(i9) United States
`(i2) Patent Application Publication
`Torgersrud et al.
`
`US 20120262271A1
`
`(io) Pub. No.: US 2012/0262271 A l
`Oct. 18,2012
`(43) Pub. Date:
`
`(54)
`
`INTERACTIVE AUDIO/VIDEO SYSTEM AND
`DEVICE FOR USE IN A SECURE FACILITY
`
`(76)
`
`Inventars:
`
`Richard Torgersrud, San
`Francisco, CA (US); Kevin O’Neil,
`Parma, ID (US); Grant
`Gongaware, San Francisco, CA
`(US); Morgan Collins, San Mateo,
`CA (US)
`
`(21) Appl.No.:
`
`13/088,883
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Apr. 18, 2011
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`G06F 7/04
`G06K 9/00
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`(52) U.S. CI............................................ 340/5.53; 382/118
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A system and device for providing services to a secure facil­
`ity. The system includes a kiosk with a processor, display,
`speaker, microphone, and a camera, and the kiosk communi­
`cates with a server that includes a server processor, a network
`interface unit, and a computer memory. The kiosk receives
`communications and transmits audio and video of the com­
`munications to the server via an internet connection, and the
`server records the audio and video and transmits the audio and
`video to a destination. The kiosk is configured to authenticate
`the identity of a user by verifying a personal identification
`number entered by the user and also performing one or more
`of a facial recognition via the camera or a biometric voice
`recognition via the microphone. The kiosk provides access to
`services including internet services, text-based messaging,
`tele-medical services, religious and educational materials,
`commissary ordering, and entertainment.
`
`GTL 1012
`PGR of U.S. Pat. No. 8,929,525
`
`0001
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`Patent Application Publication Oct. 18, 2012 Sheet 7 of 18
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`Patent Application Publication Oct. 18, 2012 Sheet 8 of 18
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Oct. 18,2012 Sheet 11 of 18
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`US 2012/0262271 Al
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`Ken Jones
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`Prepaid Salarle: $5.00
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Patent Application Publication Oct. 18, 2012 Sheet 18 of 18
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`US 2012/0262271 A1
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`1
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`Oct. 18,2012
`
`INTERACTIVE AUDIO/VIDEO SYSTEM AND
`DEVICE FOR USE IN A SECURE FACILITY
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`[0001] Embodiments described herein relate generally to
`interactive computer systems, and more specifically to pro­
`viding a mutipurpose interactive audio/video platform and
`device for use in a secure facility.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`[0002] Secure facilities such as prisons, institutions, and
`other government facilities house laige populations of indi­
`viduals in confinement. Such facilities present unique admin­
`istrative challenges—including challenges related to provid­
`ing educational, entertainment, communications, and other
`services. Most notably, secure facilities require additional
`levels of monitoring and oversight that are not required when
`similar services provided to other populations. Additionally,
`since a laige number of individuals may be confined in a
`relatively small space, certain efficiencies must be achieved to
`effectively administer the various services of the facility.
`[0003] Currently, the services are provided piecemeal—
`with each service handled by different technological means
`and often even different departments or service providers. For
`example, one service provider may provide telecommunica­
`tions service, while another handles educational or entertain­
`ment programs. These services are provided separately from
`purely administrative services such as scheduling visitations,
`processing complaints, providing commissary services, or
`other facility requirements that may be provided by in-house
`departments of the secure facility. Significant efficiencies can
`be achieved by automating these various services and by
`providing them in a centralized manner. Moreover, providing
`these services by a centralized computer system can facilitate
`more effective monitoring of resident activity. With more
`effective monitoring in place, it is possible to provide addi­
`tional services that can provide supplemental revenue to the
`facilities. Accordingly, there is a need for a way to administer
`various services required in a secure facility that is efficient,
`secure, and effective.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the interactive
`audio/video platform.
`[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates the organization and interaction of
`clusters of another embodiment of the interactive audio/video
`platform.
`[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates an example kiosk for use in the
`interactive audio/video platform.
`[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates an example processor-based com­
`puter system of the kiosk.
`[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates an example idle screen of a kiosk
`interface described herein.
