Video visitation for the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired

• US 9,936,161 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Noland, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US15/281,549
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357, 379 37- 52, 37920101, 37926501-2661, 704270-278, 709201-207, 709217-248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Providing video visitation with cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individuals may call for limiting functionality of a personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, such as by an operating system of the personal device. The personal device may play audio and video, accept video communications in response to touching of a screen of the personal device, and establish a video communication in response to such touching of the screen. Providing the video visitation may also include receiving a request to initiate a video communication over the personal device with a cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual, such as may be requested via a visitor communication and/or media device. Whereupon, an audible message may be played by the personal device, indicating the request, and the video communication between the personal device and the visitor device may be established in response to touching of the screen of the personal device.

Claims

1. A video visitation system for a cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual comprising:

a personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device configured to;

limit functionality of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to;

play of audible messages and/or video;

acceptance of video communications by a touch to a screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

establishment of video communications in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

accept a request, via a visitor communication and/or media device, to initiate a video communication with a cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

play an audible message indicating the request on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device of the individual;

establish a video communication between the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device and the visitor communication and/or media device in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

enable a professional caregiver to initiate a push notification to a primary responsible caregiver party to open a visitor video visitation application program or access a visitor video visitation website to make the request to initiate the video communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual is a resident of a controlled-environment facility.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controlled-environment facility is a skilled nursing and/or rehabilitation facility.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device is a wall-mounted tablet computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the audible message is instructions to the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual to touch the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to accept the video communication.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the audible message is provided by the visitor, via the visitor communication and/or media device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device is further configured to display images from an album associated with the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual on the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, when the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device is not in use for video communications or acceptance of video communications.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein images for the album are provided via the visitor communication and/or media device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal communication and/or media device is further configured to present a text message on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device screen indicating the request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the text message identifies the visitor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device is further configured to present an image or video of the visitor on the screen concurrent with playing the audible message indicating the request.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device is configured to accept a combination of taps on the screen and/or a combination of one or more button presses on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to initiate the push notification.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual is a resident of a controlled-environment facility and the system further comprises:

a controlled-environment facility communications processing system configured to;

accept the request to initiate the video communication;

direct the audible message indicating the request to the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

establish the video communication between the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device and the visitor communication and/or media device in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device.

14. A method for video visitation with cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individuals comprising:

limiting, by an operating system of a personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, functionality of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to;

playing audio and video on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

accepting video communications by touching a screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

establishing a video communication in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

receiving, via a visitor communication and/or media device, a request to initiate a video communication with a cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

playing an audible message by the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, indicating the request;

establishing a video communication between the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device and the visitor communication and/or media device in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

displaying images from an album associated with the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual on the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, when not in use for video communications or acceptance of video communications.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual is a resident of a controlled-environment facility.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlled-environment facility is a skilled nursing and/or rehabilitation facility.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the audible message is an instruction to the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual to touch the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to accept the video communication.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the audible message is provided by the visitor, via the visitor communication and/or media device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the album is provided via the visitor communication and/or media device.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising presenting a text message on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device indicating the request.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the text message identifies the visitor.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising presenting an image or video of the visitor on the screen concurrent with playing the audible message indicating the request.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling a professional caregiver to initiate pushing a notification to a primary responsible caregiver party to open a visitor video visitation application program or access a visitor video visitation website to make the request to initiate the video communication.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein enabling a professional caregiver to initiate pushing the notification to a primary responsible caregiver party comprises enabling the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to accept tapping of a combination on a screen and/or one or more buttons of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to initiate pushing the notification.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual is a resident of a controlled-environment facility, and a controlled-environment facility communications processing system accepts the request to initiate the video communication, directs the audible message indicating the request to the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, and establishes the video communication in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device.

26. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, cause the device to:

limit functionality of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to;

play audio and video messages;

accept video communications by touching a screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

establish a video communication in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device;

receive a request to initiate a video communication with a cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device from a visitor communication and/or media device;

play an audible message by the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device, indicating the request;

establish a video communication between the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device and the visitor communication and/or media device in response to touching of the screen of the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device; and

enable a professional caregiver to initiate a push notification to a primary responsible caregiver party to open a visitor video visitation application program or access a visitor video visitation website to make the request to initiate the video communication.

27. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the program instructions further cause the device to accept a combination of taps on the screen and/or a combination of one or more button presses on the personal cognitive and/or dexterity impaired individual communication and/or media device to initiate the push notification.