Systems and methods for transaction and information management

• US 8,065,213 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Falcone, Richard, Rosenfield, Stuart, Johnson, Lee R., Viola, John J
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire; Lindsay M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fu; Hao
• Application Number:
  US12/646,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/39, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/256 comprising a service specific user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/654 Pre, in or post-call message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/18 Automated outdialling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/20 with means for interrupting existing connections; with means for breaking-in on conversations
• 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

Abstract

Systems or methods for managing transactions within a controlled environment facility provide an information management engine integrating transaction functionality and telephone calling functionality, establish an account associated with a resident of the controlled environment facility, and use the information management engine to conduct transactions associated with residents of the controlled environment facility. The transactions include at least requests, by the resident, for deposits into the account by a party outside of the controlled environment facility. The systems or methods accept requests from the resident and utilize the telephone calling services of the information management engine to facilitate the request for deposit. The systems or methods may place calls to the individuals outside the controlled environment facility to interact with the individual, request the deposit and accept such deposits.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a correctional facility automated transaction processing system providing for deposit of funds by an individual outside of said correctional facility at the behest of a resident of said correctional facility, wherein said automated transaction processing system further comprises;

an information management system integrated with said correctional facility automated transaction processing system, configured to provide a communication interface for use with said correctional facility automated transaction processing system by said resident and said individual outside of said correctional facility, wherein said communication interface is configured to initiate communications with said individual located outside the correctional facility and to prompt said individual located outside the correctional facility to deposit funds into a commissary account for use by said resident of the correctional facility, wherein the communication interface communicates with said outside individual to acquire the deposit without directly connecting said resident of the correctional facility and said outside individual; and

an computer interface configured to accept said deposit of funds from an individual outside of said correctional facility, wherein,

if the outside individual wishes to deposit the funds, the computer interface accepts an indication as to a deposit type, and credits at least a portion of the deposit to a resident account; and

if the outside individual does not wish to deposit funds into the resident account, the computer interface provides instructions to the outside individual for later depositing funds into the resident account.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an intelligence management system integrated with said correctional facility automated transaction processing system and configured to collect data regarding said deposit requested by said resident.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an intelligence management system integrated with said correctional facility automated transaction processing system and configured to collect data regarding said individual outside of said controlled environment facility requested by said resident to deposit funds.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an intelligence management system integrated with said correctional facility automated transaction processing system and configured to collect data regarding said individual outside of said controlled environment facility making deposits in an account of a resident.

5. A method for managing transactions within a correctional facility, comprising:

providing an information management engine comprises a computer processor integrating transaction functionality and communication functionality between a resident of the correctional facility and an individual outside of the correctional facility;

establishing a commissary account associated with a resident of the correctional facility;

using the information management engine to conduct transactions associated with the resident of the correctional facility, the transactions including at least a request by the resident for a deposit into the commissary account by a party outside of the correctional facility using a communication unit to initiate communication to the outside party and to interface with the outside party to request or acquire a deposit, wherein the communication unit is configured to initiate communications with the party outside of the correctional facility and to prompt the party outside of the correctional facility to deposit funds into the commissary accounts of the resident, and wherein the communication unit interface with the outside parties to acquire the deposit without directly connecting the resident of the correctional facility and the outside party;

if the outside party wishes to make the deposit, accepting, by the communication unit, an indication as to whether the party wishes to make the deposit to the account;

receiving the deposit;

crediting at least a portion of the deposit to the account; and

if the outside party does not wish to deposit funds into the account, providing instructions to the outside party for later depositing funds into the account.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving the deposit, using a technique selected from the group consisting of;

check by phone, credit card by phone, and electronic fund transfer.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

using biometric user identification technology or other unique identifier to verify the resident.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the biometric user identification technology is selected from the group consisting of:

voice print technology;

finger print technology;

iris print technology; and

retinal print technology.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the communications are telephone calls placed contemporaneously with the resident requesting the deposit.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the communications are telephone calls placed after said resident requests said deposit.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

utilizing the information management engine to acquire the deposit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein utilizing the information management engine comprises:

using an interactive voice response to interface with users of the information management engine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the interactive voice response includes voice command recognition.

14. A secure information management system for conducting transactions associated with a resident of a correctional facility, comprising:

a plurality of access points adapted to securely communicate with user terminal equipment, a first set of the access points coupled directly to secure user terminals located within the correctional facility and a second set of the access points coupled indirectly to user terminals located outside the correctional facility;

an automatic transaction processing system for performing commerce transactions, the commerce transactions comprising providing goods and services, determining credit worthiness, verifying account status, and managing payments and deposits;

a communication unit coupled to the automatic transaction processing system for performing commerce transactions, the communications unit coupled to the user terminals located within the correctional facility and to the user terminals located outside the correctional facility, the communication unit adapted to initiate calls to parties located outside the correctional facility and to prompt the parties located outside the correctional facility to deposit funds into commissary accounts for use by inmates of the correctional facility, wherein the communication unit interface with the outside parties to acquire the deposit without directly connecting the inmates and the outside parties;

if the outside parties wish to make the deposit, the communication unit accepts an indication as to whether the parties wish to make said deposit to an account;

the automatic transaction processing system for performing commerce transactions receives the deposits, and credits at least a portion of the deposits to the account; and

if said outside individuals do not wish to deposit funds into said accounts, the communication unit provides instructions to said outside individuals for later depositing funds the accounts.

15. The secure information management system of claim 14, further comprising:

a secure call application management system operating under control of the automatic transaction processing system for performing secure commerce transactions to provide call connections between the parties located outside of the correctional facility and the inmates which can be accessed and monitored by investigators.

16. The secure information management system of claim 14, wherein the automated transaction processing system for performing commerce transactions receives the deposits using a technique selected from the group consisting of:

check by phone, credit card by phone, and electronic fund transfer.

17. The secure information management system of claim 14, further comprising:

a secure information management engine for collecting and storing information for managing personnel, residents, vendors and resources associated with the correctional facility.

18. The information management system of claim 17, wherein the information management engine for collecting and storing information and the automatic transaction processing system for performing commerce transactions are the same device.