`[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates an example reservation screen of
`the kiosk interface.
`[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates an example login screen of the
`kiosk interface.
`[0011] FIG. 8 illustrates an example voice verification
`screen of the kiosk interface.
`[0012] FIG. 9 illustrates an example facial recognition veri­
`fication screen of the kiosk interface.
`[0013] FIG. 10 illustrates an example main screen of the
`kiosk interface.
`
`[0014] FIG. 11 illustrates an example phone screen of the
`kiosk interface.
`[0015] FIG. 12 illustrates an example voicemail screen of
`the kiosk interface.
`[0016] FIG. 13 illustrates an example bail bonds screen of
`the kiosk interface.
`[0017] FIG. 14 illustrates an example video conferencing
`screen of the kiosk interface.
`[0018] FIG. 15 illustrates an example video messaging
`screen of the kiosk interface.
`[0019] FIG. 16 illustrates an example kite screen of the
`kiosk interface.
`[0020] FIG. 17 illustrates an example internet screen of the
`kiosk interface.
`[0021] FIG. 18 illustrates an example fund request screen
`of the kiosk interface.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`[0022] Embodiments described herein address the prob­
`lems with current provision of administrative services for
`secure facilities such as prisons or other government deten­
`tion centers. The described embodiments provide a custom­
`ized interactive audio/video platform for providing adminis­
`trative services. The customized interactive audio/video
`platform includes, among other things, kiosks at secure facili­
`ties that are interconnected via a central processing platform
`providing enhanced security and monitoring services. The
`kiosks provide, among otherthings, telephony services, video
`conferencing, text messaging, tele-medical services, reli­
`gious and educational services, commissary services, enter­
`tainment services, and social networking. The services are
`provided in a manner that meets the strict guidelines of a
`secured facility such as, e.g., a prison.
`[0023] Embodiments may be implemented using computer
`hardware or software, or a combination of both. Computer
`software implementing features of the embodiments may be
`stored as instructions on a tangible computer readable
`medium. References to the “system” or “platform” describe
`specific embodiments and do not limit the scope of the
`claimed invention.
`[0024] Though embodiments are described with reference
`to facilities such as prisons or detention facilities, the embodi­
`ments described herein could be used in any facility requiring
`consolidated secure services.
`[0025]
`It should be understood that embodiments of the
`invention are not limited by the example embodiments
`described herein and that changes can be made thereto.
`Example embodiments are now described with reference to
`the accompanying figures wherein like reference numbers are
`used consistently for like features throughout the drawings.
`[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an example
`interactive audio/video platform 25 that includes kiosks 102
`for providing administrative services at multiple facilities
`100. The platform 25 includes a processing center 150 con­
`nected to one or more facilities 100 through a network such
`as, e.g., the Internet 190. Facilities 100 may be any facilities
`requiring voice, video and/or information services, especially
`those with security requirements and a large traffic volumes,
`including secure facilities such as prisons or other govern­
`ment detention facilities. Each facility 100 contains at least
`one kiosk 102. Each kiosk 102 is connected to a router 104 via
`a networking link 120. The routers 104 are configured to
`communicate with the processing center 150, which may be
`distributed across several locations. The routers 104 each
`
`0020
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`US 2012/0262271 A1
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`2
`
`Oct. 18,2012
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`connect the communications received from the kiosks 102 to
`the Internet 190, and exchange IP (Internet Protocol) packets
`bidirectionally between the processing center 150 and facility
`100. The processing center 150 includes application hard­
`ware and software for data processing and the other functions
`described below.
`[0027] The processing center 150 is a system that is distrib­
`uted across multiple clusters 151-153, which may or may not
`be geographically diverse (described below in more detail).
`Each cluster 151-153 hosts multiple nodes, including an
`application node, a database node, and a traffic processing
`node (discussed below in relation to FIG. 2). The clusters
`151-153 communicate with each other via the Internet or
`dedicated connections, and information in any database node
`can be shared among the clusters 151-153. Data storage and
`retrieval can be performed across several clusters. The clus­
`ters 151-153 can also provide fail-over for one another, and
`routers 104 at each facility may be configured to communi­
`cate with another cluster if a primary cluster is unavailable.
