(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. N0.: US 2013/0044867 A1
`Walters et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Feb. 21, 2013
`
`US 20130044867A1
`
`(54) USE OF VOICE BIOMETRIC SOFTWARE TO
`ANALYZE INMATE TELEPHONE CALLS
`
`(76) Inventors: Jay D. Walters, Hallsville, TX (US);
`Randy L. Reeves, Gladewater, TX (US)
`(21) Appl. No.: 13/211,719
`_
`(22) Flled?
`
`Allg- 17: 2011
`Publication Classi?cation
`
`(51) Int_ CL
`H04M 3/22
`H04M 1/656
`H04M 3/42
`
`(200601)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`(52) US. Cl. ............... .. 379/88.08; 379/201.01; 379/195
`
`57
`(
`)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system and method for managing and controlling telephone
`activity in a correctional facility comprises providing a ?rst
`communicative connection between a caller and a recipient,
`delivering the conversation between the caller and the recipi
`ent over the ?rst communicative connection and executing
`voice biometrics software to evaluate the conversation. A
`detection response executed based upon the evaluation of the
`biometrics software.
`
`52x
`
`54
`
`\ 50
`
`I60
`
`ATA
`
`65
`
`Internet
`
`[J / 74
`I
`[J
`.
`/
`Vorce
`Biometrics
`Mernon/
`MO<|jU|e
`78
`1 Dotobose
`
`72
`
`70
`
`Controller
`
`\ 76
`
`GTL 1007
`PGR of U.S. Patent No. 8,855,280
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 1 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`fl/M
`
`_
`
`VOICG
`221
`\ Biome’rrics
`MOdUIe
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`30
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`In’rerne’r
`
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`N32
`
`VoIP
`Service 0 o 0
`Provider
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 2 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`65
`
`@rne-I 78
`
`. volce
`Biometrics
`
`Memory
`
`Do’robose
`
`Controller
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 3 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`F98
`
`Coll Pldced
`
`$100
`
`No’rify Thd’r Cdll Will Be Recorded $102
`
`Begin Coll Recording
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`
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`
`@106
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`To De’rerrnine Mood
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`lnrnd’re
`Mood Possible
`Concern?
`
`i 10
`
`112
`
`Dele’re
`Coll
`Recording
`
`Fig. 3
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 4 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`can Ploced
`
`0140 K
`
`138
`
`V
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`
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`Coll Ended
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`To Iden’rify Voiceprin’r
`During Conversd’rion
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`154
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`
`Notify
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`
`Than 2 Voiceprin’rs
`
`1152
`
`Dele’re
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`
`Fig. 4
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 5 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Coll Ploceci
`
`I170
`
`168
`K”
`
`172
`Run Voice Biome’rrics
`Sof’rwore To Identify f
`Voiceprin’rs
`l
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`
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`A
`
`176
`
`More
`Then 2 Voiceprin’rs
`Found?
`
`i178
`Execu’re
`De’rec’rion
`Response
`
`j/i 82
`
`End
`Coll
`
`Fig. 5
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 6 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Coll Pldced
`
`/\/190
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`/i 88
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`i
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`To Iden’rify Voiceprin’rs
`i
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`Found?
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`Remainder
`of Coll
`r208
`End
`Coll
`
`i r210
`Dele’re
`Buffer
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 7 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`218
`
`Fig. 7
`
`Inpu’r Inmo’re Caller I220
`Nome
`
`v
`Re’rrieve Inmo’re Caller I222
`Voiceprin’r lnformcl’rion
`
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`Coll PlClCGCl
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`Biorne’rrics Sof’rwore
`
`V
`Moni’ror Coll
`A
`
`230
`
`232
`
`Differen’r Inmo’re
`Voiceprin’r
`Iden’rified?
`
`Execu’re
`De’rec’rion
`Response
`
`236
`
`End
`Cell
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 8 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Inpu’r Inrno’re Coller I250
`Nome
`
`l
`
`Re’rrieve Prohibi’red Third I252
`Por’ry Voiceprin’r Inforrno’rion
`
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`
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`Moni’ror Coll
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`
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`I258
`
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`
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`
`Fig. 8
`
`i262
`
`Execu’re
`De’rec’rion
`Response
`
`266
`
`End
`Coll
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 9 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Phone Number Dialed
`
`r280
`
`282
`
`284
`
`Number
`Found In
`Database?
