Sobriety monitoring system

• US 9,746,456 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US14/963,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20160153963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 73 233
• 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 system for enabling a first user, having a personal mobile device, to proactively communicate its sobriety to a second user in accordance with a schedule via a web-based server, the system comprising:

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, the device comprising;

a case having an inside, an outside, and one or more walls;

a breath alcohol content sensor housed within the case operable to receive a user'"'"'s breath and generate a breath test signal therefrom indicating whether alcohol is present in the user'"'"'s breath;

a digital camera housed within the case and positioned to capture an image of the first user when the first user self-administers a breath test;

a wireless transceiver, memory, and a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the digital camera and the sensor, said 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 an image of the first user with the digital camera during the breath test,

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

generate data indicating whether the digital image and the breath alcohol content was captured,

attempt to transmit to the web-based server using the wireless transceiver breath test data comprising;

the captured image of the first user, the breath alcohol content, and data indicating whether the image and the breath alcohol content were captured in accordance with the schedule;

determine whether the attempted transmission was successful; and

initiate a timer if a message is expected and shut down breath testing device if message is not received within a preset time;

wherein the web-based server includes;

a user interface, 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 the second user via the user-interface;

send an electronic message to the first user'"'"'s mobile device, prompting the first user to initiate the breath test with the breath testing device in accordance with the schedule;

receive the breath test data from the handheld breath testing device;

store the breath test data within the database for access by the second user; and

further wherein the system includes facial recognition software to confirm whether the captured image is a valid image of the first user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

a mass spectroscopy sensor, a fiber optic fluorescent sensor, and a surface acoustic wave sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath test data is encrypted when transmitted.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises:

a location identification unit operable to generate a location data of the breath testing device;

wherein the transceiver is operable to receive the location data and transmit to the web-based server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein transmission of the breath test data requires authentication of the breath testing device by the web-based server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the web-based server at least one of the following states to the first user:

a breath test is required, a breath test was required, and a breath test will be required.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein facial recognition software is located on the web-based server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath test data is also stored in the memory of the breath testing device.