`Similarly, resources of the nodes within a cluster (which may
`include multiple computers) can be reallocated as processing
`needs require.
`[0028] One function of the processing center 150 is to route
`communications from facility residents using kiosks 102 to
`outside parties 180, 181. The processing center 150 routes
`voice, text, and/or video traffic from facility kiosks 102 to
`their ultimate destinations 180, 181. To route voice commu­
`nications traffic, the processing center 150 communicates via
`internet protocol to a “VoIP-to-POTS” provider 160, which
`converts VoIP communications to POTS communications.
`Example VoIP-to-POTS providers 160 include Paetech,
`Level 3, and Verizon. After converting the VoIP signal to a
`POTS signal, the VoIP-to-POTS provider 160 provides the
`communication to a telecommunications provider 170 that
`routes the call to the called parties 180, 181.
`[0029] The processing center 150 may be in communica­
`tion with multiple VoIP-to-POTS providers 160, and may
`route communications to any one of the providers 160 based
`on various factors including time-of-day, load, or rates. Simi­
`larly, the processing center 150 or the VoIP-to-POTS provider
`160 may route calls to various telecommunications providers
`170 based on factors including time-of-day, load, or rates. For
`example, VoIP-to-POTS providers 160 often have connection
`limits. Therefore, the processing center 150 may be config­
`ured to first attempt a connection to a primary VoIP-to-POTS
`provider 160 with a low rate for a given call destination. If that
`connection is refused, then the processing center 150 would
`be configured to attempt connections to a second, and perhaps
`third VoIP-to-POTS provider 160 until a connection is estab­
`lished.
`[0030] The processing center 150 can also receive calls
`from outside parties 180, 181 and route the calls to facility
`kiosks 102. The VoIP-to-POTS provider 160 may convert the
`POTS signal to a VoIP signal before the communication is
`sent to the processing center 150. Alternatively, although not
`shown in FIG. 1, the outside callers 180,181 may place a call
`using the traditional telecommunications provider 170 and
`may be directly connected to the processing center 150 where
`the signal is converted using an A/D converter. The process­
`ing center can connect outside callers 180, 181 to residents
`and can also allow outside callers 180,181 to leave voicemail
`messages.
`
`[0031] The processing center 150 also routes video and text
`communications. Communications received from facility
`routers 104 are stored or cached on web servers in the pro­
`cessing center 150 or on third party web servers. In addition
`to storing communications routed through the processing
`center 150, the processing center 150 may be configured to
`receive and store recordings of local communications that
`have been recorded at the facilities 100 (e.g., local video
`communications). The communications stored at the process­
`ing center 150 can be accessed by an outside party 180,181 by
`using a web browser on a computer connected to the Internet
`190. The processing center is also configured to receive
`requests for data from the routers 104, such as hypertext
`transfer protocol (HTTP) requests, and return information to
`the routers 104, such as information on a third party website.
`[0032] Another function of the processing center 150 is to
`log information into databases. The processing center 150
`logs all voice and data traffic, and may record voice or video
`traffic according to predefined rules. The processing center
`150 also logs all failed and/or blocked communication
`attempts, such as attempts to call third parties that a facility
`resident is prohibited from contacting. Local activity logs on
`the kiosks 102 may be periodically uploaded to the process­
`ing center 150.
`[0033] FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing the organization
`and interaction of clusters of another example interactive
`audio/video platform 225. FIG. 2 illustrates multiple facilities
`200, each connected to the Internet 290 via a router 204. The
`facilities 200, which may include at least one kiosk, commu­
`nicate, via the Internet 290, with a processing center 250 that
`is made up of multiple call clusters 251-254.
`[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates a first central processing cluster
`251 in location A, a second central processing cluster 252 in
`location B, a third central processing cluster 253 in location
`C, and a fourth central processing cluster 254 in location D.
`The central processing clusters 251-254 together operate as
`the processing center 250, and each cluster may include one
`or many computers functioning together to perform various
`tasks. The central processing clusters 251-254 may be located
`in different geographic regions, and one or more of the central
`processing clusters 251-254 may function as backup clusters
`or overflow clusters, operating only when other clusters are
`unavailable or overloaded.
