SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STORING AND REMOTELY RETRIEVING VIDEO IMAGES
First Claim
1. A video surveillance and monitoring system, comprising:
- a private network that enables communication with surveillance cameras at a plurality of geographically distinct client sites; and
an off-site storage site, including an image database and at least one server, said at least one server being coupled to said private network and to a public network, said at least one server being operative to coordinate retrieval of video images from said surveillance cameras, to produce retrieved video images as live images to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network, and to archive said retrieved video images in said image database for subsequent production to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for enabling real-time off-site video image storage is disclosed. An off-site storage site is coupled to camera servers at client sites via a private network. Each camera server is further coupled to one or more surveillance cameras. Video images captured by cameras located at the client sites are forwarded to an off-site server via a camera server. Video images received by the off-site server are produced for live viewing and/or archived in an image database. Users can retrieve live or archived video images through a client workstation that communicates with the off-site server over the public Internet. Retrieval of video images is based on a web-browser interface. Live viewing of video images is supplemented by real-time camera control functions that alter the pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) position of the camera producing the live images. Commands for controlling the PTZ camera are encoded by the client workstation and transmitted to the off-site server. The off-site server converts the camera control codes into control strings that are recognizable by the particular camera.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A video surveillance and monitoring system, comprising:
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a private network that enables communication with surveillance cameras at a plurality of geographically distinct client sites; and an off-site storage site, including an image database and at least one server, said at least one server being coupled to said private network and to a public network, said at least one server being operative to coordinate retrieval of video images from said surveillance cameras, to produce retrieved video images as live images to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network, and to archive said retrieved video images in said image database for subsequent production to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A video surveillance and monitoring system, comprising:
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an image database for storing video images; and at least one server, said at least one server being coupled to a private network that enables communication with surveillance cameras at a plurality of geographically distinct client sites and to a public network, said at least one server being operative to coordinate the retrieval of video images from said surveillance cameras, to produce said retrieved video images as live images to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network, and to archive said retrieved video images in said image database for subsequent production to at least one client workstation coupled to said public network.
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17. (canceled)
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18. A video surveillance and monitoring method, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving video image data from a surveillance camera; (b) producing said received video image data as live images to at least one client workstation by storing live video image data to a file that is retrievable by a client workstation; and (c) archiving said received video image data in an image database for subsequent production to at least one client workstation. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
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25. (canceled)
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27. (canceled)
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28. A method in a client workstation for retrieving and viewing video images, captured by surveillance cameras, that are stored in an image database by the at least one server, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving computer program logic from a server that enables the client workstation to display a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of client-site elements representative of a corresponding plurality of geographically distinct client sites, wherein each selected one of said plurality of client-site elements is associated with one or more camera elements representative of one or more cameras located at a client site represented by the selected client-site element, wherein said server has access to an image database that stores video image data captured by cameras at a plurality of geographically distinct client sites, and selection of a hyperlinked client-site element enables said graphical user interface to display one or more camera elements representative of one or more cameras located at a client site represented by said hyperlinked client-site element; (b) receiving a command from a user to select a first camera element representative of a first camera at a first client site; (c) sending a request to said server for retrieval of video image data, recorded by said first camera, that is archived in the image database; and (d) causing display of said requested video image data in the image viewing window of said graphical user interface. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. An apparatus comprising, comprising:
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means for receiving, from a server, computer program logic configured to cause a client workstation to display a graphical user interface that includes multiple client-site elements representative of a corresponding plurality of geographically distinct client sites, wherein each of the multiple client-site elements is associated with one or more camera elements representative of one or more cameras located at a client site represented by a selected client-site element, wherein the server has access to an image database that stores video image data captured by cameras at multiple geographically distinct client sites; means for receiving a command to select a first camera element representative of a first camera at a first client site; means for sending a request to the server to retrieve video image data recorded by the first camera that is archived in the image database; and means for displaying the requested video image data in an image viewing window of the graphical user interface.
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32. A server comprising, comprising:
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means for providing, to a client workstation, computer program logic configured to cause the client workstation to display a graphical user interface that includes multiple client-site elements representative of a corresponding plurality of geographically distinct client sites, wherein each of the multiple client-site elements is associated with one or more camera elements representative of one or more cameras located at a client site represented by a selected client-site element, wherein the server has access to an image database that stores video image data captured by cameras at multiple geographically distinct client sites; means for receiving a request from the client workstation to retrieve video image data recorded by a first camera that is archived in the image database; and means for transmitting the requested video image data to the client workstation for display in a graphical user interface displayed at the client workstation.
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Specification