Call management for secure facilities

• US 9,232,051 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelmate LLC
• Original Assignee: Intelmate LLC
• Inventors: Torgersrud, Richard, Ditto, Christopher, Collins, Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US14/580,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/88.02, 379/142.05
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

A method for controlling a call in a first controlled facility includes connecting an inmate in the first controlled facility to the call when each party of the call is verified, testing incoming audio on the call to detect a controlled facility tone from a second controlled facility, and transmitting a notification of a violation by the inmate when the controlled facility tone is detected in the incoming audio.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a call in a first controlled facility, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one network interface;

a memory;

a software application, physically stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to;

connect an inmate in the first controlled facility to the call when each party of the call is verified;

test incoming audio on the call to detect a first controlled facility tone from a second controlled facility;

test incoming audio on the call to detect a second controlled facility tone from the first controlled facility;

transmit a notification of a first violation by the inmate when the first controlled facility tone is detected in the incoming audio;

wherein the first controlled facility tone is a first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones;

wherein the second controlled facility tone is a second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones; and

wherein both the first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones and the second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones are detectable, when both are present on the incoming audio, via bi-modal telephony band pass edge filtering of the incoming audio.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

generate a call fingerprint from audio in the call;

compare the call fingerprint with a plurality of call fingerprints from a plurality of controlled facilities; and

transmit a notification of a second violation when the call fingerprint matches at least one of the plurality of call fingerprints.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

verify each party to the call by;

obtaining an owner of a telephone number of each party to the call; and

verifying that the inmate is authorized to communicate with the owner,

wherein connection of the telephone number to the call is denied when the inmate is not authorized to communicate with the owner.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

for each party of the call,

obtain, during the call, a voiceprint of the party; and

verify that the inmate is authorized to communicate with the party having the voiceprint,

wherein connection of the party to the call is suspended when the inmate is not authorized to communicate with the party based on the voiceprint.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the voiceprint is obtained and is used to verify that the inmate is authorized periodically for each party of the call throughout the call.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

analyze a discussion performed over the call to determine a subject matter of the discussion;

determine, based on the subject matter, whether a second violation is occurring;

transmit a notification of the second violation when a second violation is occurring.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

analyze a discussion performed over the call to determine a subject matter of the discussion;

determine, based on the subject matter, whether a crime is being discussed;

transmit a transcript of the call to an investigator when a crime is being discussed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software application, physically stored in the memory, further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one processor and the apparatus to:

obtain connection parameters from the call;

perform data mining on connection parameters to determine whether the call violates a rule; and

transmit a notification of the a violation when the call violates a rule.

9. A system for controlling a call in a first controlled facility, comprising:

a computer processor; and

a network application executing on the computer processor and comprising;

a connection module configured to connect an inmate in the first controlled facility to the call when each party of the call is verified; and

a call analysis module configured to;

test first controlled facility incoming audio on the call to detect a first controlled facility tone from a second controlled facility,

test second controlled facility incoming audio on the call to detect a second controlled facility tone from the first controlled facility, and

transmit a notification of a first violation by the inmate when the first controlled facility tone is detected in the incoming audio;

wherein the first controlled facility tone is a first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones;

wherein the second controlled facility tone is a second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones; and

wherein both the first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones and the second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones are detectable, when both are present on the incoming audio, via bi-modal telephony band pass edge filtering of the incoming audio.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the call analysis module is further configured to:

generate a call fingerprint from audio in the call;

compare the call fingerprint with a plurality of call fingerprints from a plurality of controlled facilities; and

transmit a notification of a second violation when the call fingerprint matches at least one of the plurality of call fingerprints tone.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the network application further comprises:

a party verification module configured to;

verify each party to the call by;

obtaining an owner of a telephone number of each party to the call; and

verifying that the inmate is authorized to communicate with the owner,

wherein connection of the telephone number to the call is denied when the inmate is not authorized to communicate with the owner.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a datacenter server storing a party voiceprint data relating a party to a voiceprint,

wherein the call analysis module is further configured to;

for each party of the call,

obtain, during the call, the voiceprint of the party; and

verify that the inmate is authorized to communicate with the party having the voiceprint using the party voiceprint data,

wherein connection of the party to the call is suspended when the inmate is not authorized to communicate with the party based on the voiceprint.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a user interface configured to display inmate attributes of the inmate.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a data center configured to store audit data and a saved communication captured from the call.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a call in a first controlled facility, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code for:

connecting an inmate in the first controlled facility to the call when each party of the call is verified;

testing first controlled facility incoming audio on the call to detect a first controlled facility tone from a second controlled facility;

testing second controlled facility incoming audio on the call to detect a second controlled facility tone from the first controlled facility;

transmitting a notification of a first violation by the inmate when the first controlled facility tone is detected in the incoming audio;

wherein the first controlled facility tone is a first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones;

wherein the second controlled facility tone is a second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones; and

wherein both the first pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones and the second pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones are detectable, when both are present on the incoming audio, via bi-modal telephony band pass edge filtering of the incoming audio.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising computer readable program code for:

for each party of the call,

obtaining, during the call, a voiceprint of the party; and

verifying that the inmate is authorized to communicate with the party having the voiceprint,

wherein connection of the party to the call is suspended when the inmate is not authorized to communicate with the party based on the voiceprint.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a multiparty call in a detention center, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code for:

receiving a request to connect an inmate in the detention center to a plurality of parties in the multiparty call;

verifying that each party of the plurality of parties is authorized to speak with the inmate;

verifying that each party of the plurality of parties accepts the multiparty call before being connected to the inmate; and

connecting each party that is authorized and that accepts to the multiparty call;

wherein incoming audio from the multiparty call includes a first detention center pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones;

wherein incoming audio from a party of the plurality of parties includes a second detention center pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones; and

wherein both the first detention center pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones and the second detention center pre-defined pattern continuous, scarcely audible set of tones are detectable, when both are present on the incoming audio, via bi-modal telephony band pass edge filtering of the incoming audio.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of parties are selected by the inmate.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, where the plurality of parties are selected by a party of the plurality of parties.