CA2111444A1 - Electronic system and method for monitoring abusers for compliance with a protective order - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic monitoring system (10) monitors an abuser (12) for compliance with a protective order. When a violation is detected, the system automatically gathers evidence, independent of any that may be provided by a victim (24) of the abuser, to establish probable cause of such violation. The monitoring system includes a transmitter tag (14) worn by the abuser (12) that transmits a unique identifying (ID) signal (16), either periodically or when triggered. A receiving/monitoring device (RMD) (20) is carried by or positioned near the victim (24), e.g. in the victim's house (22) and/or place of employment, for receiving the ID signal. A
central monitoring computer (34) is located at a central monitoring location (36) that is in selective telecommunicative contact with the RMD. The computer maintains a response file that provides appropriate instructions to personnel or equipment at the central monitoring location or elsewhere in the event an abuser is detected by the victim's RMD.

Description

~0 93/0066~PCr/l lS92/0~450 ELEC~R~NIC ~Y~TBM A~ METHOD FOR ~oNI~roRING
~B~SER~ FOR CONPLIANCE: WIT~ A PE~OT~5C~ ORDE:~

B~ckqround of the Inventlon SThe present invention relates to ~ system and method for electronically monitoring individuals for sompliance wî~h a:protective order issued by a court of law, or other governmental authority. ;.
A prote~tive order, sometime~ referred to as a lO: 'Iprotection order" or "court order of protection" may be defined as any~ injunction issued by a~court (or other authority) for the pu~pose of preventing acts or ~threatened acts o~ violence or harassment. A protective order refers to and is inclusive of both ~emporary and f~inal orders i:ssued by civil and criminal courts. ~Other terms frequently used to connota~e a~:~protective order : include: emergency~:protective order, temporary : :
restraining:~order, permanent restraining order, and:
no-contact orde~r,~`or orders of protection. The present -.
: 2~0 ~invention ha~s applicabi~ity to all such types of pro~:ective o~rders,~ or ord rs of protection, regardless of : what:term or title may be~applied: thereto. ; ~-A~protective order is t~pically~issued to prevent a first indi~idual fro~:cantacting a~second indlvidual in order to protect~the second individual from `;.
:~ acts or threatened acts of violence or harassment or ::
other harm (hereafter "abuse") that the first individual ~: may commitl:lagalnst theisecon~ individual. Suchi ' ;
:; protective orders are issued by a court having:
; ,~ 30 appropriat~i~jurisdiction o~er the first individual `.whenever the first person has a history of abusing the ::~
~econd indi~idual, or whenever other factors are present .
thzlt indicate the second individual is at risk o~ being abused by the ~irst individual.
: 35 The msst common application of the present : inv~tion is in the domestic relations field, and more .. , .. ,, ., . . ~ . ,: . , , - : . .

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particularly the present invention finds primary applicability in.monitoring compliance with no~con~act orders in the domestic violence env.ironment. Domestic ~ ~:
violence is normally defined as inclu~ing any harmful physical contact, or threat thereof, between family or household members, .or unmarried couples, including destruction of property, which physical oontact ur threat thereof is used as a method of coercion, control, revenge, or punishment. Thus, for many applications of :
: 10 the present invention, the first individual is typically a spouse, ex-spouse, or significant "other" of the second individual. However, it is to be unders~ood that the invention is not limited to monitoring compliance with : no-contact orders in the domestic violence environment. ~`
15~The present invention may also be used to monitor ~;. : protective orders that have been issued in any instance -~
or situation where a first person shows a continuing -:
propensity to abuse, e.g., to harass, ~other, annoy,~
threaten, batter, interfere with, or otherwise;impinge on 20 the rights or privacy of, a second::person. ~ence, ::~
although the present invention will hereafter be described:irl terms of monitoring compliance with no~
contact orders in a domestic viol~nce envlronment, it : should be recognized that the invention is not Iimited to ;;~-such an applic~ition. ::~
Thus,:~by way of example and:not limitation, whenever there is a history or risk of domestic vi~lence, :-; it is not.uncommo~ for a cour!t of law, Qr othergovernmental authority, to issue a restraining order that 30 preYents one; person (e.g. ~ a spouse, ex-spouse,:or : significant "other"~, hereafter the "abuser", from making : contact with another person ~e.g.~ the first person's ~:
: ~pouse, ex-spouse, or significant "other"~, hereafter the l'victim". Such ordexs, frequently referred to as ~:
"no-contact orders", but also referred to broadly herein ~s simply "protective orders", are thus issued because , . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . .. .. .

W093/00~63 PCT/US92/0~4~

th~ victim may be at risk of abuse or harassment, and the protective order offers some measure of protection, at leas~ theoretically, ~or the victim, or for the victim's property.
Unfortunately, in practice, a protective order is just a document, or i'piece of paper", that offers no protection to the victim unless it is honored by the abuser; or unless it is enforced. Disadvantageously, the abuser may be of a character and disposition to pay little, if any, heed to the protective order. That is, many, i not most, abusers will simply ignore the -~
protective order and continue in their abusing ways until ~uch time as the protective order is enforced.
- Enforcement of the protective order, unfortu~ately, -~
rarely occurs~ due to a variety or problems, including, but not limited~to, victim reluctance to ~ontact police, ~;
victim fear o abuser reprisal, and lack of evidence. As a~result; protective orders are rarely enforced, ~and are essentially l'toothless", i.e., seldom does an abuser ;~
20~suffer conse~uences f~om violating a~protective order.
Hence, it is clear tha~ what is needed is a more effecti~ way ~to~monitor compliance with a protecti~e order, and more particularly a mbre effective way to ~i monitor an abuser so ~s to assume his;or her continuing 25 compliance with the~protective order, and to assure that :~
when~àn abuser does violate a protective order,~ the a~user suf~ers some meaningful consequences.
In orde/rltq protect~the~civil rights of an abuser, a violation of a protective order can only be -established through the existence of credible evidence of a violation, or at least evidence that establishes "prob~ble cau e" that a violation has or will likely occur. Such evidence has heretofore usually taken the ~orm o~ ~estimony, ~rom the victim if available, or from 3~ other witnesses (such as neighbors, police officers, case : workers, or others) who may have obser~ed the violation, . . . . . . . .. .

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or who may have observed behavior in the abuser which would lead a reasonable person to conclude ther~ is probable cause that a violation has or will occurr .
Unfortunately, as in-dicated above, despite the imposition :~
of a protective order, some abusers ignore the protective ;~
order and continue to make their abusing contact with the victi~. When such violations of the pro~ective order occur, the victim may suffer serious harm, even death.
Further, if the victim survives, the victim may be afraid to testify agains~ ~he a~user in fear of reprisals that the abuser may inflict. ~ence, the violation of the protective order is~typically not reported, and the court or other governmental authority that imposed the order is not made aware of its vioIation:. Thus, in effect, the .
: 15 violation o~ the:protective order goes undetected ~nd unpunished What~is~needed, therefore, is a more secure and reliable:~way:to moni~or compliance with a protective :: order~, one that does not~require the cooperation~and ~.
:testimony of the~victim, or ot~er witnesses who must be .
2;0 ::on.hand when the:~iolation occurs.~
Electronio~moni~oring systems are known in the art:for monitoring an lndividual;for compliance with a s:ente:nce to remain under house arrest at a specified location, or to at l~ast: be at a~specified location; ~.
during cer~ain hours of the day.~:Such systems are : commonly referred~to as electronic house arrest ~;
monitoring (EHAM) systems. Curxently availabIe E~M
: systems fulfill a valuable need in that they allow a : relatively larg number of individuals who ha~e been ~: ~ 30 ~entenced to remain under house arrest, or who are under ;~ : parole or probation requirements to remain at certain -~
locations at specified times, to be electronically ,0 ' ' monitored f~r compliance with whatever restrictions have b~n imposed. Such electronic monitoring can ~:
~d~antageously be carried out at a fraction of the cost of incarceration of ~he monitored individuals; and also W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~n at a much reduced cost over conventional probation/parole monitoring procedures. One type of E~AM system ;
known in the art, referred to as an "active" monitoring system, generates and transmits radio wave signals as part of the monitoring process. Such an active EH~M
system is described, e.g., in U.S. Patant No. 4J918,432, issued to Pauley et al. In the Pauley et al. active EHAM
system, each individual being monitored is fitted with an electronic bracelet or anklet. Such bracelet or anklet, referred to in the referenced patent as a "tag'l, includes ; a transmitter that periodically transmits a identifying radio wave signal (unique to each tag, and hence to each individual) oYer a short range (e.g., 150 feet). A field monitoring device (FMD) is installed at each location ;-; 15 where the monitored lndividual(s) is supposed to be. If the monitored~ individual(s) is pr~sent at the F~D -~
location, a receiver circuit within~the FMD receives the ~' unique identifying signal. The FMD processing circuits ; can thus determine that a speci~i~ individual is present 20~ at the location of the FMD when the signal is recelved.
This information~(which may be considered as "presence data") is stored~within the FMD memory circuits for subse~uent~downloading to a central monitoring location.
A computer, or central processing unit;(CPU), located at the central monitoring location periodically or randomly p~lls the various FMD locations through an establlshed telecommunicative link, e.g., through standard telephone ~lines, in order tojpreparejreports indica~ing the presence or absence of the individuals at the specified locations. Such reports are then used by the agency ¦ charged with~ the responsibili~y for monitoring the indi~iduals to aScertain whether or n~t such monitored individuals are in compliance with whatever restrictions have been imposed.
3~ An important feature of the Pauley et al. EHAM
sy~em is the ability of the tag to detect any attempts ', , , "
.
,, ., WO9~/006~3 PC~/US92/0~4~n ?~lll444 ~`
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to tamper with it, e.g., attempts to remove the tag from the monitored individual. If a tamper event is detected, ;~:
such occurrence i5 signaled to the FMD in the next identifying signal that is transmitted; and the FMD, in turn, includes the ability to establish telecommunicati~e contact with the central CPU in order to report such tamper event. All data sent from the FMD to the central CPU includes address-identifying data that identifies the spe~ific location where the FMD is located. :;
Other active ~HAM systems knawn in the art also include the ability to detect tamper events, such as U.S. :~
Pa Pnt No. 4,777,477, issued to Watson, wherein any attempt to cut or break the stxap that attaches the tag to the individual is detected and signaled to a local ~: 15 rec~iver.
Still additional active E~AM systems known in the ar~ include the ability to adaptively change thé ~:
moni~toring configuration to b~st:suit the needs of the agency responslble for carrying out the monitoring 20 :function. See U.S. Patent No. 4,952,928 issued to Carroll et al. The Carrsll et al. system advantageously includes the:;ability to sense and moni~or various physiologi~cal~ da~a of the monitored individual, such as ;~
: . heart rate,~bloo~pr~ssure, bod~ position (horizontal or ~`
:25 ~ertical), and-t~e like, so that ~uch data can be analyzed at the central monitoring location to determine ~-: if the monitor d individual is complying with other ::
restrictionsj ! such as abstinence from: dru~s or alcohol.
An article appearing in the Evansville, Indiana, Courier an~ Press, dated August 10, 19~8, ,:
indicates ~hat a judge used an electronic monitor to ,~ pr~tect a victim from a man accused of abuse in a divorce ¦ ~: ChSe by using a re~erse application of the conventional H~M system, such as is described above. That is, a man ¦- 35 ~5 ~itted with an ankle brac~let (tagj of the type used i~ in a conventional E~L~M system. The monitor (FMD), W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~0 . :
,'lll4'1~

