PROCESSING SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (S)

The present application derives priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/397 ,6] 2 filed 21 September 201 ,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention .relates to video-based traffic enforcement and, mor

particularly, to a mobile traffic violation detection and recording system for traffic violations to facilitate third party assistance in enforcing traffic violations especially infractions of hands free laws against texting while driving, talking on a mobile phone while driving, and distracted driving.

2, Description, o the Background

Scarcening police resources have left relatively few officers available for traffic enforcement. Nevertheless, the manual nature of issuing traffic citations is inefficient, labor- intensive, and costly. Not surprisingly, most violators are never caught or prosecuted, and traffic laws do not deter bad driving habits. This is especially apparent in states that have banned- iexting: while driving and/or talking on a cell .phone while -behind the wheel Studies have shown that enforcement of such laws is limited and ineffective. MoCartt Kidd and

Teoh, "Driver Cellphone and Texting Bans in the. United States: Evidence, of Effectiveness", Ann Adv. Automotive Med,, Mar; 58: 99-11 (2014).

Over the years, cameras have been introduced to improve die detection,

documentation, and prosecution of traffic viol tions. Speed cameras support the prosecution of speeding violators by providing evidence of speeding and red-light running. These devices develop -documentary evidence, which is processed later by police, government, or pri vate contractor personnel, producing citations thai are mail ed to the regi stered ownert s) of the cited vehicle based on the associated, license plate and vehicle images. In the case of red light violations, the camera is used in conjunction with vehicle detection systems, which are usually in-ground (in-road) sensors like inductive loops that detect the presence of a vehicle at a particular point on the roadway. The caraera system is also connected to the traffic signal controller, generally for the purpose of coordinating the red feed associated with the red signal phase, in principle, an image of an offending vehicle is taken when that vehicle is detected entering the intersection, and/or remaining in the intersection during the red signal phase. A common practice is to tak two (2) images of a vehicle as it progresses throag the intersection in order to provide sufficient evidence for a prosecution. Radar-triggered camera systems operate in a similar fashion. However, triggering from radar' o lighting signals is entirely ineffective against violators of hands free Saws.

Texting while driving is an escalating problem, estimated to cause 1 ,600,000 accidents per year (National Safety Council), 330,000 injwri.es per year (Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study), eleven teen deaths daily (Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts), and is singularly responsible for nearly 30% of all vehicle collisions (National Safety Council.). According to the National Safety Council, more than 100,000 awtomobile -crashes a year involve texting while driving, and according to an AT&T Wireless survey, 75% of teens say testing while driving is "common" among their friends. Further surveys found that 9% of licensed drivers admit to texting while behind, the wheel. Within a decade texting and other cellphone . ^' distractions have arguably become our awraber-one public health hazard, -statisticall ^' surpassing thai of drunk driving. Something needs to be done, and a solution is herein disclosed in the form- of a mobile ^' traffic violation detection and recording system for the enforcement o f traffic violations especially inf actions of hands free laws against text ng while driving, talking on a mobile phone while driving, and distracted driving.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present innovation to provide a novel mobile traffic monitoring system and method which addresses and supports public safety and law enforcement for vehicle violations.

It is another object io provide a system and method for traffic violation detection using a vehkle-moatUed mobile unit with multiple imaging cameras to deliver a 36 -degree view, .for recording and processing as evidence, a .secure video data vault, and a third party application server for allowing two-tier review of potential infraction videos.

In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present system .includes the vehicle- nrounted mobil unit with a vehicle-mounted imaging unit comprising miiltipie cameras to deliver a. 360-degree view, for .recording and processing as evidence. A secure- video data vault is also disclosed, as well as a third party application server for implementing a

workflow comprising a two-tier review of potential infraction videos.

The mobile unit includes a controller that tags each frame of the multiple digital video streams with a date/ time and geolocation stamp, and stores the tagged videos locally on a hard drive. The mobile unit provides the vehicle operator with an input device by which the operator can ^' flag potential infractions observed .visually, in which case the controller logs potential infractions inclusive of time and date stamp. At the end of the vehicle operator's "shift,- the infraction log and videos are uploaded to ^' a third party data vault- for video screening of the potential infractions. A desk operator labels apparent infractions inclusive of

time/date, ^' location, violation type, vehicle plates, and a URL link to the data vault, then the listing is transmuted to police. Using a standard computer, police can click on. each link thereby initiating a user interface to verify each traffic infraction individually or

synchronously viewing any/all of the relevant video streams or any frame/portion thereof.

