WO2002088980A2

WO2002088980A2 - Hand held acquisition notebook

Info

Publication number: WO2002088980A2
Application number: PCT/GB2002/001905
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neville Cannon
Original assignee: Hanon Solutions Limited
Priority date: 2001-04-27
Filing date: 2002-04-26
Publication date: 2002-11-07
Also published as: WO2002088980A3; GB0110317D0; AU2002338560A1; WO2002088980A9

Abstract

A data capture system is provided which allows timely repetitive manual administration work to be reduced and has particular application in the police force. A plurality of hand held data capture instruments (1) can be used to complete standard forms and take evidence using handwriting recognition or a touch screen keyboard. The data can be transferred to a centralised data processing IT system (2) where it may be stored in an encrypted form. In one embodiment, data may be transmitted from the data capture instruments to the central processing means by an intermediate docking station (3).

Description

Hand Held Acquisition Notebook

The present invention relates to apparatus for capturing data in a customised format using a portable device. In particular the described apparatus is intended for use for the capture and transmission of data in the police force .

It is estimated that over 38% of a police officer's time is spent on administration. For example, at present a police constable's notebook is a recognised legal document that is the sole responsibility of an officer. The notebook is used to take down details such as witness statements and any salient points that may be relevant to an incident. The notebook is personally held and owned by an officer until submitted as evidence or until the notebook is full. Once completed or submitted as evidence all notebooks are held in a central secure safe for a minimum period of 5 years. The loss or alteration of the book is a disciplinary offence that would lead to the dismissal of an officer, if loss or alteration of their book were detected during their ownership. It will be appreciated that a particular problem with the use of such notebooks lies in the fact that if such a notebook was lost or dropped in a public place, extremely confidential information could easily be accessed by a member of the public.

In addition to completion of the notebook it is the remit of a police officers duty to complete standard police reports upon attending an incident. These may include crime reports and other specific forms to the particular incident or crime, for example, in the case of a domestic incident, a domestic incident form. In addition, upon carrying out an arrest the police officer is required to prepare a report to the relevant legal prosecution body.

It will be appreciated that the completion of notebooks and forms, take up a considerable majority of an officers time. In addition a great deal of an officer's time is currently necessitated working at a terminal, duplicating administrative work already completed by manual forms. This reduces the amount of time spent by the officer actively patrolling or attending incidents.

It would be advantageous to provide a system that would eliminate repetitive, manual, administration work from the duties of a police officer and improve effectiveness of capturing and transmitting data, thereby reducing costs. In addition it would also be advantageous to provide a system which introduces greater security for data and operational processes and could not easily be accessed by a member of the public if lost.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for use in the police service which can be used to capture and transmit data in a customised format using a portable device which links to a centralised server.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a data capture system for the storage, processing and transmission of police information wherein the system comprises a plurality of mobile data capture instruments, wherein each data capture instrument stores and transmits data to a central processing means, and wherein the central processing means transmits data to one or more remote locations.

Preferably the data relates to information obtained, collected or received by the police.

The police information may include incident reports, standard police forms and witness statements.

Optionally data is transmitted from each of the data capture instrument to the central processing means via an intermediate docking station.

Alternatively data is transmitted from each of the data capture instrument to the central processing means via a digital radio system.

Optionally the one or more remote locations are police departments or stations.

Alternatively the one or more remote locations are regional police Headquarters. Preferably data is stored in the system and transmitted in an encrypted and secure format.

Preferably input of data into the data capture instruments can be monitored by audit trail.

Optionally the system may be modified for digital interfacing. The system may have the option to interface anywhere by a digital medium.

Preferably the system can access multi-media data. The multi-media data may be provided from the central data processing means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile data capture instrument for use in the data capture system of the first aspect which is capable of storing and transmitting data to a central processing means.

Preferably the mobile data capture instrument is a hand held personal computer.

Preferably the data capture instrument stores standard forms and templates.

Optionally the data capture instrument is adapted to transmit data to the central processing means via an intermediate docking station.

Alternatively the data capture instrument transmits data to the central processing means via a digital radio system. Preferably the data capture instrument has customised software templates to introduce workflow to the capture of data.

Preferably the data capture instrument has a touch screen keyboard.

Optionally the data capture instruments is password operated.

Optionally the data capture instrument has identification means for verifying the identity of the user by recognising a particular physiological or behavioural characteristic of that user.