instead o~ warning officials when the tagged individual left the home, was "recalibrated to ignore the husband's l~cation unless he approached the home". In this way, . :~
the FMD would alarm if the husband was in the vicinity or entered the victim's home.
Others, desiring to better protect ~he victi~
from spousal abuse using a similar reverse application of a conventional EHAM system, have recently proposed 1~-~
legislation that would establish a Spousal Offender ,;
Survei1lance Pilot Program. Under the proposed Pilot program, a defendant eligible for probation, who has a history of domestic violence or other conduct which leads a judge to belieYe the spouse~or ~ormer spouse of the :
defendant:may be in physical danger, may require the 15~ ~defendant, as~a:cond~i~ion of probation, to we~r an appropriate e1ectronic surveillance or monitoring devLce.
Such~device is defined in the proposed legislation as ''a '.
tracking uni~ or:~transmitting sy~tem worn by the defendant which~:would set off:an alarm~in~the:home~of the ;.' 20~ epouse or former~spouse or upon~their person if the defendant comes wi~hin a specified distance of the ~:
spouse's~or~former spouse's home or personO" ~ See : pr~pos~d SB 1:122~(Presley3 as introduced before:the :;
: : Senate Committee o~ ~udiciary, State of California, April l-99l. :~
Unfortunately, using a reverse appli;cation of an EHAM system to monitor an abuser in this manner suffers ~:ro,m~everal.drawbacks.: In ~he fi~rst place, an :~
EHAM system assumes that the person being monitQred (the :~
"o~fender") is~cooperati~e~and wants the E~L~M system to ~ work. That is, the o~fender has agreed:to wear the :.
I tran~mit~ing tag and remain in a specified location(s) ¦~ under house arrest in proximity to an FMD, or equivalent d~Yice, becau~e by do~ng so, the of~ender avoids being locked up in a jail or prison. 7Ience, it is in the best interest of the offender to comp~y fully with khe use ~ ', W093/00663 PCT/US9~/0~4~
~11144~ ~
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restrictions associated with the tag and FMD in order to avoid incarceration. Also, the offender is (by virtue of the fact that he:or she has been allowed to remain under ~ :
house arrest, as opposed to being incarcerated in a ~ail or prison) generally not considered to be a vioIent person. Disadvantageously, neither of these assumptions :~
is accurate for the ~yplcal abuser. That is, the typical abuser has not agreed to remain at a specified location, .
but will be moving freely about. Moreover, the~typical .. :
abuser is by de~inition a violent person who may go to : ~ : great lengths in order to "defeat" the system so that he ~-or she can carry out his or her abusing tactics and `:;
activities. ~ccordingly, what is needed is an e.lectronic : monitoring surveillance system or ~ethod tha~ can perform 15~ its~surveiilance or monitoring func~ion even with ~;
uncooperative indlviduals who may be freely moving about, : and~;who may be~actively trying to defea~ the system.
Still~:~further, using an EHAM system in reverse (as proposed in~the prior~:art) to monitor the whereabouts .::
:20~ ~of~an abuser~may:nat provide adequate notice to the victim and/or the governmen~al authorities of the : ;~:
abuser:'s approach~ This is~because:~the:range of the transmittin~ tag: worn by the abuser is limited to only a: `~:~
, ew~hundred:~fee~t (due.to the size and~power limitations ~-25~ of the transmi~ttlng tag). Thus, the~reversed EHAM system provides: only:~minimal advance warning to the vi¢tim that ~`-: ~ the abuser is in the vicinity. Hence, an FMD, or :~
.equlYalent ~receIlving deYice in the victim's homq,,or~
carried ~y ~he vlctim, is not able:to receive the signal 30 :transmitted:by~the transmitting tag, and hence is not ~.
abl~ to detect the ahusar and notify the victim of such ~`
detected presence, until the abuser has effectively : alr~ady made contact with the vic'~im. The victim may thus n~k have su~icient warning to take the necessary steps ~ prevent ~urther abuse. ~oreover, even if theau~hori~ies are notified of the presence of the abuser at .;
, " ", W093/00663 PCT~S92tO~4~
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the victim's house, they may not be able to respond in sufficient time ~o prevent further abuse because by the time they receive such notification, the abusing activity may have already begun. :~.
Furthermore, the electronic notice provided by ;-a reversed ~H~M sys~em, regardless o~ whether it is received in sufficient time to prevent or warn the victim concerning the abuser's ~pproach, would still not be sufficient to conclusively establish a violation o~ the 10 protective order. T~at is, the receipt of an electronic ;~
signal from the FMD, by itself, would not provide the necessary evidence needed in a court proceeding in order ~.
to conclusively e~tablish that a protective order has ;
:: baen violated. ~t may provide some evidence that could, ::.
15 when considPred:with other evidence, suggest the abuser .
was: in violation: of the protective order, but in most : : légal:proceedings it could not concl:usively establish .`
suc~h violation.~All it would provide is an.indication hat a signal~was received by the victi~'s ~M~ (or 0~ e~ulvalent recelving device) that was:the same or similar :to a~ slgnal~that~should have been ~enerated by a : txansmitting tag:attachéd to the abuser. Corroborating ; evldence would still be xequired~to Gonclusively : establish that the abuser was, ln~fact, in contact with 5 -;the:victim,~;and~not merely someone who:had taken the : abuser's tag, or~someone who had-a tag that functioned the same as the abuser's tag, or any other number~of possibilitl~s~. What is needed,~ th~re~ore, IS an~ ; -~:~ electronic monitoriny system ~hat automatically generates 3~ the requislte e~i~ence of a protective order violation : whenever the abuser does in f~ct violate such order.
, ~ ,:
' , "' ~ . .
The presenk invention advantageously addresses 3~ the above and other needs by providing an alectronic ~noni~oring system that ~onitors an abu~er for compliance .~

W093/0066~ P~T/US9~/0~4~1~
? 1 ~.1 4 ~4 with protective orders; and that, when a violation does occur, automatically gathers evidence, independent of any that may be provided by the ~ictim, to conclusivaly establish such ~iola*ion.
The monitoring system of the present invention includes at least the following elements: (1) a :.
transmitter tag woxn by the abuser that transmits a ~-unique identify.ing ~ID) signal, either periodically or when triggered;~(2) a rec~iving/monitoring device (RMD), or equivalent, carried by or positioned near the victim, : e.g., in the victim 1 5 house for reeiving the ID signal;
: and (3~ a central monitoring computer at a central monitoring location that is in selective ~telecommunicative con~act with the RMD, and that provides 15 ; appropriate instructions to personnel or equipment~at the :eentral monitoring location or~elsewhere in the event an abuser is detected at:the victim's ~MD. As explained more~fully below, oDè emb~diment of the~in~en~ion m~ay further include;~means for detecting~and reporting any 20~ attempt to tamper:with the~ransmitter ~ag or the ~.
victim'~s RMD:~ and another embodiment~may include a ~ield ~::
monito~ing devic (FMD)/ or:e ~ ivalent, lnstalled at the abuser's hous:e:fôr`monitoring wh~n~the~abuser~e~its and leaves his:or her house. ~ : : :
2~5 ~ ~ In operation, if the abuser comes near the ~ictim's RMD,:~which is typically installed in the ~ictim's house or carried by the victim, the victim is notified by, an alarm~that isigenerat-ed by the RMD, Simultaneously, or as soon thereafter as possible; the - 30 central moni~oring computer is notified by an alarm ignal that i5 generated by the RMD and ~ommunicated to ~, he central monitoring compu~er through an establiched .-telecommunicative link, e.g., through the public ¦~ telephone network. The central monitoring computer, upon ~- 35 recelpt of the alarm signal, immediately retrieves and .~ ~ di~plays pre-approYed instructions contained in an on-~sf ",-f l .

W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~4~n ,,'.11~444 ` ' :~, -- 1 1 -- ~,, line "response file". These instructions direct personnel and/or equipment at the central monitoring ~
location to take appropriate action relative to the ~:.
particular abuser whose presence at the victim's l~cation has been detected. Such action may provide, for exampile, ~"..
.: .
for the immediate dispatch of the police or other :
authorized personnel to the victim'~ location. At a : minimum, such action would normally involve activation of vidence gathering equipment located at the victim's 10 location, e.;g.l within the:RMD, and/or located at the :' cen~ral mQnitoring station and coupled to the victim~s ~.
: location throuyh the established telecommunicative link.
In s~me instances, pertinent information contained in the response file may also be made available directly to the .
15~ pollce or other~authorized personne~l in order to assist th m as a response~is made to an alarm~signal.: In some ~:~
embodlments~of the~invention,~the; cen~ral mon toring computer, and the response;file stored therein, may ~e coupled:to or otherwise made par~.of the emergency "~
20::network, thereby~providing this~ information to whatever a~ency needs it~at the time.~
Ti~e:~information in ~he:response file m~y~;
include, e.g.~,:a~:d~escription of~the~abuser, incl~ding a :physical description and/or~psychological profile; a 25 ~description;of his~or~:her:automobile; a brief history of prior v~iolations vf the abuser ~i.e., the abuser's "record"~, including an indication as to whether the abuser is likely to be armed; the type and term of the : pro~ectiv~ order, including the date the protective order : 30~ was issued a~d the identify of the court that issued it;
a:description o~ ths victim and hi~:or her address, including the number of occupants at th~ victim's ~, addr~ss; and the li~e.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the abuser, ~ither with his or her consent, or as ordered - ~y a court ~hrough a restraining (protective) order, is .
,~

.. .. . ~ .

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fitted with an electronic transmitter or tag. In one ~' embodiment of the invention, the tag is identical or ,.'~
similar to that used in a conventional EHAM system, and ~ ."'~
periodically transmits an identification signal unique to ~ ',,~' 5 that particular t'ag. If any at~empt or act is made to '.
remove or other~ise tamper with the tag (a "tamper ,'.~, eve~tl'), such tamper event is detected by appropriate .,.
: sensing circuits within the tag. In response to a ;detected tamper~event, the transmitting circuits within ., the tag genera~:e and~ransmit a tamper ~ignal. In another embodiment~of'the invention, the tag does not ', genera~e its identi~fication ~ignal unless.~riggered by a ,~.;
trigger signal,:or unless a tamper even~ is detq¢ted. ~.;
In:accordance with:another aspect of the : ./' l5~: inventlon,~the~RM~installed~at the vistimls house,:or : /' otherwise~positionèd~;~'near the~:victim, is~equipped~with,~
or~ Goupled~'to,:~evidence:~gathe~ring-deviGes, such as ,:~
recorders,~m~l~crophones,~ and~or,~video cameras.~Suitable ~, 're:cord~ing~equ:ipment,~ei'ther~within or~coupled to~the RMD, 20~;or~`a:t~the cen~ral;:;monitorins~location,~automatically~ : ,.
records the~ ;io~and~or video:signals:that are generated -~
y~,such devices~for~so~long as~the~;RMD~detects the ::prese~ce:of~th~e~abuser~at the-premi~ses~of the ~ictim. ~"~
Such,recordings~ad~'an~ageously~provide;':conclusive ~
25~ evidence that:;~the protective:order~has~been vlolated.
It:':is not:ed:that the:continuous receipt of an ID;~signal at;~the~RMD,: which receipt~is:logged~ ~s:tored) in the memor~ cui~sj;of~the R~D;,' further pr~vides~e~idence , that the protective order has been violated, with or '`
30;~w}thout:~ny~other evidence~that~might~e gathered and' recorded by any~other evidence~:gathering~devic~es, such as microphones and/or video cameras. ;~
. ~ : ;A ~urther ~spect of the invention provides that ,.
, ~ in~the e~ent:the victim takes the phone off hook, or in i' :~ ~ 35 th~ e~ent that the telepho~e li~e ts the victim's house ~' s~ : is cu~ or otherwise tampered with, the evidence gathering ,.~:
. .~ ., .
" ~
~ :: :
'.' : , ' ,:

