Internet facilitated emergency and general paging system

• US 20050201541A1
• 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., Warner, Todd W., Pearson, Charles T., Mancini, George P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,218,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/170
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022

Abstract

A plurality of displaced paging systems can be controlled from a common paging facility via a computer network such as the Internet. Real-time streaming audio can be transmitted, via the network to one or more identified facilities and/or zones and broadcast thereinto.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

at least one audio input port, the port including;

an input audio transducer coupled to control circuitry for producing real time streaming digitized audio in a transmittable format;

a database of specifiable locations and selectable audio destinations in respective locations;

the control circuitry and the database are coupled to a bidrectional port for communicating with selected locations via a computer network, the control circuitry forwarding location specifying and destination selecting information via the port.

2. A system as in claim 1 which includes a graphical user interface, coupled to the control circuitry enabling a user to select at least one location and at least one audio destination therein whereat audio from the input port is to be presented substantially in real time.

3. A system as in claim 2 where the graphical user interface displays a plurality of selectable locations and a plurality of selectable destinations within each location where audio can be simultaneously presented in real time.

4. A system as in claim 1 where the database includes information pertaining to a plurality of selectable locations and a plurality of possible destinations of audio associated with respective locations.

5. A system as in claim 3 where the database includes information pertaining to a plurality of selectable locations and a plurality of possible destinations of audio associated with respective locations.

6. A system as in claim 2 which includes software enabling a user to add a location and an associated plurality of destinations.

7. A system as in claim 2 which includes software for constructing paging system control commands for transmission to the specified location.

8. A system as in claim 1 which includes gateway software for receipt of the location specifying and destination specifying information.

9. A system as in claim 8 which includes audio signal circuitry, coupled to the gateway software, for producing real-time audio in at least one selected zone.

10. A system comprising:

source software for accepting an identification of at least one facililty and at least one region therein into which audio is to be broadcast via a local paging audio system;

communications software for establishing communications, via a computer network, with destination software for transmitting at least a facility identified, a region identifier, and a representation of the audio to be broadcast; and

destination software, responsive to a received facility identifier and a received region identifier for interacting with a local paging audio system to broadcast received audio into the identified facility and region

11. A system as in claim 10 where the source software includes graphical user interface software which graphically presents available facilities and regions for selection.

12. A system as in claim 11 where the source software includes audio compression software.

13. A system as in claim 11 where the source software includes encryption software.

14. A system as in claim 10 where the destination software includes software to control a local paging system in response to received facility and region identifiers.

15. A system as in claim 14 where the destination software includes digital to analog control software for received audio to be broadcast.

16. A system as in claim 10 where the destination software includes status reporting software to communicate, at least intermittently, via the computer network, with the source software.

17. A system as in claim 10 where the destination software includes audio processing software to transmit local audio to the source software, via the computer network, for audible presentation local to the source software.

18. A system as in claim 10 where the destination software includes audio related decryption software.

19. A system as in claim 10 which includes at least second destination software responsive to a received facility identifier and a received region identifier for interacting with a local paging audio system to broadcast received audio into the identified facility and region.

20. A method comprising:

selecting a displaced facility and at least one zone thereat into which audio is to be broadcast;

communicating via discrete packet-type transmissions, facility identifying and zone identifying information to the displaced facility;

responsive to received facility and zone information, enabling an audio output path to the zone; and

digitally communicating, via discrete packet-type transmission, real time voice and broadcasting same into the zone via the enabled path.

21. A method as in claim 20 which includes transmitting images from the zone to a displaced source of the facility identifying information.

22. A system comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart paging interfaces, each interface includes software for specifying at least one displaced paging system and at least one zone therein and software enabling one interface to assert priority over any of the others;

software for receiving voice input to be transmitted to the at least one zone.

23. A system as in claim 22 which includes circuitry to support a voice link to receive the voice input.

24. A system as in claim 23 where the voice link can be, at least in part, wireless.