The user interface facilitates composition of a police citation, while ΡΚΪ encryption techniques are embedded throughout the process to ensure evidentiary chain of custody. The system and method is well-suited for third-party detection of vehicle drivers in violation, of the no texting, no talking, hands free distracted dri ving laws and any other violation while facilitating the preservation of ^" evidentiary ^' support

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, will become more apparent from the following .detailed description of the preferred embodiments and certain modifications thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION QF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and certam modifications thereof when put forth with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the traffic violation, detection and recording system 10 inclusive of data vaul S and. third party thin client workstation '90.

FIG. 2 is a perspecti ve view of a mobile vehicle-mounted, unit 20 according to the present invention,

FIG . 3 is a block diagram of the mobile vehicle-mounted unit 20 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective composi te drawing illustrating the preferred camera ^■ orientation,

FIG. 5 is -a block diagram of the data vault 80 and ASP 70 architecture of FIG, 1. FIG. 6 is an. entity diagram illustrating the database design.

FIG. 7 is a flo w diagram of the upload process.

FIG. 8 is a screen print, of the processor application 184 screen

FIG, 9 is a screen print of the Shift Browser

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the layout of the Video and Map display section

FIG, 1 ! is a screen print of the Violation Display.

DETAILED DES RIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present: invention is a traffic- violatio detection and recording system including both hardware and eotnputer-implemenied process to facilitate third party assistance in enforcin traffic violations especially infractions o.f hands free laws against texting while driving, talking on a mobile phon while driving, and distracted driving,

FIG. 1 is a block, diagram illustrating the process flow of the present system. The system and process includes a plurality of mobile units 20, each generally comprising vehicle-.monnt.ed cameras and a recording system configured to capture multiple surveillance inputs and other related data on to a mass storage medium during the course of one shift. The .mobile unit 20 continuously captures images, while moving with traffic or while stationary, and at any given. lime- the operator of the mobile unit 20 can designate a potential violation of hands free, no texting. no talking, or distracted driving laws.

At the end of a day 's shift, the stored video/data is automatically or manually uploaded to data vault 8 for access by a third party thin clients 90 and then law

enforce ent 7-0. The data vault 80 is a secure server system at a physical facility local to the mobile units 20, Once the video/data is uploaded it is available for processing. Third party users working for an application service provider (ASP) 70 and using remote "thin client ^* * -computers 90 (lightweight browser-based computers built to connect to a server from a remote location) may log in and review the- video feeds of flagged violations over the shift; Violations that were identified during the shifts are edited into smaller video clips and images that then are bundled into discrete violation records. These violation records are uploaded into a cloud database 95 for farther review. Next, law enforcement officials or "approval officers" 52 may access the system via web browser 55 to access the violation records in cloud database 95 to either approve or dismiss aforementioned violation records. Finally, the ASP 70 automatically retrieves ail approved violations from cloud database- 95 and sends citations via an automated mail processor 75 using mail processing .machines such as the Pitney Bowes Paragon M®, Citations are mailed to the traffic violator 1 TO, After recei ving the citation, the traffic violator J 00 can then log onto the web application 55, review the violation's video -clips and images, and directly pay the violation online through a third party payment portal. Note that both approval officers 52 and violators access the system via web browser 55 via a separate web server to provide another layer of separation from the vault 80. The combination of the third party reviewers 90 plus authorized approval officers 52 subjects the video/photo evidence to a secure two-tier review process, allowing individualized infractions and violations to issue directly. The two- ier review process reduces the video footage to pertinent images and. video segments including. date, time,- location, of ^" violation and other applicable information along with license plate registration information extracted from the images,. The infractions are routed and electronically transmitted to the appropriate jurisdictions to be reviewed by law enforcement, resulting in either confirmation of the violation or dismissal, of the violation. Once confirmed as a violation, the registration information is obtained and the violation may be processed an d sent to the violator. If it is not confirmed it will be dismissed... FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mobile vehicle-mounted unit 20 according to the present invention. The mobile unit 20 purpose is to capture all data that pertains to the violation, inclusive of at least the following:

- Multiple video streams; preferably, six (6) video streams are constantly captured simultaneously on 6 cameras and written out to a recording device;

- GPS location: GPS location is sampled and written out at a rate of 2 locations per second;

- Time stamps: time stamps -are triggered .manually by the driver or passenger of the .car, to mark a specific instance O time when a suspected violation occurs. This helps finding violation later in post processing.

