Alarm transmission system and method

• US 20050277421A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Trend International Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Trend International Ltd.
• Inventors: Ng, Vincent Ka-wing
• Application Number:
  US11/149,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20050277421A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19621 Portable camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19658 Telephone systems used to communicate with a camera, e.g. PSTN, GSM, POTS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An alarm transmission system and method for summoning assistance in response to a problematic situation, with police, consumer and helper versions. In all versions, a fast data transmission mobile phone is carried by a user, which is capable of transmitting real-time on-site video images (a video call) to a server. In the police version and helper version, the real-time on-site video images are transmitted to a monitoring device, which may cause transmission of the real-time on-site video images to a rescuer communication device or otherwise take action in response to the video transmissions. In the consumer version, the user of the phone will communicate with an inter-active voice response system, which may trigger transmission of the real-time on-site video images to a rescuer communication device. In all cases above, the video calls are recorded live. An innovative testing system is constructed to measure the delay at the video call.

Claims

1. An alarm transmission system for summoning assistance in response to a problematic situation, comprising:

a mobile device for transmitting a video call of the problematic situation;

a server in communication with the mobile device, which receives and records the video call from the mobile device, and then hunts and connects an available monitoring device from a list of pre-defined monitoring devices;

a list of pre-defined monitoring devices, one of which receives the video call from the server that was originally transmitted by the mobile device, and instructs the server to send the recorded video call and photos to a rescuer control room email terminal;

a rescuer control room email terminal, which receives the recorded video call and photos sent by the server; and

a rescuer communication device, which receives the recorded video and photos from the rescuer control room email terminal that were originally transmitted by the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device has a location based service thereon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is carried by a law enforcement officer or a civilian.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device has:

a video call processing power which enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call;

a data uplink speed which enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call; and

a camera which takes video images for the video call.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is connected to the server by a mobile network, which enables high speed data transmission for supporting video call in areas where the mobile device is used and allows the mobile-to-fixed video call with delay of 0.5 second or less.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server has:

a recording software which copies the video call signals while the video call is transmitted to the monitoring device, and causes 0.2 second or less delay of video signals in transmitting video call;

an anti-virus software or hardware which enables 0.2 second or less delay of the video call signals in transmitting the video call;

a firewall which enables 0.2 second or less delay of the video call signals in transmitting the video call.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server has an IP PBX function to hunt and connect an available monitoring device from the list of pre-defined monitoring device for the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the recording software, when copying the video call signals, works with a mobile-to-fixed video gateway at a mobile network operator, with a web server at a web-based video call, or, with a video conference gatekeeper at an IP based video call.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is a PC, a client PC, a notebook PC, an IP softPhone, or, an IP video phone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is further provided with a function of recording the video call while assistance is provided via the monitoring device to the mobile device, as an alternative device to perform the recording video call function of the server.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is replaced by a helper communication device, which has same function as the mobile device carried by a civilian.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device has:

a camera which takes video images for the video call;

an anti-virus software which enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call;

a firewall which allows a video call stream to reach the monitoring device and enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call;

a video conferencing software which holds the video call;

a CPU which enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call;

a memory which enables 0.5 second or less delays at the video call;

a broadband Internet access which enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitoring device further has a recording software which copies video signals of the video call sent to the monitoring device, with delay of 0.5 second or less at the video call.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the recording software enables capturing screen of the video conferencing software and recording the video call sound signal by capturing the sound track of the monitoring device, with delay of 0.5 second or less at the video call.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recorded video call is compressed to reduce the size of the recorded video call, and frames of the recorded video call are compressed and extracted to still photos, before the recorded video call and frames are sent out.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the anti-virus software has a fast virus scanning rate as measured by executable throughout KB/sec or fast virus scan time (sec) on executables, reaching:

a virus scanning rate of executable throughput at 7000 KB/sec or above;

a virus scan time of 39 seconds or below on executables;

a virus scanning rate of executable throughput at less than 7000 KB/sec but still enables 0.5 second or less delay at the video call;

or

a virus scan time of more than 39 seconds on executables but still enable 0.5 second or less delay at the video call.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the firewall enables the video call signals to reach the video conferencing software, with 0.5 second or less delay at the video call at the monitoring device, and allows a fixed virtual IP address or true IP address to access the Internet.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the broadband Internet access is based on a wireless broadband access, wireless WAN (Wide Area Network), or a fixed-line broadband access, using a true IP address or fixed virtual IP address to access Internet, allowing:

1 second or less delay at the video call when the broadband access can achieve a data rate of 384 Kbps;

1 to 0.5 second delay at the video call when the broadband access can achieve a data rate between 384 Kbps and 3 Mbps;

or

0.5 second or less delay at the video call, when the broadband access can achieve a data speed of 3 Mbps or more.

35. A testing system for measuring the delay at the video call of the system of claim 1 at a location where the system is used, comprising:

a sending-video-call-signal device, selected from the group consisting of a test mobile device or a test monitoring device;

a receiving-video-call-signal device, selected from the group consisting of a test mobile device or a test monitoring device;

a test network, which is a network to be tested before it is used in the system of claim 9;

a test server, which is a server to be tested before it is used in the system of claim 1;

and

a stop watch, which measures to 0.01 second.

