Covert surveillance system concealment kit for rapid development

• US 10,165,158 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTC Communications, Inc. (Codan Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: DTC Communications, Inc. (Codan Ltd.)
• Inventors: Carpenter, Robert, Valentine, Grady
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US15/212,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20180115686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 386226, 386227, 386224, 386223, 386230, 386231, 386259
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/001 Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones

Abstract

A concealment system is configured to be concealed within a host device for covert surveillance. The concealment system includes a housing configured to be concealed within a host device for covert surveillance. The housing encloses a processor and components electronically coupled to the processor including: at least one sensor interface to connect to at least one sensor for capturing information, a real-time clock to generate timestamps, a tamper protection module to receive the captured information from the at least one sensor interface, add the timestamps generated by the real-time clock to the captured information, and encrypt the captured information, at least one wireless communication module to wirelessly connect to at least one wireless communication antenna to transmit the encrypted captured information to a remote device, and rewritable memory to store the encrypted captured information.

Claims

1. A concealment system configured to be concealed for covert surveillance, the concealment system comprising:

a housing configured to be concealed within an object for covert surveillance, the housing enclosing;

a processor;

at least one sensor interface electrically coupled to the processor, the sensor interface configured to connect to at least one external sensor for capturing information, the at least one external sensor being separate from the housing;

a real-time clock electrically coupled to the processor, the real time clock configured to generate timestamps;

a tamper protection module electrically coupled to the processor, the tamper protection module configured to;

receive the information captured by the at least one external sensor via the at least one sensor interface,

add the timestamps generated by the real-time clock to the captured information, and

encrypt the captured information;

at least one wireless communication module electrically coupled to the processor, the at least one wireless communication module configured to wirelessly connect to at least one wireless communication antenna to transmit the encrypted captured information to a remote device; and

rewritable memory electrically coupled to the processor, the rewritable memory configured to store the encrypted captured information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing defines an internal volume of 6 cu inches or less.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing has a first dimension of 4 inches or less, a second dimension of 3 inches or less, and a third dimension of 0.5 inches or less.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a single circuit board on which the processor, at least one sensor interface, real-time clock, tamper protection module, and at least one wireless communication module are mounted.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a primary circuit board, and a secondary circuit board removably coupled to the primary circuit board within the housing, wherein the processor, including I/O controllers, and the rewritable memory, including low power memory, are mounted on the secondary circuit board, and the at least one sensor interface, the real-time clock, the tamper protection module, and the at least one wireless communication module are mounted on the primary circuit board.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the rewritable memory is a removable SD card coupled to an interface mounted on the secondary circuit board.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the secondary circuit board has a first dimension of 3.5 inches or less, and a second dimension of 2 inches or less.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the captured information includes audio, video, or audio and video frames, and

the tamper protection module adds a sequential number to each successive frame.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured information is encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured information is encrypted using an at least 256 bits key size.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing is radio frequency (RF) transparent, and the at least one wireless communication antenna is internal to the housing.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one external sensor is clipped to the object in which the surveillance concealment system is concealed.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one external sensor includes multiple cameras that use different capture or communication technologies, and

the at least one sensor interface includes multiple camera interfaces, each configured for its respective camera capture or communication technology.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one external sensor includes multiple microphones for facing different directions or placements in different parts of the object in which the surveillance concealment system is concealed.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one external sensor includes an accelerometer, a digital compass, a thermometer, a GPS device, a humidity sensor, a chemical sensor, or a radiation sensor.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power source coupled to the processor, wherein the power source is a battery or solar panel.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power source coupled to the processor, wherein the power source is an external AC power connected to the system via an AC/DC adapter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless communication module is configured not to broadcast its Service Set Identifier (SSID) so as to reduce detection.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one external sensor includes a motion sensor configured to detect motion, and

the processor is configured to;

receive from the at least one sensor interface an indication of detected motion;

in response to receiving the indication of detected motion, instruct the at least one wireless communication module to cease all wireless communication; and

after a predetermined duration during which no further motion is detected, instruct the at least one wireless communication module to reestablish wireless communication.

20. A concealment system configured to be concealed within an object for covert surveillance, the concealment system comprises a flexible circuit board that can be bent to conform to the inner surface of the object, the circuit board comprising:

a processor coupled to a bus;

at least one sensor interface electrically coupled to the processor, the at least one sensor interface configured to connect to at least one external sensor for capturing information, the at least one external sensor being separate from the housing;

a real-time clock electrically coupled to the processor, the real time clock configured to generate timestamps;

a tamper protection module electrically coupled to the processor, the tamper protection module configured to;

receive the captured information captured by the at least one external sensor via the at least one sensor interface,

add the timestamps generated by the real-time clock to the captured information, and

generate encrypted the captured information data;

at least one wireless communication module electrically coupled to the processor, the at least one wireless communication module configured to wirelessly connect to at least one wireless communication antenna to transmit the encrypted data captured information to a remote device; and

rewritable memory electrically coupled to the processor, the rewritable memory configured to store the encrypted captured information.