Toward this end, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the mobile vehicle-mounted unit 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. The mobile unit 20 includes an exterior roof- raotmted imaging unit 30 and an interior processing unit 40. The iwf- oonied imaging unit 30 includes a cartop carrier enclosure for six cameras 32-37 and electronics, the latter being connected to the interior unit 40 by a 12V power supply and ethernet cable. The roof- mounted imaging unit 30 also includes a dual redundant power supply 31 that steps up the 12V vehicle supply to provide a stable 48VDC for a nine (9) port Power-over-iniernet (POE) Switch 39 (8 PoE Ports j 1 Uplink Port). Besides terminating the ethernet cable from the car interior, the POE network switch 3 provides power and data connectivity to the plurality of cameras 32-37 that are mounted outside the cartop carrier 22. Aii ^' eOraponents are rated for extended temperature ranges and shock resistance. The carrier box 22 preferably comprises a weatherproo f hous ing that may be attached by suction, magneti cs or permanently to the roof of the vehicle . la the illustrated embodiment the exterior imaging unit 30 defines six compartments housing six angularly-offset video cameras 32, 33, 34, 35 , 36, 37 for providing a 360-degree field of view.

FIG. 4 is a perspective composite drawing illustrating the preferred camera orientation. Each side of the car has three cameras mounted, one pointing diagonal to the driving direction, one 45 degrees sideways to the front, and one 45 degrees sideways to the rear. This particular configuration provides direct views inside the neighboring car's windows, and captures additional view points as well as the license plates. The diagonal c ameras (mounted at the four camel's of the carrier box 22 are moun ted at the lowest possible ("baseline") elevation, to provide the best possible angle to capture the license plate. The driver-side perpmdicular camera is also mounted at a low, e.g., baseline position so the left side neighboring car's driver can -be captured through its passenger window . Howe ver, the right-side perpendicular side camera is mounted at a first vertical elevation higher than baseline (e.g., 5-12") to provide maximum insight into the neighboring car's window, in case the driver holds the phone at a low position (e.g. while writing text messages). All cameras 32-37 employ 8mm zoom lenses, which provides a FOV of about 40 degrees. Despite such a narrow field of vision (less than 180 degrees) this allows a higher resolution capture of the target which can be zoomed in on. at the center of the shot. It also results in less moving background when the target is in center. Since zoom lenses provide higher resolutions on the targets (plates and persons), it is not necessary to use an ultra-high resolution cameras (such as 8ΜΡ or 4MP), Such cameras would either loose detail due to compression, or provide more data tha can reasonably be stored and processed. The preferred camera Is an A IS® P3SH 5-R which is specially designed fo mobile video surveillance with !OSOp resolution producing images with 1920 χ 3080 pixels per unit. The A IS® uses digital pan- ih-zooni, The exterior imaging unit 30 may alternately utilize low lighting or night vision type cameras 32-37 that require no flash illumination. One skilled in the art will understand that the number of cameras 32-37 is not limited to six, but could be any nu mber within a range of from four-to-sixteen depending on. user preference.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the interior processing unit 40 is a surveillance video recording system (SVRS) comprising a monitoring device 60, a mass storage device 62, a GPS sensor 64, and infraction tagger 65. Monitoring device 60 may be a laptop or other computer device with attached monitor. Infraction tagger 65 may be .any user input device. Mass storage device 62 may be a suitable removable hard dri ve, RAID array or high capacity media device. The interior SV ^' ftS■unit 40 inclusive of "monitoring device 60, mass storage device 62, GPS sensor 64, and infraction tagge 65 are preferably dash-mounted inside the vehicle to provide a display of li ve video and navigation information to the driver on a realtime basis as is represented by FIG. 3. The monitoring device 60, mass storage device 62, GPS sensor 64, and infraction tagger 65 are connected by Ethernet to POE switch 39 as shown. Mass storage device 62 has the capability of recording all camera data continuously to a removable medium for the duration of the shift, in operation the monitoring device 60 runs surveillance software that initiates cameras 32-3? to record video to mass storage device 62, and for each a new video file is started ever ^' 2-5 minutes, so that in case of a power failure, no more than 5 minutes of video is lost The exact interval is preferably configurable and set differently for every camera, so that except for the system start, all cameras start a new recording at different staged-times to provide overlap and reduce excessive processor usage that might otherwise ^' result in lost frames.

