Guard tour system

• US 6,834,259 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Timekeeping Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Timekeeping Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Cross, Jay, Dutton, Tom, Markwitz, Barry, Chriss, Dean, Gribov, Michael, Morman, Tom, Boswell, Scott, Nicholson, Jim, OʼFlaherty, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US09/419,475
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 702/81-84, 702/108, 702/122, 702/182-185, 702/187, 702/188, 702/FOR-103, 702/FOR-134, 702/FOR.137, 702/FOR-170, 235/375, 235/382, 235/383, 235/385, 340/596, 340/5.71, 340/825.27, 340/825.49, 340/825.36, 340/306, 340/506, 340/572.1, 340/825.31, 340/539, 705/11
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/20 Checking timed patrols, e.g. of watchman

Abstract

The guard tour system of the present invention is comprised of a central computer which runs a computer program that enables a variety of electronic hardware components to function as the guard tour system. As a guard progresses through a guard tour, he or she uses a touch button reader to read information stored within a plurality of touch memory buttons located along the patrol route. At the end of the patrol, the guard places the touch button reader in a downloader that transfers the stored data to the central computer which processes the data and generates reports summarizing the patrol data. The computer program of the present invention provides a novel method of organizing security information in heirarchical categories. Further, the guard tour system of the present invention uses a novel method to determine the number of times a guard visited a location in a given time period.

Claims

1. A computer program product for use with a data processing system for monitoring and evaluating guard patrols of one or more sites, said computer program product comprising:

a) a computer usable medium including;

1) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for gathering information obtained from one or more checkpoints during a guard patrol of one or more sites, said checkpoints being nonprioritized permitting said information to be gathered in any sequence;

2) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for detecting when said gathered information is ready to be downloaded into said data processing system; and

3) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for downloading said gathered information into said data processing system; and

b) computer readable program code means for printing one or more reports to a printer of said information obtained from one or more checkpoints during a guard patrol, said reports comprising customization selected from the group consisting of logos, cover sheets, photographs, detailed headings, bitmaps, watermarks, drawings, illustrations, trademarks, and patrol statistics.

2. A computer program product for use with a data processing system for monitoring and evaluating guard patrols of one or more sites, said computer program product comprising:

a) a computer usable medium including;

1) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for gathering information obtained from one or more checkpoints during a guard patrol of one or more sites, said checkpoints being nonprioritized permitting said information to be gathered in any sequence;

2) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for monitoring the gathering of said information and detecting when said gathered information is ready to be downloaded into said data processing system; and

3) computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for downloading said gathered information into said data processing system; and

b) computer readable program code means for downloading said gathered information into said data processing system independently of said computer program product.