Smart device distributed security system

• US 10,140,844 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Probin, Robert J., Crisp, Martin, Brown, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhaval
• Application Number:
  US15/233,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20180047279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911, 340501, 340541, 4554041, 4554141
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A security system incorporating one or more sensors and one or more smart devices connected together via the Internet, other network or media. The one or more smart devices may have an alarm application (app) that permits a user to set and unset an alarm, monitor a status change of an event, have access to video information associated with the event, take remote or local action relative to the event, and more. The processing may be more than moving processing to one smart device. Core control may reside in more than one device, and thus result in a whole system robustness.

Claims

1. An alarm mechanism comprising:

one or more smart mobile devices having an alarm system application (app);

local devices comprising one or more sensors, a warning device, and a local router directly connected to each of the one or more sensors and the warning device; and

one or more Internet or other network routers connected directly to the local router, and to the alarm system app via the one or more smart mobile devices;

wherein;

the one or more smart mobile devices is a primary device or a helper device;

the primary device monitors events from sensors, permits users with sufficient access rights to alter a configuration of the system, and adds helper devices;

a helper device provides backup in absence of a primary device; and

the backup comprises activities like that of the primary device except a determining the order of events in a presence of the primary device, and administrative control over the configuration of the system.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the alarm system application of the one or more smart devices comprises one or more items of a group comprising login, state change, sync device, sync apps, self-monitor and user management.

3. The mechanism of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more additional smart mobile devices; and

wherein the one or more additional smart mobile devices incorporate an alarm system application.

4. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a secondary connection path between the one or more sensors and the alarm system application via the one or more smart mobile devices and between the warning device and the alarm system application via the one or more smart mobile devices.

5. The mechanism of claim 4, wherein the secondary connection path is a cellular radio.

6. A method for providing security for an environment comprising:

connecting one or more sensors in a place directly a local site router and to an Internet or other network;

connecting one or more mobile devices to the Internet or other network; and

running a smart application on the one or more mobile devices for managing an alarm system; and

wherein the alarm system comprises;

the one or more sensors where each of the one or more sensors has internet connectivity capabilities; and

the one or more mobile devices having a connection with the one or more sensors via the Internet or other network; and

wherein the alarm system can be set or unset via the one or more mobile devices and the smart application;

wherein;

the one or more mobile devices is a primary device or a helper device;

the primary device monitors events from sensors, permits users with sufficient access rights to alter a configuration of the system, and adds helper devices;

a helper device provides backup in absence of a primary device; and

the backup comprises activities like that of the primary device except a determining the order of events in a presence of the primary device, and administrative control over the configuration of the system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising monitoring a change in state that can be acted on via the one or more mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a change in state is one or more items in a group comprising an intrusion, a fire, a power outage, a burglary, a glass break, an explosion, movement of an object, and a sound.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the change in state results in an action via the one or more mobile devices or be automatically selected from a group comprising recording video and audio information of the change of state, ringing a bell, calling emergency health services, calling a fire department, calling a police department, and broadcasting a message to a site of the change of state.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

connecting additional one or more mobile devices to the Internet or other network; and

wherein;

the additional one or more mobile devices have one or more smart alarm applications, respectively, for managing the alarm system; and

some of the one or more sensors in the environment, the mobile device and the additional one or more mobile devices continuously synchronize with some of the other one or more sensors and the one or more mobile devices to provide some redundancy in processing the change of state.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

each smart alarm application can trigger a remote action in response to a change in state of the environment being monitored, that is communicated to other one or more mobile devices; and

the remote action is for eliminating, rehabilitating, reducing and preventing harmful effects of the change in state to the environment.

12. A distributed security system comprising:

one or more sensors connected to the Internet or other network; and

at least one smart device connected to the Internet or other network; and

wherein the at least one smart device runs an alarm application (app);

wherein;

the at least one smart device is a primary device or a helper device;

the primary device monitors events from sensors, permits users with sufficient access rights to alter a configuration of the system, and adds helper devices;

a helper device provides backup in absence of a primary device; and

the backup comprises activities like that of the primary device except a determining the order of events in a presence of the primary device, and administrative control over the configuration of the system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one smart device with the alarm app permits a user to set and unset an alarm system, monitor the one or more sensors, monitor a change in a state of an event, have access to video and audio signals associated with the event, and take remote or local action relative to the event.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is scalable based on a number of the one or more sensors and a number of smart devices.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein:

a smart device that has control over the system is a primary device; and

a smart device that has control over the system because a primary device cannot be accessed, is a helper device.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein a sensor of the one or more sensors can communicate with the alarm app of the at least smart device via the Internet or other network.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is a self-monitored system.

15. The system of 14, wherein:

each of the one or more sensors and the at least one smart device continuously synchronize with other sensors and other smart devices in the system for redundancy in processing; and

each smart device with the app can trigger a remote action that is communicated to other one or more smart devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

one or more of the one or more sensors is an intrusion sensor; and

each smart device has up-to-date information about the alarm system.