The video streams from cameras 32-37 are sent directly through POE switc 39 to mass storage device 62, and are also sent as secondary" lower resolution video streams to the monitoring device 60. The monitoring device 60 polls GPS sensor 6-4 and when initiated by trigger 65 writes timesiamps and GPS locations, respectively, mto separate files on the mass storage device 62 medium. The monitoring device 60 may be used by the driver or passenger to monitor all cameras 32-37 in real time. Brightness and other camera parameters can ^' be adjusted trom monitoring device 60. The mass storage device 62 preferably directly records the time-stamped geo-iocated video for subsequent playback b direct memory access (DMA), a known feature of computer systems that allows access the mass storage device 62 independently of the monitoring device 60. The mass storage device 62 includes the necessary circui ry to receive the multiple video input streams -from the individual cameras 32-3.7 in the exterior imagin unit 30 and to continuously write and store video streams on the mass storage device 62. Though programmable from monitoring device 60, the cameras 32- 37 are default-set at a camera sampling. rate (e.g., 15 frames per second for 1.O80p

uncompressed 1920x1080 resolution 8-bit RGB video), and this video is stored raw as indi vidually-imaged frames each time-tagged and geo-iocated in metadata by GPS coordinates. Each camera 32-37 output is recorded at approximately .15Mb/s and therefor produces approximately 67.5 gigabytes per shift per camera. Six such video streams recorded over a ten-hour shift require approximately 405 gigabytes or 377GiBs per shift.

_. One skilled in the art will ^" understand that in .reviewing the videos, the co-recorded. GPS coordinates can ^' be- immediately correlated wi th the location of the vehicle when an infraction occurs, and the time/date data stamp liorn all the video channels -may he used to synchronize the various earners views chronoiogicaily or geographically as- ill be described. The video files themselves necessarily include ^' images of the vehicle driver and license plate. The images of the driver and plate/vehicle associate with the violations are identifiable and can provide evi dence of the identity of the driver and vehicle registration associated with the violation.

The mass storage device 62 may be any suitable high capacity (preferably greater than 400 gigabyte, and most preferably a 512 gigabyte medmm) such as a hard dove or flash storage, in practice, a removable 512GB SD card serves welt, saving space, allowing recording of six cameras at 15-20Mbps 1080 video for about ten hours, and allowing convenient end-of -shi t uploading. However, one skilled in the art will readily understand that other storag solutions will suffice, inclusive of Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) and Enhanced integrated Dri ve Electronics (EIDE) drives. Serial ATA (SATA) drives, their Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) counterparts, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) drives, and or-Solid State Drives (SSD). Rather than manual upload, some storage ^' arrays have wireless transfer capabilities such as a Wireless Plus Mobile from

Seagate™. This type of drive is battery powered and offers ^' wireless connectivity and serves as a Wi-Fi hub, which would allow wireless downloading to data vault 80 at end-of-shift. In all such cases die mobile unit 20 captores multiple surveillance inputs and other related data onto mass storage device 62 during the course of one shi ft. At the end of the shift, the data is unloaded manually or wirelessiy to the data vault 80, which is a physical facility, local to all mobile units 20. Once the data has been unloaded, it is -available for processing.

FIG. 5 is a more detailed block diagram of the data vaul 80 and ASP 70 architecture. The data vault H is a web-enabled server connected to the internet and hence cloud database 95 through a secure gateway. The data vault 80 is designed to kee the video captures in a centralized secure database. The data vault W is preferably constructed behind one or more firewalls 82, and may be any web-enabled server or server farm utilizing, for example, a ^' commercially-available vault registry solution. An example of a repository is a Vault. Registry™ product manufactured by IBM™ configured for the electronic transmission and storage of data via access through secure web portals accessible only by authorized users such the vehicle operator. For purposes of description the illustrated data vault 80 includes data storage elements 8 positioned at a physically isolated area 88 defining a vault In the exemplary implementation, a data storage element 86 comprises one or more computer servers containing memory arrays of large capacities appropriate for storing mass video data. In the exemplary implementation, while the area forming the vault 80 is physically isolated, the area is permitting of expansion to provide for scalability of storage capacity. The assembly further includes an access controller 81 coupled to firewall 82. The access controller #1 operates to control access to the vault SO and to the data storage, elements 86 therein to authenticate authorized thin clients 90. The access controller 81 is coupled to a router .84, of conventional configuration, that, in turn, is coupled to the data storage elements ^' 86.

