Sobriety monitoring system

• US 8,381,573 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Brad Keays
• Inventors: Keays, Brad
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US12/882,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20110079073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 73/233, 422/84
• US Class Current: 73/23.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring sobriety using a hand-held breath testing device that, on receipt of a user'"'"'s breath, generates a breath test signal comprising substance content data and user identification data, and wirelessly transmits the breath test signal to a breath test signal receiving station. The breath test signal includes substance content data and user identification data. The substance content data includes a blood alcohol level and the user identification data includes compressed image data. The signal receiving station is monitored by a supervisor who is able to intervene should the blood alcohol level be greater than a predetermined threshold, or should the user identification data no match with a reference user identification data.

Claims

1. A portable, cordless, hand-held breath alcohol content testing device, comprising:

a portable, cordless hand-held case having an inside, an outside, and one or more walls;

a breath alcohol content sensor housed within the case for sensing a breath alcohol content of a user;

a breath interface component operatively coupled to the breath alcohol content sensor and exposed within the one or more walls of the case;

a digital camera housed within the case with a lens exposed within the one or more walls and positioned to capture an image of the user during a breath test;

a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the digital camera and the sensor, the controller configured to cause the camera to capture the image of the user during the breath test and to electronically receive the breath alcohol content and the image of the user; and

a wireless transceiver housed within the case and electronically coupled to the controller for receiving and wirelessly transmitting the breath alcohol content of the user and electronic image-related data, derived from the image of the user, to a receiving station.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising an internal battery housed within the case for powering the testing device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes circuitry that supports at least one of:

a personal area network, a WiFi network, and a cellular network.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to a server supported website.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the website is a monitored internet website.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the electronic image-related data to a mobile device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the electronic image-related data to a mobile device, and the mobile device transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to a server supported website.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the website is a monitored internet website.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning unit for identifying a user location during a breath test, wherein the transceiver further wirelessly transmits the user location to the receiving station via at least one of:

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user, the image-related data, and the user location to a server supported website.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the website is a monitored internet website.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user, the image-related data, and the user location to a mobile device.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user, the image-related data, and the user location to a mobile device, and the mobile device transmits the breath alcohol content of the user, the image-related data, and the user location to a server supported website.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the website is a monitored internet website.

15. A system for monitoring sobriety, the system comprising:

a server coupled to a public network, the server supporting a website configured to display an image of a user in connection with a breath alcohol content of the user; and

a portable, cordless, hand-held breath alcohol content testing device, comprising;

a portable, cordless hand-held case that has one or more walls;

a breath alcohol content sensor housed within the case for sensing a breath alcohol content of a user;

a breath interface component operatively coupled to the breath alcohol content sensor and exposed to the user within the one or more walls of the case;

a digital camera housed within the case with a lens exposed within the one or more walls and positioned above the breath interface component to capture an image of the user during a breath test;

a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the digital camera and the sensor, the controller configured to cause the camera to capture the image of the user during the breath test and to electronically receive the breath alcohol content and the image of the user; and

a wireless transceiver housed within the case and electronically coupled to the controller for receiving and wirelessly transmitting the breath alcohol content of the user and electronic image-related data, derived from the image of the user, to a receiving station.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the portable, cordless, hand-held breath alcohol content testing device further comprises an internal battery housed within the case for powering the testing device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless transceiver includes circuitry that supports at least one of:

a personal area network, a WiFi network, and a cellular network.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a mobile device having a mobile device transceiver for receiving the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data;

wherein the transceiver further wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to the mobile device via at least one of;

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a mobile device having a mobile device transceiver for receiving and wirelessly transmitting the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data;

wherein the transceiver wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to the mobile device via at least one of;

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network; and

wherein the mobile device transceiver receives and wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to the website via at least one of;

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a vehicle interlock device having an interlock transceiver for receiving the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data;

wherein the transceiver further wirelessly transmits the breath alcohol content of the user and the image-related data to the vehicle interlock device via at least one of;

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network.

21. The system of claim 15,

wherein the breath testing device further comprises a global positioning unit for identifying a user location during a breath test;

and

wherein the transceiver further wirelessly transmits the user location to the website via at least one of;

the personal area network, the WiFi network, and the cellular network.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the website is a monitored internet website.