Internet facilitated fire alarm monitoring, control system and method

• US 20050200471A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Berezowski, Andrew G., Garvy, Patrick J., Mancini, George P., Bockisch, Paul R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/14 checking the detection circuits

Abstract

A monitoring station displaced from a plurality of regional monitoring systems communications therewith via a computer network, such as the Internet. The station can interrogate one or ore selected systems and evaluate responses therefrom. The station can dispatch detector specific messages to a selected alarm system to retrieve data therefrom or forward commands or data thereto.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart monitoring systems, each of the systems includes at least one port for communicating, via a computer network to a displaced monitoring apparatus;

a monitoring apparatus which includes at least one port for communicating, via the computer network, with each of the systems including software for accessing the status of at least one region being monitored by a respective selected system.

2. A system as in claim 1 which includes additional software for modifying a parameter setting, related to fire monitoring, at a respective selected system.

3. A system as in claim 1 where the apparatus includes software for determining the presence of an abnormal condition at a respective selected monitoring system.

4. A system as in claim 3 which includes additional software to modify at least one parameter, responsive to the presence of the abnormal condition, of the selected monitoring system.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes control circuitry to transmit software to a selected monitoring system for execution thereto.

6. A system as in claim 1 where each of the monitoring systems is specifiable by a pre-assigned network identifier.

7. A system as in claim 6 where the apparatus includes software enabling a user of the apparatus to interact with a specified, remote monitoring system substantially in real-time in evaluating at least a selected operational characteristic thereof.

8. A system as in claim 6 wherein the apparatus includes software enabling a user thereof to test a specified, remote monitoring system.

9. A system as in claim 7 where the operational characteristic comprises a sensitivity parameter of an ambient condition detector of the selected monitoring system.

10. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of displaced monitoring systems;

selecting at least one identified system;

transmitting a monitoring unit related message to the selected system from a displaced location via an intervening computer network;

receiving and processing the message at the selected system, and responsive thereto,

communicating locally with at least one monitoring unit of the selected system in accordance with the received message.

11. A method as in claim 10 comprising forwarding information associated with the at least one monitoring unit, via the computer network, to the displaced location.

12. A method as in claim 11 comprising responding to the forwarded information, via the computer network by transmitting monitoring unit instructions to the selected system.

13. A method as in claim 11 where the identified system communicates with a plurality of local monitoring locations;

the identified system, responsive to information from the monitored regions, determines the presence of an abnormal alarm condition at one or more of the regions; and

transmitting the alarm determination, via the computer network, to the displaced location.

14. A method as in claim 10 which includes initiating a test of at least a selected system from the displaced location, via the computer network.

15. A method as in claim 10 which includes transferring predetermined software from the remote location, via the computer network, to the selected system for execution threat.

16. An apparatus that includes software recorded on a computer readable medium comprising:

first software displaying selectable identifiers for a plurality of displaced monitoring systems;

second software displaying status information relative to at least one selected system; and

third software enabling an operator to select an ambient condition detector in the at least one selected system and forward a command thereto via a computer network.

24. An apparatus as in claim 16 which includes additional software for displaying images received from an identified, displaced monitoring system.

17. An apparatus as in claim 17 which includes:

additional software to communicate with a selected monitoring system via the Internet.

18. An apparatus as in claim 17 with the third software including control software to establish an operator specified detector parameter to be forwarded via the Internet to the selected system for installation at the detector.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18 which includes circuitry for executing the software.

20. An apparatus as in claim 18 which includes pre-stored information relative to the selectable monitoring systems.

21. An apparatus as in claim 20 which includes retrieval software to obtain pre-stored information relative to a selected monitoring system.

22. An apparatus as in claim 20 where the control software transmits, via the Internet, executable programs to at least one selected monitoring system for execution thereat.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22 when the control software transmits one of data or a program to be installed in a selected ambient condition detector of a selected monitoring system.

25. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of displaced monitoring systems;

selecting at least one identified system;

transmitting a video enabling command to the at least one identified system via an intervening computer network;

receiving video signals from the at least one identified system; and

displaying images corresponding to the video signals.

26. A method as in claim 25 which includes transmitting a monitoring unit related message to the identified system via a computer network.

27. A method as in claim 26 which includes communicating locally, relative to the received unit related message, with the monitoring unit.

28. A system comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart monitoring systems, each of the systems includes at least one port for communicating, via a computer network to a displaced monitoring apparatus;

a monitoring apparatus which includes at least one port for communicating, via the computer network, with each of the systems including software for accessing the status of at least one region being monitored by a respective selected system; and

at least some of the plurality of spaced apart monitoring systems include a wireless port for wirelessly communicating with the computer network.