Remote Confinement Monitoring Station and System Incorporating Same

The present invention relates to verification of the identity of a particular person at a remote location, and more particularly to a monitoring station and system for verifying the identity of individuals in home arrest or remote confinement programs.

Systems for verifying the identity of persons confined under home arrest programs and the problems associated with such identity verification are set forth in the co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/041,698 entitled "Remote Confinement System", filed on Apr. 21, 1987, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. That application, which on June 27, 1989 matured into U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,377, also discloses a system for remotely determining the compliance by a remotely confined confinee with behavioral restrictions associated with the confinement, including particularly the performance of unsupervised tests such as breath alcohol tests upon such a confinee along with the verification of the identity of the confinee.

The concept of remote confinement, or home arrest, is developing as a practical alternative to confinement in correctional institutions for certain types of criminal offenders. Home arrest programs are becoming increasingly popular for the purpose of relieving correctional institutions of overcrowding and reducing the cost associated with punishment by incarceration in such facilities. The development of home confinement systems requires a practical and effective method for filling the need to verify from a central office the presence of the specified confinee at an assigned remote confinement location.

In a typical remote confinement system of the type to which the present invention relates, a central office is equipped with means for selectively communicating with various remote confinement locations for the purposes of verifying the presence (identity) and optionally, the degree of sobriety of the confinees assigned to those locations. These means include a provision for selectively establishing communications links with each home confinement location. For example, provision may be made for a computer at the central office to select from a data bank the designated phone number of a specified confinee and then automatically dial, by way of a conventional telephone network, the phone number of the location to which the selected confinee is assigned.

Upon answering the telephone, the confinee is audibly prompted to identify himself or herself and optionally, to take an alcohol breath test. The confinee then takes the breath test using a portable breath tester and transmits one or more pictorial images from the remote location to the central office. These transmissions carry the visual image of the face of the confinee and optionally, the results of a breath alcohol test. Upon receipt at the central office the transmitted images may either be stored there fore subsequent identification and/or documentary or evidentiary purposes or subjected to immediate manual or automatic analysis for identification and determination of compliance with the restrictions to which the confinee may be subject including for example the requirement to be present at the remote location at certain times of a given day or restrictions on the use of alcohol. Patent application Ser. No. 07/041,698 teaches various identity confirming techniques and behavioral condition testing devices, which may be incorporated with advantage into remote confinement systems.

Identification of a person by viewing a pictorial image of a person's face is a straight forward and reliable method of identification when the identification is to be performed manually. The identification of remotely confined persons by the transmission of pictorial images is described in several of the embodiments disclosed in application Ser. No. 07/041,698.

In one prior art home confinement system employing pictorial identification, the confinee, upon being called by the central office, was instructed to place himself or herself before the camera of a picture telephone and transmit back one or more self images. Taking of these images was initiated by the confinee pressing a button on the picture telephone. If required, the timing of one or more such pictures could be arranged to include images of the confinee in the act of blowing into an alcohol breath tester as well as an image including the readout or display of the breath tester to show the result of the test. While proving quite useful and representing a significant advancement in the art, such systems are not entirely satisfactory.

First, the above systems provide no means for positively assuring the best possible camera focus and quality of transmitted images. Second, the distance between the camera and both the confinee and breath test apparatus varied depending on where the confinee chose to locate his or her person with respect to the camera. As a consequence, there was no way of ensuring that either the face of the subject or the breath tester display would be of a consistent scale. Thus, images might at times appear too small for clear reading or accurate identification. Also, the lack of a consistent camera-to-subject distance made use of automated, e.g., computerized, identification techniques much more difficult. Third, in the prior art there was no means to limit the content of the images transmitted to the central office. This is a serious shortcoming for reasons now to be discussed.

The only pictorial information legitimately required for monitoring purposes are the image of the face of the confinee and optionally, the display of the breath tester. The former image is used for identification purposes while the latter is used to indicate the result of a breath alcohol test where one is required. Because prior art systems were subject to variation in the distance between the camera and the confinees' face and/or breath tester display, the amount of "background" visible in the transmitted image could be considerable. As used herein, the term "background" in the foregoing context refers to the content of the transmitted image other than the confinee or portions of the monitoring station apparatus itself. Such background may include images of persons or things which, for reasons of privacy, should not be transmitted to the central monitoring office since they are not required to be viewed there in order to carry out the intended functions of the remote confinement system, i.e., determining that a designated confinee is present at a particular location and, optionally, determining the confinee's blood alcohol content.

The need to avoid the transmission of background and to transmit only the image of the specified confinee results, in part, from Applicant's realization that transmission of an image containing other information is socially undesirable. Surveillance of a scope extending beyond monitoring the presence and/or sobriety of the confinee might well be considered an unjustified and perhaps even illegal invasion of the constitutional rights of the confinee or others. For the same reason, a remote confinement system should not be amenable to the inadvertent or unwanted actuation of the picture taking and transmitting functions since that would be tantamount to convert surveillance. Only deliberate action on the part of the confinee should allow viewing at the central office. Accordingly, there is a need for monitoring apparatus at the remote confinement locaton which reliably ensures that only the image of the confinee necessary for identification will be subject to surveillance. It is also important that the surveillance will occur only when specifically intended by the confinee in response to an appropriate cue from the central monitoring office.

Prior art systems are subject to the inadvertent transmission of images to the central office because their image formation and transmission functions are initiated by means of a pushbutton associated with the camera at the confinement location. If the confinee presses this button when not substantially occupying the full imaging field of the camera, an intrusive transmission of background images to the central office will result. The pressing of this button by a curious or playful child has a similar effect. Accordingly, there is a need for a remote confinement system wherein image formation and transmission are not readily subject to initiation by means other than the specifically intended action of the confinee, and even if camera activation does accidentally occur, transmission of significant background will be avoided.