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devices at the victim's location are automatically enabled. Information (data signals) obtained through such enabled evidence gathering devices, such as audio and/or video signals, and including receipt of the I~ :~
signal, are stored in suitable recording devices located at the remote location where the victim is Iocated. In this way, evidence is gathered at the remote site even :
though the teleaommunicative link with the central monitoring location may be temporarily unavailable. ~;
, . .
: lO In accordance:with yet another aspect of the invention, a field monitoring device~(FMD), or equivalent, may be installed at ~the house.of the abuser. .. :
SDch FMD would function in conventional manner, and would : - de ect whenever the presence or absence of the abuser at ~.
~his:or her resldence, including when~the abuser exits his `;
or~her~residence.~ Moreoverl such PM~ would detect ~any tamper~event~that occurs in connection with the : -~-: transmitter tag:~hat has beèn assigned to the abuser, at i~
least~i~nsofar~-as.:such tamper event occurs within range of :~
2~0~ he:FMD at the ;abuser's hou~e.
In~accordance with~still anothsr important aspect~ o~ the~invention, used with some em~odiments thereof, any tamper event that occurs anywhere wi~hin a~:
wide area rad~io communi ations (W~RC) region, e.g.j a 25 metropolitan area or other geographic area::covered by a satellite system;or other RF technology, is detected and ~:
cor~unicated to the central monitoring computer at the -~
~: : .- : ce~tr~al m~nitor~n~ tation. The~occurrence of a tamper event may be detected or deduced by either receipt of an 0 ID ~igna1 (having a portion thereof modified ~o indicate the detectivn of a tamper event) anywhere within the WARC
~ ~; region, or by noting the absence of the receipt of an ID .~:
:~ signal when an~I~ slgnal had been previously received on , .
a ~egular basis. Hence, any attempt by the abuser to :~ ~ 35 remove or otherwise tamper with the transmitter tag, regar~less o~ where the abuser may be within the WARC

~ , :
i~ :
I

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region when the tamper event occurs, is still detectable ~.-by the system. .:
The invention may thus be characterized as an electronic monitoring system adapted to monitor ~:
compliance of a protective order. Such protective order is imposed, as lndicated above, to restrain a second ;~
person from abusing a first person~ A ~ir~t embodiment of the electronic monitoring system includes at least the ~;
~ollowing elements: (l) a transmitter ~ag; (2) a ::~
lO monitoring de~:ice; (3) evidence gath~ring means; and -~
(~) a central processing unit (CPU~ or computer.
The transmittex tag in accordan~e with this :~
flrst embodime~nt includss transmitting means for~
: : periodically transmitting a first identi~ication signal over a limited range. The transmitter:tag also includes means~for securely~ attaching:t~e transmitter tag to the : : second~person ~(the one being monitored,;e.g., the abu~ser)~, wh~reby~the fi~st identification signal generated by~the transmi~ter tag uniquely identifies the 20~second persGn~to whom~the ransmitter;tag is attached.
The;moni;toring device in:accordance with this first embodiment~:is located proximate th first person :(the vne who is~not to be ontacted by the second person, e.g., the ~ictim).~.F~r example,:the:monitoring device :25 ~may:be installed in the house of the first person, the work:place o~ the first person, or carried~by the first : person. This: monitoring device includes: (a) receiving -~
; means for r~ eivin~githe first identiflcatian sîgnal .
~: ~ whenever the transmitter tag, and hence whenever the first person to~whom the transmitter tag i5 attached, ~ comes within the limi~ed range of the monitoring device;
:~ ~ (b~ veri~ication means ~or veri~ying that the first " .
ide~ti~ication signal compri~es ~he identi~ication signal that is transmitted by the transmitter tag attached to ~:.
the ~irst person; and (3) means responsive to khe veæi~ication means ~or promptly establishing a `, W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~
S~ 4 ~

- ~5 -telecommunicative link with the cPu located at a central monitQring location remote from the mo~itoring device, and for sending ~o the CPU a notifying signal through the established telecommunicative link indicating that the 5 first identification signal has been received and ~:
verified by the monitoring device. In this way, the CPU ~-is put on notice that the transmitter tag, and hence the ;~:
second person to whom the tran~mit~er tag is attached, ' . has come within the limited range of the monitoring : 10 device. This thus provides a first indication that ~he - second person has likely violated the protective order. ::~
~ s needed or required for a particular vic~im's house or workplace, one or more r~peater circui,ts ; : ("rep~aters") may be selectively positioned around the victim~'s:house or workplace in order to extend the range over:which the~:~abuser can ~e detected. Such repeaters -`
each include~a receiver that "picks up" (receives) the first identification signal, verifies that it is a valid identificat~ion signal, and retransmits~the signal~after a ~:
20~:short delay :(e.~g.,~a few seconds) so that it can be r2ceived by the~recei~ing means within the monitoring e~iceO One~repeater, for example, may be:placed in the ront yard of the victim, and another repeater may be : : pl~ced in the back ~a~d of the victim. In this way, the 25 abuser's approach may be detected~before he or she :~
actu~lly arriYes at the victim's premises.
: The evidence gathering means in accordance with : i.this ~irs~,~e ~ od~ment i5 coupled to the~ monitoring device : and is responsive to, i.e., its operation is activated or trig~ered by, the verification means. When activated, the evidence gathering means automatically gathers ;~
~vidence from a zone surrounding the monitoring device~ :
~¦ This evidence helps to conclusively establish the ~:~ identi~y of any per~on who enters the zone . The evidence ~¦ 35 gathering means may include means for logging (storing3 the ~ontinued receipt of the identifica~ion signal~ In .

' W0~3/00663 pcT/us9~/o54~n ~.

~ 1 1 1 4 4 ~ - 16 -addition, the evidenc~ gathering means may include other devices, such as.a microphone and audio recorder, and/or ;;
a video camera and video recorder. ~or some app~ications, a portion of the evidence gathering means, such as the r~corder portion (or equivalen~ device that stores whatever ~ignals are sensed near the monitoring device), may optionally be located at the central ~
m~nitoring location, with the evidence gathered at the :.
: monitoring device being relayed thereto through the established telecommunicative }ink. In this way, a ;~ ~ viol:ation of the protectiv order by the second person m~y be established through evidence gathered by the e~idence gathering me~ns.
~: : Further, operating personnel at the central 15~ monl~oring~:location are put on:notice whenever it appears :
the: second ~person is near *he first person,: thereby ~
, ~
all~wing such:personneI to take whatever action is~deemed ~-appropriate~in order to msst effectively gather evidence of~the protective:order violation, and in order to best 20:~ p~ot~ct the~first:person. As indicated above, such .
action:may advantageously be guided~:by instructions and other:~nformation that the CPU automatically retrieves .. `:
from~a pre-stored data base, sr "response filel',:and displays to the oper.ating personnel. The information .:
25 contained in~the response file is "personalized" to ~it ~.~
the personality and other known traits of:the se~cond ,.
person, and may also provide selected information relative~o~fhe first person. For example, thq response : file may ontai~ a list of prior arrests or convictions ~: 30 of the second~ person (abuser); an indi~ation ~s to : whekher the second person is likely to be armed; a description of the second personls automobile; detailed : : in~ormation concerning the protecti~e ordsr, including its date of issua~ce, its term, and court from which , issued; a de~cription of the first person ~victim); the ~ictim's addres~; and id~nti~ication ~f victim advocates, .

W093/00663 PCT/U~92JQ54~0 ~ictim family me~bers, probation o~ficers, or other parties who should be contacted in the event the protective order is violated. Advantageously r some or all of the infoxmation contained in the response file can be immediately made available to the police or other law enforcement agencies who may be dispatched to the ~
vic~lm's address. -~ A sec~nd embodiment of the invention may be characterized as an electronic monitoring system for lO notifying a ~irst ~erson of the presence of a second ;:.
person nearby. Such system includes: (a) a transmitter tag worn or carried.by the the second person, the transmitter ~ag~inGluding means for periodically ;~ transmitting an~identification (ID) signal over a first :~:: 15 :r~nge; (b) ::a~ reeiver, positioned or carried near the irst person, ~or receiving ~he ID:signal whenever the~
transmitter tag:comes within the first range of the receiver~:and (c)~ notifying means,~coupled to the recei~er,;for~not~ifying the first person of the receipt `~
20~-of the signal. ~
; A~third embodi~.ent ~f the invention may be -.
::characterized as a me~hod for electronically monitoring : compliance with~ protective order. :Such nethQd includes ~ th s~eps of~:~ (a) attaching a transmitter to~a firs~
;~ : 25 person who has been ~rdered not to make Gonta t with, or .
otherwise abuse, a second person under the protective order, this transmitter including circu}try for : `~ periodicall~ trans~htting an: identifl!cation signa-l over a limited range; (b) plac7 ng a receiver near the second : 30 person, this ~receiver including circuitry for receiving ~nd verifying the identification signal transmitted by ~
the transmitter attached to the first person; ~c) placing ~:
t,. .
at least one~evidence gathering device near the receiver, th1s ~vidence gathering ~evice including circuitry for~-~
au~omatically activating its operation upon tha receipt and verification of the identification signal by the :-W093/006~3 PCT~U~Q,~/O~
.

4 4 ~:

receiver; and (d) establishing telecommunicative contact ~
with a central processing unit (CPU) at a central ~:
monitoring location remote from the receiver in the event ~ :
the identification signal is received and v~rified by the receiver, and notifyinq the CPU through the establishedtelecommunicative link that the identification signal has been received. Thus, .ln this way, the ~onitoring personnel ~t the central monitoring location are alerted ~;~
that the first person may be near the se~ond person.
10 Further, evidence is automatically gathered to ;:
.
corroborate that the first pexson îs near the second :
person. . ~:
~ It is thus a feature of the present invention `
`
to provide~an electranic monitoring~system that monitors 15 ~a~first person,:~e.g., an abuser, ~or compliance:with a protective~order that~prevents the first person from : "abusing~ as:~h~t~.term i5 broadly defined herein) a : .
second p~rso~,~ e;.g.:, a victim. ; -~-I:t~is~another feature~of the invention ~o 20~ provide such~a~monito~ing system that automatically gath~ers evidence of a violation: of the~protective order '~
by the first:~person/ thereby facilitating the effective '~'.
enfor~ement~of the~protecti~e ~rder. 1~
is~yet another feature:~of the invention to 25~ provide a monitoring~system wherein an abuser is el~ctronically mo~itored for compliance with an order not to contact a victim, and wherein advance notice is au~lomatical,lylprovided to the victim,in the eventlthe : abuser comes near the victim. Such advance notice ~-thereby ~fords the victim some opportunity to prepare ~ or or avoid: such contact with the abuser.
},: ~ It is an additional feature of the invention, :~:
~ ; : in some embodiments, to provide such a monitoring system¦~1 wher~in the range over which an abuser ~an be detected '.
relatlv~ to the victim i5 extended through the judicious ~:

