Workstation for video security system

• US 6,091,771 A
• Filed: 08/01/1997
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ADT Security Services SA (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Dealer Services Incorporated (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Vogt, William R., Seeley, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRITTON, HOWARD W
• Application Number:
  US08/904,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 348/143, 348/152, 348/153, 348/154, 348/155, 348/159, 348/390, 345/378
• US Class Current: 375/240
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A workstation (106) for a security system (10) includes a first video display (602a) displaying status information of video equipment (22) used at the premises to perform the surveillance. A second video display (602b) displays a plurality of thumbnail images of an intrusion scene. A third video display (602c) displays a snapshot image from which one of said the thumbnail images is derived. The snapshot is displayed upon the thumbnail image derived from the snapshot being selected by a workstation operator. A fourth video display (602d) displays data relating to the premises, identifying the location on the premises where the intrusion occurred, who should be contacted about the intrusion, etc.

Claims

1. A workstation for a security system providing video surveillance of a premises to detect intrusions of the premises comprising:

a first video display displaying status information of video equipment used at the premises to perform the surveillance;

a second video display displaying a plurality of first video images;

a third video display displaying a second video image from which one of said first video images is derived, said second video image being displayed being selected by a workstation operator from said plurality of first video images; and

,

a fourth video display displaying data relating to the premises and identifying the location on the premises where the intrusion occurred.

2. The workstation of claim 1 further including control means by which said operator can arrange said first video images in a selected pattern and can identify for which of said first video images said second video image is to be displayed on said third video display.

3. The workstation of claim 1 further including an audio interface means configured to play audio signals received from said security system.

4. The workstation of claim 3 wherein said audio interface means is further configured to receive audio data from said workstation operator and transmit said received audio data to said premises.

5. The workstation of claim 3 wherein said audio signals are interlaced with received video signals from said security system, said audio interface means further configured to extract said audio signals from said video signals.

6. The workstation of claim 1 wherein said plurality of first video images include scenes of said premises obtained from said video equipment used at said premises to perform surveillance.

7. The workstation of claim 6 wherein said plurality of first video images may include a combination of current scene images and archival scene images recorded at a previous time.

8. The workstation of claim 1 wherein said plurality of first video images comprises up to and including sixteen video images.

9. The workstation of claim 1 wherein said data relating to said premises includes:

data identifying an owner or operator of said premises;

data identifying an address of said premises;

data identifying personnel to be notified in the event of an intrusion into said premises;

data identifying the type of intrusion detected into said premises; and

data identifying the location of said intrusion into said premises.

15. The workstation of claim 1 wherein said one of said predetermined events is an intrusion within said premises.

16. The workstation of claim 1 wherein said one of said predetermined events is a fire within said premises.

10. A workstation for a security system providing surveillance of a plurality of premises to detect the occurrence of at least one of a predetermined events comprising:

a first display means configured to display status information of surveillance equipment located at one of said plurality of premises;

a second display means configured to display a plurality of video images related to said one of said plurality of premises;

a third display means configured to display an enlarged video image derived from one of said plurality of video images selected by a workstation operator; and

a fourth display means configured to display data relating to said one of said plurality of premises.

11. The workstation of claim 10 wherein each of said first, second, third, and fourth display means comprises a quadrant of a video display.

12. The workstation of claim 10 wherein each of said first, second, third, and fourth display means comprises an individual video display.

13. The workstation of claim 10 further including control means configured to allow said workstation operator to arrange said plurality of video images and to identify said one of said plurality of video images for display on said third display means.

14. The workstation of claim 10 further including an audio interface means by which said workstation operator can transmit and receive audio data to and from said one of said plurality of premises.