Prior art home arrest systems using visual identification of the confinee also lack means to provide proper lighting conditions. The formation of pictorial images which can be easily and reliably interpreted requires more predictable and uniform illumination than one can depend on to be present in varying home arrest environments. Furthermore, it is often desirable to transmit a visual image of the breath test readout. This may require lighting conditions entirely different from those required for illumination of the confinee's facial image. For example, the luminescent L.E.D. displays of the type desired and found on some available breath testers may appear "washed out" (i.e., dim or unreadable due to lack of contrast) in a pictorial image if illuminated at the relatively high levels which may be desired for producing a clear image of a confinee's face. Thus, a need exists to control the lighting conditions in connection with the transmission of images for confinee identification as well as the interpretation of breath test results in home arrest systems.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in a home arrest system the increased utility and feasibility of pictorial image methods for identifying the remotely confined confinee.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring station for use in a remote confinement system which results in transmission of an identifiable image to the central office which is properly focused, centered, devoid of significant background information and is of a consistent linear distance scale.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a monitoring station for use in a remote confinement system which helps to avoid inadvertent transmission of pictorial information to the central office and helps to ensure that background information is not inadvertently transmitted even if inadvertent transmissions do occur.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring station for use in a remote confinement system which provides proper control of lighting conditions for transmitting images of a confinee and/or the alphanumeric display of a breath alcohol tester or other device.

According to the present invention, each remote location is provided with a monitoring station which includes a telecommunications camera (picture telephone) that is capable of transmitting pictorial images over a communications link such as telephone lines. The camera has a lens which views a predetermined angular image field. The invention contemplates providing a breath flow responsive camera actuating means for causing the camera to take an identifying picture of a confinee. Where the system is to include alcohol monitoring, the actuating means preferably forms part of a breath alcohol tester. In order to initiate formation of an image and its subsequent transmission to the central office the confinee must blow into the breath inlet of the breath flow responsive camera actuating means. Further according to the invention, the relative position of the breath inlet of the breath flow responsive actuating means with respect to the field of view of the camera is such as to simultaneously satisfy several important conditions.

First, the distance from the camera lens to the face of a confinee positioned as to be capable of blowing breath into the inlet of the camera actuating means is such as to ensure a properly focused image of the confinees' face. Because this distance is a known, fixed distance, the scale of linear distance on the image can be determined. A knowledge of scale can be useful for identification purposes, particularly where automated means are used to determine whether the transmitted image suitably matches reference data identifying the confinee. Additionally, the breath inlet of the camera actuating means is positioned so that the face of the confinee (together with the display of the breath tester, if one is used) substantially fills the field of the transmitted image. This virtually precludes the chance that unduly invasive background image information will be transmitted to the central office.

The foregoing objective is further served by the fact that breath actuation is required in order to form and transmit an image. Because placing one's mouth on a mouthpiece and blowing into it is a highly volitional act, it is nearly impossible to do so inadvertently. Also, even if one (such as a child) does manage to blow into the actuating means and transmit a picture of himself, an invasion of privacy does not occur. While the image of the child will be transmitted, that image will of necessity be positioned in the field of view of the camera so as to substantially fill the image field thereby avoiding the transmission of background.

A further advantage of this arrangement is that it permits the camera to be equipped with a smaller aperture lens system. These are generally less expensive than a wide aperture system as would be required to limit transmission of background by relying solely on a shallow depth of field to selectively render background out of focus. Accordingly, the camera may be of the type having a fairly large depth of field. With the invention, the depth of field can permissibly extend five feet or more, encompassing the location where the confinee would be normally located in operation as well as what would otherwise appear in the resulting image as background without significant background being visible in the image.

To achieve the desired objectives of blocking out background images, ensuring correct focus and providing a fixed scale of distance, the breath inlet of the actuating means (which may be associated with a breath alcohol tester) may be mounted on an arm which can be either permanently fixed or fixable at a predetermined position relative to the lens of the telecommunications camera. In its operative position, the arm is positioned to locate the actuating means or breath tester such that the face of the person using the tester will be presented in proper focus to the camera. Also, the face of the confinee will substantially fill the field of view of the camera and thus substantially fill the picture image to eliminate the transmission of background information. Where a breath tester is employed, its display preferably shares the field of view with the image of the confinee so that the result of each breath test can be viewed together with the image of the confinee test subject. Forming each pictorial image with the confinee at a known distance from the camera ensures proper image focus and has the further salutory effect of preserving distance information on the image field so that a consistent distance scale for easiler identification.

Where the image formation and transmission actuating means is associated with a breath alcohol tester, further benefits are derived from the invention. The invention contemplates transmitting to the central station one or more images in response to the same flow of breath upon which the alcohol measurement is based. This has the beneficial effect of positively linking a given test result with the subject who delivered the breath sample producing that result. This deters evasion of the breath test by using a human accomplice or bogus gas delivery means, such as a balloon, since the image of the accomplice or bogus apparatus would be visible in place of the designated confinee.

