Continuing its offensive of suing its rivals for patent infringement, Securus filed suit against Ally Telecom and Network Communications International Corporation (NCIC).

The five patents at issue are:

1.) United States Patent No. 5,655,013 (the “’013 Patent”) entitled “Computer-Based Method and Apparatus for Controlling, Monitoring, recording and Reporting Telephone Access” issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on August 5, 1997: A method and apparatus for managing institutional telephone activity utilizes a computer control unit to control a trunk management unit, which connects institutional telephones to outside telephone lines. The computer control unit contains a database for storing the calling privileges and restrictions of institutional users and for recording calling transactions made by the users. The computer control unit implements a prospective call screening feature whereby outside recipients of undesired calls from the institution may enter a code that directs the computer control unit to prohibit similar calls in the future.

2.) United States Patent No. 6,560,323 (the “’323 Patent”) entitled “Computer-Based Method and Apparatus for Controlling, Monitoring, recording and Reporting Telephone Access” issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 6, 2003: A method and apparatus for managing institutional telephone activity utilizes a computer control unit to control a trunk management unit, which connects institutional telephones to outside telephone lines. The computer control unit contains a database for storing the calling privileges and restrictions of institutional users and for recording calling transactions made by the users. The computer control unit implements a prospective call screening feature whereby outside recipients of undesired calls from the institution may enter a code that directs the computer control unit to prohibit similar calls in the future.

3.) United States Patent No. 7,529,357 (the “’357 Patent”) entitled “Inmate Management and Call Processing Systems and Methods” issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 5, 2009: Disclosed are systems and methods that provide centralized or nodal inmate management and telephone call processing capabilities to controlled environment facilities. An inmate management and call processing system serves a plurality of facilities and includes an inmate information database. The database is shared across the facilities and contains inmate records that may be accessed and modified by each facility as the inmate is transferred among those facilities. Each inmate record may include, among other information, contact information of third parties whom may be notified of the inmate’s arrest and/or subsequent transfers of the inmate to different facilities. The inmate management and telephone call processing system may use third party contact information to establish accounts used to charge calls or transactions made by an inmate while residing at the facility. Some systems may also provide call processing, video conferencing, e-mail, voicemail, and/or videomail applications, and the like to the facilities.

4.) United States Patent No. 7,899,167 (the “’167 Patent”) entitled “Centralized call processing” issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 1, 2011: Disclosed are systems and methods which provide a centralized architecture for call processing. Embodiments utilize voice over Internet protocols (VoIP) to carry calls from a location at which calling services are provided to a centralized call processing platform providing call processing functionality, such as calling party identification, call validation, call routing, and connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Call processing gateways may be utilized to provide plain old telephone service (POTS) analog line interfaces for use with a plurality of telephone sets disposed for use at a location and at least one wide area network (WAN) interface for providing high speed data communication to a centralized call processing platform. PSTN interfacing by a call processing platform may be provided as a VoIP connection to the PSTN and/or as POTS trunking. Call processing platforms may provide for data sharing, aggregation, and/or analysis across multiple facilities served.

5.) United States Patent No. 8,340,260 (the “’260 Patent”) entitled “Inmate Management and Call Processing Systems and Methods” issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on December 25, 2012: Disclosed are systems and methods that provide centralized or nodal inmate management and telephone call processing capabilities to controlled environment facilities. An inmate management and call processing system serves a plurality of facilities and includes an inmate information database. The database is shared across the facilities and contains inmate records that may be accessed and modified by each facility as the inmate is transferred among those facilities. Each inmate record may include, among other information, contact information of third parties whom may be notified of the inmate’s arrest and/or subsequent transfers of the inmate to different facilities. The inmate management and telephone call processing system may use third party contact information to establish accounts used to charge calls or transactions made by an inmate while residing at the facility. Some systems may also provide call processing, video conferencing, e-mail, voicemail, and/or videomail applications, and the like to the facilities.

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An imprisoned terrorist in India is using a contraband cell phone and a custom built encrypted VoIP network to secure his communications with his organization. The VoIP network runs on GPRS (mobile data service on 2G or 3G cellular communication system), and was created by the terrorist’s own tech team. The technical significance of this approach is the use of the data transmission capabilities of the cell phone to transmit encrypted voice conversations that cannot be monitored.

The increasing use by terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for communication, and its impenetrability, is proving frustrating for Indian intelligence. In fact, Lashkar supreme commander of operations, Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, who is in a Rawalpindi jail, has been networking using a private VoIP on his smart phone with Lashkar cadres.

