Methods and apparatus for improved security services

• US 20030084033A1
• Filed: 12/26/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthur A. Vanderbilt, Dewayne L. Hays, Robert Lewis Michaels
• Original Assignee: Arthur A. Vanderbilt, Dewayne L. Hays, Robert Lewis Michaels
• Inventors: Michaels, Robert Lewis, Hays, DeWayne L., Vanderbilt, Arthur A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Improved apparatus and methods for providing and obtaining security services. A computer 15 provides a web site which is accessible via the Internet 10 by clients and by security officers. The computer 15 has computer software 33 which is programmed to receive and send data via the Internet 10 from officer computers 1, 3, 5, and 7 , as well as client computers 20 and 22 , and to store the data received in database 35. The computer 15 is programmed to provide a web site which also provides data regarding security services from database 35 to security officers using computers 1, 3, 5, and 7 , as well as to clients using computers 20 and 22. The security services information stored on database 35 can include daily activity reports, incident reports, pictures, and video clips. The web site of computer 15 can be protected, such as by requiring the entry of an appropriate user identifier and password before access to the web site is granted. The computer 15 can be programmed to allow security officers to “clock in” at the beginning of a shift and “clock out” at the end of the shift from a remote location. The officer can access the web site of computer 15 via the Internet 10 by using a computer 1, 3, 5, or 7 at a remote location, such as their station or location from which the officer provides security services.

Claims

1. A method of providing security services to a client comprising the steps of:

maintaining a database of information which relates to security services for a client, wherein the database comprises a plurality of text files, comprising at least portions of reports from security officers;

performing a search of the database in response to a search request received via the Internet from a computer; and

providing the results of the search of the database via the Internet to the computer from which the search request was received.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the database comprises a plurality of files associated with a plurality of client sites and wherein the database is searchable by client site information.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the database comprises a plurality of files associated with at least one date and wherein the database is searchable by date information.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the database comprises a plurality of files associated with a t least one incident code and wherein the database is searchable by incident code information.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the database further comprises a plurality of image files.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

adding information regarding security services for a client to the database; and

updating the information provided to a client via the Internet.

7. A method of providing security services to a client comprising the steps of:

providing new information regarding security services for at least one client from a first computer at a first location to a database stored in memory of a second computer at a second location, wherein the database comprises a plurality of text files relating to security services for the at least one client;

updating the database with the new information;

maintaining a web site accessible via the Internet, wherein the database is accessible to a visitor of the web site via the Internet; and

allowing the visitor to view information from the database via the Internet.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for information from the visitor; and

providing information from the database to the web site in response to a request for information from the client.

9. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of:

requiring the visitor of the web site to provide an authorization code before viewing any information from the database.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the information in the database is protected by secure socket layer encryption.

11. A method of obtaining information regarding security services, comprising the steps of:

accessing via the Internet, from a first computer at a first location, a database stored on a second computer at a second location, remote from the first location, wherein the database comprises a plurality of text files, comprising at least portions of reports of security personnel, and relating to security services for at least one client;

sending, from the first computer via the Internet to the second computer, a search request for selected files from the database;

receiving in response to the search request information regarding the files of the database that have information relevant to the search request;

selecting at least one of the files from the database to be received; and

receiving the selected file from the database.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing the second computer with a password.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the database comprises a plurality of incident report files and a plurality of image files.

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein the database comprises a plurality of video clip files.

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein the database comprises a plurality of daily activity report files.

16. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one icon displayed on the first computer representing a file from the database; and

clicking on the icon to initiate the step of downloading the file corresponding to the icon.

17. An apparatus for providing information regarding security services, comprising:

a first computer at a first location, wherein said first computer is connected to the Internet and has a browser software program;

a second computer at a second location, remote from the first location, wherein said second computer is connected to the Internet and has a browser software program;

a database comprising security services information, comprising a plurality of text files relating to security services provided to at least one client stored on computer memory, accessible by said second computer;

means for allowing a user of said first computer to select at least one of the plurality of files from the database accessible by said second computer; and

means for transferring the file selected to said first computer from said second computer via the Internet, so that the file can be reviewed by the user of said first computer.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said database comprises a plurality of daily activity reports from a plurality of security officers regarding the security services for at least one client.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said database comprises a plurality of incident report files from a plurality of security officers regarding the security services for at least one client.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said database comprises a plurality of visual image files.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising:

software stored on said second computer which searches said database in response to a search request received from the user of said first computer.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the search request comprises alphanumeric information and wherein said software is programmed to search the database for data which matches at least some of the alphanumeric information in the search request.

23. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said means for allowing a user to select and download information comprises computer software programmed to interact with said database.

24. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said means for allowing a user of said first computer to select and download information from said database comprises computer software running on said second computer, wherein said computer software is programmed to retrieve and send selected information from said database to said first computer in response to a signal from said first computer.