The ASP 70 relies on cloud computing or " temei-based computing ^* where services such as servers, storage and applications are delivered to the ASP 70 computers and devices through the Internet. Consequently, requisite database servers, application servers, and web servers are not located within the ASP 70 domain, but rather in the cloud so that gee- redundancy is achievable. However, the ASF 70 maintains web application.55 and cloud database 95 (see FIG, 1) in the cloud for processing violations (sending citations) and management tasks, and maintains a resident ^' routing database which stores data au entieation and verification information (usernames and passwords) correlating to authenticated approval officers 52, processors 9 ^' and. violators 100, as well as administrators, all of whom imy access their dedicated portals of web application 55 via cloud-based server(s) 12. The cloud- based scrver(s) 12 are preferably accessed ^' exclusively by a Representational state transfer (REST) or RESTfoJ web service interface that allows requesting systems to access and manipulate textual representations of Web resources using a uniform and predefined set of stateless operations. The REST Service interface is also located in clood 90. The cloud also comprises one or more API server(s) 24, and database servers 94 in communication with cloud database 95, The database seryer(s) 94 ran database management software to provide cloud-based database services. Database management systems (DBMS) frequently provide database server functionality, and some DB Ss (e.g., MySQL) rely exclusively on the client- server model ^" for database access. Tims, database servers) 94 may be, for example, SQL servers .running MySQL (& -popular open source database). Other examples of suitable database servers are Oracle?* ³ , DB2 ^{T i} , Informix™, Ingres™, and SQL Server™. The application program interface (API) servers) 24 and the web servers) 12 provide programmatic arid web interfaces respectively via the cloud for accessing the web application 55, and presenting a processor porta! to approved thin clients 90 that presents a user ^' display to desk operators for second tier review of the potential infractions and videos. The web application 55 also includes a law enforcement user display for police for final review of the potential infractions and videos, and for assisting with issuance of citations, and a violator 100 portal for payment of .fines.

FIG. <* is an entity diagram illustrating the database design fox- atabase 15. which includes separate tables for "Sites ^*5 , "Cars ^* ', "Plates", "Events", "Shifts", "Clips", "images", etc. all as shown. Record, entries for each table ar als as shown. The following. is a brief description of the most important database tables:

Table Name Description Users Any user that has log on credentials to the system. This does not include violators. Examples;

Shift supervisor

Driver

Processor

Approval Officer

- HQ User

Sites Each independently operated Site that is registered with the system. This table stores genera! information about sites. Most other tables relate to this table directly or indirectly. This enables the system to give users only visibility of a limited number of sites.

Cars Mobile units that are registered with the system at a particular site. General car registration information is stored.

Shifts A mobile unit can only operate, i.e. collect data, when a "Shift" has been created, A shift Includes the start/end of capture, driver, and car. Ail captured data can be tracked hack to that shift. Each shift has exactly one car and one driver.

Violations When a shift is processed, "Violations" are created in the database. A violation is a collection of video clips and representative still images {stored in separate tables). A Violation includes status flags indicating workflow states:

InEntry; The processor is till working on it

GffiealReviewPending: The violation

creation is completed but no approval officer has reviewed it yet

Approved; The violation has been

approved by the approval officer

Dismissed: The violation has been

dismissed by the approval officer

WaitingForPayrnent: The citation has been

sent

Closed: The payment has been received

Events Ail actions of the system are recorded in this table, so that later on a complete audit is possible.

Using ihe above relational design, it is possible for the ASP 70 to manage

independently-operated "Sites" which can manage their own fleet of mobile units 20 and users to produce video ..material. The late stages in the workflow also «se this same database design to access the video material, add violation records and clips, and finally send the 'Citation to the violator, In addition, the table below lists the functions of the database

15 from a user perspective.

n operation, a vehicle driver will be an aathorized employe of a third party service provider that is paid to complete an eight-hour shift. At the start of the shift they are required to io onto the monitoring device 60 by ID and password. Once logged, the patrol and press tagger 65 to tag potential infractions observed visually as shown in FIG. 2. The operator has no control over the recording of video. However, the operator via the tagger 65 and moniioriiig device 60 maintains log file of potenti al infractions. Specifically, upon pressing the tagger 65 the monitoring device 60 creates an entry in the log file inclusive of openuor ID number, mobile unit number, date, time and GPS. The shift log file comprising of about one hundred entries is likewise stored locally on mass storage devic 62, The operator is trained to flag all potential infractions observed visually. At the end of the vehicle operator's shift, the infraction log and four video streams are uploaded to a third party data vault 80 for video screening of the potential infractions.

When a shift is -completed, tfee driver returns the mobile unit 20 to the vault 80, removes the storage .medium from th recording device 62 and plugs it into a receptacle that is .connected to the vault 80. Alternatively the transfer may be wireless. Either way, all the shift data is copied to vault 8 inclusive of GPS information, timestarnps, and video files. All time-stamps and GPS are then converted to a compact binary format and uploaded to the cloud database 95, but not the video footage which remains at vault 80. Since the cameras are .recording at an average rate of iSMps, the six camera units 32-37 produce approximately 67.5 gigabytes per shift per camera, or collectively approximately 405 gigabytes o 377GiBs over a ten-hour shift.

