Sobriety monitoring system

• US 9,239,323 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Soberlink Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Keays, Brad
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US14/199,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20140320285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• 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 33/18 Water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1826 organic contamination in water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2200/00 Transmission systems for measured values, control or similar signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

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 at least one of: a blood alcohol level and a narcotics presence. The user identification data includes compressed image data. The signal receiving station is monitored by a supervisor who is able to intervene should the substance level be greater than a predetermined threshold, or should the user identification data no match with a reference user identification data.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a first user to proactively communicate its sobriety to a second user in accordance with a schedule, the method comprising:

providing a portable, cordless, handheld breath testing device operable to receive the first user'"'"'s breath during a self-administered breath test and to determine whether alcohol is present, said breath testing device including;

a pocket-sized 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 the first user;

a user identification device housed within the case;

a wireless transceiver housed within the case;

a memory; and

a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the user identification device, the sensor, and the wireless transceiver;

the controller including;

a first processor and a first non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a first sequence of instructions that, when executed by the first processor, causes the breath testing device to execute the following operations;

capture user identification data with the user identification device during the breath test, the user identification data identifying the first user,

capture the breath alcohol content of the first user with the breath alcohol content sensor during the breath test,

generate data indicating whether the user indemnification data and the breath alcohol content was captured,

attempt to transmit a breath test report comprising;

the user identification data, the breath alcohol content, and the data indicating whether the user identification data and the breath alcohol content were captured in accordance with the schedule directly to the server using the wireless transceiver;

determine whether the attempted transmission was successful; and

store the breath test report within the memory;

providing a web-based server communicatively coupled to the breath testing device and a user-interface, the server including;

a database;

a second processor; and

a second non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a second sequence of instructions that, when executed by the second processor, causes the server to execute the following operations;

generate the schedule based on data inputted by a second user via the user-interface;

in response to the schedule, send an electronic prompt a mobile device to the first user prompting the first user to initiate the breath test with the breath testing device;

receive the user identification data and the breath alcohol content from the handheld breath testing device;

store the breath test report within the database;

generate an electronic message based on the breath test report; and

transmit the electronic message to the second user; and

authorizing the second user to, via the user-interface;

receive the electronic message; and

access one or more of the data comprising the breath test report;

wherein the mobile device of the first user includes one or more of;

the breath testing device and a smart phone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to transmit the breath test report further comprises attempting to retransmit the breath test report after a predetermined amount of time in the event the attempted transmission is unsuccessful.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein storing the breath test report within the memory comprises storing a plurality of unsuccessfully transmitted breath test reports.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the stored breath test reports are stored in a queue for attempted transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to transmit the breath test report further comprises periodically attempting to retransmit the breath test report in the event the attempted transmission is unsuccessful.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the breath test report within the memory comprises storing a plurality of unsuccessfully transmitted breath test reports.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stored breath test reports are stored in a queue for attempted transmission.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the breath testing device further includes a location sensor for sensing the location of the breath testing device, the controller is further configured to cause the breath testing device to generate location data, and the breath test report further comprises the location data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the providing the breath test device further including a visual status indicator for indicating to the first user the status of the breath test.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the user identification data is an image of the first user during the breath test;

and

wherein authorizing the second user to, via the user-interface, access one or more of the data comprising the breath test report, further comprises displaying the image of the first user to the second user in connection with a reference image of the first user retrievably stored in the database.

11. A method for enabling a first user to utilize a portable, cordless, handheld breath testing device communicatively coupled to a web-based server, including a database and a user-interface, to proactively communicate the first user'"'"'s sobriety to a second user in accordance with a breath test schedule, the method comprising:

generating the breath test schedule based on data provided to the web-based server by a second user via the user-interface,

displaying a visual prompt for prompting the first user to initiate a breath test with the breath testing device, the visual prompt displayed by one or more of;

the breath testing device;

a mobile device of the first user;

capturing breath alcohol content during the breath test with a breath alcohol sensor housed within the breath testing device;

capturing user identification data during the breath test with a user identification device housed within the breath testing device, the user identification data identifying the first user;

storing within the database the user identification data, the breath alcohol content, and data indicating whether the user identification data and the breath alcohol content was captured in accordance with the schedule;

generating an electronic message based on the user identification data, the breath alcohol content, and data indicating whether the user identification data and the breath alcohol content was captured in accordance with the schedule; and

transmitting the electronic message to the second user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of displaying the visual prompt further comprises transmitting the visual prompt from the server to the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

generating data indicating whether the user identification data and the breath alcohol content was captured in accordance with the schedule;

attempting to transmit a breath test report comprising;

the user identification data, the breath alcohol content, and the data indicating whether the user identification data and the breath alcohol content were captured in accordance with the schedule to the server, via a wireless transceiver housed within the breath testing device;

determining whether the attempted transmission was successful; and

storing the breath test report within a memory housed within the breath testing device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the schedule includes an on-demand breath test request.