Security alarm system and method with realtime streaming video

• US 20040004542A1
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Discovery Toys LLC
• Original Assignee: James O.Faulkner, Richard Marvel Blake
• Inventors: Faulkner, James Otis, Blake, Richard Marvel
• Granted Patent: US 6,798,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• 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 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance

Abstract

A security alarm system that provides secure, realtime video of a secured location to one or more emergency response agencies over a high-speed communications link, such as an Internet link. Realtime video information is therefore placed directly into the hands of those who are called upon and trained to respond to a potential emergency. As such, the emergency response agencies and their personnel are better informed. This, in turn, allows the personnel to be better prepared in their response to the potential emergency, saving manpower, money, lives and reducing the number of false alarms.

Claims

1. A security alarm system comprising:

a video camera and an alarm sensor positioned at a secured location;

means, located at a central station, for receiving, processing and displaying realtime video generated by said video camera and received over a communications link; and

means, located at an emergency response agency, for receiving, processing and displaying realtime video generated by said video camera and received over a communications link.

2. The security alarm system of claim 1 further comprising means for transmitting realtime video from the secured location over a communications link, in response to an alarm signal associated with said alarm sensor.

3. The security alarm system of claim 2 further comprising means for transmitting realtime video from the central station to the emergency response agency over a communications link.

4. A security alarm system comprising:

a video camera and one or more alarm sensors positioned at a secured location;

a video server including means for receiving realtime video from said video camera and for receiving an alarm signal from one of said alarm sensors;

means, located at a central station, for receiving, processing and displaying said realtime video which is received from said video server over an Internet connection; and

means, associated with a mobile emergency response unit, for receiving, processing and displaying said realtime video over an Internet connection.

5. The security alarm system of claim 4 further comprising:

means, located at an emergency response agency, for receiving, processing and displaying said realtime video which is received from said central station over an Internet connection, and means for transmitting said realtime video to said mobile emergency response unit over an Internet connection.

6. The security alarm system of claim 4 wherein said video server comprises:

means for transmitting said realtime video to said central station in response to the alarm signal.

7. A method of providing realtime video in a security alarm system, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a realtime video signal at a secured location;

transmitting the realtime video signal from the secured location to an emergency response agency over a communications link; and

displaying realtime video of the secured location at the emergency response agency based on the realtime video signal transmitted from the secured location.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

generating an alarm signal at the secured location, wherein generating and transmitting the realtime video signal is dependent upon prior generation of the alarm signal at the secured location.

9. The security alarm system of claim 7 wherein said step of transmitting the realtime video signal from the secured location to the emergency response agency comprises the steps of:

transmitting the realtime video signal from the secured location to a central station over a communications link; and

transmitting the realtime video signal from the central station to the emergency response agency over a communications link.

10. The security alarm system of claim 9, where the communications links are Internet connections.

11. The security alarm system of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

entering a password at the emergency response agency, wherein said step of displaying realtime video at the emergency response agency is dependent upon entry of a valid password.

12. The security alarm system of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

entering a password at the emergency response agency, wherein said step of transmitting the realtime video signal from the central station to the emergency response agency is dependent upon entry of a valid password.

13. The security alarm system of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the realtime video signal from the emergency response agency to an emergency response unit over a wireless communications link.

14. The security alarm system of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

identifying the emergency response agency from amongst a list of emergency response agencies.

15. The security alarm system of claim 14 wherein said step of identifying the emergency response agency from amongst a list of emergency response agencies is a function of the secured location.

16. The security alarm system of claim 14 wherein said step of identifying the emergency response agency from amongst a list of emergency response agencies is a function of the alarm signal.

17. The security alarm system of claim 7 wherein the realtime video signal comprises multiple video streams, and wherein each of the multiple video streams is associated with a corresponding camera at the secured location.

18. The security alarm system of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a video display mode, wherein said step of displaying realtime video at the emergency response agency is a function of the selected video display mode.

19. A method for obtaining realtime video of a secured location:

Through a communications device connected to the Internet at a first Internet Protocol (IP) address, establishing an Internet link between the first IP address and a second IP address, where the second IP address corresponds with the secured location;

activating a video camera at the secured location, wherein the video camera is associated with a security alarm system;

transmitting realtime video from the video camera to the communications device at the first IP address; and

displaying the realtime video on the communications device at the first IP address.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of establishing of an Internet link comprises the step of:

logging on to an Internet site associated with the security alarm system; and

entering a password.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the communications device is a fixed communications device.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the communications device is a mobile communications device and the first IP address is a mobile IP address.