Networks and circuits for alarm system operations

• US 6,570,496 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rick A. Britton
• Original Assignee: Rick A. Britton
• Inventors: Britton, Rick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/825,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/507, 340/541, 340/565, 340/539, 348/153, 348/154, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2454 Checking of authorisation of a person accessing tagged items in an EAS system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system

Abstract

Remote online utilization of video data for analyzing potential alarm events from an automatic alarm network includes the following. A premise-protecting control panel communicates with a sensor, providing a message in some or all cases of sensor signals. A remote receiver receives the messages of the control panel. A camera device is combined with the sensor for acquiring video data that allows further analysis into the matter of a given sensor-detected event. The camera device is configured with stateless network communication protocols and server processing to achieve network service of video data upon request. Correspondingly, the receiver is configured with compatible stateless network communication protocols and then also browser processing wherein the receiver can transmit network requests to the camera device for network service of said video data. The foregoing achieves remote online analysis of the video data in the matter of the given sensor-detected event.

Claims

1. A method of remote online utilization of video data for analysis of potential alarm events in an automatic alarm system, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one sensor on a protected premise with a signal response in cases of sensing a sensible event;

providing at least one premise-protecting control panel in communication with the sensor with a message response in some or all cases of sensor signals;

providing at least one remote receiver for receiving the message traffic of the control panel;

providing at least one camera device in combination with the sensor for acquiring video data allowing further analysis into the matter of a given sensible event;

providing a communications network for linking at least the camera device and receiver;

configuring the camera device with stateless network communication protocols and server processing wherein the camera device provides network service of video data upon a network request; and

,

configuring the receiver with compatible stateless network communication protocols and browser processing wherein a user at the receiver can transmit network requests to the camera device for network service of said video data and thereby achieve remote online analysis of the video data in the matter of the given sensible event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the stateless network communication protocols can be chosen from open protocols including HTTP.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the communications network includes at least in part the Internet.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of remote user sites linked for requesting network service of the video data by communicating at least in part over the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network requests submitted by the receiver can include pan, zoom and tilt instructions.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera and sensor are either different devices or the same device.

7. A method of remote online utilization of video data for analysis of potential alarm events in an automatic alarm system of the type having:

at least one sensor on a protected premise which has a signal response in cases of sensing a sensible event,

at least one premise-protecting control panel in communication with the sensor which has a message response in some or all cases of sensor signals,

at least one remote receiver for receiving the message traffic of the control panel,

at least one camera device in combination with the sensor for acquiring video data allowing further analysis into the matter of a given sensible event, and

a communications network for linking at least the camera device and receiver,

wherein the camera device is configured with stateless network communication protocols and server processing such that the camera device provides network service of video data upon a network request,

said method comprising the steps of;

configuring the receiver with compatible stateless network communication protocols and browser processing wherein a user at the receiver can transmit network requests to the camera device for network service of said video data and thereby achieve remote online analysis of the video data in the matter of the given sensible event.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the stateless network communication protocols can be chosen from open protocols including HTTP.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the communications network includes at least in part the Internet.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of remote user sites linked for requesting network service of the video data by communicating at least in part over the Internet.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the network requests submitted by the receiver can include pan, zoom and tilt instructions.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the camera and sensor are either different devices or the same device.

13. A method of utilizing IP telephony with premise-protecting control panels in an automatic alarm network of the type in which the control panels are configured with voice-grade aural signal processing, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one sensor on a protected premise with a signal response in cases of sensing a sensible event;

providing at least one premise-protecting control panel in communication with the sensor with a message response in some or all cases of sensor signals, wherein the message response is formatted in a voice-grade aural signal format;

providing a proximate network access device with a connection to the control panel and which converts the voice-grade aural signal format of the message response into a data format;

providing at least one remote receiver for receiving the message traffic of the control panel; and

providing a data communications network for linking at least the network access device and receiver wherein the remote receiver is linked with the control panel at least in part by communicating over the data communications network.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the network access device comprises a router configured with IP telephony.