Method and system for remotely monitoring intoxication

• US 10,302,628 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KHN Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: KHN Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Nothacker, Keith Harry, Basaran, Pauline Anne, Rettus, Stacey Ilene, Saul, Zachary Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunlap, Jonathan M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cotey, Philip L
• Application Number:
  US15/882,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0836 due to alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/16 by matching signal segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

A method and system for remotely monitoring intoxication of a user, comprising: prompting the user to provide a breath sample at a time point; at a breath sample acquisition device, generating a breath sample signal upon reception of the breath sample from the user, and broadcasting a unique signature proximal in time to the time point; using a sensor of a mobile computing device, generating an authentication signal derived from detection of the unique signature; at a processing system in communication with the mobile computing device and the sample acquisition device, receiving the breath sample signal and the authentication signal; generating a verification assessment that validates provision of the breath sample by the user; determining a value of an intoxication metric for the user based upon the breath sample signal; and transforming the verification assessment and the value of the intoxication metric into an analysis of intoxication of the user.

Claims

1. A method for verifying a breath sample of a user, comprising:

at a mobile computing device of the user;

generating at least one of a first verification signal and a second verification signal;

prompting the user to provide a breath sample;

at the mobile computing device, contemporaneously receiving;

breath sample signal derived from reception of the breath sample from the user at a breath sample acquisition device in communication with the mobile computing device;

the first verification signal, wherein the first verification signal associates the user with the breath sample signal;

the second verification signal, wherein the second verification signal associates the breath sample acquisition device with the breath sample signal;

wherein at least one of the first and second verification signals is transmitted by the breath sample acquisition device;

using a single sensor of the mobile computing device, generating an authentication signal derived from detection of the first and second verification signals in association with the breath sample from the user;

at a processing system in communication with the mobile computing device, receiving the breath sample signal and the authentication signal; and

generating a verification assessment that validates provision of the breath sample by the user, based upon the breath sample signal and the authentication signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, at an application executing at the mobile computing device, a set of instructions to the user, wherein the set of instructions guides breath sample provision by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first verification signal that associates the user with the breath sample signal comprises recording video of the user during breath sample provision and validating an identity of the user based on the video.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to provide a haptic input to the breath sample acquisition device, wherein the second verification signal comprises the haptic input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the haptic input comprises a vibration generated by a mouth of the user in contact with the breath sample acquisition device, and wherein the second verification signal comprises a frequency of the vibration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing system comprises a remote computing system, further comprising transmitting the breath sample analysis in substantially real-time to the remote computing system immediately upon reception at the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting auxiliary data to the remote computing system contemporaneously with transmitting the breath sample analysis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein auxiliary data comprises at least one of audio data and location data.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an alert based on the breath sample analysis, and transmitting the alert to a monitoring entity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the alert based on the breath sample analysis comprises generating the alert based on a blood alcohol content (BAC) value of the user exceeding a threshold value.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating, at the remote computing system, a report of historical breath sample analyses associated with the user based on historical data stored at the remote computing system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting a location dataset at the mobile device, and prompting the user, at the mobile device, to provide the breath sample based on the location dataset.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting the user to provide the breath sample comprises emitting light with a light emitting module of the breath sample acquisition device at a first time point, and wherein receiving the second verification signal comprises receiving a unique signature emitted by a light emitting module of the breath sample acquisition device.

14. A method for verifying a breath sample of a user, comprising:

at the mobile computing device, generating a unique signature indicative of the breath sample acquisition device, wherein the unique signature is configured to be emitted by the breath sample acquisition device;

at a mobile computing device of the user, prompting the user to provide a breath sample;

at the mobile computing device, contemporaneously receiving;

a breath sample signal derived from reception of the breath sample from the user at a breath sample acquisition device in communication with the mobile computing device;

the unique signature, wherein the unique signature is emitted by the breath sample acquisition device; and

a verification signal that associates the user with the breath sample signal;

using a sensor of the mobile computing device, generating an authentication signal derived from detection of the unique signature and the verification signal in association with the breath sample from the user;

at a processing system in communication with the mobile computing device, receiving the breath sample signal and the authentication signal; and

generating a verification assessment that validates provision of the breath sample by the user, based upon the breath sample signal and the authentication signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating an alert based on the breath sample analysis, and transmitting the alert to a monitoring entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the alert based on the breath sample analysis comprises generating the alert based on a blood alcohol content (BAC) value of the user exceeding a threshold value.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the processing system comprises a remote computing system, further comprising transmitting the breath sample analysis in substantially real-time to the remote computing system immediately upon reception at the mobile computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating, at the remote computing system, a report of historical breath sample analyses associated with the user based on historical data stored at the remote computing system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the unique signature occurs within a time interval, and wherein the time interval is proximal in time to a time point of sample provision from the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the unique signature comprises receiving at least one of:

a light emission signature emitted by the breath sample acquisition device, an audio signal signature emitted by the breath sample acquisition device, and a vibration signal signature emitted by the breath sample acquisition device, proximal in time to the time point of breath sample provision from the user.