Where more than one image is transmitted, as in the preferred embodiment to be described, at least one such subsequent image is automatically formed and transmitted following a time delay after the flow of breath above a predetermined rate has commenced. If the flow of breath has not been maintained continuously without interruption, at at least the predetermined flow rate, the breath tester display so indicates by means of an appropriate "abort" message. Alternatively, the transmission of the subsequent image could be disabled so that failure to receive it at the central office would indicate an abort condition. The time interval and predetermined minimum sufficient flow rate are selected in the manner known in the art to require a "deep lung" sample of breath as is required for a valid breath alcohol measurement. The second image is preferably also formed at a time when the numerical result of the breath test appear on the breath tester display in order to communicate the result of the breath alcohol test to the central office. Thus, means are provided not only to ensure that the breath test is an accurate one based on a deep lung breath sample but also to communicate the breath test result. In so doing, the invention further provides plural, time-spaced images of the confinee in the act of delivering the sample. The invention thereby further deters attempts to evade the breath test by providing assurance that the depicted confinee has continuously remained in the position required to deliver a breath sample thereby precluding the possibility that an accomplice or bogus gas supply could have been substituted for the confinee after the first image was formed. Thus, the indicated result of the breath test reliably represents the condition of the individual depicted in the images.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, two time-spaced pictorial images are formed and transmitted to the central office. The first image is that of the face of the confinee and the display of the breath tester disposed closely adjacent thereto and is provided for primary identification. In forming this image, the confinee's face is illuminated by a lamp provided on the monitoring station which is lighted in response to the delivery of a breath sample. A second image is of identical composition as the first (i.e., including the face of the confinee and the display), but is taken at a later time when the numerical results of the breath test have appeared on the breath tester display. This second image is formed without illumination by the lamp, but only with the self-illumination of lighted characters of the breath tester's display so that the display is clearly readable.

These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a remote confinement system incorporating the monitoring station of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the monitoring station of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3--3 of FIG. 2 from the camera lens toward the confinee showing the position of the face of the confinee with respect to the image field of the camera.

FIG. 4 is an electrical diagram of one preferred embodiment of a monitoring station according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an electrical schematic diagram detailing the control circuitry of the breath tester shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A-D are flow charts illustrating the operation of the monitoring station of the system under the program control of the microprocessor of the circuit shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the computer at the central office.

Referring to FIG. 1, a remote confinement system 10 is illustrated which incorporates the monitoring station of this invention. The system 10 includes a plurality of remote confinement locations 11, represented in FIG. 1 as 11-1 through 11-n. The locations 11 represent the homes or other remote confinement locations to which confines are assigned or sentenced in a home incarceration program. Each of the locations 11 is provided with a connection to a conventional telephone line 43 which extends from the locaation 11 to a telephone switching network 14 of a conventional telephone system.

The remote confinement system 10 includes a central office 15 which is provided with equipment and personnel for monitoring confinees at the individual remote locations 11. The remote locations 11 are usually (but not necessarily) geographically spaced from one another as well as from central office 15. The equipment at the central office 15 is capable of monitoring a plurality of the remote locations 11 which preferably lie within the local calling area of the central office 15.

Central office 15 provides means for the automatic selection of a specified confinee for a scheduled or semi-random monitoring call, the automatic dialing of the telephone number of the remote location 11 to which the selected confinee is assigned in order to establish a telephone communications link through the network 14 to the selected one of the remote locations 11, the transmission of a prerecorded or synthesized audible instruction message to the confinee over the established communications link, and optionally, the recording of information received through the communications link from the selected one of the remote locations 11 in response to the acts of the selected confinee performed in response to the communicated message. The central office usually also includes personnel or other means to interpret the transmissions received in response to its calls to determine whether a violation has occurred. This consists fundamentally of determining whether a responding transmission is received when the confinee is required to be present at the remote location and if so, whether the content of the transmission indicates that the designated confinee is present. This is done by comparing the transmitted image with file data which may be stored and retrieved in physical form such as photographs or electronically. If the confinee is subject to restrictions on the use of alcohol, the results of a breath alcohol test are interpreted. When a violation is determined to have occurred it is logged and if appropriate, reported to proper authorities either immediately or some later time as circumstances warrant.

The central office 15 is connected through a conventional telephone line 16 to the telephone switching network 14 of the telephone system. In accordance with optional features of the present invention as will be described in more detail below, the system 10 may be provided with a processing center 17 having functions similar to those described above for the central office 15, but located remotely therefrom. Where employed, processing center 17 is connected to one or more individual central offices 15 by a second communications link which may be established for example by connection to the local telephone network 14 through a long distance telephone communications link 18.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, the central office 15 is equipped with a computer 20 whose general operation is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 7. Computer 20 may comprise a general purpose personal computer such as an IBM PC XT and is preferably equipped with a hard disk storage media. Computer 20 includes a serial output port 21 of the conventional RS-232C type, connected to the telephone line 16 via a modem 19. The computer 20 is also provided with a standard parallel output 22 connected to a printer 23 which is provided to print out a hard copy of a log of monitoring operations. The computer 20 is further provided with a resident voice synthesizer to which a microphone 26 is connected by way of an input connector 25 for use in generating prerecorded messages. Optionally, the central office 15 is equipped with a video cassette recorder 30 (VCR). The VCR 30 is connected via an interface printed circuit board 29 and a video input-output cable 3 to the telephone line 16. A control input cable 32 connects a control output port of the computer 20 to the control input of the VCR 30. A monitor screen or viewer 33 is also provided at the central office 15. Viewer 33 provides means for visual comparison of pictorial images received over the phone line 16 with a corresponding file picture 34 of the confinee retrieved from storage in a file. The viewer 33 is connected to an output 35 of the VCR 30. While a photograph retrieved from a physical file may serve the purpose, the images comprising file picture 34 may optionally be stored in digitized form accessible via computer and displayed electronically on a screen. It may be preferable in some applications to store the file information in other than digitized or hard copy form. In such cases pictorial images to be utilized as identification references in the system 10 can be maintained in analog form, may be stored on a video cassette for screen display. A printer 38 is also provided at the central office 15 for printing hard copies of the images sent through output line 35 to viewer 33. The printer 38 is provided with an input cable connected from the line 35. All of the hardware and supporting software utilized at central station 15 is commercially avaliable from Luma Telecom, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. as part of its Luma Interactive Monitoring System (LIMS).