The identification means may verify the identity of the user by fingerprints, face, hand geometry, keyboard typing dynamics, dynamic signatures, speech, retina scan, or iris scan.

Typically the data capture instrument is battery powered.

Optionally the data capture instrument is adapted to use an alternative power input such as a car battery via a car DC adapter.

Preferably the data capture instrument has global positioning facilities.

Preferably the data capture instrument can be connected to a digital camera. Preferably the data capture instrument has built in audio files.

Preferably the data capture instrument permits access to a digital network to obtain information. This information may be for example car registration details.

The data capture instrument may also be used to capture information, such as breathalyser tests, in a digital form.

Preferably the hand-held instrument is waterproof.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program comprising program instructions which, when loaded into a computer, constitute the data capture system according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for capturing and transmitting information in the police service, comprising the steps of:

(a) entering data into a data capture instrument;

(b) transmitting the data from the data capture instrument to a central processing means; and

(c) transmitting data from the central processing means to one or more remote locations which may be police departments or stations. The data may be transmitted from the data capture instrument to the central processing means via an intermediate docking system.

An example embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Figure 1 in which the flow of data can be visualised.

The advantage of the present invention is that timely repetitive manual administrative workload is reduced within the police force. Completion of standard forms and taking of evidence can be carried out on the portable hand held data capture instruments 1 using hand writing recognition or a touch-screen keyboard. Thus the hand held data capture instruments acts as a digital notebook for the police officer. Each officer would take personal and professional responsibility for the apparatus and the associated memory.

The data can be effortlessly transferred to an existing centralised data processing IT system 2. Typically the data will be transmitted, and stored in an encrypted form. In one embodiment data is transmitted from the data capture instrument to the central processing means by an intermediate docking station 3. These docking stations could be located in police stations. In an alternative embodiment the system may have the option to interface anywhere via a digital system 4 and thus data could be transmitted via a digital radio system. For example, the officer could transmit data from his data capture instrument using a transmit mode from his patrol car. At the scene of an incident the officer would call up and complete the appropriate forms on the data capture instrument. Witness statements could also be recorded on the digital notebook. To facilitate the process the digital notebooks have the facility to introduce workflow into the operational processes, i.e by prompting the officer as to which forms should be completed, what details should be recorded, and what processes should or will follow.

The data capture instrument may also have means for digitally recording and accessing a variety of information. This could allow breathalyser tests to be carried out and could also include an access digital network allowing the officer to access information such as vehicle registration details. At present, to obtain this information an officer must radio back to "base" where a manual check on the details registered against a vehicle are carried out. It will be appreciated that it would greatly increase efficiency if such information could be provided via a system as described in the present invention.

The data capture instrument may also allow multi-media data to be accessed and transmitted, for example from the central data processing means to a data capture instrument. This may include information on, for example, the appearance of a suspect or individual.

After capture, the officer will dock the digital notebook into a docking work station or data will be transmitted via a digital radio system. The docking work station may for example be in a local police station. Both options allow data to be transmitted from the data capture instrument to the centralised data processing means 2 or database. From the centralised data processing means 2 the data can in turn be transmitted to a relevant remote location 5, for example to the headquarters of the regional police force. Each of the data capture instruments has unique interfacing with the central data processing means which then distributes that data to the relevant source. The apparatus eliminates repetitive manual administrative workload which can take up the large percentage of the police officer's time, and therefore will improve efficiency and reduce costs significantly.

In addition it will be appreciated that the use of standards on the apparatus will reduce servers and the customised software templates will aid mobile data capture.

A further advantage lies in the fact that the apparatus is designed to introduce greater security for data and operational processes. In particular it is envisaged that the hand-held apparatus will encompass one of more security measures, which as a result would ensure that only the officer owning the apparatus would be able to enter data onto the device. Authenticity of ownership can be confirmed through verifying the identity of the user by recognising a particular physiological or behavioural characteristic of that user. The identification means may verify the identity of the user by fingerprints, face, hand geometry, keyboard typing dynamics, dynamic signatures, speech, retina scan, or iris scan. These biometric techniques may be used in combination to provide improved security and flexibility. Therefore should the apparatus be lost, it would not be possible for any third party to access information on the memory card of the notebook. Once the memory card of the PC is full, as with standard notebooks, the card could be held centrally as per the existing system. This process would provide a far more robust and secure system than experienced at present.