`
`Do NOT Run
`Voice Bionne’rrics
`
`Place Call
`
`@286
`
`V
`No’rify Thai Call Will Be Recorded @288
`i
`Begin Call Recording
`
`$290
`
`0
`
`Call Ended
`i
`Run Voice Biorne’rrics Software @294
`
`@292
`
`296
`
`300
`
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`Issue Iden’rified? Yes
`
`2%
`
`Dele’re Call
`Recording
`
`MQ'nTQm
`Recording
`l
`
`302
`
`No’rify
`Facili’ry
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Feb. 21, 2013 Sheet 10 0f 10
`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`[V 318
`
`Phone Number Didled I320
`
`322
`
`Number
`Found In
`Do’robose?
`
`324
`
`V
`
`Phone cdll
`“Ac’rively Moni’rored"
`
`326
`
`Y
`
`Phone call
`“Pdssively Moni’rored”
`
`Fig. 10
`
`

`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Feb. 21,2013
`
`USE OF VOICE BIOMETRIC SOFTWARE TO
`ANALYZE INMATE TELEPHONE CALLS
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`[0001] The present invention generally relates to telecom
`munications monitoring and, more speci?cally, to a system
`and method for monitoring phone calls to and from an inmate
`Within a correctional facility through the use of speech and
`voice recognition software in order to detect unauthorized
`call connecting.
`[0002] There exists a need to control and monitor access to
`telephone lines in a correctional facility, such as a prison or
`jail. By and large, such control and monitoring systems are
`implemented for security considerations. One such security
`concern is an inmate’ s attempt to place threatening or harass
`ing phone calls to certain individuals. An early solution to this
`problem Was to limit the inmate’s phone access to only alloW
`the inmate to place collect calls in the hope that forcing the
`inmate to provide his/ her identity Would give the call recipient
`an opportunity to deny the call. HoWever, such a solution does
`not effectively address the issue, as inmates can easily pro
`vide a false identity hoping that the recipient Will accept the
`collect call.
`[0003] The problem of an inmate placing threatening or
`harassing phone calls is further complicated by the fact that
`the inmate callers often Work in concert With individuals
`outside of the correctional facility. For example, a certain
`individual may have a restraining order against the inmate
`such that the inmate is not alloWed to contact that individual
`in any Way, including by phone. HoWever, the inmate may
`contact an accomplice Who then sets up a 3-Way call With (or
`forWards the call to) the individual, thereby alloWing the
`inmate to have an unlaWful conversation With the individual.
`Though the 3-Way call or call forWarding may be prohibited
`by laW, it is dif?cult for the correctional institution to prevent
`it because the inmate’s phone call to the accomplice is laWful
`and the accomplice has unrestricted telephone access. There
`fore, the accomplice’s ability to set up 3-Way phone calls
`and/ or call forWarding to bridge telephone connections essen
`tially provides the inmate With unrestricted telephone access.
`[0004] There are a variety of knoWn attempts to solve the
`problem of unauthorized inmate telephone call connecting. In
`the context of call bridging, one common solution is to detect
`the hook ?ash signal produced When such call bridging is
`attempted. Pursuant to one knoWn solution, a detection appa
`ratus includes a loW pass band ?lter for passing energy having
`frequencies beloW a certain frequency and an energy detector
`for detecting a speci?c electrical energy pulse having been
`passed by the loW pass ?lter. Therefore, the detection appa
`ratus is dependent upon the analog signals generated during
`the call bridging attempt. Another knoWn solution detects the
`presence of certain tones Within the telephone signal, such as
`dual tone multifrequency tones, special information tones,
`dial tones, and other call progress tones. The identi?cation of
`these analog tones is used to determine if an attempted call
`bridging has taken place.
