REMOTE ALARM VERIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160300464A1
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Monitoring Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digital Monitoring Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Britton, Rick A., Britton, Jeffrey M., Ellison, Kevin D.
• Application Number:
  US14/684,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20160300464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system configured to facilitate remote verification of alarm events. Responsive to detection of an alarm event at a location of interest, clips of security video information and/or substantially real-time images may be presented to an end user on a user device associated with the end user, and/or to a reviewer via a central station, to facilitate determination of whether or not the detected alarm event is false. The system is configured to facilitate remote verification of alarm events by the end user and/or the reviewer while still protecting the privacy of the end user. The system may be configured to allow review of the clips and/or the substantially live images by the reviewer at the central station only responsive to detection of an alarm event, and only for a temporary period of time following the detection of the alarm event.

Claims

1. A system configured to facilitate remote verification of alarm events by an end user, the system comprising one or more physical computer processors configured by computer readable instructions to:

receive security video information from one or more cameras monitoring a location of interest;

determine whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest; and

responsive to determining that an alarm event has occurred;

cause electronic recording of one or more clips of security video information from the one or more cameras monitoring the location of interest, an individual clip comprising security video information from an individual camera for a period of time that corresponds to a time of the determined alarm event;

cause a user device associated with the end user to present a selectable list of the clips to the end user for review;

cause the user device associated with the end user to present substantially real-time images from the one or more cameras to the end user for review, wherein an individual substantially real-time image is associated with an individual camera;

facilitate determination by the end user of whether the determined alarm event is a false alarm event or a verified alarm event based on the clips and the substantially real-time images; and

facilitate communication of verification information that indicates the determination by the end user of whether the determined alarm event is a false alarm event or a verified alarm event from the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that determining whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest includes receiving an indication that an alarm event has occurred from a security system monitoring the location of interest.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that determining whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest includes:

determining one or more alarm event parameters based on the security video information from the one or more cameras;

obtaining alarm event criteria that describe alarm events at the location of interest; and

detecting an alarm event responsive to one or more alarm event parameters satisfying one or more alarm event criteria.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising non-transient electronic storage configured to store the one or more clips of security video information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that at least one clip includes security video information from a period of time that includes the time of the determined alarm event.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are streaming images from the one or more cameras.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are images updated responsive to requests from the end user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are updated up to about five times per second.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured to allow the end user to direct the system to store one or more of the clips in the selectable list for a predetermined period of time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured to allow the end user to direct the system to store one or more of the substantially real-time images for a predetermined period of time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured, responsive to determining that an alarm event has occurred, to generate substantially real-time image information for the one or more cameras, and then cause the user device associated with the end user to present the substantially real-time images from the one or more cameras based on the generated substantially real-time image information.

12. A method for facilitating remote verification of alarm events by an end user, the method comprising:

receiving security video information from one or more cameras monitoring a location of interest;

determining whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest; and

responsive to determining that an alarm event has occurred;

causing electronic recording of one or more clips of security video information from the one or more cameras monitoring the location of interest, an individual clip comprising security video information from an individual camera for a period of time that corresponds to a time of the determined alarm event;

causing a user device associated with the end user to present a selectable list of the clips to the end user for review;

causing the user device associated with the end user to present substantially real-time images from the one or more cameras to the end user for review, wherein an individual substantially real-time image is associated with an individual camera;

facilitating determination by the end user of whether the determined alarm event is a false alarm event or a verified alarm event based on the clips and the substantially real-time images; and

facilitating communication of verification information that indicates the determination by the end user of whether the determined alarm event is a false alarm event or a verified alarm event from the user device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest includes receiving an indication that an alarm event has occurred from a security system monitoring the location of interest.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether an alarm event has occurred for the location of interest includes:

determining one or more alarm event parameters based on the security video information from the one or more cameras;

obtaining alarm event criteria that describe alarm events at the location of interest; and

detecting an alarm event responsive to one or more alarm event parameters satisfying one or more alarm event criteria.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the one or more clips of security video information in non-transient electronic storage.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one clip includes security video information from a period of time that includes the time of the determined alarm event.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are streaming images from the one or more cameras.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are images updated responsive to requests from the end user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the substantially real-time images presented to the end user are updated up to about five times per second.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing the end user to direct electronic storage of one or more of the clips in the selectable list for a predetermined period of time.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing the end user to direct electronic storage of one or more of the substantially real-time images for a predetermined period of time.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured, responsive to determining that an alarm event has occurred, to generate substantially real-time image information for the one or more cameras, and then cause the user device associated with the end user to present the substantially real-time images from the one or more cameras based on the generated substantially real-time image information.