It is of course possible to use other than a standard telephone exchange as a communications link. In such a case, the data storage medium 62 will contain whatever information is necessary and appropriate to enable the computer 20 to establish a communications link to the selected remote location 40 through the network employed. Additionally, it may be desirable to use information other than the pictorial image of a person for purposes of identification. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternate forms of visual identification such as fingerprinting or retinal vasculature imaging may also be suitably adapted for use with the invention. Moreover, the identifying information need not be stored in humanly readable form. Instead, file picture 34 or other identifying data can be stored electronically in analog or digital form and, if necessary, transcribed by electronic means to humanly readable form.

The equipment at the central office 15 operates to select a specified confinee and to establish a communications link to the equipment at the remote location 11 at which the selected confinee is assigned. In the preferred embodiment, a telephone communications link is used. Computer 20 includes an auto dialer 63 to call selected remote locations 11 as monitoring circumstances warrant. Calling schedules may be arranged on any desired basis including a periodic one but are preferably arranged on a random or pseudo-random basis to avoid a high degree of predictability by the confinee. Provision may be made in the schedule to avoid calling a particular confinee at times when that person may be permissibly absent from their assigned remote location for legitimate reasons such as going to work.

A selected one of the remote locations 11 to be called at a given time is illustrated in FIG. 1 as selected remote location 40. Each remote location 11, including selected remote location 40, is provided with a telecommunications camera (picture telephone) 42 which is connected to a telephone line 43. The telecommunications camera 42 may be one of a number of suitable types. One such device which is commercially available is marketed under the trademark Visitel and is manufactured by Luma Telecom, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Sales America, Inc. The Visitel camera is connectable directly to a standard voice grade telphone line 43 and includes a camera and supporting circuitry which, when actuated, form a still pictorial image of objects within the field of view of its lens, and then serially transmit the image onto a telephone line. A complete image formation/transmission cycle takes approximately five seconds. The Visitel camera 42 connects directly to the telephone line by way of a Y-cable 12 having a modular telephone jack plug (not shown) for connection to the telephone line 43. The Y-cable 12 also includes a power connector comprising an AC to DC converter unit which may be plugged into a conventional 115 Volt AC wall outlet. For audio communication, a conventional telephone 41 plugs into a modular output jack.

For the purposes of the present invention, the telecommunications camera 42 does not require all of the features of the commercially available Visitel unit. For example, user accessible pushbuttons 44 which are provided on the commercial Visitel product to initiate forming and transmitting an image are removed and circuitry is added to interface the camera with a breath alcohol tester to adapt unit 42 for use with the present invention as described in further detail later.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the camera lens 45 is provided with a sliding lens cover 47, which is connected to certain enabling switches described in more detail below. Advantageously, a camera lamp 48 is added to the standard Visitel unit in order to adapt it for use with the invention for adequately and uniformly illuminating the face of a person to be viewed by the camera 45 regardless of ambient lighting conditions. Camera lamp 48 may comprise a conventional 120 Volt, 30 watt miniature spot lamp.

The standard Visitel unit currently being sold commercially by Luma Telecom, Inc. includes a CRT which provides a real time video display of the image within the field of view of camera 42 so that a user can properly pose and be centered in the field of view before transmitting an image. Since arm 52 acts to properly position a user within the image field of camera 42, the CRT is not necessary and is therefore preferably removed. Lamp 48 is conveniently mounted behind a transparent or translucent panel on the front panel of the camera 42 in the area from which the CRT has been removed and is directed toward the tester 50 so as to control the level of illumination of the face of the person 55 when a picture is being taken through the lens of the camera 42.

Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the standard Visitel product adapted to comprise telecommunications camera 42 also includes a series of four user-accessible push buttons 44a-44d to control its operation. These include a "BRIGHT UP" push button 44a for brightening the image, a "BRIGHT DOWN" push button 44b for darkening the image, a "VIEW POSE" push button 44c (whose function is not relevant here) and a "SEND" push button 44d. "SEND" push button 44d initiates the forming and transmission of an image. Push buttons 44c and 44d are removed from the front panel of the Visitel unit 42 so as not to be externally accessible while push buttons 44a and 44b are preferably left in place. The internal electrical connections to push button 44c are disconnected and permanently wired to remain in the state corresponding to the normal, unactuated switching state of push button 44c. The switch contacts of push button 44d are connected via jumper wires 67 to connect the camera circuitry 66 to a controller circuit board 68 which can be conveniently mounted in the base 49 of the telecommunications camera 42. As will be explained further, the above modifications serve the important function of linking the "SEND" function to the breath alcohol tester 50 so that the forming and transmission of a pictorial image by camera 42 can be initiated only in response to delivering a breath sample into breath tester 50.

