Sobriety monitoring system

• US 9,417,232 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Keays, Brad, Rothman, Andrew, Hanrahan, Casey, Pursley, Christopher J., Rhodes, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roy, Punam
• Application Number:
  US14/210,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20140311215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0009 Testing for drug or alcohol abuse
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0087 Breath samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/021 Identification, e.g. bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/023 Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0663 Whole sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50 Containers for the purpose of retaining a material to be analysed, e.g. test tubes devices for taking samples of blood A61B5/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• 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: G01N 33/98 involving alcohol, e.g. ethanol in breath

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.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a first user to actively communicate its sobriety to a second user by self-administering a breath test in accordance with a schedule, the system comprising:

a portable, cordless, handheld breath testing device operable to receive the first user'"'"'s breath during the self-administered breath test and determine whether alcohol is present within the first user, the 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 wireless transceiver housed within the case,

a prompting mechanism for prompting the first user to self-administer the breath test in accordance with the schedule,

a GPS module housed within the case for sensing a geographic location of the breath testing device, and

a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the breath alcohol content sensor, the location sensor, the prompting mechanism and the wireless transceiver; and

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

wherein the controller includes 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;

prompt the first user via the prompting mechanism to self-administer the breath test in accordance with the schedule;

determine whether the breath alcohol content of the first user is captured by the breath alcohol content sensor in accordance with the schedule;

capture the geographic location of the breath testing device using the location sensor, and

if the breath alcohol content of the first user is not captured in accordance with the schedule, transmit the geographic location directly to the server using the wireless transceiver; and

wherein the server further includes 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;

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

receive the geographic location of the breath testing device;

receive data indicating whether the breath alcohol content of the first user is captured by the breath alcohol content sensor in accordance with the schedule;

if the breath alcohol content of the first user is not captured in accordance with the schedule, store within the database;

the geographic location of the breath testing device, and data indicating that the breath alcohol content of the first user was not captured in accordance with the schedule;

generate an electronic message based on;

the geographic location of the breath testing device, and the data indicating whether the breath alcohol content of the first user was captured by the breath alcohol content sensor in accordance with the schedule; and

transmit the electronic message to the second user.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the controller is further configured to transmit a breath test report based on the breath alcohol content of the first user;

and

wherein the server is further configured to generate the electronic message based on the breath alcohol content of the first user.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the breath testing device further includes a user identification device housed within the case;

wherein the controller is further configured to capture user identification data with the user identification device in association with the breath test, and transmit the user identification data; and

wherein the server is further configured to receive the user identification data, and to generate the electronic message based on the breath alcohol content of the first user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user identification data is image-related data.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the electronic message includes a visually displayed electronic message.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the server is further configured to store a history of breath test reports.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes a visually displayed electronic message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the prompting mechanism includes a light-emitting diode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the prompting mechanism includes a graphical user interface.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule includes an on-demand breath test request.