System and Method for Alarm Signaling During Alarm System Destruction

• US 20080079561A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Martin, Jean Paul, Slavin, Alison
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/00 Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/16 Security signalling or alarm systems, e.g. redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provides a system and method for the immediate transmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow site and from the escrow site to a host station in the event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.” A system and method may also send an alarm signal during such an attack by using predictive analysis of real-time events.

Claims

1. A method for providing an alarm signal to a host station, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying an alarm situation by one or more sensors or by a control panel;

transmitting an alarm signal intended for a host station in response to the alarm situation;

transmitting a message an escrow site for indicating that the alarm signal is to be expected; and

transmitting an update message to the escrow site regarding the status of the alarm signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using one communication path for transmitting the alarm sign and transmitting the message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the alarm signal occurs over a first communication path and transmitting the message occurs over a second communication path, where the first and second communication paths are different.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the escrow site indicates one of the following:

that the alarm signal has been successfully transmitted, or that the alarm signal has been effectively cancelled.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an expected update to the escrow site does not occur and such non-occurrence indicates that some or all of the equipment used to create the alarm signal or to transmit the alarm signal to the host station has been disabled or destroyed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the escrow site generates an alarm signal and the escrow site sends that alarm signal to the host station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the escrow site comprises a remote escrow site.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the escrow site comprises a local escrow site.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication path comprises one or more of a wired communication, phone line, wireless communication power line-based communication, or broadband communication.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication and broadband communication comprises a wireless radio.

11. An alarm system for providing an alarm signal to a host station, the system comprising:

one or more remote sensors for identifying an alarm situation; and

a control panel that transmits, in response to the alarm situation, an alarm signal intended for a host station, transmits a message to an escrow site for indicating that the alarm signal should be expected, and transmits an update to the escrow site regarding the status of the alarm signal

12. A method for providing an alarm signal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at the escrow site a message from a control panel indicating that an alarm signal or a non-alarm event signal via a communication path intended for a host station is to be expected;

receiving at the escrow site an update regarding the status of alarm signal;

forwarding the update to the host station when the communication path of the alarm signal has been disabled.

13. An alarm system for providing an alarm signal comprising:

a receiver at the escrow site for receiving a signal indicating an alarm or a non-alarm event, receiving a message that an alarm signal is to be expected at a host station, and an update regarding the status of the alarm signal; and

a transmitter at the escrow site for transmitting the update to the host station when the status indicates that a communication path of the alarm signal has been disabled.

14. A computer implemented method for providing an alarm signal using real-time expected event analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

gathering monitor data from one or more remote sensors located at a location;

forwarding the monitor data to a monitoring server;

identifying one or more expected events by comparing the monitor data against stored data;

waiting for a notification message within a predetermined period of time that indicates an occurrence of the at least one or more expected events;

determining that the alarm signal generation or transmission equipment has been disabled or destroyed; and

generating and sending an alarm signal via a second alarm signaling communication path.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the alarm signal generation or transmission equipment has been disabled comprises a nonoccurrence of the notification message within the predetermined period of time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the monitor data is communicated via one or more of wireless communication, powerline-based, and broadband communication.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote sensors may comprise one or more of a sensor, a contact, a motion detector, a video recorder, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the location comprises multiple locations.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the gathering and forwarding the monitor data is provided by a security control panel or other messaging hub.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the control panel or messaging hub is local to the sensors.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the control panel or messaging hub is remote from the sensors.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the control panel or messaging hub buffers the monitor data to facilitate data transmission.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein forwarding the monitor data is provided by the one or more sensors.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the one or more expected events is provided by a computer software program.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the stored data comprises sensor and system event sequences data.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the stored data is stored in one or more databases.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more expected events in real-time comprises at least of a proper disarmament of an alarm.

28. An alarm system for providing an alarm signal using real-time expected event analysis comprising:

one or more remote sensors for gathering monitor data from a location; and

a monitoring server for receiving and gathering the monitor data, identifying one or more expected events by comparing the monitor data against stored data, waiting for a notification message within a predetermined period of time that indicates an occurrence of the at least one or more expected events, determining that the alarm signal generation equipment or one or more alarm signaling communication paths have been disabled, and sending an alarm signal via an alternative alarm signaling communication path from an escrow site.

29. A computer implemented method for providing an alarm signal using real-time expected event analysis comprising:

receiving and gathering the monitor data;

identifying one or more expected events by comparing the monitor data against stored data from one or more databases;

waiting for a notification message within a predetermined period of time that indicates an occurrence of the at least one or more expected events;

determining that alarm signal generation equipment or one or more alarm signaling communication path have been disabled; and

sending an alarm signal via an alternative alarm signaling communication path from an escrow site;

wherein determining that the one or more alarm signaling communication paths have been disabled comprises a nonoccurrence of the notification message within the predetermined period of time.