Mobile alarm device

• US 10,026,302 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bacco, Edward M., Korten, Katrin
• Primary Examiner(s): Shen, Qun
• Application Number:
  US13/929,473
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 455410
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/00 Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation

Abstract

A method of responding to alarm includes receiving an alarm message from an alarm system at a site. The alarm message may indicate that an alarm has been triggered at the site. In response to receiving the alarm message, a responder may be identified to respond to the alarm. A call message may be automatically sent over a network to a mobile alarm device in the possession of the responder. A message may be received back from the mobile alarm device accepting the call message for the alarm. In some embodiments, the responder'"'"'s response to the alarm (for example, time to arrive at the alarm, time to clear the alarm) is automatically timed and monitored based on messages received from the responder over the mobile alarm device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile device for use at a data center site, comprising;

a processor;

a portable case coupled to the processor; and

a display coupled to the processor,

wherein the mobile device is configured to;

authenticate an identity of an actor in possession of the mobile device via a scanner configured to scan a bar code or an RFID code of a badge of the actor;

provide a user interface comprising an alarm mask request option; and

based, at least in part, on the alarm mask request option being selected, send one or more messages relating to the alarm at the data center site to an alarm system at the data center site implementing the alarm, wherein the alarm is one of a plurality of alarms implemented at the data center site via the alarm system, wherein the one or more messages comprise a mask request instructing the alarm system implementing the alarm to disable or suspend the alarm for a period of time such that the alarm system does not generate the alarm during the period of time even when the alarm is triggered, wherein subsequent to the period of time of the mask elapsing the alarm is re-armed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises a camera configurable to capture images at the physical facility site.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to send global positioning system information or geocoding information for determining a location of the mobile device.

4. A method comprising:

detecting proximity of an actor to a given alarm system location of an alarm system at a particular data center building of a data center campus comprising two or more buildings, said detecting comprising;

receiving, over a network, a signal or message from a mobile device in possession of the actor at the data center campus, wherein the alarm system comprises a plurality of alarm system locations at the data center campus in a plurality of the buildings of the data center campus and a monitoring post for monitoring the alarm system locations;

authenticating an identity of the actor in possession of the mobile alarm device via a scan of a bar code or an RFID code of a badge of the actor or via a password entered into a user interface of the mobile alarm device;

determining, by a computer system, based on the signal or message, a proximity of the mobile device to the given alarm system location at the data center campus;

determining, by the computer system, whether the actor has arrived at the given alarm system location during a predetermined time period since the actor was notified of an alarm related to the given alarm system location based on the proximity of the mobile device to the given alarm system location; and

in response to determining the actor has not arrived at the given alarm system location during the predetermined time period, issuing a notification to the monitoring post.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising verifying the proximity of the actor based on the proximity of the mobile device to the given alarm system location.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the one or more alarm system locations is a location of one or more alarm sensors.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving a signal or message from the mobile device comprises receiving information acquired by the mobile device from a bar code at the one or more alarm system locations.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving a signal or message from the mobile device comprises receiving geocoding information from the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving a signal or message from the mobile device comprises receiving global positioning system information from the mobile device.

10. A method comprising:

testing an alarm system at a data center campus comprising two or more data center buildings, said testing comprising;

sending, over a network, a call message to a mobile alarm device, wherein the mobile alarm device is in possession of a responder located at the data center campus, and wherein the call message calls for the responder in possession of the mobile alarm device to go to an alarm location in one of the data center buildings of the data center campus;

receiving, over the network, an indication that the mobile alarm device is in a location proximate to the alarm location in the one of the buildings of the data center campus;

authenticating an identity of the responder in possession of the mobile alarm device via a scan of a bar code or an RFID code of a badge of the responder or via a password entered into a user interface of the mobile alarm device; and

performing, based on the responder selecting a test option of the user interface of the mobile alarm device, one or more tests on the alarm system after the mobile alarm device is in proximity with the alarm location in the one of the buildings of the data center campus.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alarm location in the one of the buildings of the data center campus is a location of one or more alarm sensors of the alarm system, wherein performing at least one of the one or more tests on the alarm system comprises testing at least one of the one or more alarm sensors.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, from the mobile alarm device, information relating to at least one of the one or more tests performed on the alarm system at the alarm location in the one of the buildings of the data center campus.