At this time it would not be reasonable to host a week's worth of data m the cloud database 95, It would also take several hours to upload the raw video files to the cloud database 95, per mobile unit. For those reasons, the high resolution ra w footage of all cameras is copied to secondary files that have a lower resolution and frame rate. These

"fteed'" video files stay at vault 80 which is decent alized, _. -located at t e sites that they were unloaded at. The thin client 90 accesses the stored video files ^' at vault 80 remotel when violation records are created. it is extremely important for evidentiary reasons to maintain, a secure chain of custody. To accomplish this, the data vault 80 implements a defined security policy (i.e., a set of protective measures that is necessary to prevent unauthorized actions). The data vault 80 uses its security policy to govern upload requests, verifying the identities and authorities of the vehicle operators requesting mobile units 20, The da ta vault 80 securely retrieves and stores the videos and log file as digitally signed, authenticated, and encrypted electronic data. The data vault 80 also provides for backup and disaster recovery, and ensures that stored information is not tost within a specified time.

FIG. 7 is a .flow diagram of the upload process.

At step 100 the vehicle operator initiates an upload request to data vault 80 from mobile unit 30.

At ste .1 .10 the data vault 0 solicits user ID and password, and authenticates the vehicle operator as authorized and the mobile unit 30 nuinher as authorized.

At step 120 the data vault 80 then automatically uploads the infraction log file first, and compares the user ID and mobile unit 30 number iherem to those just entered/polled. If the authentication data is consistent, the data vault S automatically upioads the infraction log fde and original video files.

At ste 130, upon, successful uploa of the infraction log fi le and videos, the dat vault 80 may agai validat both vehicle operator and mobile unit 30 identity and rights verif the integrity of the submitted data.

At step 140, upon successful upload of the infraction log file and videos, the data vault 80 places a secure lock on the submitted data, preventing all outside access.

Once it is determined that the log fil and video data have not been al ered prior to or during submission and that the vehicle operator and mobile unit 30 have the proper authorizations, -during step 150 the data vault 80 assumes custody, control, and responsibility of the infraction log file and videos for their preserva ti on by attaching a digi tal certificate to the files. The digital certificate includes a visible representation such as a watermark that includes the data vault 80 ID, date and time stamp. The data vault 80 digital certificate also digitally tamper seals the data using industry standard digital certificate technology.

Preferably, the tamper seal is accomplished with an X.50 digital certificate issued by a certification authority to the data vault 80. The X.509 digital certificate associates the data vault 80 with a public key value. More specifically, the certificate includes at least the vault 80 identity (the certificate owner); the public key associated with the data vault 80, X.509 version information, a serial number tha uniquely identifies the certificate, the certification authority, the digital signature of the vault 80, and. information about the algorithm used to sign the digital signature. The digital signature applied by the vault 80 eliminates the possibility of unauthorized alteration or tampering subsequent to the original locking. This action by the d ta vault 80 marks the assumption of custody and control

At step 160, upon successful deposit, locking and encryption/sealing of the infraction log file and videos, the data vault 80 directly accesses the SVRS 40 and preserves the original log file and video file for evidentiary comparison., if requested.

At ste 170, after the entire deposit of the infraction log file and videos has bee certified and digitally tamper sealed, the secure lock (step 140) is removed.

Throughout all of the foregoing steps 100-170 each transaction is recorded and. it becomes part of an electronic audit trail on the permanent record. The audit trail is associated with the in fraction, ^' fog. file, and videos, and reflects each ste of the process. At this point, _, after step 170, the infraction log file and videos residing. in the data vault SO are the

authoritative digital copies. The data vault 80 thereafter .controls access to the infraction log file and videos for the benefit of thir party reviewers (to be described) ami law enforcement personnel To maintain a trail, or chain, of evidence the data vault 80 applies version controls to each subsequent authorized request for access, thereby preventing direct modification of any of the data, Any copy of the electronic originals is digitally stamped with at feast one forgery-resistant indicium or watermark that clearly identifies the rendered information as a copy of the electronic original held at the data vault 80. The combination of actions by the data vault 80, in conjunction with a protected audit trail 89, can be used at a future date to prove conclusively that the evidence was not altered and provides irrevocable proof of authenticity- One skilled in the art will understand that other methods of liploadiag data are available. For example, hard drive 62 may be physically removable from the interior SVR.S unit 40. When removable, the hard drive 62 is thereafter taken and connected to the data vault 80 for review of the recorded data at a later time. Alternatively, the recorded files stored on hard drive 62 may he downloaded by cable if the memory device is not removable. In all such cases, the foregoing security precautions are applied, and minor alterations are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the invention provided that there can be no alterations or compression to the video due to federal, and state rules of evidence.