Each remote location 11 is provided with breath responsive actuating means for triggering camera 42 to form and transmit images. To facilitate alcohol breath testing of confines, this actuating means preferably forms part of breath alcohol tester 50. The tester 50 preferably comprises a modified Alert model J-4 which is commercially available and is manufactured by Alcohol Countermeasures Systems, Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. For purposes of the present invention, it should be appreciated that breath tester 50 includes flow sensing means such as a pressure switch which closes when a user blows into the tester mouthpiece to signal the delivery of a breath sample. Breath tester 50 further includes an alcohol sensor such as a Figaro Engineering Co. Model TGS109 Tin Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensor which measures the alcohol content of the sample, a four digit display for displaying an alcohol reading to the camera, and circuitry containing electronics and software to support the operation of the alcohol sensor and the display. These components are shown in FIG. 5, described below and in connection with the flow charts of FIGS. 6A-D. In the preferred embodiment, the standard circuitry and software of the model J-4 breath tester are modified slightly to perform the additional functions described in connection with the schematic of FIG. 5, to interface with the other circuitry of camera 42 and to operate in accordance with the flow chart of FIGS. 6A-D below.

The monitoring station illustrated at the selected remote location 40 is representative of the equipment at each of the remote locations 11. Its external physical configuration is illustrated in both FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 2, the camera 42 connected to breath tester 50 as described above is illustrated connected via a Y-cable 12 to both the telephone line 43 and a power source as previously described. A standard telephone 41 having a handset 41a (or conference type remote speaker and microphone) patches into telephone line 12 by way of a standard phone cord having a modular jack plug (not shown) receivable in an appropriate jack in the rear of camera 42.

Breath tester 50 is supported on an arm 52 which extends from a base 49 disposed beneath the camera 42. The arm 52 supports the tester 50 for operation at a predetermined distance and position in relation to the lens 45 of the camera 42. Camera 42 is physically situated so that its lens 45 directed and focused to form a clear image of the face of the person 55 positioned at this predetermined location. As shown in FIG. 2, the correct positioning of the person 55 at this predetermined location results when the confinee 55 is using the breath tester 50 by blowing into its mouthpiece. The proper relationship between camera 42 and the face of the person 55 is established by the geometry of the arm 52 which preferably supports breath tester and which preferably is mounted to the base 49 which supports camera 42. The arm 52 may comprise a structure having a fixed effective length and height or may comprise a structure selectively extendable along one or more such axes as is the telescoping arm 52 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Arm 52 has a height and a maximum extended length in its fully extended position (as shown) which will position the tester 50 as to locate the breath inlet mounthpiece of the tester 50 in a predetermined location. This location is selected so that when a user positions himself or herself to blow into the mouthpiece of tester 50 the use and breath tester are located within the image field of camera 42. Arm 52 preferably includes an outwardly angled section adapted to present the mouthpiece of breath tester 50 at an angle with respect to the mouth of the user so that the user can look straight into the lens 45 of camera 42 while blowing into breath tester 50. Further, the face of the user 55 together with the display 57 of tester 50 substantially fills the image field 58 (FIG. 3) of camera 42 and are laterally centered therein to thereby preclude transmission of undesired background information. The horizontal distance from the lens 45 of camera to the face of the user 55 is selected in accordance with the focal distance and depth of field of camera 42 so as to present the face of the user in proper focus. Thus, the geometry of arm 52 affords both a readable image of display 57 without including significant visible background images.

It can readily be appreciatd that arm 52 need not be permanently physically connected to either camera 42 or breath tester 50 to perform the above functions but can be detachable from either so long as means are provided to permit arm 52 to be placed as to properly and repeatably position the breath inlet of tester 50 relative lens 45 in the required manner described above. Moreover, while desirable for unobtrusive storage between uses, arm 52 need not be telescoping or collapsible but may comprise a member of substantially fixed dimensions. Where the arm 52 is of the telescoping type, it is perferably provided with a limit switch 71 which will enable camera 42, when actuated, to operate to take a picture and to transmit an image only when arm 52 is fully extended thereby ensuring properly focused images devoid of objectionable background. Similarly, the lens cover 47 which covers the camera lens 45 actuates another switch 72 which permits the taking of a picture and transmission of the image only when the lens cover 47 is opened. If a limit switch sensing the extension of arm 52 is employed, its contacts may conveniently be wired electrically in series with those of the switch associated with lens cover 47.

Breath tester 50 is provided with a visual alphanumeric display 57 for reading out the results of the breath test. As previously noted, the display 57 is positioned by arm 52 so as to be readable within the image field 58 defined by camera 42. The display 57 of the model J-4 breath tester is a 4 digit, 7 segment, L.E.D. type display providing illuminated figures which are readable visually. Accordingly, an image including display 57 is effective to transmit the information contained thereon to the central office 15. However, the formation of this image is preferably done without additional illumination by the lamp 48 which would tend to "wash out" the display 57 and render the image generated by camera 42 unreadable.

The image field which bounds the picture taken through the lens 45 of camera 42 is illustrated in FIG. 3 by the lines 48 which define the perimeter of the field and transmitted image at the point when arm 52 is in its operative or fully extended position. The predetermined distance maintained by the arm 52 is such that the boundary of the formed pictorial image of the face of the person 55 will define an area of the person's face so that the face and display substantially fully fill the formed pictorial image. This is more specifically illustrated by FIG. 3. The perimeter of the image field of camera 42, as illustrated by the line 58, preferably falls slightly within the perimeter of the facial image of the person 55. Image field 58 is also just large enough to include the display 57 of the tester 50.

Because its size is known, display 57 provides a convenient linear distance reference disposed adjacent the image of the face of the person 55 so as to facilitate the identification process. Even without the presence of display 57, the fact that arm 52 predetermines the dsistance between camera lens 45 and the face of the person 55 when an image is formed provides knowledge of the scale of linear distance on the images. This is particularly advantageous for the requirements of automated image identification where that is desired. A further advantage of the maintenance of full field image in this manner is the elimination of unwanted background which might include images of persons other than the specified confinee or objects in the confinee's household. As noted previously, transmission of such background to the central office is to be avoided in order to minimize the degree of intrusion that monitoring requires.

