Systems and methods for multi-device restriction zone maintenance

• US 10,650,663 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B.I. Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: B.I. Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Buck, Jr., James J., Newell, Joseph P., Pettit, Dustin, Cooke, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormack, Thomas S
• Application Number:
  US16/221,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20190208355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 514 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 : Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 : Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 : using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 : according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 : switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Various embodiments provide systems and method for maintaining an exclusion zone data set in relation to monitoring individuals where the maintenance involves both a user attached monitor device and a user detached monitor.

Claims

1. A monitoring system, the monitoring system comprising:

a user attached monitor device, wherein the user attached monitor device includes;

an attachment element configured to attach to a limb of an individual being monitored;

a location determination circuit operable to generate location data indicating a location of the user attached monitor device;

an exclusion zone violation determination circuit operable to determine whether the individual being monitored is within an exclusion zone;

a user detached monitor device, wherein the user detached monitor device is portable and includes;

a computer readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to;

determine a location of the user detached monitor device;

determine whether the individual being monitored is within the exclusion zone; and

transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine the location of the user detached monitor device include:

instructions executable by the processor to receive the location data indicating the location of the user attached monitor device from the user attached monitor device.

3. The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the location data received by the user detached monitor device from the user attached monitor device is received via a local location communication link.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine whether the individual being monitored is within the exclusion zone include:

instructions executable by the processor to receive user zone restriction data from a central monitor; and

instructions executable by the processor to compare the location data indicating the location of the user attached monitor device against the user zone restriction data to determine whether the individual being monitored is within the exclusion zone.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the user zone restriction data is received by the user detached monitor device from the central monitor via a communication link consisting of:

a cellular telephone network, and a Wi-Fi communication link.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device include:

instructions executable by the processor to report an occurrence of the user within the exclusion zone to the central monitor based on the location of the user detached monitor device.

7. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device further include:

instructions executable by the processor to send a message to the user attached monitor device requesting that the user attached monitor device turn off communications to the central monitor.

8. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device further include:

instructions executable by the processor to send a message to the user attached monitor device requesting that the user attached monitor device turn off the location determination circuit.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the user detached monitor device includes a location determination circuit operable to generate location data indicating a location of the user detached monitor device, and wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine the location of the user detached monitor device include:

instructions executable by the processor to enable the location determination circuit of the user detached monitor device; and

instructions executable by the processor to receive the location data indicating the location of the user detached monitor device from the user detached monitor device.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the exclusion zone violation determination circuit includes a computer readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to compare the location data indicating the location of the user attached monitor device with a location of the exclusion zone.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the location determination circuit includes a computer readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to:

receive location data from external sources, wherein the external sources are selected from a group consisting of;

location satellites, Wi-Fi access points, and cellular telephone towers; and

determine the location of the user attached monitor device based upon the location data from the external sources.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by a processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device include:

instructions executable by the processor to compare the location data indicating the location of the user detached monitor device against user zone restriction data to determine whether the individual being monitored is within the exclusion zone.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions executable by a processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device include:

instructions to disable the exclusion zone violation determination circuit in the user attached monitor device.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions executable by a processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device include:

instructions to disable the location determination circuit in the user attached monitor device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by a processor to transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device include:

instructions to disable the transfer of exclusion zone violation information from the user attached monitor device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by a processor to determine the location of the user detached monitor determine a location of the user detached monitor device without relying on the location data indicating the location of the user attached monitor device.

12. A method for monitoring an individual, the method comprising:

providing a user attached monitor device, wherein the user attached monitor device includes;

an attachment element configured to attach to a limb of an individual being monitored;

a location determination circuit operable to generate location data indicating a location of the user attached monitor device;

an exclusion zone violation determination circuit operable to determine whether the individual being monitored is within an exclusion zone;

providing a user detached monitor device, wherein the user detached monitor device is portable and includes;

a computer readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to;

determine a location of the user detached monitor device;

determine whether the individual being monitored is within the exclusion zone; and

transfer control of determining whether the individual is within the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to the user detached monitor device; and

receiving a message indicating a violation of the exclusion zone from the user detached monitor device.

13. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

securing the user attached monitor device to the limb using the attachment element.

14. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

transferring information between the user detached monitor device and the user attached monitor device using a local communication link; and

transferring information between the user detached monitor device and a central monitor using a wide area network.

15. A method for monitoring an individual, the method comprising:

providing user attached monitor device, wherein the user attached monitor device is secured to a limb of an individual being monitored, and wherein the user attached monitor device includes;

a location determination circuit operable to generate location data indicating a location of the user attached monitor device;

an exclusion zone violation determination circuit operable to determine whether the individual being monitored is within an exclusion zone;

providing a portable user detached monitor device communicably coupled to the user attached monitor device via a local communication link;

disabling the location determination circuit and the exclusion zone violation determination circuit to reduce power usage by the user attached monitor device;

using the user detached monitor device to determine a location of the individual being monitored; and

using the user detached monitor device to determine whether the individual monitored moved into the exclusion zone.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

sending a message indicating a violation of the exclusion zone from the user detached monitor device to a central monitor.

17. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

transferring information between the user detached monitor device and the user attached monitor device using a local communication link; and

transferring information between the user detached monitor device and a central monitor using a wide area network.

18. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

downloading a data set indicating the exclusion zone to the user detached monitor device from a central monitor.

19. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

communicating at least a portion of the data set from the user detached monitor device to the user attached monitor device via the local communication link.

20. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

re-enabling the location determination circuit and the exclusion zone violation determination circuit of the user attached monitor device;

using the location determination circuit of the user attached monitor device to determine a location of the individual being monitored;

using the exclusion zone violation determination circuit of the user attached monitor device to determine whether the individual monitored moved into the exclusion zone; and

sending a message indicating a violation of the exclusion zone from the user attached monitor device to a central monitor.