Referring back; to. FIG-. 1 , the data- vault 80 may signal ^' Processor 9 when the data vaul t 80 has assumed custody of the infraction log file and videos lor the benefit of third part re iewers and. law enforcement personnel. Vault 80 uploads a copy of the infraction log file to cloud storage 95 and reformats it into a list suitable for use by third party reviewers 52. Note that the ASP 70 is not involved in that communication. Each Data Vault 80 directly communicates shift status changes to the cloud database 95. The reformatted infection review list comprises a bullet listing of time/date, GPS coordinates, vehicle operator, mobile unit number and a URL link constituting an authorized request to access the video files in data vault 80 to view the videos. As seen in FIG, I the Processor thin client 90 investigates each potential infraction, selectively views the videos as shown below, and. designates apparent infractions.

Referring to FIG, 1 , the Processor thin client 90 logs on to the Processor Application 184 (see FIG. 5} to work on a shift that is completed. The objective is to find all violations in given video material and create violation records with attached video clips and images. Those violation records are then submitted to the cloud database 95 for ftirther review. Ai start-up, the processer 90 needs to provide credentials to log on. The processor application 1 84 (FIG. 5) communicates with .the REST service interface of cloud 90 for authentication. Upon success,, the processor thin client 90 can either resume a previously started shift, or request a new shift. The ASP 70 may set system configuration parameters to control whether a processor mitt client 90 only works on shift data that was generated by a particular site or a set. of sites, or if all shift data is available to be processed by any processor thin client 90. When a processor thin client 90 decides to start working on a particular shift, that shift is marked as being processed. No other processor thin client 90 will be able to work on the shift at that time. When the processor thin client 90 is finished working on the shift it is .marked as compieied. If the shift .could not be completed it is marked as "partially completed" and a different processor user can resume working on that shift. If a processor thin client 90 has logged off the sys tem before completing a shift, the shift is automatically be marked as "partially completed" after a given time interval of inactivity that can be configured by system configuration parameters. Initially the processor application 184 downloads: most shift related data tha is located on the cloud database 95, inclusive of the following:

Shift start and end date and ^' time

Timestamps GPS locations Video storage location

Information about drivers and cars is not Included and remains unknown to the processor this client 9(1 information about the ii esiamp and OPS location may be included, if so configured in the configuration parameters. The video storage location provided is the bas URL of the video a vault SO that the processor thin client 90 can se to retrieve video footage. Depending on the system's con figuration it ma be at a centralized storage location, or kept at the individual site locations. Again, one shift can consume up to 512GB of storage, therefore it is not feasible for the Processor Application 1 4 to download the entire footage for processing. It rather streams the lower resolution footage that was created when the shift data was uploaded to vault 80.

Each subsequent request to review video by processor thin client 90 or by police through web application. 55 is simply a click-through on the URL link. If the requestor is authorized, the request is routed to the vault.80, and once delivered to the access controller 81, the request is acted upon. The access controller acts to accept the request or to reject the request. If the request is rejected, access to the requested data storage element 86 is dented. If, conversely, the request is accepted, the access controller 81 provides access by the remote computer to the vault 80 and the selected data storage element 86 thereof. In ail cases, audit entries are logged in the audi record 89. in operation, the access controller 81 further includes a certificate issuer (CI) 32 (FIG. 5). When a computer sends a request, the

certificate issuer 32 generates a certificate for issuance to the requester, if appropriate. The certificate is then used by the requesting device to gain access to a database 86. The access controller 81 grants, or denies, access to the databases 86 based upon the values of the client identifier and the issued certificate contained in the request. The certificate identifies a requester and comprises, e.g., a conventional, SSL certificate. Similarly, access to the audit records 89 is also controlled, by the access controller 81. The use of digital certificates is explained m detail below.

