SOBRIETY MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20140311215A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Soberlink Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Keays, Brad, Rothman, Andrew, Hanrahan, Casey, Pursley, Christopher J., Rhodes, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,417,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/23.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0009 Testing for drug or alcohol abuse
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0087 Breath samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/021 Identification, e.g. bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/023 Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0663 Whole sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50 Containers for the purpose of retaining a material to be analysed, e.g. test tubes devices for taking samples of blood A61B5/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/98 involving alcohol, e.g. ethanol in breath

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring sobriety using a hand-held breath testing device that, on receipt of a user'"'"'s breath, generates a breath test signal comprising substance content data and user identification data, and wirelessly transmits the breath test signal to a breath test signal receiving station.

Claims

1. A system for remotely monitoring the sobriety of a user, the system comprising:

a handheld breath testing device operable to receive a user'"'"'s breath and determine whether alcohol is present within the user, said handheld breath testing device including;

a portable, cordless hand-held case,

a breath alcohol content sensor housed within the case for sensing a breath alcohol content of the user,

a user identification device housed within the case,

a wireless transceiver housed within the case,

a memory housed within the case, and

a controller housed within the case and electronically coupled to the digital camera, the sensor, and the wireless transceiver; and

a server communicatively coupled to the handheld breath testing device, the server including a database;

wherein the controller includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to execute the following operations;

capture user identification data with the user identification device during a breath test, the user identification data identifying the user,

capture the breath alcohol content of the user with the breath alcohol content sensor during the breath test,

attempt to transmit the user identification data and the breath alcohol content to the server using the wireless transceiver,

determine whether the attempted transmission is successful,

store the user identification data and the breath alcohol content in the memory in the event the attempted transmission is not successful; and

wherein the server further includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to execute the following operations;

receive the user identification data and the breath alcohol content from the handheld breath testing device; and

store the user identification data and the breath alcohol content within the database.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the breath testing device controller further captures a time stamp during the breath test;

and

wherein the breath testing device controller further attempts to transmit the time stamp in association with the captured user identification data and breath alcohol content.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the server further stores the timestamp within the database.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the server is communicatively coupled to a supervisory monitor;

and

wherein the servicer further transmits data to the supervisory monitor indicating whether the user identification data and the blood alcohol content data have been received by the server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the data transmitted to the supervisory monitor is transmitted to the supervisory monitor via email.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the data transmitted to the supervisory monitor is transmitted to the supervisory monitor via text-message.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the data transmitted to the supervisory monitor is transmitted to the supervisory monitor via voice message.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the breath testing device further includes a display exposed within the case, and

wherein the controller causes the display to indicate whether the user identification data and the blood alcohol content data have been received by the receiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath testing device further includes breath tube for receiving the user'"'"'s breath during the breath test.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the breath tube is glass.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the breath tube includes a colored flange.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the colored flange is translucent except during the breath test.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the breath testing device further includes a light source adjacent the colored flange, the light source operable to illuminate the colored flange during the breath test.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the user identification device comprises an infrared camera.

15. The system of claim 1,

wherein the user identification device further comprises a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the user'"'"'s breath during the breath test, and a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the user'"'"'s breath during the breath test;

and

wherein the user identification data includes the pressure and temperature of the user'"'"'s breath during the breath test.