Home security administration platform

• US 6,943,682 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spudic, Cynthia L., Dowens, Jac P.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/689,805
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/521, 340/523, 340/531, 340/539.16, 340/539.26, 340/541, 379/49, 379/105, 345/173, 713/200
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A network may receives tracking information of various emergency services personnel, so that when a security breach has occurred at a residence or place of business, the network receives a surveillance profile from a home computer that is disposed where the detector is located, and dispatch the most geographically appropriate emergency services personnel as determined based on the tracking information. The surveillance profile may include its address, location within the residence of place of business, and a physical description or layout of the premises in which the sensor is located. Then, a verification protocol is initiated by calling a predetermined sequence of telephone numbers set by the subscriber to the security system. Dispatching of the appropriate emergency services personnel includes the network accessing a security platform database to find corresponding emergency services personnel to respond to the detected security breach in accordance with the information received in the surveillance profile.

Claims

1. A communication network-based method of administering a remotely located security system, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a security system platform disposed in the communication network, a surveillance profile from the remotely located security system regarding a piece of security equipment that has detected a security breach; and

dispatching emergency services corresponding to the surveillance profile of the security equipment, wherein

said step of receiving the surveillance profile from the remotely located security equipment includes receiving information identifying the detecting security equipment as at least one of a video camera, motion detector and heat detector, and further includes receiving at least one of registration information corresponding to the detecting security equipment, a location of the detecting security equipment and a physical description of the contents of a room in which the detecting security equipment is located.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, after said step of receiving a surveillance profile, said method comprises the further steps of:

requesting, from the network-based security system platform, verification from a predetermined sequence of terminals at the remote location corresponding to the detecting security equipment;

receiving, at the network-based security system platform, a predetermined authorization code; and

terminating, at the network-based security system platform, further processing associated with the received surveillance profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of requesting verification from a predetermined sequence of terminals corresponding to the detecting security equipment includes at least one of calling a designated telephone number to request the predetermined authorization code from an answering party and transmitting the request for the predetermined authorization code to a designated internet protocol (IP) address for the processor corresponding to the detecting security equipment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein if the predetermined authorization code is not received, said terminating step is not performed, and said method further comprises, after said dispatching step, the step of informing a subscriber of the security breach by calling, from the network-based security system platform, a sequence of designated telephone numbers until the first of receiving a response by an answering party or exhausting the sequence of designated telephone numbers without receiving an answer occurs.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of dispatching emergency services corresponding to the surveillance profile of the detecting security equipment includes dispatching at least one of a local fire department and a local police department in accordance with information identifying the security equipment as at least one of a video camera, motion detector and heat detector.

6. A method of administering a communication network-based security system, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a security system platform in the communication network, tracking information of emergency services personnel;

receiving, at the security system platform in the communication network, a surveillance profile from security equipment that has detected a security breach; and

dispatching the emergency services personnel in accordance with the surveillance profile of the detecting security equipment and the received tracking information of emergency services personnel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of receiving tracking information of the emergency services personnel includes receiving login registration information from individual emergency services personnel including those from police departments, fire departments and emergency medical technicians.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of receiving tracking information of the emergency services personnel further includes receiving global positioning services (GPS) information for individual emergency services personnel including those from police departments, fire departments and emergency medical technicians.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of receiving the surveillance profile from the detecting security equipment includes receiving information identifying the detecting security equipment as at least one of a video camera, motion detector and heat detector.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of receiving the surveillance profile includes receiving at least one of registration information corresponding to the detecting security equipment, a location of the detecting security equipment and a physical description of the contents of a room in which the detecting security equipment is located.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of receiving a surveillance profile includes receiving the surveillance profile from a database corresponding to the detecting security equipment.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein, after said step of receiving a surveillance profile from the detecting security equipment, said method comprises the further steps of:

requesting verification from a predetermined sequence of terminals corresponding to the detecting security equipment; and

receiving, at the network-based security system platform, a predetermined authorization code; and

terminating further processing associated with the received surveillance profile.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of requesting verification from a predetermined sequence of terminals corresponding to the detecting security equipment includes at least one of launching a telephone call from the network-based security system platform to a designated telephone number to request the predetermined authorization code from an answering party and transmitting the request for the predetermined authorization code to a designated internet protocol (IP) address for the computer corresponding to the detecting security equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if the predetermined authorization code is not received, said terminating step is not performed, and said method further comprises, after said launching a telephone call step, the step of informing a subscriber of the security breach by launching a telephone call from the network-based security system platform to a sequence of designated telephone numbers until the first of receiving a response by an answering party or exhausting the sequence of designated telephone numbers without receiving an answer occurs.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of receiving a predetermined authorization code includes receiving a personal identification number (PIN) verbally using a voice recognition methodology.