`[0035] The routers 204 at each facility 200 may be config­
`ured to route communications for a particular facility to a
`predetermined central processing cluster, and may be set to
`route communications to another central processing cluster if
`the predetermined central processing cluster is unavailable.
`Alternatively, the routers 204 may be configured to distribute
`communications across multiple processing clusters accord­
`ing to a predetermined ratio (described below). These two
`configurations may be used alternatively or in conjunction
`with one another, and their use could be determined based on
`the traffic load on a network.
`[0036] The routers 204 may also be configured to route
`communications over multiple outbound network connec­
`tions at each facility 200. The router 204 may be configured to
`use a second network connection when a first network con­
`nection is unavailable. For example, a facility may be ser­
`viced (i.e., communication with the outside world) by a DSL
`line and a T1 line, and the DSL line may be used as a backup
`when the T1 line becomes unavailable. As mentioned above,
`a router 204 may also be configured to distribute communi­
`cations across multiple network connections according to a
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`predetermined ratio. For example, if a facility is serviced by
`multiple T1 lines, the router 204 may be configured to dis­
`tribute the call-data load across the T1 lines to a single cluster,
`or multiple clusters, allowing a large capacity of calls to be
`carried simultaneously. These configurations may be used
`alternatively or in conjunction with one another, and their use
`could be determined based on the traffic load on the network.
`[0037] Each central processing cluster 251-254 includes
`multiple nodes each performing various functions. A central
`processing cluster may be one computer that is divided into
`virtual servers, each of which is treated as a node in the
`cluster. Alternatively, each node may be a dedicated com­
`puter, or multiple computers can form each node. Servers can
`be added as necessary to increase capacity of the cluster.
`[0038] An example cluster for use in a secure facility is now
`described. Secure facilities, such as prisons, have unique
`features that must be addressed by the interactive audio/video
`platform 225. For example, residents have limited access to
`cash, and so the platform provides various ways of paying for
`telephone and/or data access. An account is established for
`each resident, and funding of the account is provided via
`kiosks, calling cards, and an interactive voice response sys­
`tem. Provisioning for outside funding may also be desirable.
`Accordingly, the platform 225 may provide for funding of an
`account by an outside party via live customer service, an
`interactive voice response system, a website, or kiosks in
`visiting areas of the facilities.
`[0039] The interactive audio/video platform 225 may also
`allow collect calls to be placed by residents. A common
`problem with collect call systems is that, because a called
`party may not recognize the number or know what individual
`from the facility is calling, there must be a way for a resident
`to identify themselves. In traditional collect call systems, an
`individual may be allowed to record their name to be played
`to a called party. This, however, can permit the transmission
`of a short message without payment for use of the system.
`Accordingly, the platform 225 may instead retrieve and play
`an audio clip of the inmate’s name that was recorded under
`supervision, or that was recorded by another party, or gener­
`ated by a voice synthesizer.
`[0040] System accounts must be tied to particular facility
`residents and must be only accessible by those facility resi­
`dents. To accomplish this, the platform 225 may require a
`resident, upon accessing the system, to enter a unique PIN
`number that is associated with the resident. Additional PIN
`numbers may be required to access voicemail or other secure
`features. The platform 225 may also include voice and/or
`facial recognition features, described in more detail below.
`[0041] Secure facilities also often place restrictions on the
`communications of residents. Accordingly, the platform 225
`is able to automatically restrict a resident from making calls
`or video and text communications with certain destinations
`based on restrictions noted in the residents’ accounts. Simi­
`larly, the platform 225 prevents outside callers from leaving
`voicemail messages for inmates that are restricted from com­
`municating with the outside caller. The platform 225 may also
`place time limits on calls, and may include audio and/or video
`warnings that a call may be cut off due to time restrictions.
`Additionally, the platform 225 may prevent a resident from
`accessing certain kiosk features, such as entertainment fea­
`tures, based on a variety of time, facility, or other rules.