`[0005] As shoWn through the above discussion, the prior art
`solutions have been singularly focused on the identi?cation of
`attempted phone call connecting in the context of standard,
`analog telephone systems. HoWever, like all technologies, the
`Way people send and receive phone calls is continuing to
`evolve. More and more companies and individuals are utiliZ
`ing voice over intemet protocol (VoIP) services. VoIP is a
`general term for a range of communication transmission tech
`
`nologies designed to deliver voice and other forms of com
`munication over IP netWorks, such as the intemet or other
`packet-switched netWorks, as opposed to the public sWitched
`telephone netWork (PSTN). Because of the bandWidth e?i
`ciency and loW costs that VoIP technology can provide, busi
`nesses and other institutions (such as correctional facilities)
`are beginning to utiliZe VoIP services in place of their tradi
`tional copper-Wire telephone systems.
`[0006] In order to alloW the voice communications to be
`transferred over an IP netWork, the voice communications are
`converted from an analog signal into a digital format. As a
`result, the communications transferred and delivered over
`VoIP do not contain many of the same signals and tones
`utiliZed by the prior art systems to detect attempted phone call
`connecting. Therefore, knoWn systems Would be unable to
`detect inmate call connecting in a VoIP delivery context.
`[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method
`for detecting attempted and unauthoriZed call connecting for
`inmate communications delivered via VoIP.
`
`SUMMARY
`
`[0008] The present invention provides an improved inmate
`call monitoring system and method. The claims, and only the
`claims, de?ne the invention.
`[0009] The principles of the present disclosure provide a
`system and method for monitoring and controlling inmate
`telephone calls delivered via VoIP or other means. By using
`voice biometrics softWare to identify call participant mood
`and/or voice prints, the disclosed monitoring and control
`system can determine Whether an unauthoriZed call connect
`ing attempt has been made or When the call is being used for
`an improper purpose. When such a determination is made, the
`call can be terminated, recorded, or monitored by an operator,
`depending on the preference of the correctional facility and/
`or to Whom the inmate has called.
`[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for
`managing and controlling telephone activity in a correctional
`facility is provided. The method comprises of providing a ?rst
`communicative connection betWeen a caller and a recipient
`and delivering the conversation betWeen the caller and the
`recipient over the ?rst communicative connection. The
`method continues by executing voice biometrics software to
`evaluate the conversation. A detection response is then
`executed based upon the evaluation of the biometrics soft
`Ware.
`[0011] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present
`disclosure to provide an improved inmate call monitoring
`system and method.
`[0012] Further forms, objects, features, aspects, bene?ts,
`advantages, and embodiments of the present invention Will
`become apparent from a detailed description and draWings
`provided hereWith.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0013] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary system to
`monitor and control inmate calls in accordance With the prin
`ciples of the present disclosure.
`[0014] FIG. 2 is an illustration of another embodiment of a
`system to monitor and control inmate calls in accordance With
`the principles of the present disclosure.
`[0015] FIG. 3 is a How chart for the post-conversation call
`connecting determination according to one embodiment of
`the present disclosure.
`
`

`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Feb. 21,2013
`
`[0016] FIG. 4 is a How chart for the post-conversation call
`connecting determination according to another embodiment
`of the present disclosure.
`[0017] FIG. 5 is a How chart for the real-time call connect
`ing determination according to one embodiment of the
`present disclosure.
`[0018] FIG. 6 is a How chart for the real-time call connect
`ing determination according to another embodiment of the
`present disclosure.
`[0019] FIG. 7 is a How chart for the real-time call connect
`ing determination according to a further embodiment of the
`present disclosure.
`[0020] FIG. 8 is a How chart for the real-time call connect
`ing determination according to another embodiment of the
`present disclosure.
`[0021] FIG. 9 is a How chart for the post-conversation call
`connecting determination according to a further embodiment
`of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a How chart for the call
`connecting determination according to another embodiment
`of the present disclosure.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`[0022] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of
`the principles of the invention, reference Will noW be made to
`the embodiments illustrated in the draWings and speci?c lan
`guage Will be used to describe the same. It Will nevertheless
`be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention
`is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modi?cations
`in the described embodiments, and any further applications of
`the principles of the invention as described herein are con
`templated as Would normally occur to one skilled in the art to
`Which the invention relates. One embodiment of the invention
`is shoWn in great detail, although it Will be apparent to those
`skilled in the relevant art that some features that are not
`relevant to the present invention may not be shoWn for the
`sake of clarity.
