SURVEILLANCE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS MESH NETWORK

• US 20070076094A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AgileMesh, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AgileMesh, Inc.
• Inventors: Dickerson, James, Smith, Dennis, Cromwell, Mark, Satinsky, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Provided are video nodes for wireless networks and methods thereof that wirelessly extend a wired surveillance system. A wireless interface device services wireless communications between a wired video surveillance network and a wireless viewing node. According to another aspect, a wireless interface device transmits an alert over the wireless network upon a triggering event. In yet another aspect, a technique for viewing an image source from a surveillance system includes displaying available surveillance systems for a user to select according to a display criteria and responsive to selection of an available surveillance system, enabling wireless access to the surveillance system.

Claims

1. A wireless interface device that services wireless communications between a wired video surveillance network and a wireless viewing node, the wireless interface device comprising:

a wireless interface unit that wirelessly interfaces with the wireless viewing node;

an encryption unit operable to encrypt the wireless communications; and

an access unit operable to allow an authorized party at a wireless viewing node access to a surveillance image from the wired video surveillance network.

2. A wireless interface device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications traverse a wireless mesh network connection.

3. A wireless interface device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication channel selector for selecting a communications channel, wherein the communications channel is associated with a predetermined parameter.

4. A wireless interface device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined parameter comprises at least one of a channel number, an encryption key, and a Service Set Identifier (SSID).

5. A wireless interface device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined parameter comprises a channel number associated with an IEEE 802.11 standard frequency.

6. A wireless interface device according to claim 1, wherein the access unit is configurable over a network connection.

7. A wireless interface device according to claim 1, further comprising an alert unit.

8. A wireless interface device according to claim 7, wherein the alert unit is operable to transmit an alert signal comprising at least one of a video source to view, a triggering event source, an access key, an IP address of a video source to view, a physical address of an alert location, a contact name, a contact phone number, a map of the alert location, a location map of hazards, and a photograph of at least one authorized person.

9. A wireless interface device according to claim 7, wherein an alert is triggered by one of a fire alarm, a smoke detector, a gas detector, a break glass detector, a panic button, and a motion detector.

10. A wireless interface device according to claim 7, wherein the alert unit is operable to transmit an alert signal until at least one of the following events occur:

manual deactivation of the alert,

a predetermined alert time is reached, and

the alert is acknowledged by a predetermined number of viewers.

11. A method for viewing an image source from a surveillance system, the method comprising:

displaying available surveillance systems for a user to select according to a display criteria; and

responsive to selection of an available surveillance system, enabling wireless access to the surveillance system.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the surveillance system comprises a wireless interface device, and wherein enabling wireless access to the surveillance system comprises establishing a connection with the wireless interface device.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein establishing the connection comprises accessing a store for storing at least one access key.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the access key comprises at least one of a channel number, an encryption key, and a Service Set Identifier (SSID).

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is a geographic area.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is a geographic loci from a viewer location.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is a geographic loci from a selected geographic location.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is a communication range.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the communication range is determined by a number of hops.

20. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is an alert.

21. A method according to claim 11, wherein the alert is triggered by an E911 call.

22. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display criteria is at least a part of a name associated with the surveillance system.

23. A method according to claim 11, wherein the displaying available surveillance systems comprises displaying a textual list of available surveillance systems.

24. A method according to claim 11, wherein the displaying available surveillance systems comprises displaying a map of available surveillance systems.