METHOD AND INTERFACE DEVICE FOR OPERATING A SECURITY SYSTEM

• US 20100085310A1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Becker, Donald Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

An interface device includes at least one programmable device and a display portion coupled to the at least one programmable device. The display portion is configured to convey a hierarchical relationship of a plurality of screen images that at least partially overlap each other. The hierarchical relationship includes the plurality of screen images defined in a series of logically related, ordered, and ranked groupings.

Claims

1. An interface device comprising:

at least one programmable device; and

a display portion coupled to said at least one programmable device, said display portion configured to convey a hierarchical relationship of a plurality of screen images that at least partially overlap each other, wherein said hierarchical relationship comprises said plurality of screen images defined in a series of logically related, ordered, and ranked groupings.

2. An interface device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a plurality of alpha-numeric keys coupled to said at least one programmable device, wherein said plurality of alpha-numeric keys comprises at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon.

3. An interface device in accordance with claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of screen images comprises at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon.

4. An interface device in accordance with claim 3 wherein said at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon and said at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon comprise a combination of an alpha-numeric key and a soft button having substantially the same numeral imprinted thereon.

5. An interface device in accordance with claim 4 wherein said at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon comprises at least nine alpha-numeric keys oriented into three rows of alpha-numeric keys, wherein each row comprises three alpha-numeric keys.

6. An interface device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon comprises at least nine soft buttons oriented into three rows of soft buttons, wherein each row comprises three soft buttons.

7. An interface device in accordance with claim 6 further comprising a navigation keypad comprising a plurality of navigation keys configured to select said at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon.

8. A security system comprising:

at least one programmable device programmed to generate a plurality of screen images;

a plurality of alpha-numeric keys coupled to said at least one programmable device; and

a display portion coupled to said at least one programmable device configured to display said plurality of screen images such that;

at least one of said plurality of screen images is substantially representative of at least a portion of said plurality of alpha-numeric keys; and

at least a portion of each of said plurality of screen images is configured to at least one of partially overlap or be partially overlapped by at least one of another of said plurality of screen images, wherein said plurality of screen images is configured to display a hierarchal relationship of said plurality of screen images, wherein said hierarchical relationship comprises the screen images defined in a series of logically related, ordered, and ranked groupings.

9. A security system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said plurality of alpha-numeric keys comprises at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon.

10. A security system in accordance with claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of screen images comprises at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon.

11. A security system in accordance with claim 10 wherein said at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon and said at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon comprise a combination of an alpha-numeric key and a soft button having substantially the same numeral imprinted thereon.

12. A security system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said at least one alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon comprises at least nine alpha-numeric keys oriented into three rows of alpha-numeric keys, wherein each row comprises three alpha-numeric keys.

13. A security system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon comprises at least nine soft buttons oriented into three rows of soft buttons, wherein each row comprises three soft buttons.

14. A method for operating a security system, said method comprising:

generating a first screen image on a display portion of an interface device;

depressing at least one alpha-numeric key on the interface device substantially corresponding to an icon on the first screen image; and

generating a second screen image on the display portion that at least partially overlaps the first screen image such that a hierarchal relationship of the first and second screen images is visually generated, wherein the hierarchical relationship includes the first and second screen images defined in a series of logically related, ordered, and ranked groupings.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein generating a first screen image on a display portion of an interface device comprises generating a first screen image including at least one soft button.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein generating a first screen image including at least one soft button comprises generating a plurality of soft buttons, wherein at least one soft button of the plurality of soft buttons includes a numeral imprinted thereon.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein generating a plurality of soft buttons comprises generating at least nine soft buttons oriented into three rows of soft buttons, wherein each row comprises three soft buttons and at least one soft button of the plurality of soft buttons includes a numeral imprinted thereon.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein depressing at least one key on an alpha-numeric keypad portion of the interface device comprises depressing an alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon, wherein the at least one soft button that includes a numeral imprinted thereon and the depressed alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon have substantially the same numeral imprinted thereon.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein generating a second screen image on the display portion comprises:

generating a second screen image including at least one soft button having a numeral imprinted thereon; and

depressing an alpha-numeric key having a numeral imprinted thereon, wherein the at least one soft button on the second screen image and the depressed alpha-numeric key have substantially the same numeral.

20. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising:

depressing at least one navigation key on a navigation keypad;

highlighting a soft button located on the first screen image; and

depressing a selection key on the navigation keypad, thereby selecting the highlighted soft button located on the first screen image.