System and Method for Alarm Signaling During Alarm System Destruction

• US 20140203930A1
• Filed: 03/24/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane, Martin, Jean-Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,508,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/00 Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/16 Security signalling or alarm systems, e.g. redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system and method provide for the immediate transmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow site and from the escrow site to a host station in the event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.” A system and method may also send an alarm signal during such an attack by using predictive analysis of real-time events.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing an alarm signal, the method comprising:

gathering, at a monitoring server, monitor data from one or more remote sensors located at a location that is monitored by the monitoring server and that is remote from the monitoring server;

based on the monitor data, waiting, by the monitoring server, for a notification message within a predetermined period of time that indicates an occurrence of at least one or more expected events;

determining, by the monitoring server, that alarm signal generation or transmission equipment at the location has been disabled or destroyed based on the notification message not being received within the predetermined period of time; and

sending, by the monitoring server, an alarm signal via an alarm signaling communication path based on the determination that alarm signal generation or transmission equipment at the location has been disabled or destroyed.