When called by central office 15 a person 55 at remote location 40 hears a synthesized instruction message on handset 41a upon answering telephone 41. The person responds by simultaneously initiating both a breath test and the transmission of a pair of pictorial images using breath alcohol tester 50 linked to camera 42 as described herein to form the remote monitoring station. To use the monitoring station to respond, the confinee 55 pulls tester 50 away from the camera 42 to withdraw telescoping arm 52 to its fully extended position. When arm 52 if fully extended as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an arm extension limit switch 71, which is normally open, closes. Limit switch 71 is a double pole limit switch having poles 71a and 71b connected as shown in FIG. 4 to partially enable camera 42 so it can form and transmit an image only when arm 52 is fully extended. This is achieved by connection of the switch section 71a in series with the jumper wires 67 connected to the contacts of the SEND push button 44d which has previously been removed. Pole section 71b is connected in series with the hot line of a single phase 115 volt a.c. cable 74 which connects the lamp 48 with a 3-prong grounded male line plug 75. The cable 74 and the jumper wires 67 are connected to the plug 75 and breath tester 50 through the controller circuit board 68 which may conveniently be housed within the base 49 disposed beneath camera unit 42. Board 68 includes an optically isolated electronic relay 76 having normally open contacts connected in series with switch pole 71b as shown.

A 3.8 volt D.C. power supply 77 is also provided on the circuit board 68 to provide power to tester 50 and relay 76. The power supply 77 has an input connected across the 115 volt A.C. line from the line plug 75. The 3.8 volt positive D.C. output of the power supply 77 connects to the power terminal of the tester 50 and to one side of the input of relay 76. As long as the AC power cord of camera 42 remains plugged into an energized outlet, breath tester 50 is supplied power via circuit board 68 to maintain a constantly powered-up, ON condition. This allows tester 50 to be ready for use without a warm up period which would otherwise be required in order to purge its alcohol sensor. Power supply 77 is also connected to the collector of a 2N3904 switching transistor whose emitter is grounded and whose base is connected through a 10K ohm resistor from the LAMP signal output terminal of tester 50 as desscribed below in connection with the description of the control circuitry 78 illustrated in FIG. 5.

Once arm 52 is fully extended, the user slides the slidable lens cover 47 to its open position. A second limit limit switch 72 is thereby actuated to then fully enable the camera activation camera circuitry 70. The confinee 55 then performs a breath alcohol test by placing his mouth upon the mouthpiece of the tester 50 and then exhaling into it continuously without interruption for at least about five seconds.

The design and operation of alcohol breath testers is discussed in detail in various patents and other prior art publications including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,764,270 and 4,093,945 and therefore, needs no detailed explanation here. In summary, these patents show that an accurate measurement of a person's blood alcohol content can be made by measuring the alcohol in air sampled from the alveoli of the lungs. Such a sample is obtained by requiring the person tested to exhale a deep lung sample of breath which is obtained by blowing into the mouthpiece of the tester at at least a minimum sufficient flow rate for at least a minimum interval of time. In the J-4 breath alcohol tester, this interval is slightly in excess of five seconds. Accordingly, when a breath sample is delivered, a pressure switch 73 (FIG. 5) which is a standard component of the model J-4 tester closes to signal that the delivery of a breath sample at at least a minimum prescribed flow rate has begun. The continuous delivery of the breath sample causes pressure switch 73 to remain closed as do switches 71 and 72, to add a further required condition for activation of the control circuitry 66 of camera 42. When all the necessary conditions signalled by switches 71, 72 and 73 are satisfied, camera 42 is energized in order to form an image which includes a sufficient portion of the face of the user 55 of breath tester 50 to permit identification of the person, the readout or display of breath tester 50 and substantially nothing else in the background. To fully and uniformly illuminate the user's face to permit formation of a clear image thereof regardless of ambient light levels, at least one image is preferably formed while the user's face is illuminated with light from lamp 48. Camera 42 automatically transmits the formed image to central office 15 by way of telephone line 12. If the image received at the central office is either too bright or too dark, the confinee can be instructed via telephone 41 to press the appropriate BRIGHT DOWN or BRIGHT UP push button (44b and 44a respectively) to correct the problem and then instructed to repeat the identification procedure.

Where breath alcohol testing is required, at least one additional image is preferably formed and transmitted substantially contemporaneously with the breath test. This image shows the face of the user of the breath tester as well as the result of the test as it appears on display 57. So that display 57 is clearly readable, the latter image is preferably formed without lamp 48 being illuminated.

The control signals which actuate the operation of camera 42 through the lines 67 and 74 are generated by the circuitry 78 of the breath tester 50, the schematic of which is illustrated in FIG. 5. This circuitry 78 is the standard circuitry provided with the commercially available Alert J-4 tester with the following modifications: First, the conductor from pin P23 of the D8749H microprocessor is interrupted and P23 is connected through a TRIP signal conductor 81 on circuit board 68 and a pole section 71a of limit switch 71 to a terminal of the SEND switch 44 of the VISITEL camera 42; the other terminal of switch 44 being grounded through circuit board 68 to the ground 82 of the circuit 78. Third, pin P24 of the 8749 microprocessor is connected through the LAMP signal conductor 83 to the 10K ohm resistor in series with the base of the lamp circuit relay switching transistor on circuit board 68 (FIG. 4). Fourth, the battery pack is removed and the VB battery connection of circuit 78 is connected by conductor 84 from the power 3.8 volt supply 77 positive terminal on circuit board 68 (FIG. 4). Fifth, the 8749 microprocessor is reprogrammed in accordance with the assembly listing filed concurrently herewith and expressly incorporated herein in the accompanying software Appendix.