`[0023] FIG. 1 is an illustrative embodiment of a disclosed
`system for monitoring and controlling inmate telephone calls
`originating from a telephone bank 10 Within a correctional
`facility. Telephone bank 10 includes a plurality of individual
`inmate telephones 12, 14. A phone monitoring and control
`system 20 is communicatively and operationally connected to
`telephone bank 10. Monitoring and control system 20 is con
`nected to the internet 30. Monitoring and control system 20 is
`constructed and arranged to monitor and control the delivery
`and receipt of communication signals betWeen telephones 12,
`14 and a VoIP service provider 32, Which is connected to the
`internet 3 0. As appreciated by those of skill in the relevant art,
`VoIP service provider 32 has the capability of delivering the
`VoIP communications originating from the inmate tele
`phones 12, 14 to either other VoIP devices via the internet or
`to standard, analog telephone devices via the PSTN. In some
`embodiments, system 20 may be at the same location as
`phones 12, 14. In other embodiments, system 20 may be
`remotely connected to phones 12, 14 by PSTN, the internet
`(see FIG. 2 embodiment), or other knoWn communication
`means.
`[0024] As illustrated, monitoring and control system 20
`comprises a voice biometrics module 22, a memory 24, a
`controller 26, and a database 28. Each of these components is
`communicatively and operatively connected to one another.
`The voice biometrics module 22 comprises computer soft
`Ware designed to identify, among other things, unique voice
`
`prints and mood(s) of those participating in the telephone
`conversation. As used throughout this application, a “voice
`print” is understood to refer to the unique spectrogram of a
`particular voice. Voice biometrics module 22 may exist as a
`single module (as depicted) or may in other embodiments be
`separate and distinct components. When executed, the voice
`biometrics module 22 can identify call participant mood and/
`or voice prints in either a real-time fashion, i.e., during the
`on-going call, or in a post-processing fashion, i.e., commu
`nications stored into memory 24. Examples of the softWare
`utilized by voice biometrics module 22 is the Voice Print
`Analysis System available from AVM SoftWare Ltd having a
`development o?ice in the Netherlands, the CMU Sphinx
`speech recognition engines available at http://cmusphinx
`sourceforge.net/, a project by Carnegie Mellon University in
`Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and the ModularAudio Recognition
`Framework, an open-source research platform available at
`WWW.marf.sourceforge.net.
`[0025] Memory 24 is constructed and arranged to option
`ally store the digital voice communications received from and
`delivered to inmate telephones 12, 14. In some embodiments,
`memory 24 is a standard memory component, such as, but not
`limited to, a hard disk drive, RAM, or ROM, or any other
`knoWn electrical storage device.
`[0026] Controller 26 is constructed and arranged to dictate
`and monitor the operations of monitoring and control system
`20 and execute an appropriate detection response if it is
`determined that unauthorized call connecting has been
`attempted. As used herein, unauthorized call connecting is
`understood to mean call bridging, call forWarding, and/ or any
`other knoWn means for creating a communicative connection
`betWeen one party of a telephone call and a third party to the
`telephone call. Certain call participant moods, the number of
`unique voice prints identi?ed during a call, and the presence
`of prohibited voice prints may indicate that one party is
`attempting, or has attempted, to initiate unauthorized call
`connecting With a third party.
`[0027] Controller 26 controls the recording of the digital
`voice communications received from and delivered to inmate
`telephones 12, 14 onto memory 24. Controller 26 may
`instruct the memory to record an entire phone call, a portion
`of the phone call, or to act as a memory buffer, recording a
`predetermined portion of the call before a potential issue is
`recognized by the voice biometrics module 22. The controller
`26 may also be operational to terminate the connection
`betWeen an inmate telephone 12, 14 and an outside phone
`line. Additionally, the controller may be operational to decide
`When the voice biometrics module 22 is to be executed.
`[0028] Database 28 stores and maintains mood indicators,
`inmate and third-party voice prints, and voice print thresholds
`Which are indicative of a call connecting attempt. As illus
`trated, a single database 28 is provided Within monitoring and
`control system 20. In such a situation, the database 28 is
`constructed and arranged as a global database against Which
`caller moods and/ or voice prints in all inmate telephone con
`versations are evaluated. In other embodiments, the database
`28 may be constructed and arranged as separate databases
`speci?c to each individual inmate.