~, , WO 93/00663 P~/US~2/054~(~

use and placement of r~3peaters placed around the ~ictim ' s premi ses . .
It is another feature of the invention to provide such a monitoring system wherein such advance 5 noti::e is also provided `to a central monitoring location, whereat such notice serves to alert law enforcement or .
other personnel to take appropriate a~tion in order to best enforce the protective order. ~:
Another feature of the invention is to provide 10 a central processing unit (CPU), or e~uivalent dsvice, at : the central monitoring:location that proc sses and/or logs all the co~munications that take place between the CPU and an appropriate monitoring device placed on or near the Yictim. In some embodiments of the invention, ~:~
I5 this:CPU may be coupled to, of ~orm part of, an emergency ~.
communications~network, such as the "911" telephone :network.
It is~:still another f~ature of the invention to provide such~a monitoring system that automatically : ~, : :~ ..
provides instructions and other information to operating ~.-personnel at~the:central moni~orin~ location relative to ~ how they shoul~d proceed to best enforce the protective ::~ - : order once:the abuser is datected as being near the uvictim. Such instruc~ions are included in a~"response~
file" stored~at, or:coupled to, the CP~.~ A:reiate~
: : .
: feature of the invention makes these instructions and -~
okher information readily available to law en~orcement ~-o~;ficers,~.Qr other.personnel, who may notjbe at! the, central monitoring loc tion, but who nonetheless play an -~;~
~. ~
30 ac*ive r~le~in the enforcément of the protec~ive order. ~.
It is yet a further feature of the invention to ~: ~ pro~ide such a monitoring system wherein the abuser is , ~itt~d with an lectronic transmitter that periodicalIy, -.
, : or when triggered, generates a uni~ue identification 35 signal that i5 assigned to the abu~er. It is an `;
~ ~ddi~ional f ature to provide detection means within such ., ., ~"

~ 20 -electronic transmitter ~hat detects any attempt hy the abuser to dissociate himself or herself fro~ the transmitter, and that alerts the monitoring personnel of such attempt.
It is also a feature of the invention to ~;
provide such a monitoring syst~m that is fully compatible with existing electronic house arrest monitoring tEHAM~
,, systems. .
Another feature of the invention is to provide such a monitoring system that may be readily i~tegrated with an emergency "911" telephone commun~cations network.
'; .:' Brief Description of the Drawinqs : : ~ The above and other aspects, features and .' advantages of the present invent~on will be more apparent ., from~the following more particular description thereof~
presented in conjunction wi~h ~he following drawings wherein~
FI~.~ l diagrammatically illustrates the main 20~ elements of an~electronic monitoring system mada in ccsrdance with a first e~bodiment~f the inventi~n;
FIG~ 2 pictorially illustra~es the transmitter tag of the invention fitted on the ankle~of an abuser; -~
FIG.~3 similarly illustrates the monitoring device used~with the invention; ~
FIG:. 4 lS a block diagram of the invention illustrating its~use with a plurality of potential .
~: ~ vi~tims a~djab!us~s,~
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the main operating program used within the monitoring device of th~ inYention: ~and : : : .-.
FIG. 6 diagrammatically illustrates the el~ments of a second e ~ odiment of he:invention.
~: CorrPsponding reference chaxacters indicate corr~sponding components throughout the several views of ~he dr~wings.
j: ~
~,, . , W093/~0663 P~T/~S92/~$4~0 :
'? 1 1 1 4 ~
- 21 - ~
Detailed Description of_the InventiQn .. :
The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention.
This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is ~ade merely for the purpose of describing the general principles.of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. : :
Referring first to FIG. 1, the main components of an elec~ronic "no-contac~" monitoring system 10 m~de in accordance with the pre~ent invention are diagrammatically shown. An abuser 12 is ~itted with an . . .
.electronic tag 14. This tag may be placed anywhere on t~:e body of~the abuser, bu~ is typically ~itted around ~he:ankIe. Advantageously, the tag 14 may ~e the same as or similar to the tags worn by an offender in a typical X~M system,~:~as~desaribed in the aforecited patents.
: That is, the tag~l4~inc~udes a transmitter that ~ :
periodically;~e.g., every 30-I20 sec~nds) transmits a ^~
20~unique identifiaation (ID) signal at~low power, as allowed by applicable law. This~ID:signal is receivable ~-over a~range of about 150~250 feet. Such identi~fiaation signal is symbGlically depicted in~FIG.~ 1 as a~wavy arrow 16, and may hereaf~er-be referred to:as the~ID signal 16. ``;
A Receiving/Monitoring Device (RMD) 20 is placed in the residence, work place:, or other~location 22 of a ~viatim :
:~ 24. While the RMD 20 is noxmally mounted or installed ~: . wit~in thelre;sidence~and/or work pla~e ?2 of the ~ictim 24, ~as shown in FIG. 1, it is to be understood that some 30 ~ersions o~ the RMD may also be portable, allowing the RM~ ~0 to be aarried by the victim/ e.g., in a shoulder `:
bag or on khe pers~n, when the victim leaves the residence 22. For example, a portable RMD may take the fo~m o~ a paging device that is carried in a pocXet or a~ached to a belt.

W093/00663 PCT/US92/054'n ~ ~ l l 4 ~
ri - 22 - .
The RMD 20 receives the ID signal 1~ only when the abu~er 12 comes within range of the RMD. An antenna -~
21 located on the RMD facilitates receipt of the ID
signal. The range of the RND 20 is a function of the power contained within the ID, as well as the sensitivity and positioni~g of~the antenna 21. Typically, for a conventional transmittex tag of the type used with existing EHAM systems, this range is on the order of 150-250 feet. .
As soon as tbe tag 14, and hence as svon as the ~:
: abuser 1~, comes within range of the RMD, the I~ signal : is recei~ed by the recei~ing circuits within the RMD.
~he ~MD is pro~rammed to recogni~e only the ID signal 16 -~
: transmitted by th:e transmitter tag ~4:assigned to a ~ ~
15 ~particular abu~er 12 who has a history o~ abusing the ~;
victim 24.~ Thus,~ the RMD distinguishes a valid-ID signal from an invalid~ID signal or noise. Typically, thè ID
s:ign~al l~compris~s:an ~F signal, having a specific carrie~ requency, modulated with one or more ~ytes of -~
20 ~digital data.;~ Thus, verification:of~the ID signal 16:is accomplished by rece~ivin~ only signals: sf the correct ~:
frequency, demodùlating such signals to recover the .
digital data encoded therein, and comparing the:digital :~
~; data with pre~programmed valid data. This process of receiving and~verifying~only val:id ID~signals i5 similar :to that used to by conventional automatic garage~door , .
opener circuits that are programmed to respond only to a valid contxol:;signal from~a hand-held transmitter.
In order to increase the range over which the 3Q RMD 20 may detect the approach of the a~user 12, some J~ embodiments o~ the invention contemplate the use of at as~ on~ repeat~r circuit 27. The repeater circuit 27 positioned near, ~ut not neoessarily inside of, the residence 22 o~ the victim 24. FDr example, the repeater circu~t 27 may be positioned outside in the front yard o~
ths victim'5 premises, or n~ar the front door.
,, r W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~4~0 ....~111~14 - 23 ~
Alterna~ively, the repeater circuit 27 could be positioned on the roo~ of the victim's premises. An additional repeater circuit 27' may ~e positioned in the back yard of the victim's premises, or in another strategic location that will help sense the approach of the abuser 12 towards the victim's residence or other ~-place of abode or work. As many additional repeater circuits as are reyuired may li~ewise bD positioned around the location of the victim in order to sense the approach of~the abuser 12.
Each:repeater circuit 27 or 27' includes an antenna 25 or 25' coupled to a receiver circuit included within the repeater ircuit. This~receiv r circuit is designed to receive the ID signal 16 transmitted from the 15 :~tag 14 worn by the abuser. Once received, the repeater : circuit verifies that the ID signal 16 is a valid ID
signal, and then retra~smits an ID signal 16', after a short~delay ~f,;e.g., a few seconds, which ID signal 16' ~:
ontains the same information,;fo~matted in the same way, as was contained:and ~ormatted in:the ID signal 16 transmitted from~the tag ~4. Advantageously, however, the~retransmitted ID signal 16' may be transmitted at . higher power, if :desired. Further,:~he repea~er circuits may be positioned to ~ave and maintain optimum radio ~cont~ct with~he RMD 20, thereby enabling the ID signal 16'; to be received at the RMD 20 without significant noise or other interference. In this manner, the RMD 20 :~ :
is advantage~usly able to detect tha approaçh ofi~he, abuser 12 even before the tag 14 worn by the abuser is .
within range:of the receiver circuit within the RMD.
s : Thak i5, &0 long as the tag 14 is within range of one of s the repea~er circuits 27 or 27' (or any other repeater , ~
I circuit that might be used), the ID signal 16 is picked-¦~ up by ~uch repeater circuit and relayed to the RMD 20.
~: 35 ~h ~M~ ZO, as describ d more fully below, thus responds s ~o the receipt o~ either the ID slgnal 16 or the ~ , .
:

W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~4~n ~1114~
- ~4 -retransmitted ID signal 16' (~he RMD circuits do not distinguish between the ID signal 16 or ~he ID signal .:
16'; such circuits are simply programmed to recognize the receipt of a valid ID signal from a tag or from a repeater) so as to alert the victim 24, and to notify the central monitoring station 36, of the detected approach of the abuser 14. .
The repeater circuit may be c~nstructed substantially as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,918,432 I0 (Pauley et al.), col. 20, line 60 through col. 21, line ~:~
29, and Fig. 17.~
In most~instances, receipt of a valid ID signal over a prescribed period of tim~ provides sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that the protective ::
. ~
15 or~er~has or i5 being violated. Such evidence may be ~;
bolstered,~howèver:, through the use of a microphone 26 coupled to the;RMD 20, which microphone is activated (turned on) whenever the RMD receives a valid ID signal ~-16. ~The use of ~he mi~rophone 26 thus allows for the select:ive monitoring o* audio sounds. Such sounds, when recorded or otherwise o~s~rved,:thus~provides additional`:
evidence to conclusively establish the:violatisn of~the :.
protective order. Some embodiments of the system 10 also : include a ~ideo or other camera 28 that takes and/or 25 records pictures of objects or persons who enter the -xesidence 22 of the victim 24. Such ca~era 28, when used, is typically enabled ~made ready to take a picture) by the RMD 20 upon,re~eipt of ~a valid ID signal.
Appropriate sensors 30, 31, strategically placed within ~ 30 the resid~nce 22 of the victim, sense when another person::;
;~ e~ters the resldence 22 and generate a trigger signal that acti~at s the camera 28.
Upon receiving a valid ID signal 16 or 16' : (hsreafter, it is to be understood that reference to the 3~ ignal 16 also includes the retransmitted ID signal 16'~, the RMD 20 generakes an alarm khat notifies the W093/~0663 PCT/U~92/0~45~
~1114~