The operating program of circuit 78 generates an output signal to trigger camera 42 and lamp 48 when switch 73 is closed. It does so by generating respective TRIP and LAMP signals to cause the formation of a pictorial image of the person 55 using the tester 50 to be transmitted to the central office 15. The LAMP signal on line 83 persists long enough (e.g., 1 or 2 seconds) to fully illuminate the facial region of person 55 as the image thereof is being formed by camera 42. This ensures that person 55 will be clearly visible and thus, identifiable in the resulting image irrespective of the ambient light level.

Once the pressure switch 73 has remained closed continuously for the approximately 5 seconds required to ensure a valid, deep lung breath sample, a breath alcohol reading is displayed upon display 57. If at any time during this slightly more than five second interval in the delivery of the breath sample, pressure switch 73 opens to signal that the breath sample has been interrupted, the signal will abort the test and reset the program requiring the user to restart the breath test. The display 57 of the breath tester 50 indicates the abort condition by displaying a suitable visual message such as "ABrt". A predetermined time interval, such as 5.2 seconds, following the initial closing of pressure switch 73, a second trip signal is generated under program control on line 81 causing a second image of the person using the tester 50 and display 57 to be formed and transmitted to the central office 15 via telephone exchange 14. That portion of the transmitted image which includes display 57 will show either the abort message or a numerical value indicating the result of the alcohol test. When this image is formed, however, a LAMP signal is preferably not generated on line 83. This helps to ensure that the indicia being shown on display 57 will not be "washed out" and will be clearly visible in the resulting image. The second pictorial image transmitted to the central office 15 may be recorded there on VCR 30 in the same manner as the first picture transmission described above and/or interpreted immediately upon receipt.

Due to the cycle time of the Visitel camera 42 of the preferred embodiment, about five seconds must lapse between consecutive images. To allow for the first image to be transmitted to the central office 15 and to avoid recording background information, the second image must be taken after the first transmission but before the user moves from the tester 50. Thus, the first picture should be triggered sufficiently early in the sample delivery period to insure that the picture will be transmitted in time for the second to be taken before the user moves his head from the tester mouthpiece. This should be at least about five seconds before the test is complete depending on the maximum rate at which camera 42 can form consecutive images. In the preferred embodiment, the first image is triggered shortly and almost immediately after the pressure switch 73 first closes and the second is programmed to be triggered about 5.2 seconds thereafter. Of course, if a camera having a more rapid image repetition rate (shorter cycle time) is employed, timing can be varied to provide even a greater number of images during the time a breath sample is being delivered.

Instead of using display 57 as means to indicate the result of a test, display 57 can optionally be bypassed or supplemented by forming an electrical output signal representing the test result. This signal, which can be either analog or digital in nature, can be transmitted via a suitable communications link from the tester 50, directly to central office 15. There, it can be recorded by means such as VCR 30 and/or immediately evaluated manually or by the computer or other circuitry at the central office 15 to trigger an alarm or otherwise signal that the test has been failed.

The detailed operation of the control circuitry 68 at the remote location 40 is preferably performed by a microprocessor such as an Intel 8749 programmed as set forth in the attached software Appendix, the details of which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The operation of this software will now be summarized with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 6A-6D.

Referring first to FIG. 6A, an initial operating procedure, arbitrarily designated INIT, is commenced by applying power to the unit 40 by plugging the unit into a standard 115 volt AC line. When power is applied to the unit, camera control circuit 78 initializes and performs a diagnostic check. This occurs usually when the system is set up in the home of the confinee by probation office personnel. If errors are detected in the system by this automated start-up procedure, an appropriate ERROR is displayed on the display 57 of the tester 50. Otherwise, the operation proceeds to the READY routine illustrated in FIG. 6B.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the READY routine commences by energization of a heater associated with the alcohol sensor of tester 50 in a controlled manner to execute the purging of the sensor to prepare it for a test. During this purge routine, additional system checks are made. If an error is detected, display 57 is set to so indicate. The system check occurs during the the sensor purging cycle. During this cycle, the circuitry determines in the manner of the conventional J-4 procedure whether the sensor has been purged. If not, the system diagnostics are repeated and the system loops to continue energizing the sensor heater to purge the sensor. If the sensor purge is complete, the system sounds an audible "beep" and displays a prompting message such as "blo" on display 57 indicating the unit is ready to receive a breath sample. The program then proceeds to set a timer to, for example, 30 seconds, a period within which the user would be required to initiate a breath test at the tester 50. Within this 30 seconds, the program monitors the state of the pressure switch 73 (FIG. 5). If the closure of pressure switch 73 is not sensed within the prescribed time, the program causes a second prompt message to appear and loops through a diagnostic routine while waiting for pressure switch 73 to close. When the switch 73 contacts are made in response to the delivery of a breath sample, the program transfers control to the ID routine described and illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 6C.

Referring to FIG. 6C, the ID routine begins with a display of dashes ("----") on the tester display 57 so long as pressure switch 73 remains closed. The display of dashes serves as an indication of the closure of the pressure switch 73 which occurs when at least a predetermined minimum flow of breath is present. The program then proceeds to the setting of a timer to a short period, for example, one second, during which the camera lamp 48 will be illuminated. This is caused by the appearance of a signal at P24 of the microprocessor (FIG. 5) and the LAMP output line 83 of the circuit 78. Provided that the arm extension limit switch 71 is closed, closure of the lamp relay 76 will result closing a circuit through switch section 71b to illuminate lamp 48 by applying A.C. voltage to it.

