IN-BAND VOICE WITH SECURITY SIGNALING

• US 20130189943A1
• Filed: 01/03/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telular Corporation (Ametek Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Telular Corporation (Ametek Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bear, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

The present invention includes an aspect directed to in-band voice capabilities with security signaling. For sessions that do not involve voice, the signaling data can be sent to the alarm communication center using a data channel, without using a voice channel. In other aspects, the protocol used to transmit alarm events from the alarm device to the alarm communication center resembles industry-standard alarm format, but differs in specific ways that recognize both advantages and disadvantages of the cellular medium. In yet other aspects, the invention may use a timeout in order to ensure orderly resource management in the case of a communication failure.

Claims

1. A method for handling security signaling data comprising transmitting a security signaling data from an alarm device to an alarm communication center by a DTMF protocol to emulate an original alarm format, acknowledging the security signaling data, and transmitting the security signaling data to an alarm receiver at a central station using a standard alarm protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the acknowledging of the security signaling data is by using a DTMF code transmitted back to the alarm device

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the security signaling data from the alarm device to the alarm communication center is by a first voice channel and the transmitting of the security signaling data to the alarm receiver at the central station is by a separate second voice channel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the alarm device is an alarm panel with integrated cellular capability or a cellular alarm communicator.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the first voice channel and the second voice channel are subsequently connected together.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein an end-to-end audio path between the alarm device and the central station is established by the connection of the first and second voice channels

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the audio path is used to control audio or speaker functions of the alarm device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the control is by DTMF tone command.