victim 24 of the imminent approach of the abuser 12.
Such alarm may be audio, e.g,, beeps, and/or visual, e.g., a flashing light, or other appropriate warning .. : .
signals, The receipt of a valid I~ signal 16 also ~ ~:
5 activates the microphone 26, enables the camera 28, and activates or enables any other desired monitoring ~ ;
e~uipment at the victim's resi~ence. The signals gener~ted by such monitoring equipment, whether audio ignals, video signals, or other types of signals (e.g.
, . .
the receipt ~f the ID signal itself), are stored for later examination. ~The storing of these signals is -~
accomplished through the use of memory deuices and circuits within the RMD, or by a conventional re ording devices, such~:as~tape recorders. As is commonly used in '.
l5~:~the art, the~camera 28 may~compri~se a video camera that includes a bui~lt-in microphone and recorder, with both the:video and :audio signals being combined on the same :~
tape. :
Receipt ~of:a valid I~ signal~l6 further causes ... :~
20~ the~RMD ~0 to:immediately e~tablish a teleco~municative .~
link with a c~entra~l:processing unit (CPU) 34 at~a ce:ntral monitoring station;36. Such link may be establi~hed, e.g.,~through~a;~ ~ lic telephone ne~work, represented symbolically ln FIG; L as a slngle line 32 that connects 25 ~the RMD 20 with:a modem 38, which modem 38 is connected :: ;to the CPU 3~. ~ The telephone network 32 is also `~
:~ connected to a::s~andard telephon 29 at the victim's : ~:
residence. The m,an~er in which~telecommunicatiye,contact is established between twv remote devices is well known : 30 in the art, and is commonly practiced, e.g., in the EHA~
. :: :systems known in the art. Other types of eleco~unicative links may a~so be used, in addition to, ~: or in place o~, a public ~elephone network. For example, a c~llular telephQne link may be used, in which case the :-RM~ 20 may be portable, and carried with the victim anywhere that the victim should choose to go. Other W0~3/00663 P~T/US92/05~'~
4 ~ ::

types of telecommunicative links that may be used with the system 10 inçlude cable TV systems, satellite communication networks, radio communication systems, and the like.
Upon establishing a telecommunicative link 32 b~tween the RMD 20 and the CPU 34, the RMD provides ~n -~
identification signal to the CPU that identifies both the victim and the abuser. The victim's identity is ;~
programmed into the RMD 20, there typically being a 10 separate RMD 20 assigned to each victim. The abusex's :
identity is ascertained from the received ID signal 16.
The CPU 3~ at the~central monitoring statlon 36 maintains :-a history filq of the victim's location, as well as pertinent facts about the victim and the abuser. This 15~ information is retrieved and displayed, along with ~ther per~inent instructions, at ~he central moni~oring station - ~:
36 on the screen of:a monitor 42. Alternatively, and~or conj:unctively,~ such information may be printed by a printer 40.
20~ Further,:in some embodiments,~any sounds picked .
up by the microphone~26, or any other si~nals picXed up at the victim's location 22, are tran~mitted to the ~ :
ce~tral monitoring station 36 thro~g~:the established ;~
: ::tel~communi~ative link 32. There,~these:sounds may be amplified for~listening, and will usually also be recorded tfor evidentiary purposes). The recordiny of ~he sounds may take pla~e at the victimls location 22~ at ~the central monitor~ng location 36~, or both locations.
IndiYiduals trained in domestic violence intervention .:
: 30 list~n to th~ ~onitored sounds at the central m~nitoring station, and, if d~emed n~ces~ary, dispatch police or ~ndertake o~her action as necessary or as directed by the : on-screen in~tructions. In some instances, .it may be d~sired to have the CPU 34 programmed to automatically ~-con~act the nearest laW enforcemenk agency, e.g., through ~:
~he use o~ an autom~tic dialer device included within the ~.;

- -.. , .. ., . , . , ,, ., . , , ,,,, , , , ~

W093/00663 PCT/~S92/05~0 2 1 1 1 ~
- 27 ~
CPU 34 or modem 38, upon receipt of a signal that indicates a valid.ID si~nal 16 has been received at the ~ :
RMD 20. Such contact may be accomplished through an ~ . -emergency "911" ~elephone network, throuyh a conventional telephone network, or through an appropriate rf communications link. This automatic cont~ct may advantageously provide~the law enforcement agency with an indication of the location where a potential violation of the protec~ive order is occurring, a~ well as other information from a response file maintained at the .
central monitoring location. The information in such response ~ile assists the law enforcemen~ agency as it -~`
attempts to assur~ compliance with the protective order, ;~
: ~ such as the identity of the abuser, his or her propensity 15 for vio12nce,~0nd other information as previously ; .i'' :
described. Hence, in this manner, an automatic dispatch f police or;other 1aw~enforcement officers to the : ~ victimls residence~2:2 is ~uickly realized, and such ~ : police ~or o~her:o~icers) are dispatched with the~ most :~ : 20 :r~levant informa~ion to help enforcé the protective :order. ;~
; Re~erring next to FIG. 2, there is shown a ~;
pictorial illustration of the transmitter tag 14 secured -to the ankle of~an ab~ser 12. The transmitter tag~14 Z5 includes a sealed~housing 46, inside of which the~e is a Buitable transmitter circuit that periodically generates :.
and transmits the-ID signal 16 . The huusing 4 6 is ~ecurely a~tac~ed ,to the ankl:e of the,~abuser using a strap 48 that cannot be opened without b~ing detected. :~
I~f the s~rap 48~is opened or otherwise broken, or if the housing is otherwise re~ved from off of the abuser's ankle, then a "tamper event" is detectéd by appropriate sen~ing circuits within the tag 14. In such instance, : on~ ~r more "tamper bitsi' are set within the ID signal 16, Advantageously, ~he design of the transmitter tag 14 may be th~ same as is used in the EHAM systems known in W093/00663 PCT/US92/054~n ~
~ l L I ~

the art. See, e.g., U.S. Patent Nos. 4,918,432 or ~ .~
4,777,477. - ' :
Alternativelyj the transmitter housing 46 and corresponding strap ~ may be made from very strong 5 indestructible material. The strap could be adjustable, ~ :
so that it can be ~asily fitted onto its wearer.
Howevèr, once adjusted and locked, it cannot be broken or ~.
cut absent very expensive or elaborate equipment, such as :.
: bolt cutters or cutting torches, which equipment c~uld .;
10 not be used whiIe the de~ice is still fastened t~ the .~:
ankle of its wearer without inflicting severe harm or ;, . .
injury to thè wearer!
Referring next to FIG. 3, a Pi torial repres ntation of one embodiment of the~R~D 20 is shown. .
15~In general, the ~ D~circuit~ are housed in an attractive, i:
yet ruggedized~housing 50. Included in the RMD housing ~50 are the RMD circuits, including a battery to pr~vide :~back-up operating~power. A power cord 52 normally provides ~hè operating power for ~he RMD,::which power :;~
~20 cord may be attached~to a conven~ional AC power plug.
Various connectors are provided along one side or back of the~housing 50 to:provide needed connections~with the RMD -~:
~- : cixcuits. For exa~ple, a first connector 54 may receive ~ a~ conventional tel~p~one line quick-disconnect connector, :~ 25~ aIlowing the RMD to be connected to a standard telephone line. A second connector S5 may provide a video input jack into which the video camera ~8 may be connected. A
third conne~t~r ~6.may likewise provide an:audiq input iack into which the microphone 26 may be connected. A
:~ 3-0 fourth connector 57~may pro~ide various trigger and .
control signals or activating the evidence gatherin~
devices, ~u h as the video camera 28; an~ may further -p~o~ide means fo~ receiving inputs from other sensors, ~uch as from the sensors 30, 31 (FI~ that sense the :~
35 en~ry of a person intc:> ~he victim ' ~ residence 22 . Such ~en~ors may be of conventional d~3siyn, e.g., ~f the type -'~;
,' ':.

