Audio listen and voice security system

• US 5,736,927 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Security Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Interactive Technologies, Inc. (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stebbins, Kevin, Severson, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, ANDREW BRUCE
• Application Number:
  US08/472,738
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/531, 340/533, 340/534, 340/825.06, 340/825.15, 340/825.17, 340/825.36, 340/825.37, 367/197, 367/198, 367/199, 381/56, 381/57, 381/58
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/085 using central distribution transmission lines
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/26 by updating and storing reference thresholds

Abstract

A security alarm system including multiple, zone distributed audio monitors and alarm sensors which report and verify detected alarms and communicate with a system controller and central station. Ambient audio is continuously and selectively recorded in a storage memory and is replayable to verify alarms detected at the alarm sensors. During pre-alarm conditions, all audio inputs are summed and recorded. During an alarm state, the audio input of the audio monitor physically closest to a reporting alarm sensor is automatically selected and the post-alarm audio activity is recorded only for that sensor. The central station is able to selectively communicate via a phone link with each audio controller and engage in half duplexed voice communication with the alarm site, remotely playback and listen to the locally recorded audio data, or program each audio controller. The monitored audio data is stored in RAM storage in discreet segments corresponding to predetermined periods of pre-alarm and post-alarm data.

Claims

1. Security alarm apparatus including a central station which communicates via a telephone link to a subscriber system controller, said system controller being responsive to a plurality of alarm sensors distributed about a subscriber premises, and further including;

a) a plurality of audio means for detecting audible sounds, wherein each of said audio means is located in audible proximity to at least one of said plurality of alarm sensors; and

b) audio controller means coupled to each of said plurality of audio means and to said central station and responsive to alarm conditions detected by said system controller from said plurality of alarm sensors for continuously monitoring the audio input of each of said audio means and prior to the detection of an alarm condition storing periodic compilations of the audio input of all of said plurality of audio means to a single address of a storage means, and after detecting an alarm condition for automatically selecting and storing the audio input from only the audio means in closest physical proximity to an alarm sensor reporting the alarm condition at a second address of said storage means, and including means for seizing said telephone link and establishing communications from said central station to the audio means in closest physical proximity to the alarm sensor reporting an alarm condition with the reporting of the alarm condition, whereby a record of pre and post audio activity is available to the central station monitoring personnel and who may also directly listen and converse with the alarm site.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said audio controller means includes means for accessing said telephone link and establishing voice communications between said central station and the subscriber premises.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including a plurality of speakers which are distributed about the subscriber premises and wherein said audio controller means includes means for selectively enabling said voice communications through a selected one or more of said speakers.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including filter means for preventing the recording of central station voice communications to the subscriber premises after an alarm from the stored audio data.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said audio controller means further includes means for preventing central station listening and communications to the subscriber premises after a predetermined period of time immediately following the reporting of one of said alarm conditions to the central station unless a programmed password is entered, thereby preventing non-emergency eavesdropping by the central station.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including at least one annunciator means at the subscriber premises and wherein said audio controller means includes means for selectively enabling said annunciator means.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for digitally encoding said first and second periods of audio inputs and for storing the first and second periods in random access memory means organized into a plurality of incremental storage periods and such that greater than fifty percent of stored data comprises the data of said second period.

8. In a security alarm system including a central station which communicates with a subscriber premises, apparatus comprising:

a) a plurality of audio means for detecting analog audible sounds, wherein each of said audio means is mounted in audible proximity to at least one of a plurality of alarm sensors; and

b) audio controller means coupled to each of said audio means and separately coupled to said central station via a telephone line, comprising;

i) receiver means for receiving an audio input from each of the plurality of audio means,

ii) means for digitally encoding the analog audio inputs of each of said audio means into audio data,

iii) means for storing the audio data in random access memory means,

iv) means coupled to the telephone line for encoding and decoding DTMF signals, and

v) processor means responsive to detected alarm conditions for coupling all of said audio means to said digital encoding mans, prior to an alarm condition, and only the audio means in closest physical proximity to an alarm sensor reporting an alarm, after the reporting of an alarm, for periodically compiling the pre alarm audio data from all of the audio means and storing the data to a first address of said random access memory, for storing post alarm audio data from the single audio means to a second address, after detecting an alarm, for seizing said telephone line and establishing communications from said central station to the audio means in closest physical proximity to the alarm sensor reporting an alarm condition with the reporting of the alarm condition, and thereafter for selectively

     1) coupling voice communications from the central station to the subscriber premises through a speaker and

     2) listening to the audio means.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 including means for preventing central station listening to the subscriber premises after a predetermined period immediately succeeding the detection of an alarm condition unless a programmed password is entered, thereby preventing non-emergency eavesdropping by the central station.

10. In a security alarm system including a central station which communicates with a subscriber premises via a telephone link, apparatus comprising:

a) a system controller coupled to a plurality of alarm sensors distributed about a subscriber premises;

b) a plurality of microphones, wherein each of said microphones is mounted in audible proximity to at least one of said plurality of alarm sensors; and

c) audio controller means coupled via a phone line to said central station for continuously monitoring each of said microphones and for periodically storing digital data compilations of the audio inputs from each of said microphones at a first address of a memory means, prior to an alarm, and for selecting and storing audio data from the microphone in closest proximity to an active alarm sensor at a second address for a predetermined period of time after the detection of an alarm, until reset, and including means for seizing said telephone link and establishing communications from said central station to the audio means in closest physical proximity to the alarm sensor reporting an alarm condition with the reporting of the alarm condition.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said audio controller means further includes filter means for preventing the storing of central station voice communications to the subscriber premises after an alarm from the stored audio data and means for preventing central station listening and communications after a predetermined period of time immediately following the reporting of an alarm unless a programmed password is entered, thereby preventing non-emergency eavesdropping by the central station.