System and Method for Protecting a Security System

• US 20130049949A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Blum, William R., Jordan, Raymond J., Sottile-Ramos, Catherine C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems

Abstract

A regional security system includes a control panel which can receive one or more delay parameters, associated with a type of sensor or detector, or a portion of a region being monitored. The delay parameters can be stored in a programmable storage unit. When an alarm indicator has been received from one of the sensors or detectors, an alarm indicating message along with an associated, programmed and pre-stored delay can be forwarded to a central station. If the system is disarmed before the delay interval has terminated, a cancel message can be sent to the central station.

Claims

1. A regional monitoring system comprising:

control circuits coupled to a plurality of regional monitoring sensors and detectors, the control circuits include variable delay circuitry; and

a communications interface coupled to the control circuits wherein the control circuits respond to an alarm indicator from a member of the plurality by transmitting an alarm indicating message via the interface, the message specifies a respective, pre-set delay interval established by the variable delay circuitry.

2. A system in claim 1 where the variable delay circuitry includes programmable storage.

3. A system as in claim 1 where the variable delay circuitry can establish at least one of different delays for different members of the plurality, or different portions of a region being monitored.

4. A system as in claim 2 where the programmable storage comprises circuits, responsive to at least one of, one manually entered delay, or a wirelessly received delay, to store an indicator of that delay in the programmable storage.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the control circuits, responsive to a system disarm indicator, transmit a cancel message via the interface.

6. A system as in claim 5 where the interface provides at least one of wired or, wireless communications.

7. A system as in claim 3 where the variable delay circuitry includes programmable storage.

8. A system as in claim 7 where the programmable storage comprises circuits, responsive to a plurality of manually entered delays, to store indicators of the entered delays in the programmable storage.

9. A system as in claim 8 which includes circuits to locally display at least one, alterable, pre-set delay interval.

10. A system as in claim 6 where members of the plurality include one or more of glass break detectors, door sensors, motion sensors, fire detectors, or gas detectors, and where the programmable storage includes locations for storage of delays associated with respective members of the plurality.

11. A system as in claim 1 where the variable delay circuitry includes programmable storage, and, where members of the plurality include one or more of glass break detectors, door sensors, motion sensors, fire detectors, or gas detectors, and where the programmable storage includes locations for storage of delays associated with respective members of the plurality.

12. A monitoring system which can be coupled to a plurality of sensors or detectors, the system comprising:

a control panel which includes a display device, a manually operable input unit and control circuits, the control circuits include variable delay circuitry; and

a communications interface coupled to the control circuits wherein the control circuits respond to a selected indicator from a member of the plurality by transmitting an alarm indicating message via the interface, the message specifies a respective, pre-set delay interval established by the variable delay circuitry, and

at least one programmable delay parameter can be stored in a programmable storage unit of the variable delay circuitry.

13. A system as in claim 12 wherein, when an alarm indicator has been received from one of the sensors or detectors, an alarm indicating message along with an associated, programmed and pre-stored delay parameter can be forwarded to a displaced location via the communications interface.

14. A system as in claim 12 wherein the control circuits, responsive to detecting that the panel has been disarmed before the delay interval has terminated, transmit a cancel message, via the interface to the displaced location.

15. A method comprising:

establishing by, at least one of, downloading or manually entering a programmable delay interval into a local alarm monitoring panel;

storing the interval at a selected electronic location of the panel; and

responding to a received alarm indicator by forming a first message which includes at least an alarm type indicium and a representation of the stored delay interval, and transmitting the first message to a displaced location.

16. A method as in claim 15 which includes receiving and analyzing the message, and, responsive to the analyzing, placing the alarm indicium into a wait state.

17. A method as in claim 16 which includes setting a retry delay.

18. A method as in claim 17 which includes responding to another received message, and determining if the message is an alarm cancel message.

19. A method as in claim 18 where, responsive to the determining, canceling the received and analyzed alarm indicium from the wait state.

20. A method as in claim 18 where, responsive to expiration of a retry delay, in the absence of an alarm cancel message, determining if an alarm should be initiated.