MULTI-EVENT TYPE MONITORING AND SEARCHING

• US 20090183177A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hampapur, Arun, Senior, Andrew W., Zhai, Yun, Shu, Chiao-Fe, Brown, Lisa M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Multiple event types are monitored for events, and surveillance data is stored for each event. Surveillance data for a primary event of one event type can be presented to a user, and surveillance data for a set of related events corresponding to another event type can be presented based on a set of relatedness criteria and the surveillance data for the primary event. A user can adjust the relatedness criteria to filter/adjust the surveillance data presented for the related event(s). A user interface can enable the user to simultaneously view the surveillance data for both events and adjust the relatedness criteria. In an illustrative application, the invention is utilized to detect fraudulent merchandise returns in a retail store.

Claims

1. A method of presenting surveillance data for an area, the method comprising:

providing primary surveillance data for a set of primary events corresponding to one of a plurality of monitored event types for presentation to a user;

obtaining a selected event from the set of primary events and a corresponding set of relatedness criteria;

identifying a set of related events corresponding to another one of the plurality of monitored event types based on the surveillance data for the selected event and the set of relatedness criteria; and

providing related surveillance data for each related event for presentation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the related surveillance data includes image data, the method further comprising:

obtaining a visual feature; and

filtering the related surveillance data for the set of related events based on the visual feature and the image data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a set of related image sources; and

adjusting the related surveillance data for the set of related events to only include related surveillance data acquired by the set of related image sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance data for the set of primary events only includes surveillance data acquired by a designated subset of a plurality of primary sensors.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a transaction user interface for displaying transaction data corresponding to the set of primary events and enabling the user to request to view image data corresponding to at least one of the set of primary events; and

providing the transaction user interface for presentation to the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of primary events are merchandise returns at a retail store and the set of related events are customer entrances to the retail store.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving sensor data and transaction data for the retail store, the transaction data including data on at least one POS event;

associating at least some of the sensor data with each of the at least one POS events; and

storing the transaction data and associated sensor data as surveillance data for the POS event.

8. A system for presenting surveillance data for an area, the system comprising:

a component for providing primary surveillance data for a set of primary events corresponding to one of a plurality of monitored event types for presentation to a user;

a component for obtaining a selected event from the set of primary events and a corresponding set of relatedness criteria;

a component for identifying a set of related events corresponding to another one of the plurality of monitored event types based on the surveillance data for the selected event and the set of relatedness criteria; and

a component for providing related surveillance data for each related event for presentation to the user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the related surveillance data includes image data, the system further comprising:

a component for obtaining a visual feature; and

a component for filtering the related surveillance data for the set of related events based on the visual feature and the image data.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a component for obtaining a set of related image sources; and

a component for adjusting the related surveillance data for the set of related events to only include related surveillance data acquired by the set of related image sources.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a component for generating a transaction user interface for displaying transaction data corresponding to the set of primary events and enabling the user to request to view image data corresponding to at least one of the set of primary events; and

a component for providing the transaction user interface for presentation to the user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of primary events are merchandise returns at a retail store and the set of related events are customer entrances to the retail store.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a component for receiving sensor data and transaction data for the retail store, the transaction data including data on at least one POS event;

a component for associating at least some of the sensor data with each of the at least one POS events; and

a component for storing the transaction data and associated sensor data as surveillance data for the POS event.

14. A computer program comprising program code stored on a computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to implement a method of presenting surveillance data for an area, the method comprising:

providing primary surveillance data for a set of primary events corresponding to one of a plurality of monitored event types for presentation to a user;

obtaining a selected event from the set of primary events and a corresponding set of relatedness criteria;

identifying a set of related events corresponding to another one of the plurality of monitored event types based on the surveillance data for the selected event and the set of relatedness criteria; and

providing related surveillance data for each related event for presentation to the user.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the related surveillance data includes image data, the method further comprising:

obtaining a visual feature; and

filtering the related surveillance data for the set of related events based on the visual feature and the image data.

16. The computer program of claim 14, the method further comprising:

obtaining a set of related image sources; and

adjusting the related surveillance data for the set of related events to only include related surveillance data acquired by the set of related image sources.

17. The computer program of claim 14, the method further comprising:

generating a transaction user interface for displaying transaction data corresponding to the set of primary events and enabling the user to request to view image data corresponding to at least one of the set of primary events; and

providing the transaction user interface for presentation to the user.

18. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the set of primary events are merchandise returns at a retail store and the set of related events are customer entrances to the retail store.

19. The computer program of claim 18, the method further comprising:

receiving sensor data and transaction data for the retail store, the transaction data including data on at least one POS event;

associating at least some of the sensor data with each of the at least one POS events; and

storing the transaction data and associated sensor data as surveillance data for the POS event.

20. A method of generating a system for presenting surveillance data for an area, the method comprising:

providing a computer system operable to;

provide primary surveillance data for a set of primary events corresponding to one of a plurality of monitored event types for presentation to a user;

obtain a selected event from the set of primary events and a corresponding set of relatedness criteria;

identify a set of related events corresponding to another one of the plurality of monitored event types based on the surveillance data for the selected event and the set of relatedness criteria; and

provide related surveillance data for each related event for presentation to the user.