W093/00663 L~ PCT/US92/0~50 - 2g ~
used to detect burglars, such as optical, infrared, --:
and/or motion sensors. Suitable detection circuits within the RMD detect any attempt to remove or replace the devices that are connected to these connectors 54-57, ;:~
which attempts are interprete~ as a tamper event. Other circuits within the RMD de~ect any attempts to unplug, move, or open the RMD, thus providing a means for .;~
de~ecting other types of tamper e~ents that occur to the RMI). ' : "'"''~'''''''' Significantly, there are no operator controls on the RMD 20~that require manual or other intervention. . ~;
That is, the R~D 20, once installed, re~ulres no manual ..
input from the victim 24 in order to operate. This is an~;
important feature because sometimes the victim, throu~h~: :
15 fear or intimidation,:will not do anything that might -:~
upset the abuser. :~Further, if the RMD 20 required turning on, the victim might forget to~turn it on.
Advantage~usly,~however, the RMD of the: present invention ~; perfcrm its mcnitcring function regardless of what the :~
20 victim may or may~:not~do. Further, as indicated above, ~-the RMD deterts tamper ~vents that ma~ be commit~ed against the ~M~,: regardiess of whether such tamper events : : are committed by the victim, the abuser, or some other ~-: pe~son. A detection ~f RMD tamper event is communicated :~
25 to the central monitoring location. Such detection of an ~--~MD tamper and communication the~eof to the central monitoring location may be accomplished in the same ~-- manner as i5 used ln a field monitori~g device (~D~ of an EHAM system, s described in the previously cited 30 patents. - :
The RMD 20 may be constructed substantially in the same manner as is shown in the previ~usly cited ~:
Pauley et al. p~tent for the ~ield Monitoring Device (FM~. Surh ~MD is essentially a microprocess~r-based sys~em that includes a receiver cixcuit ~or recei~ing the ;`;~ ~.
ID signal r a ~icroprocessoT~ and appropriate memory W093/00663 PCT/US~/0~4C~ :~
~,3 1~4~
- 30 ~
circuits and clock circuits for logging the various times when the ID signal is received (or not received). Tamper detection circuits are also included. The only hardware ~ : :
modifications needed in the RMD 20 that may not be ;;
5 included in the FMD are the inclusion o~ an appropriate ; :
trigger circuit that may be used to enable the evidense gathering devices, such as the microphone 26 and/or video camera ~8. Such trigger circuit, when use~, may be of :;;;;~
conventional design.
10 :~ Control of the RMD 20 is realized by a suitable :
"program" that controls the operation:of the microprocessor contalned therein. Such program is . `
typically stored in ~OM or EEPROM memory. A :
representative control program for use within the RMD 20,~;
I5 is described below in c~nnection with the flow chart of : FIG. 5.
Before describing the RMD operating program as shown in FIG. 5, reference is made to FIG.: 4 where there ~
is shown a block diagram of thë monitoring system 10 .
~20 illustra~ing lts use with a plurality of potential :~ victims and abusers. ~As seen in FIG. 4, there is~shown a :
plurality of remste monitoring locations 60a, 60b, ...
60n, each of which may comprise the residence or work place of a potential ~ictim. At each remote monitoring :
:25 location, there is an RMD 20a, 20b, ... 20n, each having a suitable antenna 21a, 21b, ...... 21n for receiving an ID . :~
signal. Also, at each remote monitoring location 60a, ~.;
60b? ..~ 60n, there,is at leastl one evidence yathçring device, such as a recorder, or a microphone 26a, 26b, ...
30 2Gn, or a ~ideo camera 2~a, 28b, .. ....28n. Further, :.
c~upled to each ~MD is a modem 62a, 6~b, .... 62n, or ;~-~
e~uivalent interface device, that selectively connects ~-the r~spective RMD to a telecommunicative link 32, such as a public telephone network. Other telecommunicative 35 links may also be used, of course, such as private ;-tel~phone networks, micrQwave link5, rf links, cable TV, ..wos3/00663 P~r/vss2~0~4so satellite communication linKs, and the like. For simplicity, no repeater aircuits 27 or 27' (as shown in FI~. 1) are shown in FIG. 4. However, it is to be understood that such repea~er circuits may be selectively 5 positione~ around arfd/or in each of the remote monitoring .~
locations 60a, 60b,..... 60n, as needed or desired. :`
The central monitoring station 36 is also : .~
coupled to the telecommunicati~e lin~ 32. ~s was ~ ;:
described above in connection with FIG. 1, a CPU system 10 34', including monitor and printer and ~ny other desired -~.
peripheral de~ices, is coupled to the telecommunicative ~:~
link 32 through a modém:38. Also coupled.to the CPU ~ :~
system 34', or in~uded as part thereo~ ~but shown as a , .
separate element in FIG. 4 for emphasis) is a data :~
, 15~ storage device~(memory) Ç4, such as a~magnetic hard disc ~;:
drive~or a tape~drlve.~ The CPU~system~34~ is configured ~ .
o as to readil~ store and retrieve data to and from the data:~storage device~64. Further, the~CPU system 34':may be~connected (through appropriate in~erface circuits) to 20 ~a~transceiver circuit 66. The t~ans~eiver circuit 66j in tu~n,~:is coupled~to an an_enra 6~. The~transceiver ; ~ : circuit and antenna thus provide an a~ternate path for ending signals t~o and from the central monitoring station 36. ~
: :f25 Also coupl2d to the telecommunicative link 32 : ~ is at least one law enforcement agency 70, or equivalent :~: ayencyf The aqency 70 is coupled to the standard ~.
~elecommunijca~ive~link, which link may for~ part ~f an emergency 1'gll!' telephone network. Hence, either personnel and/or the CPU system 34' at the central monitoring locatlon can c~mmunicate with the agency 70 oYer this telec~municative link 32 to, e.g., inform the :~
" ~ , ag~ncy khat a par~icular abuser has been sensed at a : particular remote lo ation where the abuser is not ~-suppo~ed to be, and to ~dvise the agency of the in~rmatlon contained in the applicable response file for ;-W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~4r ~2 1 1 1 4 4 4 - 32 - . :
the particul~r abuser who has been sensed. The agency 70 can then respond to such notice in an appropriate manner, e.g., by dispatching needed assistance to the indicated remote location.
As shown in FIG. 4, the law enforcement agency 70 typically includes its own antenna 72 ~ox sending and re~eiving radio communications to the field. Such antenna 72 may lin~ with, for example, the antenna 68 of the c:entral moni~oring station, thereby providing an 10 al~ernative communications link in addition to the . .:
telecommunicati.ve link 32.
The pre~ent invention also conte~plates that the abuser may be monitored in the same manner as other :~
"offenders" are~monitored using existing electronic house .
-1~ arrest monitoring (EHA~) systems. Hence, also shown in FIG~. 4 are a plurality~:of r~mote locations 74a, 74b, ~..
74n, typically the~residences or work places of one or .:~
more~of the abusers. Each abuser is fitted with a :~
~ conventional EHAM system tag 14a, 14b,: .. ~ 14n~ ~Each one ~;
:~ ~ 20~ of these tags :transmits its own unique ID signal 16a,~
b, ... 15n over a:short range. ~A convsntional EH~M
system field monitoring device (FMD3 76a, 76b, .. ...76n is .
installed at each remDte location 74a, 74b, ..... 74n.
These~FMDs are configu-red to receive ~and log the ID '~
2~ signals so long as the:tag is within range of the~FMD, ;~ .-Each FMD is further in selective`telecommunica:tive `.~-: ~ contact with the central monitoring station 36 (or with anojther manit~rin$ station)~y way o~,~the ~eleph!one , : network or other established telecommunicative link. .-:
3 0 Thus, the comi~gs and goings of each abuser at their . -respecti~e residbnces m~ay bP monitored in conventional.:; -`
: manner, by noting whether or not the respective ID signal .~
is r~ceived by the FMD, as is co~m~nly done with EHAM ;;.:-sy ~ems known in the art.
TAus, in operation, if an abuser fitted with t~g 14a is at location 74a, the tag trans~its its ID
, , ~09~/0~663 PCT/US92/054~0 ~. -- 33 ~
signal 16a, which is received by FMD 76a. Should the abuser leave the location 74a, such fact i~ logged within :- .
the memory circuits of the FMD 76a, and may be reported to the central monitoring loca~ion. As soon as an abuser -~.
fitted with tag 14b enters or approaches the residence 60b of a victim that he or she has been ordered no~ to ::
contact, the ID signal.16b is received by the RMD 20b~
and the RMD issues an alarm indicating the detected ~
approach of the abuser. The e~idence gathering equipment -:
26b and 28b are then acti~ated in an appropriate`manner in order to electronically gather additional evidence to establish whether or.not the abuser i5 present at the victim's residence ~or other no-contact location!) 60b.
~ Further, in response to receiving a Yalid ID signal 16b, : 15 :the:RMD 20b initiates whatever action is required to open up the telecommunicative link 3~ wi~h~the central : - -monitoring station:36.~ Once this link is e~tabIished, the RMD 20 pro~ides notice to the CPU system 34' that the ::: ID signal 16b has be n received at the location 60 : 2~0 thereby indicating that the abuser assigned tag 14b~has ;~
likely violated the:pr~t2ctive ~rder~ Then, appropriate : action is taken by~the CPU system 34ll or personnel at ;~
the central monitoring location 3 6, as described above . -Such action typically..-includes automatically retrieving :~: 25 data from th~data storage device 64 that provides inst~uctions to; or provides other data useful for, the `~
operating personnel relative to the particular abuser ~.:
fit~ed ~it~,tay lAb.~ " ~
,.
Further, in accordance with a preferred ~ ~
:
embodiment of the invention, each ~ag 14a, 14b, ~L~ 14n 1nclud s the a~ility to sense a "tamper~event". A tamper ;..~.
: eYent is de~ined as any attempt to remov~ or interfere with ~he operation of the tag or the FMD. If a "tamper .:
~venk1' is sensed, the tag signals such event, typically 35 by settin~ a "tamper ~it" (or a group sf tamper bits) :~
within the IC signal to a prescribed ~alue, as described, W093/0~663 PCT/US~2/054~

~ t~ ~ ~ 4 3 34 ;

e.g., in U.S. Patent No. 4,952,913. Hence, the next time an ID signal i~ r~ceived wherein the tamper bits are set so as to signal a sensed tamper event, the FMD may, if so ~ :.
progra~med, i~mediately contact the central monitoring station in order to report the occurrence of such tamper event. ~hus, should the abuser tamper with the tag or FMD at his residence or other assigned 10cation, i.e., within range of an FMD or RMD, such tamper event is detected and reported.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a tamper event may also be detected even if the abuser i$ not at his residence or other assigned location 74a, 74b, ... 74n. Thus, for example, should the abus~er fi~ted with tag 14n at~empt to remove 15 or otherwise ~amper with such tag at a location that is ;-.-.
not near an FMD or an ~MD, the I~ signal 16n, or ~.
~equi~alent signal,;~is still transmitted~and detected by ` ;.
~an appropriate wide~:ar~a radio communications ~WARC)~
m~dium 80. The W~RC medium 80, in turn, is coupled:to 20 :the teleco~municati~e link 32, and~thus~transfers the . .
~detec:~ed ID signal 16n to the CPU system 34'. The CPU
system 34', in turn~, is programmed~to recognize any I~ ~;
signals received over the teleao~ unicative link 32 as an : indication that a tam~er event has occurred to the :~
~: 25 specific tag identified by the ID signal. (It is:noted ~.
: that when the~RMD or:FMD communicates with the CPU system , ~ , , : 34' over the te1ecommunicative link 32, the signals sent - ~ are condi~ionqd appropriate1yito iden~ify the squrce,jof ~-;
s~h signals, e.g., the particular FMD or RMD from which . -~
. .
the signa1 orig1nates.) A~suming thak the tag 1~ is within range of an :~
~MD, ~MD, or the W~RC medium, i.e., regard1ess of the -~
10~ati~n o~ the tag, an ID signal shou1d be received ~v~y time (or near1y ~very time) the ID signal is transmit~ed, regard1ess of the tags location, un1ess the tag has been tamperPd with. Thus, as an alternative ~093/006S3 ~?1 11 ~ 4ll PCT/US92/0~4~0 . ;~:
'~.',. ~'.

method of de~ecting a tamper event, the CPU system 34' at the central m~nitoring lo~ation is progra~med to look for receipt o~ an ID signalj whether received by an FMD, through th W~RC medium 80, or by an RMD, at le~st once every 2-4 minutes, or other prescribed time period. The absence of the receipt of an ID signal during this - ;;
prescribed time pPriod, or for two or more consecutive such time periods, can thus be used to provide an indication that a tamper event has likely occurred. :~ :
Many types of WARC mediums 80~are available for ~:
use with the present invention in order to trans~fer to : the central monitoring~location 36 any tamper signals that are received anywhere within the medium. A few of .
hese mediums are described below. In general, such WARC ~ :
: 15 :mediums cover a~very .la~ge geographical:area, e.g., a ~ :metropolitan area. As needed, a second~WARC medium 82 :~ may be used in:conjunc~ion with the first WARC medium 80, which mediums may have overlapping areas;of coverage. ~
In general, a WARC medium used with the :presen~
invention will preferab~ly proYide wide area network ~
coverage to a-relatively large number o:f:metropolitan : -~: ~ areas, e.g.,:the top 50 metropolitan areas. Further, the ~-;
WARC will provide fast access time, prefera~ly less~than : : ~ ten seconds~ For purposes of the present invention, it .~-~ ~5 is preferred that the WARC medium ~e accessib}e for use at low cost. Further, it is desi~ed;tha~ the transceiver `:~
used to interface with the WARC mPdium (i. e., the circuits in~luded/iin the particular tlag that is,used with this embodi~ent of the invention) be manufacturable at relativ~ly low cost, ~nd that it opérate at low power : (e.g., less than 500 milliamps). Such transcei~ers ~hould also be small in size, e.g., smaller than a :~ -p~ckage of cigarettes, and have low weight, e.g., less ~han 8 oz. wi~h batteries, thereby allvwing such ~ran~ceivers ~o rsadily included within the transmitter tag hou~iny~

W093/0~663 ~CT/~S92/~
4 ~

Several WARC technologies are presently `
available that may be used with the present invention.
One such te~.hnology i~ known as "ARDIS", which is a partnership of IBM and ~otorola. ~RD~S provides advanced radio data information service for interactive access to various computer data ba~es and information systems via two~way radio data terminals. The ARDIS service permits ~-~a device with a radio modem in the field to transmit and receive information via a radio carrier ~ignal to the .
; l0 nearest of some 1100 radio base stations~located across : the country. Once re~aived at one of these radio base stations, the information is then pas ed through the ~:
~RDIS nationwide network to the designated customer .~.
~ computer, all in a matter of seconds. Thus, in -:,.. ;
;: l5 accordance with~ the present invention,:~:the circuits in :~
the~trans~itter~;~ag 14~WOU1d include a~radio modem that -i~
: is :capa~le of communicating with one of;the radio bas stations of the~RDIS network.
A:~ urther~W ~ C technology is the RAM Mobile 20::~Data Netw~rk,:-~which~network is a~direct competitor ~o the ;~
ARDIS sys~em:~described abo~e. The RAM~obile~Data Network shares~the same advantages as the ~RDIS;;network. ~, Such networks~;~are widely available in:Europe, but at :
present are only~;avai~able on a limited~basls in the . .
25~United States.~
: Another:WARC technology available f~r:use with :~ :
: the present invention is the cellular~telephone network, :-`-.particularl,y ~he ,di.g~tal impr.ovement~ to the celllular network that are presently being made. Cellular networks ;-;
are ~dYantag~usly available na~ionwide.
A~ additional W~R~ technology that is gaining ~
widespread acceptance is sponsvred by International ~:
: Tele~rac. The International Teletrac systems have been ~;:
: de~ig~ed to implement a stolen car lorator system based : : 35 on tim~-of-~liqht location techniques~ The Teletrac .
, ...
~ys~ems cou~le a UHF pager with a 900 MHz spread spectrum `',;, ,,,, , . ,, " ,, " , ., . . . . .. ,,, ~ . . . . . .. . . .