`[0042] Secure facilities also require activity logging and
`monitoring capabilities. The logging may include storing
`information such as when a communication was made, to
`
`whom, and how long it lasted. Full audio and/or video record­
`ing of communications may also be necessary in prisons, for
`example, where virtually all communications need to be
`recorded and retrieved by investigators. Investigators may
`also need to monitor live communications. These functions
`can be automated by the platform 225. The platform 225 may
`also be set to not record certain communications, such as
`communications between an inmate and his attorney or a
`doctor. This can be automated by including attorney or doctor
`numbers on a “do-not-record” list for the system or resident’s
`account or by providing an option to request that a commu­
`nication not be recorded via an interactive response system.
`The request may be reviewed by a live operator for authen­
`ticity, or may be logged for further review to detect abuse.
`[0043] Each central processing cluster 251-254 includes a
`data processing node 256. The data processing node 256 hosts
`data routing, communication recording, and logging func­
`tionality. The data processing node 256 is also responsible for
`digital signal processing. Audio routing and recording may be
`used to process and route calls to destination parties, or to
`record and retrieve voicemail messages or communications
`records. The data processing node 210 may be one or many
`computers functioning together to form the node.
`[0044] The data processing node 256 is responsible for
`routing communications to telecommunications providers
`270 and routing video and data traffic to and from other kiosks
`102 or third party servers 203. For telephone calls, a distrib­
`uted carrier system allows clusters to access multiple VoIP-
`to-POTS providers 260 and telecommunications providers
`270 to terminate any call. If one carrieris overloaded, the data
`processing node 256 will seek the next available carrier based
`on a set of predefined rules that govern priority. Priority can
`be set based on factors such as rate, time of day, call termi­
`nation point, and carrier load. The data processing node 256
`may optionally track the number of connections sent to a
`single carrier, and automatically route calls to a different
`carrier based on the carrier load. Call processing administra­
`tors can adjust the priority at any time via a single, dedicated
`interface.
`[0045] Each central processing cluster 251-254 includes an
`application node 257. The application node 257 hosts pay­
`ment validation, security, user interface, and business logic
`functionality. Business logic functionality includes all the
`rules governing communications or information access. This
`could include, for example, fraud prevention and protection,
`schedule limits defined per resident, facility, phone, or desti­
`nation number, or alarms for triggering investigation. The
`application node 257 is also responsible for implementing
`rules related to call acceptance, communications blocking,
`recording, and logging functionality. The application node
`257 can be accessed by authorized users via an administrative
`web page. By accessing the application node, administrators
`and investigators 240 can retrieve recorded calls, and can
`review records and adjust settings, such as calling or voice-
`mail permissions for facility residents. Customer service per­
`sonnel 241 can also use a web page to review issues reported
`by facility residents or outside callers. The application node
`257 may be one or many computers functioning together to
`form the node.
`[0046] Each central processing cluster 251-254 also
`includes a database node 258. The database node hosts set­
`tings for the business logic functionality. The database node
`258 also stores indexed logs, audio and video communication
`recordings, voicemail recordings, and settings for individual
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`residents and facilities. The database node 258 may be one or
`many computers functioning together to foam the node. The
`database nodes 258 at each central processing cluster 251-
`254 may replicate some or all of the data at another database
`node. Since some facilities may impose rules regarding the
`geographic location where their data is stored, the central
`processing cluster 251-254 may include rules that define the
`data that the databases will replicate for each facility.
`[0047] Central processing clusters 251-254 are connected
`to a communications network and to one another via smart
`load balancers 255. The smart load balancers 255 may be
`configured to communicate with one another over the Internet
`or through a dedicated communications network or link. The
`smart load balancers 255 may be configured to communicate
`to periodically update status information stored at each smart
`load balancer. The smart load balancers 255 can accordingly
`redirect incoming communications received from routers 204
`based on the availability or load on a particular central pro­
`cessing cluster, and can redirect outgoing communications
`based on the responsiveness of a provider network.
`[0048] Central processing clusters 251-254 can also share
`and retrieve data from one another directly via a communi­
`cations link or over the Internet. For example, if a resident at
`Facility A makes a request for a voicemail or text message,
`and the request has been routed to central processing cluster
`251, but the desired data is stored on central processing clus­
`ter 252, cluster 251 can retrieve the audio from cluster 252 for
`playback. Similar