36. The testing system of claim 35, wherein the test mobile device is modified from a mobile device of the system of claim 1 by plugging a hand-free headset to earphone socket of the mobile device, or, connecting a wireless headset to the mobile device.

37. The testing system of claim 35, wherein the test monitoring device is modified from a monitoring device of the system of claim 1, by:

connecting a earphone to the monitoring device of the system of claim 1 so that sound output of the monitoring device is channeled to the earphone;

connecting a small microphone to the monitoring device of the system of claim 1 so that all sound input of the monitoring device is channeled to the small microphone, or,

plugging an earphone to a microphone socket of the monitoring device of the system of claim 1 so that the sound input of the monitoring device is totally cut off.

38. A method for measuring the delay of video image at a video call using the testing system of claim 35, which comprises:

placing the sending-video-call-signal device and the receiving-video-call-signal device close to each other;

moving an item in front of the camera of the sending-video-call-signal device;

pressing the start button of the stop watch when the item is moved in front of the sending-video-call-signal device;

watching the screen of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

pressing the stop watch of the stop watch when the item appears on the screen of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

marking down the reading shown on the stop watch;

resetting the stop watch to zero;

repeating the above steps a number of times until pressing of the start button of the stop watch exactly matches the time when the item is moved in front of the sending-video-call-signal device, and, pressing of the stop button of the stop watch exactly matches the time when the item appear on the screen of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

averaging out ten stable readings marked down from the stop watch; and

treating the average as the delay of video image at the video call.

39. A method for measuring the delay of sound at video call using the testing system of claim 35, which comprises:

placing the sending-video-call-signal device and the receiving-video-call-signal device close to each other;

plugging the earphone of the receiving-video-call-signal device at one ear;

putting aside the microphone of the receiving-video-call-signal device, or, turning off the microphone of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

holding the microphone of the sending-video-call-signal device near the mouth;

putting aside the earphone of the sending-video-call-signal device;

saying a simple word close to the microphone of the sending-video-call-signal device;

pressing the start button of the stop watch when the word is said to the microphone of the test mobile device;

hearing this simple word from the earphone of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

pressing the stop watch of the stop watch when the simple word is heard from the earphone of the receiving-video-call-signal device;

marking down the time shown on the stop watch;

resetting the stop watch to zero;

repeating the above steps a number of times until pressing of the start button of the stop watch exactly matches the time when the simple word is said to the microphone, and, pressing of the stop button of the stop watch exactly matches the time when the simple word is heard at the earphone;

averaging out around ten stable readings marked down from the stop watch; and

treating the average as the delay of sound at the video call.

19. An alarm transmission system for summoning assistance in response to a problematic situation comprising:

a mobile device for transmitting video calls of the problematic situation;

a server in communication with the mobile device, which receives and records the video calls from the mobile device;

an interactive voice response system, which is in communication with the server and the mobile device, and which instructs the server to send the recorded video call and photos to a rescuer control room email terminal;

a rescuer control room email terminal, which receives the recorded video call and photos from the server that were originally transmitted by the mobile device; and

a rescuer communication device, which receives the recorded video call and photos from the rescuer control room email terminal.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobile device has a location based service thereon.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobile device is carried by a civilian.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the interactive voice response system and recording video call function are combined together in the same way that a three-party video conference is held on the mobile device, with first party as mobile device and the other two parties as the recording video call system and the interactive voice response system.

23. A method for transmitting an alarm, comprising:

enabling transmission of video calls from a mobile device to a server;

enabling receiving and recording of the video calls by the server;

enabling hunting and connecting an available monitoring device from a list of pre-defined monitoring devices by the server for the mobile device;

enabling transmission of the video call from the server to the monitoring device;

enabling transmission of the recorded video call and photos from the server or the monitoring device to the rescuer control room email terminal, following action by the monitoring device; and

enabling transmission of the recorded video call or photos from the rescuer control room email terminal to the rescuer communication device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising enabling communication between the mobile device and the rescuer communication device.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising enabling determination of a location of the mobile device and communicating the location to the rescuer communication device.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the mobile device is carried by a law enforcement officer

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the mobile device is carried by a civilian.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the civilian registers the list of pre-defined monitoring devices or helper communication devices with an operator of the server.

29. A method for transmitting an alarm, comprising:

enabling transmission of video calls from a mobile device to a server, enabling recording of the video call by the server;

enabling communication between an inter-active voice response system and the mobile device through the server, following the transmission of video calls from the mobile device to the server,

enabling transmission of the recorded video calls and photos to a rescuer control room email terminal, following action by one of the mobile device and the inter-active voice response system; and

enabling transmission of the recorded video call and photos from the rescuer control room email terminal to a rescuer communication device.

30. The method of claim 29, comprising facilitating communication between the mobile device and the rescuer communication device.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising enabling determination of a location of the mobile device and communicating the location to the rescuer communication device.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the mobile device is carried by a civilian.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising enabling the inter-active voice response system to prompt the user of the mobile device to for a password to be entered once or multiple times.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising enabling transmission of recorded video call and photos to the rescuer control room email terminal when at least one of a wrong password is entered in response to the prompt or no password is entered in response to the prompt.