Following illumination of the lamp 48, after a very brief delay of, for example, 1/10th of one second, the controller 78 actuates camera 42 by outputting a trip signal on line 81 from the P23 terminal of the microprocessor (FIG. 5). The short delay allows lamp 48 to warm up enough to assume a sufficient brightness for illumination purposes prior to the formation of an image. The trip signal traverses pole section 71a of limit switch 71 and jumper wires 67. Provided lens cover 47 is open (as indicated by the closure of limit switch 72), camera 42 then forms an image and proceeds to transmit it onto the telephone line 12, through execution of its normal image forming and transmission sequence under control of the circuitry 66. The image will be formed within the time period during which the lamp 48 is on, namely, the one second previously defined. Camera 42 then proceeds to transmit the image serially onto the transmission line according to its normal operating sequence. The program then transfers control to the TEST routine as illustrated in FIG. 6D.

The TEST routine begins with the setting of a timer to 5.2 seconds. This time is longer than the time required to allow the camera 42 to finish transmission of the first image and allows for the timing of a full interval of 5.2 seconds during which a continuous delivery of the breath sample will be required. During this 5.2 seconds, the program repeatedly interrogates the lamp timer to turn lamp 48 off once the timer times out. Also, the program repeatedly tests the output of the pressure switch 73 to determine that the pressure switch 73 (together with the lens cover switch 72 and arm switch 71) is activated indicating that a continuous, uninterrupted breath sample is being delivered. In the event that the circuit is broken by the opening of the pressure switch 73, the test will be aborted, an abort message will appear on display 57 and the system will return to the READY routine of FIG. 6B. If the switch 73 remains closed during the full 5.2 time period thus indicating a valid deep lung breath sample has been delivered, the control circuitry 78 in the breath tester will activate the sensor related circuitry to cause any breath alcohol content reading to be made and the output to be displayed on the display 57 of the tester 50. The controller 78 then generates another TRIP signal to reactivate circuitry of the telecommunications camera 42 to causing it to form a second image and then initiate its transmission to the central office 15. The unit at 40 thereupon remains under the control of the READY routine awaiting the next breath test to be performed in response to the next request from the central office 15.

Having described the programming and operation of controller circuit 78 of the monitoring station at the remote location 40, the overall operation of the system 10 may be described under the control of the program of th computer 20 at the central office 15. This is described with reference to the diagram of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 7, computer 20 commences operation by initiating the monitoring of a remote location 11 at the central office 15 by the computer 20, which generates a preprogrammed or semi-random command in the central processor 61. Next, computer 20 retrieves from the data storage medium 62 the information necessary to select a specified confinee for monitoring and to establish a communications link with a selected confinee. The computer 20 then initiates the operation of the automatic dialer 63 to dial the phone number of the telephone line to the equipment at the remote location 40 to establish a telephone communications link through the exchange 14 to the remote location 40 at which the selected confinee is assigned. If desired, a maximum response time may be set within which the unit at location 40 must respond, or a signal will indicate an error condition or possible violation. A predetermined number of repeated attempts to establish communication can be programmed before such an error or violation is signalled. When the telephone associated with telecommunications camera 42 with which the remote location 40 is equipped is answered, thereby establishing a connection to the phone line 12, the computer 61 transmits an audible message from the voice synthesizer 64 to the telephone at remote location 40. This message instructs a person at the remote location 40 to respond by performing a breath alcohol test using tester 50. The system then pauses to allow for execution of the program of the remote unit 40 as described above in connection with FIGS. 6A-6D. While the system may be programmed to check incoming information, it is sufficient for it to merely record all incoming information on VCR 30 and to display the images on viewer 33 if manual monitoring is utilized. The program will then disconnect the phone connection.

At the central office 15, the monitoring of a selected confinee to the extent described above has been achieved thus far in fully automated fashion from the central office 15. At this point in the operation, the results, however, will not yet have been analyzed for purposes of identifying the person performing the test at the selected remote location 40 as being the same person as the selected confinee. This may be done manually either at a subsequent time or in real time by viewing the pictorial image received through line 16 over a communications path to the VCR 30 at the central office 15. The image received may be displayed on the viewer 33 and may also be printed out on the printer 38 for present or future comparison with a file image 34. The file image 34 is compared with the image from the viewer 33 representing the picture generated from the remote location 40 to establish whether the two match.

While the above description constitutes a preferred embodiment of the preferred invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereby and that in light of the present disclosure of the invention, various other alternative embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. In the first instance, it should be clear that all embodiments of the invention do not require either the step of or means for performing an alcohol test. While particularly well adapted for systems wherein breath alcohol testing is called for, the breath flow responsive monitoring equipment and techniques of the invention are of great utility even in the absence of alcohol testing. It should further be noted that while the preferred embodiment described above utilizes a telecommunications camera that takes still images, the invention could be adapted to video imaging. Also, while the present invention prevents transducing of the transmitted images to a readable form at the central office by requiring a person to blow breath into the monitoring station in order to initiate the forming and transmission of an image, breath flow responsive actuating means could be employed in other ways within the scope of the invention to prevent viewing of the remote confinement location except as authorized by the confinee.

For example, a system could be constructed wherein the central office was unable to transduce a transmitted image in the absence of a code generated as a consequence of using the breath flow responsive actuating means, even if non-transducible images were transmitted periodically or even continuously from the remote location to the central office. Such a code could comprise one or more digital bits transmitted with or separately from image data as an indication that a proper breath signal had been given. Alternatively, images could be periodically or continuously formed by the monitoring station but no image would be transmitted therefrom unless it was one formed at a time the breath flow actuating means was active.

In view of the above, it is clear that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the appended claims.