Patent Application
20080043993
A full and enabling description of the present subject matter, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figure, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters throughout the present specification and appended drawing is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the present subject matter.
As referenced in the Summary of the Invention section, supra, the present subject matter is directed towards an improved apparatus and corresponding methodology for monitoring for the unauthorized use of cellular telecommunications equipment within designated areas.
Reference will now be made to the presently disclosed technology, specifically with reference to
With further reference to
With further reference to
Monitoring devices 1-8 may be coupled by way of individual cables to an interface device 10 which is configured to couple signals by way of coupling cable 12 to an inmate telephone system 20. It should be appreciated that other connection methodologies may be employed to couple the monitoring devices 1-8 to interface 10 including optical coupling as, for example, with an optical waveguide corresponding to an optical cable, or by other communications methodologies including, but not limited to radio frequency (RF) techniques including, but again not limited to, Bluetooth®, WiFi, dedicated RF transmission systems, and other wired or wireless technologies. Interface device 10 may be configure to receive a signal form individual monitoring devices 1-8 and to provide information to inmate telephone system 20 that, first, a signal has been detected by a monitoring device and, second, the location of the monitoring device from which the signal was detected.
Information as to location of the various monitoring devices 1-8 may be a part of a data stream sent from the device itself that also includes monitoring activity signals, or may be added to monitoring activity signals received from individual monitoring devices based on pre-established information recorded or entered into the interface device at the time of installation of the monitor devices 1-8 as well as the interface device 10. Alternatively, location information may be recorded within the inmate telephone system 20 itself as, for example, a look-up chart in a memory or file contained within, or as a part of, the inmate telephone system 20.
Regardless of the methodology by which information is conveyed from the detection devices 1-8 and/or interface device 10, such information may be supplied to inmate telephone system 20 in a form corresponding to date and time of detection as well as zone in which, or device from which, a signal has been detected. Upon receipt of the detection information, telephone system 20 may be configured to respond in one or more selected ways. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the prison telephone system art, prison telephone systems and in particular those available from the assignee of the present subject matter, may be configure to respond in various manners upon detection of specific telephone related events. Such may include the attempted initiation of a call by an inmate to an unauthorized called party or even the utterance of selected words indicative or prohibited activities. In such instances pre-selected communications may automatically be initiated to alert appropriate personnel to the occurrence of a potentially relevant event.
In a similar manner, the technology of the present subject matter allows a user to designate selected responses to the detection of unauthorized telecommunication equipment by providing selected alarms or notification messages to appropriate personnel by way of the inmate telephone system 20. In accordance with the present technology, upon detection of operation of unauthorized telecommunication equipment, signals are sent from one or more detector devices 1-8 in corresponding detection zones 41-48 by way of interface device 10 to inmate telephone system 20.
Inmate telephone system 20 may have been previously configured to respond by sending or generating notification messages corresponding to any combination of emails 32, telephone messages 34 and or information reports 36 to appropriate personnel and/or information storage systems. For purposes of the present disclosure, email may include any form of non-verbal electronic communication including standard email as well as text messages and instant messages, all of which may be transmitted by any available communications channel including those provided by both wired and wireless transmission technologies. Telephone messages 34 may include pre-recorded voice messages or any form of automated audible communications included simulated voice announcements as well as encoded tones or other human perceptible sounds.
It should be appreciated that the chosen responses or combinations of responses generated or sent by inmate telephone system 20 may be reconfigured from time to time as necessary or desirable. It should further be appreciated that emails 32 may be sent to locations within as well as outside of the correctional facility. In addition, telephone messages 34 may take the form of automated voice messages conveying selected information to personnel both inside as well as outside the corrections facility. Such information may convey only that a detection of unauthorized telecommunications equipments has been made so as to alert appropriate personnel to take appropriate actions, or may include any or all collected information including location or zone from which the detection of unauthorized use has occurred as well as date and time information if desired. Finally, an information log or file 36 may be created for current or future uses as desired.
In certain additional, though generally limited, circumstances, it may be desirable for the inmate telephone system to be configured for controlling and activating jamming technology, as generally represented by jammer device 38. For example, in a hostage situation, or in riot conditions, it may be authorized and desirable for the non-authorized use of cell phones to be jammed. In those instances, an appropriately configured inmate telephone system 20 in accordance with the present subject matter, could activate and appropriately control representative jammer device 38.
The present technology is designed primarily to detect unauthorized operation of telecommunication equipment within one or more detection zones based on the detection capabilities of the detector device 1-8. It is contemplated that such detection devices may incorporate sensitivity adjustment means that may include, but are not limited to; signal level comparators, antenna sensitivity adjustment means, as well as other signal discriminating methodologies to provide a measure of adjustability to individual detection zones.
In certain alternatives, it may be desired to have the subject detector devices 1-8 be capable of also detecting non-cellular two-way communication devices (for example, two-way radios, such as used by guards). However, in those instances, in may further be desired and within the present subject matter that the resulting system is provided so as to be selectively responsive to such non-cellular based communications devices, depending on particular needs in a given circumstance.
It should be noted that while the principle concept according to the present technology is to limit detection to a particular zone of detection by the above enumerated methodologies, the present subject matter may incorporate triangulation features based on relative signal levels within monitored zones. Such triangulation methodologies would then include an indication of detected signal level within a detection zone which information may also be sent to inmate telephone system 20 for analysis. The preferred detection method, however, is a zone detection method wherein even if a single unauthorized piece of telecommunications equipment triggers plural zone detections, all such zones will “report in” to the inmate telephone system 20 which would then generate plural indications of unauthorized operation of telecommunications equipment.
As may be observed from an inspection of
Thus there has been described an apparatus and methodology for detecting operation of unauthorized telecommunication equipment in designated locations. Moreover the disclosed apparatus and methodology permits selected communication of such detection to appropriate personnel in selected ways in real time so that appropriate responses may be made.
While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
