methods for the dissemination of information from a controlled environment facility employ facility information management functionality managing resident information and facility information, and call manager functionality selectively providing at least a portion of the resident information and/or the facility information to an outside party in an automated manner. The invention may employ outgoing IVR functionality to provide select portions of the resident information in response to the call manager recognizing that a call is a first call by a resident, or a first call to a particular telephone number by a resident. The invention may manage information related to providers of services or goods for residents of a facility, provide an outside party this information, and notify a selected provider of selection of that provider by the outside party to provide goods or services for a resident.

Claims

1. A method for dissemination of information related to a resident of a controlled access environment facility comprising:

establishing a database of providers that provide at least one of goods and services to residents of said controlled access environment facility;

processing a telephone call from said resident of said controlled access environment facility to an outside party;

providing said outside party an automated message that provides a telephone number for accessing information related to said resident;

receiving a call from said outside party to the provided telephone number;

recognizing an automatic number identification associated with said outside party;

matching the recognized automatic number identification with an automatic number identification associated with the processed telephone call from said resident to said outside party;

identifying a controlled environment facility from which said resident placed said processed call to said outside party;

providing said outside party with a list of categories of said providers;

accepting a selection of one of said categories from said outside party;

playing a list of one or more providers in the selected category; and

accepting a selection by said outside party of a provider from the played list.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying said telephone call as a first call by said resident.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying said telephone call as a first call to a billing telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying said telephone call as a first call by said resident to a billing telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing is carried out before connection of said telephone call is completed.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

notifying the selected provider of said selection; and

providing information about said resident to said selected provider.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said information provided to said provider comprises at least one of an identity of said resident, a reason for said resident to be a resident of said controlled environment facility, booking information for said resident, time spent by said resident at said controlled environment facility, appointments for said resident, and identity of family members of said resident.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said notifying comprises notifying the provider in a predetermined manner.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said predetermined manner is at least one of, telephone, wireless phone, email, and voice mail.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said providers listed in the played list are local to a geographic area of the identified facility.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein said providers listed in the played list are authorized to provide at least one of said goods and services to residents of the identified facility.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein said controlled environment facility is a detention facility and said categories comprise professionals who provide services to arrestees.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said controlled environment facility is a detention facility and said categories comprise at least one of bail bondsmen, attorneys and probation officers.

14. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

collecting a fee to include a provider in at least one of said lists.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to include additional information, about said provider, in said at least one of said lists.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to include additional information, from said provider, in said at least one of said lists.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to present a provider at a beginning of said at least one of said lists.

18. A method for dissemination of information related to a resident of a controlled access environment facility comprising:

establishing a database of information about residents of said controlled access environment facility;

processing a telephone call from an outside party to said controlled access environment facility;

providing said outside party a telephone number for gathering information about at least one provider of at least one of goods and services to residents of said controlled access environment facility;

receiving a call from said outside party to the provided telephone number;

recognizing an automatic number identification associated with said outside party;

matching the recognized automatic number identification with an automatic number identification associated with the processed telephone call from said outside party to said controlled environment facility;

identifying said controlled environment facility as a result of said matching;

providing said outside party with a list of said providers;

accepting a selection by said outside party of one of said providers; and

providing information about said resident to said selected provider.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

providing said outside party categories of lists of providers providing at least one of goods and services to residents of the identified facility;

accepting a selection of one of said categories from said outside party; and

notifying the selected provider of said selection.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said information provided to said provider comprises at least one of an identity of said resident, a reason for said resident to be a resident of said controlled environment facility, booking information for said resident, time spent by said resident at said controlled environment facility, appointments for said resident, and identity of family members of said resident.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said notifying comprises notifying the provider in a predetermined manner.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said predetermined manner is at least one of, telephone, wireless phone, email, and voice mail.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein said providers listed in the played list are local to a geographic area of the identified facility.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein said providers listed in the played list are authorized to provide at least one of said goods and services to residents of the identified facility.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein said controlled environment facility is a detention facility and said categories comprise professionals who provide services to arrestees.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein said controlled environment facility is a detention facility and said categories comprise bail bondsmen, attorneys and probation officers.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

collecting a fee to include a provider in at least one of said lists.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to include additional information, about said provider, in said at least one of said lists.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to include additional information, from said provider, in said at least one of said lists.

30. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

collecting an additional fee to present a provider at a beginning of said at least one of said lists.

31. A system for dissemination of information from a controlled access environment facility comprising:

controlled environment facility information management functionality managing resident information and facility information;

controlled environment facility call manager functionality selectively providing at least one of at least a portion of said resident information and at least a portion of said facility information to an outside party in an automated manner, said call manager functionality providing said outside party a telephone number that said outside party can call to obtain additional resident or facility information;

means for receiving a call from said outside party to the provided telephone number;

means for identifying a controlled environment facility from which said resident placed said processed call to said outside party;

means for providing said outside party categories of providers providing at least one of goods and services to residents of the identified facility;

means for accepting a selection of one of said categories from said outside party;

means for playing a list of one or more providers in the selected category; and

means for accepting a selection by said outside party of a provider from the played list.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality identifies when a resident uses a resident telephone system for a first time.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality identifies when a first telephone call is made to a billing telephone number.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality includes outgoing interactive voice response functionality that provides select portions of said resident information in response to said call manager recognizing that a call is a first call by a resident.

35. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality includes outgoing interactive voice response functionality that provides select portions of said resident information in response to said call manager recognizing that a call is a first call to a particular billing telephone number by a resident.

36. The system of claim 31 wherein said select portions of said resident information includes at least one of identity or the resident and reason for the resident being in a facility.

37. The system of claim 31 wherein said selectively providing at least one of at least a portion of said resident information and at least a portion of said facility information to said outside party comprises providing said outside party directions to a website.

38. The system of claim 31 wherein said telephone number is a 900 service telephone number.

39. The system of claim 31 wherein said controlled environment facility information management functionality further manages information related to providers of services and goods.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein said facility is a detention facility and said providers comprise at least one of bail bondsmen, attorneys and probation officers.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein said call manager functionality includes an interactive voice response unit selectively routing said calling party to personnel who have at least one of desired resident information and desired facility information.

42. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

means for recognizing an automatic number identification associated with said outside party;

means for matching the recognized automatic number identification with an automatic number identification associated with a processed telephone call from said resident to said outside party;

means for notifying the selected provider of said selection; and

means for providing information about said resident to said provider.

43. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality includes an interactive voice response unit selectively providing at least a portion of said resident information and selectively providing at least a portion of said facility information to a calling party.

44. The system of claim 31 wherein said call manager functionality includes interactive voice response unit functionality that enables a calling party to carry out at least one of a set of actions consisting of

pre-arranging visitation with said resident;

making deposits in a commissary account of said resident;

ordering prepaid calling cards for said resident;

refilling prepaid calling cards for said resident;

providing credit card information for use in funding a commissary account of said resident; and

managing debit or other accounts of said resident.

45. The system of claim 31 further comprising interactive voice response functionality linked to said controlled environment facility information management functionality to track a resident'"'"'s activities and use of facility services.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein said interactive voice response functionality and said facility information management functionality enable a calling party to set up appointments with said resident.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein said facility information management functionality determines said resident'"'"'s eligibility to take part in said appointment.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein said facility information management functionality determines said resident'"'"'s availability to take part in said appointment.

49. The system of claim 31 wherein said resident information comprises at least one of identity of said resident, a reason for said resident to be a resident of said controlled environment facility, booking information for said resident, time spent by said resident at said controlled environment facility, appointments for said resident, and identity of family members of said resident.

50. The system of claim 31 wherein said facility information comprise at least one of facility visitation hours, facility location, and facility administrative information.