Digital telecommunications call management and monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a centralized, digital, computer-based telephone call management system for authenticating users of a telephone system in an institutional facility. The system includes the capacity to allow an institution to control, record, monitor, and bill and report usage and access to a telephone network. The telephone call management system further includes both accounting and management software for use in controlling, monitoring, billing, recording, and reporting usage and access. Also, it can operate over both a Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) and a Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) infrastructure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An inmate telecommunication call processing system, comprising:
 a telephonic instrument, incorporated at an institution from among a plurality of institutions, configured to place a telephone call, each institution from among the plurality of institutions being configured to define a corresponding period of time from among a plurality of periods of time to store its corresponding telephone calls; and   a central call management platform, remote from the institution, configured to:
 record the telephone call, and 
 store the telephone call in accordance with the corresponding period of time as defined by the institution. 
   
     
     
         2 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to store telephone call data corresponding to the telephone call in accordance with the corresponding period of time as defined by the institution. 
     
     
         3 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to a called party. 
     
     
         4 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 3 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to digitize the telephone call for storage and for transport to the called party using an internet protocol. 
     
     
         5 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 4 , wherein the internet protocol comprises:
 a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).   
     
     
         6 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 3 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to the called party upon authentication of a calling party that placed the telephone call. 
     
     
         7 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 6 , wherein the authentication comprises:
 biometric authentication of the calling party.   
     
     
         8 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of periods of time is mandated by a regulatory body affiliated with a county institution, a state institution, or a federal institution. 
     
     
         9 . An inmate telecommunication call processing system, comprising:
 a telephonic instrument, incorporated at an institution from among a plurality of institutions, configured to place a telephone call; and   a central call management platform, remote from the institution, configured to:   record the telephone call, and   store the telephone call in accordance with a corresponding period of time from among a plurality of periods of time, each period of time from among the plurality of periods of time being defined by a corresponding institution from among the plurality of institutions.   
     
     
         10 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 9 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to store telephone call data corresponding to the telephone call in accordance with the corresponding period of time as defined by the institution. 
     
     
         11 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 9 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to a called party. 
     
     
         12 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to digitize the telephone call for storage and for transport to the called party using an internet protocol. 
     
     
         13 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 12 , wherein the internet protocol comprises:
 a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).   
     
     
         14 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to the called party upon authentication of a calling party that placed the telephone call. 
     
     
         15 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 14 , wherein the authentication comprises:
 biometric authentication of the calling party.   
     
     
         16 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of periods of time is mandated by a regulatory body affiliated with a county institution, a state institution, or a federal institution. 
     
     
         17 . An inmate telecommunication call processing system, comprising:
 a telephonic instrument, incorporated at an institution from among a plurality of institutions, configured to place a telephone call, each institution from among the plurality of institutions being configured to define a corresponding period of time from among a plurality of periods of time to store its corresponding telephone calls; and   a central call management platform, remote from the institution, configured to:
 record the telephone call, and 
 store telephone call data corresponding to the telephone call in accordance with the corresponding period of time as defined by the institution. 
   
     
     
         18 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 17 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to a called party. 
     
     
         19 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 18 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to digitize the telephone call for storage and for transport to the called party using an internet protocol. 
     
     
         20 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 19 , wherein the internet protocol comprises:
 a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).   
     
     
         21 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 18 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to the called party upon authentication of a calling party that placed the telephone call. 
     
     
         22 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 21 , wherein the authentication comprises:
 biometric authentication of the calling party.   
     
     
         23 . The inmate telecommunication call processing system of  claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of periods of time is mandated by a regulatory body affiliated with a county institution, a state institution, or a federal institution. 
     
     
         24 . A central call management platform of an inmate telecommunication call processing system, the central call management platform comprising:
 a site server configured to receive a telephone call placed from an institution from among a plurality of institutions; and   a recorder configured to:
 record the telephone call, and 
 store the telephone call and telephone call data corresponding to the telephone call in accordance with a corresponding period of time from among a plurality of periods of time, each period of time from among the plurality of periods of time being defined by a corresponding institution from among the plurality of institutions. 
   
     
     
         25 . The central call management platform of  claim 24 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to a called party. 
     
     
         26 . The central call management platform of  claim 25 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to digitize the telephone call for storage and for transport to the called party using an internet protocol. 
     
     
         27 . The central call management platform of  claim 26 , wherein the internet protocol comprises:
 a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).   
     
     
         28 . The central call management platform of  claim 25 , wherein the central call management platform is further configured to connect the telephone call to the called party upon authentication of a calling party that placed the telephone call. 
     
     
         29 . The central call management platform of  claim 28 , wherein the authentication comprises:
 biometric authentication of the calling party.   
     
     
         30 . The central call management platform of  claim 24 , wherein each of the plurality of periods of time is mandated by a regulatory body affiliated with a county institution, a state institution, or a federal institution.