Controlled environment media and communication system

• US 9,973,810 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZENATI, AMAL S
• Application Number:
  US15/344,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 348141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

The Controlled Environment Media And Communication System delivers communications services to residents of controlled facilities using a common network architecture. Some of the communications capabilities of the Controlled Environment Media And Communication System include media distribution, video visitation, intra-facility messaging, and other such communications services.

Claims

1. A media and communication system comprising:

a media access device located within a controlled environment;

an internal network of the controlled environment partitioned into a plurality of network segments, wherein each of the plurality of network segments is physically separate from one another, and each of the plurality of physically separate network segments provides a corresponding access level in a security hierarchy of the internal network, the security hierarchy including a first security access level, a second security access level, and a third security access level, wherein the internal network is configured to make access unavailable to each of the second security access level and the third security access level in response to a prospective access request from a physical location associated with the first security access level;

a media distribution server coupled to the internal network and configured to receive media from a media source and to distribute the received media to the media access device by way of one of the first security access level, the second security access level, or the third security access level of the internal network based on a physical access location of the media access device;

an authentication system coupled to the internal network and configured to authenticate a prospective user requesting access via one of the plurality of physically separate network segments supporting access for the prospective user;

a video visitation server coupled to the internal network via the second security access level and configured to conduct a video visitation session between a first user at the media access device and a second user at a video visitation endpoint; and

an administrative workstation coupled to the internal network via the third security access level and configured to manage the media received by the media distribution server, the video visitation session conducted by the video visitation server, and access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device, the administrative workstation further configured to control the media access device to provide instructions from an administrator to the first user via a speaker of the media access device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlled environment is a prison and the first user is an inmate.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the administrative workstation is configured to manage access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device based on a living location of the inmate within the prison.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the administrative workstation is configured to manage access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device based on individual characteristics of the inmate.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the individual characteristics of the inmate include one or more offenses committed by the inmate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the media source is a video-on-demand media source, and the received distributed media is video-on-demand media.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the media source is a broadcast media source, and the received distributed media is broadcast media.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the internal network is configured to support multicast routing, and the media distribution server is further configured to utilize multicast routing to route the broadcast media to the media access device.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video visitation database coupled to the video visitation server, wherein the video visitation server is further configured to store the video visitation session in the video visitation database.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the video visitation server, wherein the display is configured to provide real-time monitoring of the video visitation session to an investigator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrative workstation is further configured to selectively enable provisioning of the media distribution server among the plurality of network segments.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intra-facility communications server with access to the internal network, the intra-facility communications server configured to route intra-facility communications on the internal network to and from the media access device.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a voice communications server with access to the internal network, the voice communications server configured to route voice communications to and from the media access device on the internal network and one or more external networks, wherein the one or more external networks are external to the controlled environment.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the media access device is further configured to:

communicate with the video visitation server over the internal network to support the video visitation session with the video visitation endpoint;

receive the distributed media from the media distribution server over the internal network; and

playback the received distributed media for the first user.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the first security access level is associated with an inmate living location of the controlled environment, the second security access level is associated with a visitation location of the controlled environment, and the third security access level is associated with an administrative location of the controlled environment.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, by a media distribution server, media from a media source;

selectively distributing, by the media distribution server, the received media to a media access device located within a controlled environment via one of a first security access level, a second security access level, or a third security access level of an internal network of the controlled environment based on a physical access location of the media access device, the internal network partitioned into a plurality of network segments, wherein each of the plurality of network segments is physically separate from one another, and each of the plurality of physically separated network segments provides a corresponding access level in a security hierarchy of the internal network, the security hierarchy including the first security access level, the second security access level, and the third security access level, wherein the internal network is configured to make access unavailable to each of the second security access level and the third security access level in response to a prospective access request from a physical location associated with the first security access level;

authenticating, by an authentication system coupled to the internal network, a prospective user requesting access via one of the plurality of physically separate network segments supporting access for the prospective user;

selectively conducting, by a video visitation server, a video visitation session between a first user at the media access device and a second user at a video visitation endpoint, wherein the video visitation server is coupled to the internal network via the second security access level;

managing, by an administrative workstation, the media received by the media distribution server, the video visitation session conducted by the video visitation server, and access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device, wherein the administrative workstation is coupled to the internal network via the third security access level; and

controlling, by the administrative workstation, the media access device to provide instructions from an administrator to the first user via a speaker of the media access device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlled environment is a prison and the first user is an inmate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein managing access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device is based on a living location of the inmate within the prison.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein managing access to the media and the video visitation session by the media access device is based on individual characteristics of the inmate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the individual characteristics of the inmate include one or more offenses committed by the inmate.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the media source is a video-on-demand media source, and the received distributed media is video-on-demand media.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the media source is a broadcast media source, and the received distributed media is broadcast media.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the internal network is configured to support multicast routing, and the media distribution server is further configured to utilize multicast routing to route the broadcast media to the media access device.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing, by the video visitation server, the video visitation session into a video visitation database coupled to the video visitation server.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, by a display, real-time monitoring of the video visitation session to an investigator, wherein the display is coupled to the video visitation server.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively enabling, by the administrative workstation, provisioning of the media distribution server among the plurality of network segments.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising routing, by an intra-facility communications server, intra-facility communications on the internal network to and from the media access device.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising routing, by a voice communications server, voice communications to and from the media access device on the internal network and one or more external networks, wherein the one or more external networks are external to the controlled environment.

28. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

communicating, by the media access device, with the video visitation server over the internal network to support the video visitation session with the video visitation endpoint;

receiving, by the media access device, the distributed media from the media distribution server over the internal network; and

,

playing back, by the media access device, the received distributed media for the first user.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein the first security access level is associated with an inmate living area, the second security access level is associated with a visitation area, and the third security access level is associated with an administrative area of the controlled environment.