Sobriety monitoring system

• US 8,707,758 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US13/357,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 73/233, 422/84
• US Class Current: 73/23.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/18 Water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1826 organic contamination in water
• 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: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2200/00 Transmission systems for measured values, control or similar signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

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. The breath test signal includes substance content data and user identification data. The substance content data includes at least one of: a blood alcohol level and a narcotics presence. The user identification data includes compressed image data. The signal receiving station is monitored by a supervisor who is able to intervene should the substance level be greater than a predetermined threshold, or should the user identification data no match with a reference user identification data.

Claims

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

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

a portable, cordless hand-held case having an inside, an outside, and one or more walls,

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

a digital camera housed within the case,

a wireless transceiver 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 processor to execute the following operations;

capture user identification data with the digital camera during a breath test, the user identification data identifying the first user,

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

transmit the user identification data and the breath alcohol content to the server using the wireless transceiver; 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 a schedule from a second user;

receive the user identification data and the breath alcohol content;

store within the database data indicating whether the user identification data and the blood alcohol content were captured in accordance with the schedule.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the handheld breath testing device receives the schedule from the server and initiates a breath test based on the schedule.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a personal mobile device communicatively coupled to the server;

wherein the personal mobile device receives the schedule from the server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to generate an alert signal if said user identification data and breath alcohol content from the first user is not captured in accordance with the schedule generated by the second user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the server is further configured to transmit the alert signal to the second user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a display configured to display one or more breath test reports based on the user identification data, the breath alcohol content data, and the schedule.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to store a history of breath test reports.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath testing device further comprises a memory, electronically coupled to the controller;

wherein the memory is configured to store the user identification data and the breath alcohol content prior to transmitting the user identification data and the breath alcohol content to the server.