Integration of cellular phone detection and reporting into a prison telephone system

• US 9,887,800 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Garth
• Primary Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/262,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/32 including a particular configuration of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/40 Jamming having variable characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/80 Jamming or countermeasure characterized by its function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/205 Eavesdropping prevention - indication of insecurity of line or network
• 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: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The present subject matter is directed to an apparatus and methodology for monitoring for the occurrence of use of unauthorized telecommunications equipment within a designated area. The present subject matter has particular utility to the corrections environment in that it discloses a methodology for detecting and reporting the unauthorized operation of cellular telephones within a corrections facility. The present technology may be used advantageously in combination with inmate telephone systems to transmit information to appropriate personnel in the form of email messages and/or voice communications by way of telephone local or corrections facility external telephone lines. The present technology also provides for recordation and storage of time, date and location information for detected events.

Claims

1. An inmate telephone system incorporating a cellular telephone detection system for detecting unauthorized cellular telephone usage within predetermined zones within a facility, comprising:

a first cellular telephone transmission detector having a first zone of detection and configured to produce a first detection signal upon detection of a first cellular telephone transmission within the first zone of detection, the first detection signal indicating that the first cellular telephone transmission was detected within the first zone of detection, the first detection signal including information indicative of a location of the first cellular telephone transmission detector and a first detection time;

a second cellular telephone transmission detector having a second zone of detection and configured to produce a second detection signal upon detection of a second cellular telephone transmission within the second zone of detection, the second detection signal indicating that the second cellular telephone transmission was detected within the second zone of detection, the second detection signal including second information indicative of a location of the second cellular telephone transmission detector and a second detection time; and

a cellular telephone detector processor having an interface device coupled to each of the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors, the cellular telephone detector processor configured to;

receive the first and second detection signals;

determine that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of a same detected cellular telephone transmission based on the first detection time, the second detection time, and whether the first zone of detection overlaps the second zone of detection; and

transmit a notification message,

wherein the notification message includes an identification of the detected cellular telephone transmission.

2. The cellular telephone detection system of claim 1, further comprising:

a radio frequency jamming device configured to jam a source of the first or second cellular telephone transmission within the first or second zones of detection in response to the determination that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of the same detected cellular telephone transmission.

3. The cellular telephone detection system of claim 1, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors produce the first and second detection signals, respectively, upon detecting a non-cellular two-way communication.

4. The cellular telephone detection system of claim 1, wherein the range of the first zone of detection is adjustable.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first zone of detection is adjustable by adjusting a signal level comparator.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first zone of detection is adjustable by adjusting antenna sensitivity.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the range of the second zone of detection is adjustable.

8. The cellular telephone detection system of claim 1, the cellular telephone detector processor further configured to determine a location of a cellular telephone by using a triangulation methodology based on relative signals levels associated with the first and second detection signals.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors are positioned such that the first and second zones of detection at least partially overlap.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors are positioned such that the first and second zones of detection do not overlap.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, execution of which by a computing device causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first detection signal from a first cellular telephone transmission detector and a second detection signal from a second cellular telephone transmission detector, the first cellular telephone transmission detector having a first zone of detection and configured to produce a first detection signal upon detection of a first cellular telephone transmission within the first zone of detection, and the second cellular telephone transmission detector having a second zone of detection and configured to produce a second detection signal upon detection of a second cellular telephone transmission within the second zone of detection, the first detection signal including information indicative of a location of the first cellular telephone transmission detector and a first detection time, and the second detection signal including information indicative of a location of the second cellular telephone transmission detector and a second detection time;

determining that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of a same detected cellular telephone transmission based on the first detection time, the second detection time, and whether the first zone of detection overlaps the second zone of detection; and

transmitting a notification message, wherein the notification message includes an identification of the detected cellular telephone transmission.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

transmitting a jamming control signal to a radio frequency jamming device that causes the radio frequency jamming device to jam a source of the first or second cellular telephone transmission within the first or second zones of detection in response to the determination that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of the same detected cellular telephone transmission.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors produce the first and second detection signals, respectively, upon detecting a non-cellular two-way communication.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising determining a location of a cellular telephone using a triangulation methodology based on relative signals levels associated with the first and second detection signals.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the range of the first zone of detection is adjustable.

16. A computer-implemented method for detecting unauthorized cellular telephone usage within predetermined zones within a facility, the method comprising:

providing a first cellular telephone transmission detector having a first zone of detection and configured to produce a first detection signal upon detection of a first cellular telephone transmission within the first zone of detection, the first detection signal indicating that the first cellular telephone transmission was detected within the first zone of detection, the first detection signal including information indicative of a location of the first cellular telephone transmission detector and a first detection time;

providing a second cellular telephone transmission detector having a second zone of detection and configured to produce a second detection signal upon detection of a second cellular telephone transmission within the second zone of detection, the second detection signal indicating that the second cellular telephone transmission was detected within the second zone of detection, the second detection signal including information indicative of a location of the second cellular telephone transmission detector and a second detection time;

receiving the first detection signal from the first cellular telephone transmission detector and the second detection signal from the second cellular telephone transmission detector;

determining that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of a same detected cellular telephone transmission based on the first detection time, the second detection time, and whether the first zone of detection overlaps the second zone of detection; and

transmitting a notification message based on at least one of the first and second detection signals,

wherein the notification message includes an identification of the detected cellular telephone transmission.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting a jamming control signal to a radio frequency jamming device configured to jam a source of the first or second cellular telephone transmission within the first or second zones of detection in response to the determination that the first detection signal and the second detection signal are indicative of the same detected cellular telephone transmission.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors are positioned such that the first and second zones of detection at least partially overlap.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors are positioned such that first and second zones of detection do not overlap.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second cellular telephone transmission detectors produce the first and second detection signals, respectively, upon detecting a non-cellular two-way communication.