COMPREHENSIVE VIDEO COLLECTION AND STORAGE

• US 20170230605A1
• Filed: 02/03/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Inventors: HAN, Peng, FARNHAM, IV, James W., PHILLIPS, Steven L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,904,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/19 by using information detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A video collection system comprising a body-wearable video camera, a camera dock, and a video collection manager. The camera dock is configured to interface with the body-wearable video camera having a camera-memory element. The camera dock includes a dock-memory element configured to receive and store video data from the camera-memory element. The video collection manager is communicatively coupled with the camera dock. The camera dock sends at least a portion of the video data to the video collection manager.

Claims

1. A video collection system comprising:

a camera dock,

wherein the camera dock is configured to interface with a camera having a camera-memory element,

wherein the camera dock includes a dock-memory element configured to receive and store video data from the camera-memory element; and

a video collection manager,

wherein the video collection manager is communicatively coupled with the camera dock,

wherein the camera dock sends at least a portion of the video data to the video collection manager.

2. The video collection system of claim 1,

wherein the camera dock is communicatively coupled to the video collection manager via a wireless communication protocol,

wherein the camera dock is remote from the video collection manager.

3. The video collection system of claim 1,

wherein the camera dock is communicatively coupled to the video collection manager via a wired communication protocol,

wherein the camera dock is remote from the video collection manager.

4. The video collection system of claim 1, wherein the camera dock further comprises:

a dock-processing element configured to instruct the body-wearable video camera to transfer a subset of the video data thereon,

wherein the dock-processing element is configured to select the subset based at least in part on a set of metadata from the body-wearable video camera.

5. The video collection system of claim 4, wherein the dock-processing element is configured to instruct the body-wearable video camera to transfer said set of metadata upon detecting that the body-wearable video camera is communicatively coupled to the camera dock.

6. The video collection system of claim 4, wherein the dock-processing element selects the subset of video data based at least in part on a criterion provided by the video collection manager.

7. The video collection system of claim 6,

wherein the criterion is entered into the video collection manager by an administrator,

wherein the criterion is selected so as to retrieve any video data that is associated with that criterion.

8. The video collection system of claim 6, wherein the criterion is selected from a group consisting of a beacon indication, a mark indication, a location indication, and a time indication.

9. The video collection system of claim 4,

wherein the subset of video data is all video data on the body-wearable video camera,

wherein the dock processing element is further configured to store said subset of video data on the dock-memory element,

10. The video collection system of claim 9,

wherein the dock processing element is further configured to select said portion of the video data sent to the video collection manager,

wherein said portion is a sub-subset of the subset of video data that was transferred to the computer dock.

11. A video collection system comprising:

a body-wearable video camera having a camera-memory element; and

a camera dock configured to interface with the camera, including—

a dock-memory element configured to receive and store video data from the camera-memory element, and

a communication element configured to send a portion of the video data to a video collection manager,

wherein the video collection manager is remote from the camera dock.

12. The video collection system of claim 11, wherein the camera dock further comprises:

a dock-processing element configured to instruct the body-wearable video camera to transfer a subset of the video data thereon,

wherein the dock-processing element is configured to select the subset based at least in part on a set of metadata from the body-wearable video camera.

13. The video collection system of claim 12, wherein the dock-processing element is configured to instruct the body-wearable video camera to transfer said set of metadata upon detecting that the body-wearable video camera is communicatively coupled to the camera dock.

14. The video collection system of claim 12,

wherein the dock-processing element selects the subset of video data based at least in part on a criterion provided by the video collection manager.

wherein the criterion is selected from a group consisting of a beacon indication, a mark indication, a location indication, and a time indication.

15. The video collection system of claim 13,

wherein the subset of video data is all video data on the body-wearable video camera,

wherein the dock processing element is further configured to store said subset of video data on the dock-memory element,

16. The video collection system of claim 11, wherein the body-wearable video camera includes:

a housing that is configured to appear as an identity badge such that an observer is less likely to determine that the housing includes a camera,

wherein the housing is configured to be worn by a user via a lanyard; and

a beacon sensor configured to detect a beacon and store a set of beacon information in metadata associated with the video data.

17. The video collection system of claim 16, wherein the camera dock includes:

a base;

a front protrusion extending generally upward from the base; and

a rear protrusion extending generally upward from the base,

wherein the camera dock is configured to receive the body-wearable video camera between the front protrusion and the rear protrusion.

18. A computerized method for selectively saving and transferring video data by a camera dock, the method comprising the following steps:

acquiring an indication that a body-wearable video camera is communicatively coupled;

receiving a set of metadata associated with a set of video data that is on the body-wearable video camera;

analyzing the set of metadata to determine a subset of the set of video data to be transferred;

instructing the body-wearable video camera to transfer the subset of video data;

saving the subset of the video data to a dock-memory unit;

selecting a sub-subset of the video data by analyzing the set of metadata and at least one criterion from a video collection manager; and

transferring the sub-subset of the video data to the remote video collection manager.

19. The computerized method of claim 18, wherein the criterion is selected from a group consisting of a beacon indication, a mark indication, a location indication, and a time indication.

20. The computerized method of claim 18, further comprising the following steps:

instructing the body-wearable video camera to delete the set of video data that is on the body-wearable video camera;

deleting the subset of video data that is saved to the dock-memory unit via a first in, first out buffer,

wherein the first in, first out buffer is applied considering the set of metadata such that video data more likely to be later requested from the video collection manager is saved longer than other video data.