Enhanced telephony system for premises monitoring

• US 6,061,430 A
• Filed: 12/22/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, James E., Marx, Adam N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/996,050
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37-51, 379/201, 379/207, 379/210, 379/211, 379/251, 379/258
• US Class Current: 379/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

An enhanced telephony system for use in premises monitoring is disclosed. More particularly, such system provides an alert signal upon sensing of a predetermined condition of interest at a business or residential premises. The system provides for the receipt of a sensor signal at telephony service equipment, located at the premises in response to the sensing of a predetermined condition of interest. In turn, such telephony equipment is employed, in response to receipt of a sensor signal, to automatically provide at least one of a human-perceivable alert signal at the premises, or the initiation of a telephony call to a predetermined telephone number corresponding with the service control point maintained within a telephony services network. Preferably, the human-perceivable alert signal provided comprises a ringer cadence distinct from that employed in connection with the receipt of incoming telephone calls from third-parties. Such distinct cadence alerts individuals at the monitored premises that the predetermined condition of interest has been sensed. When a telephony call is initiated to a number corresponding with the service control point, additional AIN-enabled features may be included. Such features include directing of an alert call to one or more predetermined numbers corresponding with service companies for monitoring premises, emergency response stations (e.g., fire, police, etc.), call forwarding stations, and mobile stations. Such added features provide a readily configurable system for providing alert signals upon the detection of one or more predetermined conditions of interest at the monitored premises.

Claims

1. A method for providing an alert response upon sensing of a predetermined condition of interest at business or residential premises, comprising:

receiving a sensor signal at telephony service equipment, located at said premises, in response to sensing of a predetermined condition of interest at said premises;

using said telephony equipment, in response to receipt of said sensor signal, to automatically provide at least one of;

i) a human-perceivable alert signal at said premises; and

ii) initiation of an outgoing telephony call to a predetermined telephone number stored at said telephony equipment, wherein the predetermined telephone number corresponds with a predetermined telephonic switch within a telephony network service control point maintained within a telephony network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said human-perceivable alert signal comprises a cadence distinct from a cadence utilized with said telephony equipment upon receipt of incoming telephony calls from third-party callers.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said human-perceivable alert signal is an audible signal having said distinct cadence.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said distinct cadence is selected from a plurality of distinct cadences, each of said plurality of distinct cadences corresponding with a different, predetermined condition of interest monitored at said premises.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein pursuant to said initiation of an outgoing telephony call to a predetermined telephone number, said method further comprises:

receiving an incoming telephony call at said telephony equipment to provide a human-perceivable alert signal.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said human-perceivable alert signal is an audible signal having a ringer cadence distinct from a ringer cadence utilized with said telephony equipment upon receipt of incoming telephony calls from third-party callers.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outgoing telephony call is initiated at a first telephony device and said incoming telephony call is received at a second telephony device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one telephonic switch is an AIN-capable switch.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein upon receipt of a call at said predetermined AIN-capable switch, said switch sends a message to a service control point maintained within a telephony network.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein pursuant to said initiation of a telephony call to a predetermined telephone number, said method further comprises:

directing a service alert telephony call to a preregistered telephone number retrieved from a database at said service control point.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said preregistered telephony number is retrieved utilizing a call processing record corresponding with said outgoing telephony call.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said call processing record comprises a station number corresponding with said telephony equipment, and wherein said station number is cross-indexed with said preregistered telephony number in said database.

13. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein pursuant to said initiation of a telephony call to a predetermined telephone number, said method further comprises:

directing a service alert telephony call to a preregistered telephone number retrieved from a database at said service control point directing a plurality of different preregistered telephone numbers retrieved from a database at said service control point.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined telephone number is selected from a plurality of predetermined telephone alert numbers stored at said telephony equipment, each of said telephone alert numbers corresponding with a different type of predetermined condition of interest monitored at said premises.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of said predetermined telephone alert numbers corresponds with a different, predetermined AIN-capable switch located at one or more central offices within a telephony network.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein upon receipt of a call at any one of said predetermined AIN-capable switches, said one AIN-capable switch sends a message to a service control point maintained within the telephony network, said message including a call processing record that comprises a station number corresponding with said telephony equipment and the predetermined telephony alert number corresponding with said one predetermined AIN-capable switch.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

employing said call processing record at said service control point to retrieve at least one preregistered telephony number, wherein said retrieved preregistered telephony number is indexed in corresponding relation to said predetermined telephone number corresponding with said one AIN-capable switch.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

directing a telephony alert call to a callee station corresponding with said one preregistered telephony number.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

providing a prerecorded message to a callee answering said telephony call at said callee station.