`[0029] Monitoring and control system 20 is also commu
`nicatively coupled to a hub 40. Hub 40 is con?gured to com
`municatively and operationally connect correctional facility
`computers 42, 43, 44 With monitoring and control system 20.
`When system 20 identi?es an unauthorized call connecting
`attempt, system 20 is constructed and arranged to notify the
`
`

`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Feb. 21,2013
`
`correctional facility computers 42, 43, 44 via email, audio
`and/or visual indication. In turn, computers 42, 43, 44 can
`access memory 24 to alloW the computer operators to listen to
`the recorded phone calls. In some embodiments, the operators
`of computers 42, 43, 44 can listen to the telephone conversa
`tions live. The correctional facility computers 42, 43, 44 may
`also have the capability of updating database 28 With addi
`tional names, Words, numbers, voice prints, or moods Which
`Will ?ag attempted and unauthorized call connecting. While
`three correctional facility computers are depicted, other
`embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise feWer
`or more than three correctional facility computers.
`[0030] While voice biometrics module 22, memory 24,
`controller 26, and database 28 are depicted as residing Within
`the same location, it is Within the scope of the present disclo
`sure that the components of system 20 do not need to be
`physically proximate. For example, the database 28 may be
`physically stored remotely from the other components and
`accessed via the intemet. Monitoring and control system 20
`and VoIP service provider 32 are connected to the intemet 30
`through knoWn techniques.
`[0031] FIG. 2 is a further illustrative embodiment of a dis
`closed system for monitoring and controlling inmate tele
`phone calls originating from a telephone bank 50 Within a
`correctional facility. Telephone bank 50 includes a plurality
`of individual inmate telephones 52, 54. As illustrated, the
`individual telephones 52, 54 of inmate phone bank 50 are
`connected to an analog telephone adaptor (ATA) 60, Which is
`communicatively connected to the intemet 65. ATA 60 con
`verts the speech spoken into inmate telephones 52, 54 from an
`analog signal into digital format and compresses/translates
`the signal into internet protocol for transmission over the
`internet 65. Conversely, the ATA 60 is designed to convert a
`communication received in digital format into an analog sig
`nal to be heard by the inmate using telephones 52, 54.
`[0032] A monitoring and control system 70 is communica
`tively and operationally connected to the internet 65. Moni
`toring and control system 70 is constructed and arranged to
`receive the VoIP communication from ATA 60 and relay that
`communication to outside phone lines 80, and vice versa. The
`telephone communications sent to and received from outside
`phone lines 80 may be in VoIP or standard, analog format.
`[0033] Like the monitoring and control system 20 of FIG. 1,
`monitoring and control system 70 comprises a voice biomet
`rics module 72, a memory 74, a controller 76, and a database
`78. For the sake of brevity, the components of system 20 and
`system 70 are functionally equivalent and reference is made
`to the above discussion as to the purpose and operation of
`those components. Any difference betWeen the tWo systems is
`discussed beloW.
`[0034] A hub 85 is con?gured to communicatively and
`operationally connect correctional facility computers 87, 88
`and 89 With the internet 65. When system 70 identi?es an
`unauthorized call connecting attempt, system 70 is con
`structed and arranged to notify the correctional facility com
`puters 87, 88, 89 through a noti?cation sent via the intemet
`65. Through that connection to the internet 65, computers 87,
`88, 89 can access memory 74 to alloW the computer operators
`to listen to the recorded phone calls. In other embodiments,
`the operators of computers 87, 88, 89 can listen to the tele
`phone conversations live. Similarly, the correctional facility
`has the capability of updating caller moods and/or voice
`prints Which Will ?ag attempted and unauthorized call con
`necting. In a broader sense, the components of the monitoring
`
`and control system 70 may be con?gured remotely by the
`correctional facility computers 87, 88, 89 by knoWn tech
`niques, including, but not limited to, GUI or CLI-type inter
`faces.
