SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPORTING THE EXISTENCE OF SENSORS BELONGING TO MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS

• US 20160098917A1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Corporation
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Coyne, Kevin, Eich, William J., Martyn, John R., Parayil, Shiby Sugunan
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 26/008 central annunciator means of the sensed conditions, e.g. displaying or registering
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for reporting the existence of sensors belonging to multiple organizations that are proximally located to a requested location. The report includes a first list of sensors that are unauthorized and discoverable and a second list of sensors that are authorized.

Claims

1. A method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location;

the method comprising;

(a) receiving a request from the recipient, the request comprising an authorization level, a location and a proximity;

(b) searching a memory for sensors that are proximally located to the requested location;

(c) creating a first list of sensors that are unauthorized and discoverable, with steps comprising;

(i) determining a sensor authorization level;

(ii) comparing the sensor authorization level to the recipient authorization level; and

(iii) adding the sensor to the first list of sensors if the following conditions are true;

(1) the recipient authorization level is below the sensor authorization level and, (2) the sensor Unauthorized Recipient Discovery field is set to True;

(d) creating a second list of sensors that are authorized, with steps comprising;

(i) determining a sensor authorization level;

(ii) comparing the sensor authorization level to the recipient authorization level; and

(iii) adding the sensor to the second list of sensors if the recipient authorization level is at least the same as the sensor authorization level; and

(e) sending a report to the recipient, wherein the report comprises the first list of sensors and the second list of sensors.

2. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximity in the request is comprised of a radial distance or a polygonal shape.

3. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 1, wherein said request further comprises the Auto Send Sensor Information flag and said report further comprises sensor information for said second list of sensors that are authorized.

4. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 3 wherein said sensor information is based on (1) sensor information fetched from cache, or (2) the sensor'"'"'s response to a data query for current information, or (3) the sensor'"'"'s response to a data query for historical information.

5. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 1, wherein the data provided for each sensor listed in said first list of sensors and said second list of sensors is comprised of the sensor Organization Name and the sensor Organization Sensor Identifier.

6. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one member of the group consisting of:

air pressure, temperature, humidity, moisture, mechanical pressure, optical, acoustic waves, motion, presence of chemicals or gasses, presence of biological matter, presence of metal, electromagnetic radiation, biometric parameters, visual pattern recognition, nuclear radiation and visual streams.

7. The method for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 1, wherein the protocol for sending the report to the requesting recipient is selected from a set of protocols consisting of IP, TCP, UDP, SCTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SIP, XML, CAP, RTP, RTSP, SMTP, SMPP, MM4 and MM7.

8. A system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location;

the system comprising;

(a) a memory comprising instructions; and

(b) a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor, when executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

(i) processing a request from the recipient, the request comprising an authorization level, a location and a proximity;

(ii) searching a memory for sensors that are proximally located to the requested location;

(iii) creating a first list of sensors that are unauthorized and discoverable, with steps comprising;

(1) determining a sensor authorization level;

(2) comparing the sensor authorization level to the recipient authorization level; and

(3) adding the sensor to the first list of sensors if the following conditions are true;

(1) the recipient authorization level is below the sensor authorization level and, (2) the sensor Unauthorized Recipient Discovery field is set to True;

(iv) creating a second list of sensors that are authorized, with steps comprising;

(1) determining a sensor authorization level;

(2) comparing the sensor authorization level to the recipient authorization level; and

(3) adding the sensor to the second list of sensors if the recipient authorization level is at least the same as the sensor authorization level; and

(v) sending a report to the recipient, wherein the report comprises the first list of sensors and the second list of sensors.

9. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 8, wherein the proximity in the request is comprised of a radial distance or a polygonal shape.

10. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 8, wherein said request further comprises the Auto Send Sensor Information flag and said report further comprises sensor information for said second list of sensors that are authorized.

11. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 10, wherein said sensor information is based on (1) sensor information fetched from cache, or (2) the sensor'"'"'s response to a data query for current information, or (3) the sensor'"'"'s response to a data query for historical information.

12. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 8, wherein the data provided for each sensor listed in said first list of sensors and said second list of sensors is comprised of the sensor Organization Name and the sensor Organization Sensor Identifier.

13. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 8, wherein the sensor is at least one member of the group consisting of:

air pressure, temperature, humidity, moisture, mechanical pressure, optical, acoustic waves, motion, presence of chemicals or gasses, presence of biological matter, presence of metal, electromagnetic radiation, biometric parameters, visual pattern recognition, nuclear radiation and visual streams.

14. The system for reporting the existence of a plurality of sensors of specific monitoring systems belonging to respective multiple organizations to a recipient that are proximally located to a requested location as recited in claim 8, wherein the protocol for sending the report to the requesting recipient is selected from a set of protocols consisting of IP, TCP, UDP, SCTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SIP, XML, CAP, RTP, RTSP, SMTP, SMPP, MM4 and MM7.