SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING A CAMERA

• US 20090158364A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: SWAMIDAS, Peter Jayaprathap
• Granted Patent: US 7,916,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not 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 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A system and method for remotely controlling a camera may include a telephony device communicatively coupled to a data network. The telephony device comprises at least one module adapted to generate a control signal in response to receiving a user command associated with dialing of an emergency telephone number. A camera may be adapted to start capturing images in response of receiving the control signal.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a control signal, for at least one camera, in response to receiving a user command associated with dialing of an emergency telephone number; and

transmitting the control signal to the at least one camera, wherein the control signal causes the at least one camera to start capturing images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is transmitted to the at least one camera via one of a wired connection, a wireless connection, and a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wired connection is one of a packet-based connection and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless connection is one of an ethernet connection based on IEEE 802.11 protocol, and a connection based on bluetooth technology.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency telephone number is one of police, fire, ambulance, crime hotline, and security company.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is generated by a telephony device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is generated by a VOIP telephony device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving images from the at least one camera;

receiving a request to transmit the images from the at least one camera to at least one media server; and

transmitting the images from the at least one camera to the at least one media server via the data connection.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a command to manipulate the at least one camera, wherein the command comprises at least one of zooming in, zooming out, rotating shooting angle, moving the camera vertically and moving the camera horizontally.

10. A computer readable media comprising code to perform the acts of the method of claim 1.

11. A system, comprising:

a telephony device communicatively coupled to a data network, wherein the telephony device comprises at least one module adapted to generate a control signal for a camera in response to receiving a user command associated with dialing of an emergency telephone number.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the camera is adapted to start capturing images in response of receiving the control signal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the camera is communicatively coupled to the telephony device via one of a wired connection, a wireless connection, and a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless connection is one of an ethernet connection based on IEEE 802.11 protocol, and a connection based on bluetooth technology.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the wired connection is one of an ethernet connection, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, and an IEEE 1394 FireWire connection.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the emergency telephone number is one of police, fire, ambulance, crime hotline, and security company.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the telephony device is further adapted to:

receive images transmitted by the camera;

receive a request to transmit images received from the camera to a media server; and

transmit images received from the camera to the media server via the data connection.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the telephony device further comprises an embedded computer operating system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the embedded computer operating system is one of a linux based system and a windows based system.

18. The system of claim 18, wherein the telephony device is further adapted to receive a command to manipulate the camera, wherein the command comprises at least one of:

zooming in, zooming out, rotating shooting angle, moving vertically and moving horizontally.