Voice message exchange

• US 9,871,915 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Value-Added Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Value-Added Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen, Woody, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US14/946,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20160142537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/04 Recording calls , or communications in printed, perforated or other permanent form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• 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 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

Disclosed is a voice message exchange system and method for improving communication between an inmate and a third party by enabling the inmate to leave a message when a call is not answered and further allowing the third party who receives the message to reply with a message to the inmate. Additionally, outside parties that meet the institution'"'"'s requirements can leave messages for inmates at any time. The present invention can be used as an add-on to legacy inmate call management systems or incorporated internally into an inmate call management system. The system also provides monitoring, controlling, recording, and billing means.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing message communication between an inmate of a secured premises and an outside party, the method comprising:

receiving a telephone call from the outside party;

authenticating the outside party during the telephone call;

recording, after the outside party has been authenticated, an incoming audio message of the outside party designated for the inmate;

notifying the inmate of the recorded incoming audio message, the notifying of the inmate including;

retrieving, from a database, a device address of an electronic personal inmate device assigned to the inmate;

generating an electronic notification; and

electronically transmitting the electronic notification to the device address;

authenticating the inmate;

providing access to a personal account by the authenticated inmate;

playing back the recorded incoming audio message for the authenticated inmate;

recording an outgoing audio message by the authenticated inmate designated for the outside party;

notifying the outside party of the recorded outgoing audio message, the notifying of the outside party including;

placing a call to the outside party; and

prompting the outside party to accept or reject the recorded outgoing audio message; and

upon the outside party rejecting the recorded outgoing audio message;

prompting the outside party whether to block calls from the inmate;

terminating the call with the outside party;

deleting the recorded outgoing audio message; and

notifying the inmate of the rejection and whether the outside party has requested that calls from the inmate be blocked.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notifying of the inmate includes printing a physical notification for hand delivery to the inmate.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic personal inmate device is configured for wireless communication, and

wherein the electronic notification is wirelessly transmitted to the electronic personal inmate device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, upon the outside party accepting the recorded outgoing audio message:

playing back the recorded outgoing audio message.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

deter wining whether the outside party has an account;

upon a determination that the outside party has the account, accessing the account of the outside party; and

upon a determination that the outside party does not have the account;

issuing a series of prompts to the outside party;

creating the account based on responses to the series of prompts; and

accessing the created account of the outside party.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising performing a content review of the recorded incoming audio message.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the content review includes an automated content check performed by a hardware processor and a manual content check performed by an administrator after the recorded incoming audio message fails the automated content check.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising converting the recorded incoming audio message to text,

wherein the notifying of the inmate of the recorded incoming audio message includes forwarding the text-converted message to the inmate.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the forwarding includes wirelessly transmitting the text-converted message to a wireless-enabled device associated with the inmate.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising performing a text search of the recorded incoming audio message.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising converting the recorded incoming audio message to text, wherein the text search is performed on the text-converted message.

12. A system for providing message communication between an inmate of a secured premises and an outside party, the system comprising:

a site platform configured to;

receive a telephone call from the outside party;

authenticate the outside party during the telephone call;

record, after the outside party has been authenticated, an incoming audio message of the outside party designated for the inmate;

notify the inmate of the recorded incoming audio message, the notifying of the inmate including;

retrieving, from a database, a device address of an electronic personal inmate device assigned to the inmate;

generating an electronic notification; and

electronically transmitting the electronic notification to the device address, authenticate the inmate;

provide access to a personal account by the authenticated inmate; and

play back the recorded incoming audio message for the authenticated inmate.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the site platform is configured to perform the notifying of the inmate by printing a physical notification for delivery to the inmate.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the electronic personal inmate device is configured for wireless communication, and

wherein the site platform is configured to wirelessly transmit the notification to the electronic personal inmate device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the site platform is further configured to:

record an outgoing audio message by the authenticated inmate designated for the outside party;

notify the outside party of the recorded outgoing audio message by;

placing a call to the outside party; and

prompting the outside party to accept or reject the recorded outgoing audio message; and

upon the outside party rejecting the recorded outgoing audio message;

prompt the outside party whether to block calls from the inmate;

terminate the call with the outside party;

delete the recorded outgoing audio message; and

notify the inmate of the rejection and whether the outside party has requested that calls from the inmate be blocked.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the site platform is further configured to:

upon the outside party accepting the recorded outgoing audio message, play back the recorded outgoing audio message.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the site platform is further configured to:

determine whether the outside party has an account;

upon a determination that the outside party has the account, access the account of the outside party; and

upon a determination that the outside party does not have the account;

issue a series of prompts to the outside party;

create the account based on responses to the series of prompts; and

access the created account of the outside party.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the site platform is further configured to:

in response to playing back the recorded outgoing audio message, prompting the outside party with an option to leave a response message; and

recording the response message from the outside party.