.~0 93/00663 PCr/USg2/05L1~5n r transmitter. The system can either squawk when an emergency condition occurs or can be interrogated by the central site at will. A Teletrac system is currently d~ployed in the greater L~s Angeles area,:and is rapidly :~
growing to other metropolitan areas. The UHF pager used with such a system may be readily incorporated into the transmitter tag 14 of the present in~ention in order to ~ ~
provide the desired sensing and reporting of a tamper ; ~:
event, as well as general tracking of the abuser.
5till a:further WARC technology that may be used with the present~:invention i5 the ProNet Tracking system. The ProNet Tracking sy~tem is a radio lscation network that ls similar to the one used by International Teletrac. It operates~in the 220 MHz band and is ;
15 primarily used,~at~present, by banks to track cash being :j.
:~ transported by:~armore~:cars. As with the International Teltrac system,~ he~ProNet Tracking ~ystem can squawk in case o~ an emergency, or be interrogated by-a central:
facility. It is currently avallable in several cities, .;~
20 primarily }n Ca~lifornia and Texas. Its~ transceive~r i~s . ; .
small:and lightweight, and can be leased for a modest m~n~hly fee. ::~
:: Yet an:additional WARC technol~ogy that may be : used with the present.invention is~ a:personal 5- co~munication network (PCN). ~ PCN is essentially~the:~-next generation of a~ cellular telephone. Unlike cellular ~elephone sys~ems, which use ~ smaIl number of expensive:~ :
ell si~es that c.~vèr a wide area, a,PCN uses a:,larg.e~ ~-number o~ low cost, widely distributed "microcells". It~:
: 30: is estimated that there will be over:~50 million users of :
~: .PCNs by the year 2000, both onsumer and commercial.
~ransceivers u5ed wikh the system are very small, and are ~:~
aYaila~le at a modest cost.
A ~urther WARC technology that may be used with ~he i~vention is a Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEOS). A
~EOS is e~ecti~ely an alternative to a PCN for the same W093/00663 PCT/US9~/05~

2111~44 - 38 ~
level of service. Instead of using land-based "microcells", however, a LEOS ~ystem utilizes a number ~f small satellites in low earth orbit. Th~se satellites ~ :
orbit a few hundred miles above earth, as compared to S geostationary satellites that orbit about 22,000 miles : .:
above earth and are employed for telephone and television transmission. Because.LEOSs are closer to the earth's ~
surface, they are able to function with transceivers that ~:
use very small ~ntennas and low power. The present . :
10 manufacturers and/or designers of LEOS systems are .-Motorola and American Mobile Satellite, although others: ;
. .
may enter the L~OS market soon. . :.
Any or all of the above-described WA~C systems, .~.
or variations thereof that are yet~ to be developed, may 15 advantageously be used with the present inventi~n. The .-.:
~: ~ key aspect of a~WARC ~system used with:the~invention is ~-.
that it cover a ~suf~ficiently large geographical area with :~ ~s~me type of means~ to receive low power:radio~
transmissions, and~that it be:able to~interface such signals, once~received, to the cPntral monitoring station : used;:with the invention, e.g., through an~existi:ng telecommunicative~:network.
Referring:next to FIG. 5,~a flow chart of~the:~
main~operating program used within the remote monitoring ~ ~-:25 ~device (RMD) of:the invention is shown. In this flow chart, each main step is depicted as a l^box" or "block", with each block.having a reference numeral. Those : :~
: skilled in.theiart, of microprocessor programming,oan~
. readily wri~e appropriate code to achieve the main steps -~
30 lllustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 5. ..
As seen in FIG. 5, once the progr~m is started lock B8), e.g., by applying power ~o the ~MD, the proyram looks ~or the receipt of an ID signal ~bloc~ 90). :`
: ~f an ID siynal is not receiYed, the prog~am simply ~Iwait~ until an ID signal is received. If an ID signal 1~ recelved, ~hen a determinatio~ is made as to whether :

, . " , , , ~ , . . . , .... . . , - - , ~ .

~093/00663 ~ 9 ;/~ PcT/us92/o545o - 39 - ;
such ID signal is a valid ID signal (block 92). As explained previously, this is accomplished by ~ .:
demodulating khe received ID signal and examining the equence of bits therein to determine if it is a valid sequence. If ~he ID signal is not valid, then such event (the receipt of an in~alid ID signal) is logged (block 94). While the receipt of an invalid.ID signal may simply evidence the receipt o~ a spurious signal or ~:
noise, it may also indicate a malfunction or misadjustment of the receiving circuits. Hence a la~ge number of logged invalid ID signals may provide a basis for checking the operation of the RMD. ~. .
: : If the rèceipt of a valid ID signal is confirmed (block~92), ~hen an appropriate tes~ i~ next ~i.
. 15 per~ormed to positively verify that a valid ID signal was ;~ actually receivëd.:~Typically,:this is done, as shown in FIG. 5, by waiting~to reaeive a valid ID signal a second time: (block 96)~ If~the abuser is near~he RMD, a second -~
valid I~D signal;~should be t~ansmitted within the next 30 2~ 120 seconds. Thus,:~a .~ime window is~started after::
: receipt of the:first vali~ ID siynal, and i~ a valid ID -;
signal is not receiYed before the time window times out (block 98), e.g., wlth1n~3-4 minutes:, then~a~false~alert :~-: is logged (bl~ck~l~O`O)~ A larg~number of false alerts ~.
25~ may~fur*her provide an indication that the RMD is malfunctioning~
Should a valid ID signal be received again ~. .(blsGk 96~'be~or.e,~the time ~ut (bl~ck 98~ of the;time : window, then the warning/sensing devices coupled tot or , ~ . . . . . . . . .
3~ included within, the RMD are activated (block 102). Such -~devices will typically include at least a recorder ~or ~quivalent~ to record the number o~ times a valid ID
~ign~l is recei~ed, including the time of day when such : gigna1~ are received. Such devices may al50 include a ~icrophone, and perhaps a video camera. Once these de~lc~s are activa~ed, appropriate telecommunicative .:

:

W093/00663 PCT/US92/0~4r .~

', '""~''~.;
~ 1 1 1 4 4 4 40 ~
contact is established with the central monitoring station (bl~ck 104). U~ualIy, this is done by establishing contact with the public telephone network through a modem, and activating an auto-dialer program :~ ;
5 within the RMD that diaIs the telephone number of the CPU ;-:
at the central monito~ing Iocation.
Once t~lecommunicative contact is established , ;
with the CPU, an appropriate alert signal is sent to ~he CPU (block 106) through the established telecommunicative ::
link. Further,~ the signals (e.g., audio and/or;video) that are sensed by the sensing devices coupled to the RMD, are recorded and/or logged. Such recording may be .. -, , ,-, done using recording equipment located at the re~ote ~; monitoring location~or~at the central moni oring 15 ~loc:~tion. Typi~ally, audio signals m~y be readily passed :~:
hrough~the~ establi~shed~telecommunicative~link and re¢~rd~ed and/or mo~itor~d ~listened to) at:the ~entral: . :~:
monitoring location.~: Video signals, on~the other hand, ~ :~
will~t~picalIy~be~recorded at the remote monitoring :~
20~ 1Ocation due to:~he limited~bandwidth ~of a conYentiona telephone c~mmunica~tion l~nk. ~Kowever, some~types ~f -~
tél~ec~mmunicatlve; link~, such as~satellite communication -~
links,~have a~suffi:ciently wide bandwidth to~:allow thé :~
h~igher~frequency~vide~ signals:~to be~readily transferred 25 : therethrough-]~
After the~telecommunicative link is opened :
be~ween *he RMD and the cen~ral monitoring station, an app~opriate"de,cis~on~is made as ta how~long this,:~ink ~.:
~ : should remain open. Typically, this is done by :~ ~ 30~monitoring whether valid ID~signal:s~ are still~being ;:
r2 eived~(blocX~1~10~. A~ long as:a valid ID signal :~
GontinU~s to be:received, the data sensed by thQ sensors ~ at the remote l:ocation (e.g., microphones and/or video : : c~m~ra~) continues to b~ recorded and/or sent to the c~n~ral monitoring station (b?ock 112), and the t~lecommunicati~e link remains open. If, however, after ,~093t00663 ,~ PCT/US92/05q50 ~.

the time out of a prescrib~d time window (blo~k 114) a alid ID signaI is not received (blocks llO, 114), then the sensing and recording devices are deactivated (block 116), and a decision is made as to whether ~here is any ~ .-;: . . .
5 data to d~w:nload to the CPU at the central monitoring ; ;.
location (blo~k 118~. If so, such data is downloaded to :
the CPU (blo~k 120) through the still opened : ~ teleco~municative link.
In either event (data downloaded or not), a :lO ~decision is next made:as to whether moni~oring is to contînue (block~122).~ Typically, this is a programmable :` ...
option that may~be~controlled from the PU-at the central :-~
.
monitori~g location~ Normally, monitorin~ wiIllcontinue, ~-~
and~:the RMD again looks for the receipt ~f an;ID signal'~
15 ~blook~90~. In~some;instances, it may~be desirable~to shut~:down th~e~RMD,~e.~., for diagnostic~testing, in:which case the main~program~ ends (block 124);.::~
: Referring~next~to:FIG.~6, there lS shown a~
diagramma~ic;illust~ation of the princ~ipal elements~o~ a 20~: second ~ambodim ~t~ of th~:present }n~e~tion.~ In accordance with~this second embodiment:,~ an abuser is fitte~ wi~h:an:~elè~tronic tag~130,~ similar:to those~;u~sed ~ :
in~an active Electronic~House Arrest~Nonitorin~ ~EHAM) system.: A tag~of thé..-type used~in an:EHAM system i:s 25~:disclosed, e.g:,~:in U:.S.~Pat~nt No;. 4,~885j571. The tag 130~worn by the~ab~ser in accordance~with this~second ;embodiment is~modified somewhat:~rom a typical EHAM tag in~that~it in~ludes~a triggerable krqinsmitter (TT3 ~hat transmits an:;ID~signal, represented sym~olically in FIG.~ ;:
3~ 6 ~as~the wa~y arrow 132, ovér a limited range only when it receives a~trigger signal, or~only when it detects a .,, : ta~per event, i.e., an attempt to remave or interfere `;~' ". .~, ~ .
: with ~he operation of the tag~ Thus, the tri~gerable ~;
:: . trans~itter consumes very little power, thereby providing ~ long battery l~, and al~o providing for a higher ran mission power when the ID signal is transmitted.

,: : ' ~ ;' .

