Alarm system with two-way voice

• US 20080311878A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hutz, David James, Trundle, Stephen Scott, Martin, Jean-Paul, Goldfarb, David Saul
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• 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: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Techniques are described for establishing a two-way voice communication session with an alarm system. The alarm system may establish a two-way voice communication session with an operator associated with a monitoring service that provides monitoring services for alarm events detected by the alarm system. The alarm system also may establish a two-way voice communication session with a notification recipient that is interested in receiving notifications associated with events detected by the alarm system.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating establishment of a voice communication session between an alarm system and an operator handling an alarm event for the alarm system, the method comprising:

receiving alarm data that is transmitted over a wireless data channel by a wireless communication module included in an alarm system in response to the alarm system detecting an alarm event, the alarm data indicating the alarm event;

enabling an operator to handle the alarm event based on the received alarm data;

accessing voice communication information associated with the wireless communication module included in the alarm system; and

establishing a voice communication session, over a wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between a communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing voice communication information includes;

receiving, over the wireless voice channel, a call from the wireless communication module, and

identifying a number associated with the wireless communication module based on the received call; and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information includes;

identifying an operator handling the alarm event based on the identified number,

accessing a number associated with the communication device used by the operator, and

routing the received call to the communication device used by the operator based on the accessed number.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing voice communication information includes accessing a phone number associated with the wireless communication module, and

establishing a voice communication session includes placing, over the wireless voice channel, a call to the wireless communication module.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, over the wireless data channel, confirmation information to the wireless communication module in response to receiving the alarm data, wherein

accessing voice communication information associated with the wireless communication module included in the alarm system includes;

receiving, over the wireless voice channel, a call from the wireless communication module, the call being placed by the wireless communication module in response to receiving the confirmation information, and

identifying a number associated with the received call, and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information includes;

identifying an operator handling the alarm event based on the identified number,

accessing a number associated with the communication device used by the operator, and

routing the received call to the communication device used by the operator based on the accessed number.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the alarm system includes a two-way voice feature based on the received alarm data;

in response to determining that the alarm system includes the two-way voice feature, delaying processing of the received alarm data for a predetermined and configurable amount of time; and

monitoring for an incoming call associated with the alarm data during the predetermined and configurable amount of time, wherein

accessing voice communication information associated with the wireless communication module included in the alarm system includes;

receiving, over the wireless voice channel, a call from the wireless communication module while monitoring for the incoming call, and

identifying a number associated with the received call, and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information includes;

identifying that the received call is associated with the received alarm data,

identifying an operator to handle the alarm event,

routing the received call to a first communication device used by the identified operator, and

routing the alarm data to a second communication device used by the identified operator.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, to the wireless communication module, a command to initiate a voice call, the command being transmitted in response to user input entered by the operator handling the alarm event, wherein

accessing voice communication information associated with the wireless communication module included in the alarm system includes;

receiving, over the wireless voice channel, a call from the wireless communication module, the call being placed by the wireless communication module in response to receiving the command to initiate the call, and

identifying a number associated with the received call, and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information includes;

identifying an operator handling the alarm event based on the identified number,

accessing a number associated with the communication device used by the operator, and

routing the received call to the communication device used by the operator based on the accessed number.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the alarm system includes a two-way voice feature based on the received alarm data;

transmitting, to the wireless communication module, a command to initiate a voice call, the command being transmitted in response to determining that the alarm system includes the two-way voice feature, wherein

accessing voice communication information associated with the wireless communication module included in the alarm system includes;

receiving, over the wireless voice channel, a call from the wireless communication module, the call being placed by the wireless communication module in response to receiving the command to initiate the call, and

identifying a number associated with the received call, and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system based on the accessed voice communication information includes;

identifying an operator handling the alarm event based on the identified number,

accessing a number associated with the communication device used by the operator, and

routing the received call to the communication device used by the operator based on the accessed number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the alarm system is a security system installed in a building, the security system being configured to receive a signal from at least one sensor and detect an alarm event based on the received signal, and

establishing the voice communication session, over the wireless voice channel that is decoupled from the wireless data channel, between the communication device used by the operator handling the alarm event and the wireless communication module included in the alarm system includes establishing a voice communication session with the security system to enable the operator to listen in on an area in the building and communicate with a person who is in the area in the building.