SERVER BASED DISTRIBUTED SECURITY SYSTEM

• US 20090322527A1
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Crisp, Martin, Hosey, Mark, Probin, Robert John
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• 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 29/123 of line circuits

Abstract

A security system including one or more sensors for detecting a predetermined security event. One or more communications modules include a transmitting device for communicating with the sensor and transmitting an alert signal of the security event. A remotely located computer system controls the communications between the transmitting device of the communication module for receiving a signal from and transmitting to the communications module. After receiving the alert signal, the computer system communicates an alarm signal.

Claims

1. A security system, comprising:

at least one sensor for detecting a predetermined security event in a defined area;

at least one communications module including a transmitting device, the communications module communicating with the sensor and the transmitting device transmitting an alert signal of the security event using a communications system; and

a remotely located computer system outside the defined area, the computer system communicating with the communications module using the communications system, the computer system controlling the communications between the transmitting device of the communications module and the computer system for receiving transmissions from and sending transmissions to the communications module, and the computer system communicating an alarm signal after receiving the alert signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system communicates with multiple communication systems for communicating with associated communication modules.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system communicates with multiple communication systems for receiving the alert signal from the communications module and for transmitting to the communications module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system communicates simultaneously with multiple communication systems for receiving the alert signal from associated communication modules using each of the multiple communication paths, and the computer system uses each of the multiple communication systems for transmitting to each of the associated communication modules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates with a plurality of detection areas and each detection area includes a plurality of sensor devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a computer program embodied on computer readable medium executable by a microprocessor in the computer system, and the computer program logically generates security zones, and each security zone includes a plurality of associated sensor devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer system presents a graphic interface on a GUI interface wherein the graphic interface presents representation for each of the security zones.

8. The system of claim 1, further including multiple communication modules.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the multiple communication modules each connect to a data bus communicating with security areas including multiple sensors.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert signal is wirelessly transmitted.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the alert signal is encrypted.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is located in a remotely located monitoring station.

13. A method for securing a specified area, comprising:

detecting a predetermined security event using a sensor in a specified area;

communicating with the sensor and a transmitting device using a communications module;

transmitting an alert signal of the security event using the communications module and a communications system;

receiving the alert signal using a remotely located computer system outside the specified area;

sending data to the communications module using the computer system via the communications system; and

communicating an alarm signal using the computer system after receiving the alert signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

communicating simultaneously with multiple communication systems using the computer system.

15. The method of claim 13, further including:

generating logically a plurality of security zones each associated with a plurality of sensor devices using the computer system

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

presenting a graphic interface on a GUI interface wherein the graphic interface presents representation for each of a plurality of security zones.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for enabling a processor in a computer system for securing a specified area, the computer program performing the steps of:

detecting a predetermined security event using a sensor in a specified area;

communicating with the sensor and a transmitting device using a communications module;

transmitting an alert signal of the security event using the communications module and a communications system;

receiving the alert signal using a remotely located computer system outside the specified area;

sending data to the communications module using the computer system via the communications system; and

communicating an alarm signal using the computer system after receiving the alert signal.