Patent ID: 9609269
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: G06Q,H04N

Claim:
1. A web-based audio/video visitation system for prisons providing only inmate initiated web-based audio and video communications on a prepaid per-minute basis, comprising: a webserver having a processor and non-transitory memory with computer executable instructions to host the web-based audio/video visitation web service over an Internet, the webserver having an administrative interface that hosts an administrative user web-interface on an administrative system and being associated with a prison in which a particular inmate is located, an inmate-visitor interface that hosts an inmate-visitor user web-interface on a workstation of a inmate-visitor that is a registered inmate-visitor of the particular inmate and that is located remote from a location of the particular inmate, and an inmate interface that hosts an inmate user web-interface on an inmate terminal accessible by the particular inmate and that is enabled to receive inputs from the particular inmate that includes a request for establishing a web-based communication to the workstation of the inmate-visitor; wherein the inmate interface is configured to interface to the inmate terminal that is disposed in the prison and is operatively connected to and communicative therewith via the Internet, the hosted inmate user web-interface utilizing at the inmate terminal the receiving and providing of audio and video using a speaker, a microphone, a video display and a video camera, associated with the inmate terminal and that is operatively connected via the Internet to the inmate interface using an inmate terminal network interface; and wherein the inmate-visitor interface of the webserver and the webserver are configured to operatively communicate with the inmate-visitor workstation of the registered inmate-visitor the Internet and to receive a registration of the inmate-visitor for the particular inmate with the registration including an Internet address of the inmate-visitor workstation of the inmate-visitor and a name of the inmate-visitor, to enable the inmate-visitor workstation to provide an inmate-visitor user web-interface providing audio and video communication therewith using a video display, a video camera, a microphone and a speaker of the inmate-visitor workstation by communicating with the inmate-visitor workstation of an inmate-visitor network interface of the inmate-visitor workstation that is operatively connected to the Internet and therefore to the inmate-visitor interface of the webserver; the webserver configured to operatively communicate over the administrative interface with the administrative system via the Internet for managing the inmate interface, the inmate-visitor interface, and the web-based audio/video communication over the Internet as initiated by the particular inmate using the inmate user web-interface at the inmate terminal; to receive from the inmate interface an inmate-visitor a selection of a number of non-visit specific pre-paid minutes of communication time between the inmate-visitor and the particular inmate that will be applicable for one or more audio/video communications therebetween; to receive pre-paid per-minute funds from an Internet based payment service operatively connected to the webserver; to store in a database information related to both the particular inmate and the inmate-visitor name and Internet identification and address as received by the inmate-visitor workstation and the received non-visit specific per-paid minute funds from the inmate-visitor of the particular inmate; to provide over the inmate interface a displayed listing of the name of the registered inmate-visitor; to receive over the inmate interface a selection of the inmate of the displayed listed name of the registered inmate-visitor to which the inmate wishes to make a current web-based communication; to receive a request from the inmate over the inmate interface to establish web-based communication between the inmate and the selected inmate-visitor; to verify a current authority of the inmate to have a communication with the selected inmate-visitor; to verify an availability of non-visit specific pre-paid minute funds associated with the inmate and the selected inmate-visitor; to establish the inmate initiated web-based audio and video communications between the inmate-visitor interface of the selected inmate-visitor and the inmate interface of the inmate responsive to the received selection and request from the inmate, the established web-based communication forming a visit; to monitor a duration of the established inmate initiated web-based communication; and to terminate the web-based communication as a function of the monitored duration as compared to the verified availability of non-visit specific pre-paid minute funds.