`[0035] ATA 60, monitoring and control system 70, and hub
`85 are connected to the internet 65 through knoWn tech
`niques. As depicted in FIG. 2, the monitoring and control
`system 70 may be located separate from the correctional
`facility.
`[0036] ATA 60 may be used With the telephones to convert
`the analog communications into a digital format. In other
`embodiments, the individual telephones are VoIP devices
`thereby eliminating the need for an ATA Within the system.
`[0037] FIG. 3 is a How chart ofan exemplary process 98 for
`system and method operation for monitoring and controlling
`inmate telephone calls. The process 98 starts at step 100 When
`an inmate Within the correctional facility places a phone call.
`Pursuant to some of the embodiments of the present disclo
`sure, the phone calls are delivered and received over the
`internet via VoIP services. Once the phone call is placed, at
`least one of caller and recipient are optionally noti?ed that the
`call Will be recorded (step 102). At step 104, the conversation
`betWeen the inmate caller and the outside recipient is
`recorded in digital form. At step 106, the telephone call is
`completed.
`[0038] At some time later, the voice biometrics softWare is
`run (step 108). As previously discussed, the voice biometrics
`softWare identi?es the mood(s) of the call participants.
`Moods indicative of an unauthorized call connecting attempt
`include anger, frustration, and fear, just to name a feW.
`[0039] While analyzing the conversation, the control and
`monitoring system Will determine if the inmate’s mood is a
`possible concern (decision step 110). In another embodiment,
`the mood of the other call participant(s) is evaluated as Well.
`If no concerning mood is identi?ed, then the stored call
`recording may be deleted (step 112). If a concerning mood is
`identi?ed, then that is indicative of an unauthorized call con
`necting attempt and a detection response may be executed. At
`step 114, the phone call record is maintained. At step 116, the
`correctional facility is noti?ed of the possible unauthorized
`call connecting attempt.
`[0040] FIG. 4 is a How chart ofan exemplary process 138
`for system and method operation for monitoring and control
`ling inmate telephone calls. The process 138 starts at step 140
`When an inmate Within the correctional facility places a phone
`call. Pursuant to some of the embodiments of the present
`disclosure, the phone calls are delivered and received over the
`internet via VoIP services. Once the phone call is placed, at
`least one of caller and recipient are optionally noti?ed that the
`call Will be recorded (step 142). At step 144, the conversation
`betWeen the inmate caller and the outside recipient is
`recorded in digital form. At step 146, the telephone call is
`completed.
`[0041] At some time later, the voice biometrics softWare is
`run (step 148). As previously discussed, the voice biometrics
`softWare is capable of identifying a unique voice print for
`each call participants. While analyzing the conversation, the
`control and monitoring system Will determine the number of
`voice prints identi?ed (decision step 150). If tWo voice prints
`are identi?ed, then the stored call recording may be deleted
`(step 152). If more than tWo voice prints are identi?ed, then
`that is indicative of an unauthorized call connecting attempt
`and a detection response may be executed. At step 154, the
`phone call record is maintained. At step 156, the correctional
`
`

`
`US 2013/0044867 A1
`
`Feb. 21,2013
`
`facility is noti?ed of the possible unauthorized call connect
`ing attempt. In other embodiments, the threshold number of
`voice prints indicative of an unauthorized call connecting
`attempt may be changed to three or more.
`[0042] FIG. 5 is a How chart of an exemplary process 168
`for system and method operation for monitoring and control
`ling inmate telephone calls. The process 168 starts at step 170
`When an inmate Within the correctional facility places a phone
`call. In this embodiment, the voice biometrics software is
`executed from the start of the conversation betWeen the
`inmate caller and the outside recipient (step 172). The voice
`biometrics softWare identi?es the number of unique voice
`prints present during the call and alloWs the call to be moni
`tored (step 174). As the number of voice prints are identi?ed,
`they are compared to a voice print threshold.
`[0043] That comparison determines if the number of voice
`prints is greater than the voice print threshold (decision step
`176). In the illustrated embodiment, the voice print threshold
`is tWo. If the number of voice prints identi?ed is greater than
`tWo, then that is indicative of an unauthorized call connecting
`attempt and a detection response may be executed (step 178).