6~3 PCr/US92/û~

4 ~ ~ - 42 ~
The victim carries, or always has nearby, a ::
trigger monitoring device (TMD) 134 that includes a . :
receiver for receiving the ID signal 132 transmitted by the abuser's tag, as well as a transmitter for 5 transmitting, through an antenna 13 6, a trigger signal. ~
The trigger signal is represented by the wavy arrow 135 ~.
in FI~. 6, and is transmitted over a second limited :.
range, represent-ed by the dotted circle 140. If the triggerable transmitter 130 comes suf~iciently close to ~ -10 the TMD 134 to receive:the trigger signal, i.e., if the transmitter:130 oomes within range of the TMD 134, ~hen~ ;
such event triggers the transmissi~n of the ID signal 132 by the abuser's tag 130. This ID signal 132 is :then ~:
received by the re~eiving circuits of the TMD 134, thus ;~ 15 signalling the approach~o~ the abuser towards the TMD.
As~ with :the first embodiment, the TMD 134:includes means for~establishing:telecommunicative conkact wi~h a central.~ :
monitoring station 36, e.g., ~hrough a conventiona1 ~
telephone line or cellular telephone link 32~ :The~TMD ~:
20::~in ;ludes batteries that may ~e~regularly recharged (thus, power oonsumpti~on ~is not ~ major roncern).
In operation, the transmitter portion of the portable TMD periodically, e.~., every~ 15-30 seoonds, sends~out a trigger signal 135 wi~h~sufficient~power:to 25 be detectPd by the triggerable ~ransmitter within a range ~: of approximatel~ 1/2 mile. At least one repeater circuit 137, adapted to receive and retransmit the ::
trigg r:signal 135, may be usqd to achieve this range, orh - to extend it, as~needed or desired. This repeater 30 circuit includes a first transceive~ cirouit for : receiYing and re~ransmitting the trlgger si~nal 135, as : well as a s cond~ransceiver circuit for receiving and rétransmit~ing the ID signal 132. As with the first :
embodiment d~scribPd above in connec~ion with FIG. 1, the :~ 35 r~pe~er circuit(~) 137 is strategically placad to transmit the trigger signal o~er an area through which ::
;'; ~

W093/00663 PCT/US92~0~4~0 ~ ~

. .. ..
- 43 - : :
,; ., ,,:
the abuser is most likely to come was he or she ~.
approaches the victim's residence or place of work. ..
~urther, the repeater circuit 137 is positioned to maintain good radio contact with the TMD 134.
In response to being triggered, the triggerable .
transmitter 130 transmits its unique ID signal I32 with ;~
sufficient power to be.received by the T~D 134, and/or by the repeater 13:~. If received by the repeater 137j the .~.
ID signal 132 is retransmitted with sufficient power to 10 be received by the TMD 134. Upon receipt of a valid ID ;~
signal 134, regardless of whether transmitted directly fr~m the tag 130 or .~rom the repeater 137,; the TMD is programmed to t~ke appropriate action, ~e~.g., warn tho victim, activate monitoring sensing equipment 138, ~:~
15 ~establish teleco D unlcative contact with~a~central ~ ~ -moni~oring stati~n~from:which.notice can be giv~n to respqnsible~agenoies,~summon~the police, et As~with~thè~first:embodiment,~should the trlggèrable traD~smitter~130~(worn by the abuser) detect a 20~ tamper event,~it~generates an appropriate~signal that~can ~.
b~:detected by the local~uthori~ies,~e.g. through a cellular telephone:network.~
: A Yariati:on:of the present: invention p~ovides a victim:~:with notice ~he-never the~abuser is~in~;the vl:clnity :;
25~ of ~he~victim.~ Such~notice:is given by~way of:a small, ~.. -~
portable receiver that~is adapte~ to "beep", or provide other detectable notice, whenever the ID~signal from the `~`
abuser's ~a~ re~e~ived. Such receptjion will ~ccur whenever the abuser comes within range of the receiYer~ ~
30 Thus, ~he ~i~tim~'s receiver is:much like a "payer" that ~ -.
is tuned to rece~ive the TD signal from~the~abuser. While he de~ected presence of the abuser near the victim may n~t be ~vidence of a violatlon of the protective order because both the victim and abuser may be in a public :: 35 location, e.g., a shopping mall, when the abuser is ..
d~ected by ~he ~ictim), such notice may skill prove .~`~

' W093/00663 PCT/US92tO~4r ; ;~.

- 44 - -~
helpful to the victim in that he or she can immediately - , take appropriate steps to avoid or minimize contact with the abuser, or to place himself or herself in an `~
environment (e.g., a crowd) where the abuser is not ":~
5 likely to abuse the victim. ~ ::
Thus, as seen from the above description, the .
present invention provides an electronic monitoring system that monitors a first person, e.g., an abuser, for : compliance with a:~protective order that prevents the first person from making any contact with a second person, e.g., a vic~im. Such system automakically gathers evidence of a violation of the protective~order `;
by the first p~rson. Further, such system provides ~:
~advance notice to the victim in the eYent the abuser 15~comes near the ~i;ctim. ~Such advance notice thereby , -.
~: ~affo~ds:the victim some opportunity to prepare for or avoid~contact with~the~abuser. ; ~ :~
As also seen from the:above des~cription, it is .
:seen that the inventio~ pro~ides a~monitoring system 20~ wherein advance~n:otice~:is:also provided to a central : ~ -monitoring location~:whereat such nvtice alerts law enforcement or other personnel to take appropriate action:~
so~as to best~enforce the protective order,~and (if ~ : needed) protec~ or rescue the ~ictim ~rom abuse.
- 25:~ ~ Advantageously, as alsc seen from the above .
escription, the monitoring system of the invention further provides a central processing unit (CPU), or quiva-lent d~vice,~i~at the cen~ral moni'toring lo~c~ion tD
process and/or log:all the communications that take place between the CPU and a monitorlng device placed on or near ~: the Yictim ~ A data ba~e is maintained at this CPU so as -;
t~ automatically provide instructions to operating personnel at the central monito~i~g loca~ion as to how -:~
~: ~hey should proceed to best protect the victim once the abu~r is detected as being near the victim.
.~'., ' .~

-`~093/00663 P~T/US92/054~
4 ~ ::

As further seen from the abo~e description, a .
no-contact monitoring system is provided wherein the . ~ :
abuser is fitted with an electroni~ transmitter that periodically, or when triggered, generates a unique 5 identification signal assigned to that particular abuser. ;~
Ad~antagesusly, such transmitter .includes detection means : that detects any at~empt by the abuser to dissociate himself or herself from the transmitter, and that alerts the monitoring personnel of such attempt. ;~:
~ While the invention herein~disclosed has been ~-described by means o~ spe~cific embodiments and : applications thereof,~numer~us modifications and : variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the a~rt without departing ~rom the scope of the invenkion set ~ ~:
forth in the~claims~

~ : . ~ . ~ : - , ~ .

",:, ` ' ~-';,' "

Claims (10)

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic monitoring system for notifying a first person of the presence of a second person nearby, comprising:
a transmitter tag worn or carried by the second person, said transmitter tag including means for periodically transmitting an identification (ID) signal over a first range;
a receiver, positioned or carried near the first person, for receiving the ID signal whenever the transmitter tag comes within the first range of the receiver;
evidence gathering means, in addition to said receiver, activated in response to the receipt of said ID signal at said receiver, for automatically gathering evidence from an area surrounding said monitoring device, in addition to the detection of the ID signal, that helps to conclusively establish that said second person has come within said first range of said first receiver; and notifying means, coupled to said receiver, for notifying the first person of the receipt of said ID
signal.

2. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said evidence gathering means includes a microphone for picking up audio sounds originating near said receiver, said microphone being coupled to a recording device that records said audio signals.

3. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said evidence gathering means includes a video camera for picking up video signals originating near said monitoring device, said video camera being coupled to a recording device that records said video signals.

4. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 2 or 3 wherein said notifying means further includes telecommunication means for promptly establishing a telecommunicative link with a central processing unit (CPU) located at a central monitoring location remote from said receiver, and for sending to said CPU a notifying signal through said established telecommunicative link indicating that said ID signal has been received by said portable receiver, whereby said CPU is put on notice that the transmitter tag, and hence the second person who is carrying the transmitter tag, has come within the first range of the receiver.

5. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 2 or 3 wherein said evidence gathering means further includes means for logging the receipt of said ID signal, whereby a record is maintained of when said ID signal is received by said receiver.

6. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 2 or 3 wherein said transmitter tag includes:
first receiving means for receiving a trigger signal, and first transmitting means for transmitting a first identification signal over said first range in response to receipt of said trigger signal;

and wherein said receiver includes:
second transmitting means for periodically transmitting said trigger signal over a substantial range surrounding said monitoring device, said substantial range being greater than said first range over which the transmitting means of said transmitter tag transmits said first identification signal, whereby said transmitter tag begins to transmit said first identification signal whenever said transmitter tag, and hence whenever the second person carrying said transmitter tag, comes within said substantial range of said receiver, second receiving means for receiving said first identification signal, and means responsive to the receipt of said first identification signal for triggering said notifying means.

7. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 6 further including a repeater circuit said repeater circuit including first transceiver means for receiving the trigger signal transmitted by said second transmitting means of said receiver, and retransmitting said trigger signal after a prescribed delay, said repeater circuit being positioned sufficiently close to said second transmitting means to receive said trigger signal.

8. The electronic monitoring system as set forth in Claim 7 wherein said repeater circuit further includes second transceiver means for receiving the first identification signal transmitted by said first transmitting means of said transmitter tag, and retransmitting said first identification signal after a prescribed delay.

9. An electronic monitoring system for monitoring compliance with a protective order, said protective order being imposed to restrain a second person from coming near a first person, said electronic monitoring system comprising:
a transmitter tag, said transmitter tag including transmitting means for periodically transmitting an identification signal over a first range, and means for securely attaching said transmitter tag to said second person, whereby the identification signal generated by the transmitter tag uniquely identifies said second person to whom the transmitter tag is attached;
a monitoring device located proximate said first person, said monitoring device including:
receiving means for receiving said identification signal when said transmitter tag, and hence when the second person to whom said tag is securely attached, comes within said first range of said monitoring device, and means responsive to said receiving means for promptly establishing a telecommunicative link with a central processing unit (CPU) located at a central monitoring location remote from said monitoring device, and for sending to said CPU a notifying signal through said established telecommunicative link indicating that said identification signal has been received by said monitoring device, whereby said CPU is put on notice that the transmitter tag, and hence the second person to whom the transmitter tag is attached, has come within the limited range of said monitoring device, and hence that said second person has likely violated said protective order;
a microphone activated in response to the receipt of said identification signal by said receiving means for picking up audio signals originating near said receiving means; and recording means for recording any audio signals picked up by said microphone and for logging the receipt of said identification signal received by said receiving means, the recorded audio signals and logged identification signals thereby comprising evidence gathered from a zone surrounding said monitoring device that helps establish that the second person has entered said zone;
whereby a violation of said protective order by said second person may be established through evidence gathered by said microphone and recording means.

10. An electronic monitoring system for monitoring compliance with a protective order, said protective order being imposed to restrain a second person from coming near a first person, said electronic monitoring system comprising:
a transmitter tag, said transmitter tag including transmitting means for periodically transmitting an identification signal over a first range, and means for securely attaching said transmitter tag to said second person, whereby the identification signal generated by the transmitter tag uniquely identifies said second person to whom the transmitter tag is attached;
a monitoring device located proximate said first person, said monitoring device including:

receiving means for receiving said identification signal when said transmitter tag, and hence when the second person to whom said tag is securely attached, comes within said first range of said monitoring device, and means responsive to said receiving means for promptly establishing a telecommunicative link with a central processing unit (CPU) located at a central monitoring location remote from said monitoring device and for sending to said CPU a notifying signal through said established telecommunicative link indicating that said identification signal has been received by said monitoring device, whereby said CPU is put on notice that the transmitter tag, and hence the second person to whom the transmitter tag is attached, has come within the limited range of said monitoring device, and hence that said second person has likely violated said protective order;
a video camera activated in response to the receipt of said identification signal by said receiving means for picking up video signals originating near said receiving means; and recording means for recording any video signals picked up by said video camera and for logging the receipt of said identification signal received by said receiving means, the recorded video signals and logged identification signals thereby comprising evidence gathered from a zone surrounding said monitoring device that helps establish that the second person has entered said zone;
whereby a violation of said protective order by said second person may be established through evidence gathered by said video camera and recording means.