Systems and methods for visitation terminal user identification

• US 8,031,850 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Waters, Brian D., Polozola, Michelle L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US11/562,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20080118045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/167.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186

Abstract

Systems and methods which collect information regarding users of controlled environment visitation terminals for identification of one or more parties to a visitation conversation are shown. Identifying information may be provided by various means, such as entry of a PIN, RFID, biometrics, etcetera. Embodiments provide a closed circuit visitation communication system in which a single port of a communication control system is used with respect to a pair of visitation terminals. Embodiments operate to prevent communication between a resident of a controlled environment facility and a visitor while identifying information is collected and verified. Thereafter, the resident and visitor may be placed in communication, whilst the identifying information may be utilized for such purposes as associating a recording of the conversation with the resident and/or visitor, issuing an alert to appropriate individuals that a conversation by one or more parties of interest is being conducted, collect investigative information, etcetera.

Claims

1. A controlled environment visitation communication system comprising:

one or more visitor terminals and one or more resident terminals, each of the visitor terminals associated with a resident terminal and the associated visitor and resident terminals coupled to a same communication port in the visitation communication system;

a communication circuit adapted to couple said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal for visitation communication;

an isolation circuit disposed in said communication circuit, said isolation circuit controllable to prevent visitation communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal in association with analysis of identification information collected using at least one of said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal; and

a call control system coupled to said communication circuit and operable to analyze said identification information and to control said isolation circuit for allowing said visitation communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication circuit provides communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal without said communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal being placed on a public network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal are disposed locally with respect to each other.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal are disposed on opposite sides of a partition having a viewing portal, said resident terminal being viewable to a user of said associated visitor terminal and said associated visitor terminal being viewable to a user of said resident terminal through said viewing portal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said same communication port comprises a single analog telecommunications port.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system collects said identification information via said same communication port.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system is coupled to said isolation circuit, to provide control signals thereto, via a data port.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said data port comprises a network interface.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said data port is utilized by said call control system for purposes in addition to said providing control signals to said isolation circuit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system comprises:

validation logic to validate said identification information.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system comprises:

call recording circuitry controlled at least in part in response to said analysis of said identification information.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system comprises:

call recording circuitry recording said visitation communication and at least a portion of said identification information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said call control system comprises:

alert transmission circuitry controlled at least in part in response to said analysis of said identification information.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said residential terminal and said associated visitor terminal comprise identification information collection circuitry.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said identification information collection circuitry comprises a user interface keypad.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said identification information collection circuitry comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a radio frequency identification bracelet having a first radio frequency identification tag disposed therein, said first radio frequency identification tag providing said identification information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said radio frequency identification bracelet has a second radio frequency identification tag disposed therein, said radio frequency identification bracelet configured to render said first radio frequency identification tag inoperable when said radio frequency identification bracelet is removed from a wearer and said second radio frequency identification tag remaining operable after removal of said radio frequency identification bracelet from said wearer.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a radio frequency identification badge having a radio frequency identification tag disposed therein, said radio frequency identification tag providing said identification information.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said identification information collection circuitry transmits said identification information over a same link as said visitation communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein said identification information collection circuitry transmits said identification information over a different link as said visitation communication between said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal comprise telephone terminals.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein said resident terminal and said associated visitor terminal comprise multi-media terminals.

41. The system of claim 1, wherein said paired visitor terminal is disposed remotely from said resident terminal.

42. The system of claim 1, wherein said resident terminal and said paired visitor terminal provide video visitation between residents and visitors.

24. A method for providing controlled environment facility visitation communications, said method comprising:

providing a visitation communication system in the controlled environment facility, the visitation communication system comprising one or more visitation user terminals and one or more resident user terminals, each of the visitation user terminals paired with an associated resident user terminal and both paired user terminals coupled to a same port in the visitation communication system;

isolating a visitation user terminal from an associated resident user terminal to prevent visitation communications therebetween, wherein isolating the visitation user terminal comprises controlling a switch to interrupt a communication link of an isolated one of the visitation terminal and the associated resident user terminal, the communication link disposed between the port of the communication host system and the isolated one of the visitation terminal and the associated resident user terminal;

collecting user identification information from at least one of a visitor using said visitation user terminal and a resident using said associated resident user terminal;

validating said user identification information; and

allowing visitation communications between said visitation user terminal and said associated resident user terminal in response to said validating.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said visitation user terminal and said associated resident terminal are coupled to the same communication port in parallel.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said user identification information comprises a personal identification number.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said user identification information comprises information obtained from a radio frequency identification tag.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of said visitation communication in association with at least a portion of said identification information to uniquely identify said at least one of said visitor and said resident with said visitation communication.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

alerting a third party to said visitation communication based at least in part on said user identification information.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein said collecting user identification information from at least one of said visitor and said resident comprises collecting user identification information from both said visitor and said resident.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said allowing visitation communications is in response to validating user information from one of said visitor and said resident.

43. The method of claim 24, wherein said visitation user terminal is disposed remotely from said resident user terminal.

44. The method of claim 24, wherein said visitation user terminal and paired resident user terminal provide video visitation between residents and visitors.

32. A method for providing control of detention facility visitation communications, said method comprising:

preventing visitation communication between a visitation communication device and an inmate communication device, said visitation communication device and said inmate communication device being disposed within said detention facility and coupled to a same analog port of a detention facility call processing system, wherein preventing visitation communication comprises controlling a switch to disable a communication link between the visitation communication device and the call processing system, wherein the switch comprises a plurality of switches to provide control with respect to a plurality of visitation communication devices;

collecting inmate identification information, said inmate being a user of said inmate communication device;

processing said inmate identification information; and

allowing visitation communication between said visitation communication device and said inmate communication device if a result of said processing indicates said inmate qualifies for visitation.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said controlling said switch comprises:

transmitting a control signal from a port of said call control system different than said analog port.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said port of said call control system comprises a network interface.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said collecting information from said inmate comprises:

prompting said inmate for a personal identification number.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein said collecting information from said inmate comprises:

reading an radio frequency identification tag associated with said inmate.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

collecting visitor identification information, said visitor being a user of said visitation communication device; and

processing said visitor identification information.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said allowing said visitation communication allows said visitation communication if a result of said processing indicates said inmate and said visitor qualify for visitation.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said allowing said visitation communication allows said visitation communication to commence prior to said processing said visitor identification information.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of said visitation communication in association with at least a portion of said identification information to uniquely identify said at least one of said visitor and said resident with said visitation communication.

45. The method of claim 32, wherein said visitation communication device is disposed remotely from said inmate communication device.

46. The method of claim 32, wherein said visitation phone and inmate communication device provide video visitation between residents and visitors.