Method and system for mobile duress alarm

• US 20180033288A1
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Integrated Security LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Strack, Darryl
• Granted Patent: US 10,460,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• 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 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

During a potential security event, a mobile application enters an alarm state and records audio, video and location event data and forwards the event data to a monitoring center, which stores the event data and takes appropriate action such as notifying local law enforcement. The alarm state is triggered manually, by the use of wireless sensors, or by arming the mobile application and then determining if it has been disarmed within a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A method for responding to potential security events comprising:

specifying alarm events and configuring a set of alarm actions to be performed in response to detecting the alarm events;

a mobile application, executing on a mobile computing device, detecting the alarm events via one or more wireless body sensors;

the mobile application recording event data and forwarding the event data to a monitoring center in response to detecting the alarm events; and

the monitoring center executing the alarm actions and storing the received event data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the alarm events is a manual activation event that is triggered by pressing one or more buttons on the mobile computing device in a predetermined manner.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alarm events are detected by the wireless body sensor that detects that a user has removed their gun from its holster.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alarm actions include notifying a predetermined list of contacts of the potential security event.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alarm actions include notifying nearby law enforcement officers of the potential security event.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring center is a law enforcement agency, and the alarm actions include dispatching backup law enforcement officers to the location of a potential security event.

7. The method according to claim 1, in which the event data includes audio, video, and global navigation satellite system location data recorded by the mobile application.

8. A method for responding to potential security events comprising:

specifying one or more arming events, expiration actions, and disarming actions;

a mobile application executing on a mobile computing device detecting the arming events via one or more wireless body sensors;

the mobile application recording event data, forwarding the event data to a. monitoring center, and

determining whether the mobile application has been disarmed in response to the arming events; and

executing actions in response to failing to detect disarming actions.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the arming events include manual activation by pressing one or more buttons on the mobile computing device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the arming events include the mobile computing device entering a predefined geographic area, which is detected by the mobile application through the use of neo-fencing.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the event data includes audio, video and global navigation satellite system location data recorded by the mobile application.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring center stores the event data in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring center notifies a predetermined list of contacts of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring center notifies law enforcement of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

15. The method according to claim 8, in which the monitoring center is a law enforcement agency, and the set of expiration actions includes dispatching backup law enforcement officers to the location of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

16. A mobile duress alarm system comprising:

a mobile computing device executing a mobile application for detecting alarm events and recording event data and forwarding the event data in response to detecting the alarm events, which are detected by a wireless body sensor; and

a monitoring center for executing alarm actions to be performed in response to detecting the alarm events and storing the received event data.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein one of the alarm events is a manual activation event that is triggered by pressing one or more buttons on the mobile computing device in a predetermined manner.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the alarm events are detected by wireless body sensor that detects that a user has removed their gun from its holster.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the alarm actions include notifying a predetermined list of contacts of the potential security event.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the alarm actions include notifying local law enforcement of the potential security event.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the monitoring center is a law enforcement agency, and the alarm actions include dispatching backup law enforcement officers to the location of a potential security event.

22. The system according to claim 16, in which the event data includes audio, video, and global navigation satellite system location data recorded by the mobile application.

23. A mobile duress alarm system comprising:

a mobile computing device executing a mobile application for detecting arming events, recording event data, forwarding event data, and determining whether the mobile application has been disarmed in response to the arming events; and

a monitoring center for executing actions in response to failing to receive an indication that the mobile application was disarmed.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the arming events include manual activation by pressing one or more buttons on the mobile computing device.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the arming events include the mobile computing device entering a predefined geographic area, which is detected by the mobile application through the use of neo-fencing.

26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the event data includes audio, video and global navigation satellite system location data recorded by the mobile application.

27. The system according to claim 23, wherein the monitoring center stores the event data in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

28. The system according to claim 23, wherein the monitoring center notifies a predetermined list of contacts of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

29. The system according to claim 23, wherein the monitoring center notifies law enforcement of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

30. The system according to claim 23, in which the monitoring center is a law enforcement agency, and the set of expiration actions includes dispatching backup law enforcement officers to the location of the potential security event in response to the mobile application being armed and not being disarmed within a predetermined time period.

31. The system according to claim 23, in which the mobile computing device includes a global navigation satellite system receiver for detecting by the mobile application whether or not a predefined geographic area has been entered.