In addition the apparatus employs two sets of data storage. Firstly the normal device memory capable of being used in a multiple of ways, with data entry being encrypted when using official forms or templates. Secondly a removable medium is provided which is always encrypted and has a write once/read many variety (worm type) . The latter could potentially be used as a control medium and could, if necessary, be cloned to provide a specimen to their defence for their own evaluation. The dual memory operation permits standard police reports (SPR'S) to be written/re-written but limit the officer's notebook area to be written once under a single subject area. The reading of all data will also still need to be performed by an authorised officer.

The apparatus of the present invention also provides an audit trail, which would prevent amendment, tampering or back dating. In this respect data is accurately and consistently recorded as it is entered. It will be appreciated that this is particularly important with respect to police records and witness statements which could be subject to scrutiny by lawyers.

The apparatus may be modified for digital interfacing. The apparatus may also comprise a number of additional features, including global positioning software (gps) which allows the exact position or location of the officer to be recorded at the time of use, camera plug-in and audio files.

The hand-held instrument will also typically be waterproof and have a robust but light weight body to enable transportation. The apparatus will typically be battery operated, but may also include a car dc adapter and can be connected to an external keyboard if necessary.

Further modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of invention herein intended.

Claims

1. A data capture system for the storage, processing and transmission of police information, where the system comprises a plurality of mobile data capture instruments, wherein each data capture instrument can store and transmit data to a central processing means, and wherein the central processing means transmits data to one or more remote locations.

2. A mobile data capture instrument for use in the data capture system of Claim 1, wherein said unit is capable of storing and transmitting data to a central processing means.

3. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in Claim 2, being a hand held personal computer.

4. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in Claims 2-3, which transmits data to a central processing means via an intermediate docking station.

5. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-3, which transmits data to a central processing means via a digital radio system.

6. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of the Claims 2-5, which stores standard forms and templates.

7. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-6, having customised software templates to introduce workflow to the capture of data.

8. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-7, having a touch screen keyboard.

9. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-8, being password operated.

10. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-9, having identification means for verifying the identity of the user.

11. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the identification means verifies the identity of the user by recognising a particular physiological or behavioural characteristic to that user.

12. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the identification means verifies the identity of the user by fingerprints, face, hand geometry, keyboard typing dynamics, dynamic signatures, speech, retina scan or iris scan.

13. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-12, which is battery powered.

14. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of the Claims 2-12, which uses an alternative power input, such as car battery via a car DC adapter.

15. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-14, having global positioning facilities.

16. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-15 which can be connected to a digital camera.

17. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-16, having built-in audio files.

18. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-17, which permits access to a digital network to obtain information.

19. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-18 which can be used to capture information in a digital form.

20. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in Claim 19, which can be used to capture information from a breathalyser test in a digital form.

21. A mobile data capture instrument as claimed in any one of Claims 2-20, which is waterproof.

22. A data capture system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the data relates to information obtained, collected or received by the police.

23. A data capture system as claimed in Claim 22, wherein the police information includes incident reports, standard police forms and witness statements.

24. A data capture system as claimed in Claims 1 and 22- 23, wherein data is transmitted from each of the data capture instruments to the central processing means via an intermediate docking station.

25. A data capture system as claimed in Claims 1 and 22- 23, wherein data is transmitted from each of the data capture instruments to the central processing means via a digital radio system.

26. A data capture system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 and 22-25, wherein the one or more remote locations are police departments or stations.

27. A data capture system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 and 22-26, wherein the one or more remote locations are regional police headquarters.

28. A data capture system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 and 22-27, wherein data is stored and transmitted in the system in an encrypted and secure format .

29. A data capture system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 and 22-28, wherein input of data into each of the data capture instruments can be monitored by audit trail.

30. A data capture system in any one of Claims 1 and 22- 28, modified for digital interfacing.

31. A data capture system as claimed in 30, which has the -option to interface anywhere by a digital medium.

32. A data capture system in any one of Claims 1 and 22- 31, having access to multi-media data.

33. A data capture system as claimed in Claim 32, wherein the multi-media data is provided from the central data processing means.

34. A computer program comprising program instructions which, when loaded into a computer, constitute the data capture system as claimed in Claims 1 and 22- 33.

35. A method of capturing and transmitting information in the police service, comprising the steps of entering data into a data capture instrument, transmitting the date from the data capture instrument to a central processing means, and transmitting data from the central processing means to one or more remote locations, which may be police departments or stations .

36. A method as claimed in Claim 35, wherein data is transmitted from the data capture instrument to the central processing means via an intermediate docking system.