`As used throughout this application, the detection response is
`understood to be any desired action the correctional facility
`determines to take including, but not limited to, terminating
`the phone call, alerting the correctional facility personnel of
`the unauthorized call connecting attempt, archiving a record
`ing of the conversation, routing the call to a live operator,
`disabling the inmate telephone (i.e., the mouthpiece and/or
`earpiece) While the possible unauthorized call connecting is
`being investigated, ?agging the call as potential fraud, block
`ing future calls to be placed to that number by the inmate, etc.
`For the call blocking, the monitoring and control system may
`optionally prohibit a particular inmate from placing a call to
`the telephone number in Which an unauthorized call connect
`ing attempt has previously been identi?ed. The call blocking
`may be applied to an inmate for a particular phone number for
`a speci?ed period of time or permanently.
`[0044] If the number of voice prints identi?ed is tWo or less,
`then the monitoring and control system determines if the
`telephone call has been ended (decision step 180). If the call
`has not been ended, then the conversation Will continue to be
`monitored (step 174). If the call has been ended, the connec
`tion betWeen the caller and the recipient is terminated (step
`182).
`[0045] FIG. 6 is a How chart of a further exemplary process
`188 for system and method operation for monitoring and
`controlling inmate telephone calls. The process 188 starts at
`step 190 When an inmate Within the correctional facility
`places a phone call. Once the phone call is placed, the caller
`and recipient are optionally noti?ed that the call Will be
`recorded (step 192). At step 194, a buffer memory of the
`conversation betWeen the inmate caller and the outside caller
`is maintained in digital form. As used in the present disclo
`sure, the buffer memory is a temporary, digital or analog
`record of a portion of the conversation betWeen the inmate
`caller and the outside recipient. At step 196, the voice bio
`metrics softWare is run.
`[0046] The voice biometrics softWare identi?es the number
`of unique voice prints present during the call and alloWs the
`call to be monitored (step 198). As the number of voice prints
`are identi?ed, they are compared to a voice print threshold.
`That comparison determines if the number of voice prints is
`greater than the voice print threshold (decision step 200). In
`the illustrated embodiment, the voice print threshold is tWo. If
`
`the number of voice prints identi?ed is greater than tWo, then
`that is indicative of an unauthorized call connecting attempt
`and a detection response may be executed. Therefore, at step
`202, the buffer memory is stored as a call record memory.
`Further, at step 204, the remainder of the phone call is option
`ally recorded. The buffer memory and the recording of the
`remainder of the phone call constitute a complete call record.
`[0047] If the number of voice prints identi?ed is tWo or less,
`then the monitoring and control system determines if the
`telephone call has been ended (decision step 206). If the call
`has not been ended, then the conversation Will continue to be
`monitored (step 198). If the call has been ended, the connec
`tion betWeen the caller and the recipient is terminated (step
`208) and the buffer may optionally be deleted (step 210).
`[0048] FIG. 7 is a How chart ofan exemplary process 218
`for system and method operation for monitoring and control
`ling inmate telephone calls. The process 218 starts at step 220
`When an inmate Within the correctional facility indicates that
`he/ she Wishes to place a phone call and provides his/her
`name. A database then retrieves the voice print information of
`that inmate caller (step 222). The call is then placed (step 224)
`and the voice biometrics software is executed from the start of
`the conversation betWeen the inmate caller and the outside
`recipient (step 226). During the conversation, the voice bio
`metrics softWare monitors the voice prints of all call partici
`pants (step 228).
`[0049] In this embodiment, the call is monitored to evaluate
`Whether an inmate voice print is identi?ed Which does not
`correspond With the name provided in the input step (decision
`step 230). Again, the database of inmate voice prints is uti
`lized. If a different inmate voice print is identi?ed, then that is
`indicative of an unauthorized call connecting attempt and/or
`improper phone usage and a detection response may be
`executed (step 232).
`[0050] If a different inmate voice print is not identi?ed, then
`the monitoring and control system determines if the tele
`phone call has been ended (decision step 234). If the call has
`not been ended, then the conversation Will continue to be
`monitored (step 228). If the call has been ended, the connec
`tion betWeen the caller and the recipient is terminated (step
`236).
`[0051] FIG. 8 is a H