FIG. 8 is a screen print, of the processor application 184 screen, which is divided into three sections:

1. Shift Browser (lower)

2. Video / Map Display (upper left)

3. Violation Display (tipper right)

On top of those sections is a menu and tool buttons that provide general functionality such as :

- Log on

Log off

Get new shift

Resume shift

Submit violation

- Show user statistics

FIG. 9 is a.sereen print of the Shift Browser (lower) which, displays the shift

graphically in three horizontal bars on the screen. The x-axis represents the time, the y-axis represents the speed of the mobile unit at a given moment of time. Each of the three bars uses a different time scale. The "windows" of the upper two bars show the respective range of the bar below. The upper bar shows the entire shift. The middle bar shows only the data of the first bar's selected window. The lower bar show the data of the middle bar's selected window. In essence, the three bars provide a view of three different fixed zoom levels of th entire shift's car movements. Next to the three bars is a list of the time stamps that were created daring the shift when the driver or passenger pushed the trigger 65 to mark a violation. Finally the selector in the lower bar points to the exact moment of time of the frame that is shown in the Video Map display. Using a mouse, the windows / selector can be moved, or the bar i tself can be mo ved to change the position of the window or selector. If the user cl ick oo a time stamp, ail three bars will instantly switch to the time stamp's position. The Shift Browser also includes a displa that shows the absolute time of the selector. Upon initialization a single frame for each camera and each possible position of the top bar window is downloaded. This provides for instant feedback when the processor thin client 90 moves the top bar. Upon initialization and every time the top bar window is repositioned, a single frame for each camera and each possible position of the middle bar window is downloaded . This provides for instant feedback when the user moves the middle bar. E ery time the selector is moved, the Processor Application 184 restarts steami g the low resolution video footage from the new selector posi tion. If enough bandwidth is available, frames can be prefetched for the lower bar as well. All downloaded frames are cached locall until the shift is marked as completed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the layout of the 'Video and Map displa section, -where ail 6 camera images as well as the mapped position at a given point of time are shown. That point of time is determined by the selectio of the above described Shift Browser, Changing the bars, bar windows, or selector will update the frames in the 6 camera views as well as the map location. When the user double clicks on any one of the six camera windows, a .Ml screen video display opens u and play the original high resolution video stream of that camera, starting at the currently selected frame. This is necessary if the quality of the low resolution images is not sufficient, or a violation has been identified and the footage needs to be isolated.

'FIG. 1 1 is a screen print of the Violation Display, The processor thin client -90 (FIG,

Ϊ ) ases the violation display section to create new violation records or revie previously created records. A violation record consists of multiple -video clips and images that are isolated and selected using the Shift Browser. When the processor 90 selects the violation by clicking, on-a list item, the violation details part of the section shows license plate, images, clips, and additional notes. License plate and notes can be edited, images and clips can be added and deleled. When a violation is considered complete, the processor 90 can submit it to the database 12. It now becomes "read only ", and can no longer be edited. If the processor 90 stops working on a shift and a different processor resumes, all previous violations are visible (as "read only"). This is to avoid having duplicate violations recorded.

Given the foregoing, the processors 90 can remotely via their thin clients investigate each potential infraction,: filter out non- infractions, and, .designate ".apparent" infractions. At each designation of an apparent: infraction the processor tain c ient 90 automatically (or with manual input assistance) compiles: an apparent infraction record. The apparent infraction record includes tune date,, -address location (mapped b GPS coordinates), violation type, vehicle plates (visually observed in the videos), a URL link request lor video to the data vault 80. All apparent infraction records may be transmitted to police by we interface 55 or email. Thus using a standard computer and web application 55, police (approval officers 52 of FIG. 1) can click on each link thereby initiating the same master/slave user interface, to verify each traffic infraction indi vidually or synchronously viewing any/ail of the relevant video streams or any frame/portion thereof. The approval officer 52 portal to web interface 5.5 facilitates _. composition of a police citation, and the chain, of custody of videos and infraction data have been embedded throughout ^' the process to ensure evidentiary chain of custody.

The web application 55 may also assist police in issuing a citation, which is then sent by ASF 70 via mailer 75 to the violator 100 including instructions for payment. Once payment is secured and processed within a certain time frame, the violations are logged as complete. The violator can file for a court appearance to contest the violadon at which time court documents are generated to close the violation.

It should now be apparent that the above-described invention offers a turnkey solution in the form of a mobile traffic violation detection and recording system for enforcement of traffic violations especially infractions of hands free laws against texting while driving, talking on a mobile phone while driving, and distracted driving.

Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modi fications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in th art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced ^" , otherwise than as specifically set: forth in the appended claims.

STATEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL APFUCAM TY

Texiiiig while driving is an escalating problem, estimated to cause 1 ,600,000 accidents per year. Something needs to be done to deter this, and there would be great industrial applicability io a solution in the form of a computer h ard ware and software providi ng a mobile traffic violation detection and recording system for the enforcement of traffic violations especially infractions of hands free laws against texting while driving, talking on a mobile phone while driving, and distracted driving.