“Lakhvi’s compound serves as Lashkar’s alternative headquarters,” a top intelligence source told TOI. It was his imprisonment, sources said, that stopped Lashkar cadres from using emails and phones and restrict communication to VoIP.

VoIP is a technology that delivers audio and video messages over the internet. It’s distinct from phone as it converts audio signals into binary data. VoIP also allows encryption of data, which makes it difficult to decode messages.

Senior intelligence sources in Kashmir told TOI that Muridke (Lahore) based Lashkar known for using technology more than any other terror group in Kashmir, has its own private VoIP, Ibotel, to communicate with its cadres in Pakistan and Kashmir.

Ibotel, Lashkar’s exclusive VoIP that runs on GPRS (mobile data service on 2G or 3G cellular communication system), was created by Lashkar’s own tech team. The group began recruiting technicians, engineers and information technology executives almost a decade ago to intensify its operations across India.

Lashkar, which is headed by Hafiz Saeed against whom the US recently announced a $10 million bounty for his alleged role in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, started using VoIP as soon as the technology became common in early 2000s. Lashkar’s handlers used VoIP during the Mumbai attacks, intelligence sources said.

“Earlier, we could intercept conversations on phone or locate Lashkar cadres based on their IP addresses through their emails. But now we’re finding it tough to gather intelligence because Lashkar men hold audio or video conferences using private VoIP,” said intelligence sources.

“It’s difficult to track their locations. And even if we know their IP addresses and the time and date of their audio or video calls, we remain technologically handicapped because we can’t intercept what transpired between them,” said a senior government official.

“There may not be more than 50-odd Lashkar men. Yet, they are a threat because they have the ability to strike in the Valley or other parts of the country. We need to catch up with the technology to hunt them down,” said a senior J&K police officer.

An intelligence officer in New Delhi said the problem was not India specific. “Other countries are also unable to intercept the contents of VoIP messages. The only way to do it is to gather basic intelligence, zero-in on suspected email addresses used for VoIP conversations, and get to the mother servers for a search under Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty (MLAT),” he said.

Source

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This article discusses the potential pitfalls of VoIP prison local number services offering cheap jail calls and used to bypass long distance charges for prisoners calling friends and family. One mother is quoted as saying, “I’m not able to call my son. He has to call me.” With the meshDETECT secure prison cell phone service, not only are all calls the same price regardless of distance, but families can call their incarcerated loved one directly, if allowed by the prison.

Inmates at California’s state prisons have long complained about the difficulty and expense of making pay phone calls from inside their lockups to their friends, families and lawyers. There are services that offer cheaper options using Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP), but consumer advocates say there are some risks with these cheap jail calls.

Rebecca Allen of Richmond found out firsthand. Back in May, Allen paid $44 to sign up for one month’s service with “ConsCallHome,” a Florida-based business that advertises it can shave 80% off the cost of an outgoing prison phone call. Allen hoped it would help her stay in touch with her son, who’s serving time for a parole violation. “I’m not able to call my son. He has to call me,” Allen told CBS 5 ConsumerWatch.

But Allen says she quickly found out ConsCallHome’s VoIP system wouldn’t work for her son, partly because the system has to work in conjunction with the prison’s service provider, a company called Global Tel Link.

“I notified them (ConsCallHome) within two hours that I was not able to use the service,” Allen said. The company told her it would issue a refund, but said it was keeping a $19.50 set up fee. It’s now been twelve weeks, and Allen still has not received her remaining $24 refund.

Allen’s not the only one complaining. ConsumerWatch found at least a dozen similar complaints on line. ConsCallHome has a “D” rating from the Better Business Bureau. The BBB reported there have been 160 complaints against the company, the vast majority for service and billing issues.

Donovan Osborne, a representative of ConsCallHome’s parent company, Millicorp, told ConsumerWatch the company has many satisfied customers. She said the company’s contract clearly states it does not refund set-up fees, even if the service does not work, and that all refunds are at the discretion of the company.

“That’s outrageous,” according to telecommunications attorney, Bill Nusbaum, of the consumer group The Utility Reform Network (TURN). Nusbaum said while some VoIP systems like ConsCallHome don’t always work in state prison phone systems, “they don’t tell people that on the front end,” Nusbaum said.

Another problem, Nusbaum said, is that the pay phone system in the nation’s prisons is largely unregulated.

Millicorp’s Osborne said she couldn’t explain why it’s taking so long for Allen to receive her refund. “I don’t know if there was a glitch or not. The company was moving so it may have gotten lost,” Osborne said.

Source

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