System and method for employee notification and evidence gathering during a robbery

• US 6,992,589 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rebecca M. Marsh
• Original Assignee: Rebecca M. Marsh
• Inventors: Marsh, Rebecca M.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US10/348,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 340/574, 340/506, 340/573.1, 340/523, 340/541, 340/521, 340/522
• US Class Current: 340/574
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0297 Robbery alarms, e.g. hold-up alarms, bag snatching alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/229 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for

Abstract

A security monitor receives an indication of a robbery from a security system. In response, an alert generator sends an alert to a plurality of employee terminals, where the alert causes each of the employee terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery and prompt for and record an employee'"'"'s observations.

Claims

1. A system for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

a security monitor to receive an indication of a robbery from a security system;

an alert generator to send an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals, wherein the alert is to cause each of the employee computer terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery on an associated display screen; and

an observation recorder to automatically prompt an employee for the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations and record the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations during the robbery in response to the alert using the display screen.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification specifies a particular employee who is being robbed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification specifies an approximate time of the robbery.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a set of instructions for a receiving employee to carry out during the robbery.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a pop-up window displayed on a screen unrelated to security monitoring.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a ticker presented on the display screen.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one employee is a teller at a financial institution.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one employee computer terminal comprises:

an alert reception module to receive the alert; and

a notification agent to preemptively display the notification message.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an evidence compiler for retrieving stored employee observations from the plurality of employee computer terminals.

11. A system for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

a security monitor for receiving an indication of a robbery from a security system; and

an alert generator to send an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals through a network, wherein the alert is to cause each of the employee computer terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery on an associated display screen and to cause each of the employee computer terminals to automatically prompt an employee for the employee'"'"'s observations and record the employee'"'"'s observations during the robbery.

12. An apparatus for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

an alert detector to receive an alert indicating that a robbery is in progress;

a notification agent to preemptively display a notification of the robbery on a display screen of an employee'"'"'s computer terminal; and

an observation recorder to automatically prompt the employee for the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations and record the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations during the robbery in response to the alert using the display screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein an observation comprises a text description.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein an observation comprises a vocal description.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification agent is to prevent the notification from being removed from the display screen until after the robbery.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification specifies a particular employee who is being robbed.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification specifies an approximate time of the robbery.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an instruction module for displaying with the notification a set of instructions on the display screen for a receiving employee to carry out during the robbery.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification comprises a pop-up window displayed on a screen unrelated to security monitoring.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification comprises a ticker presented on the display screen.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one employee is a teller at a financial institution.

23. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the alert is received through a network.

24. An apparatus for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

an alert detector to receive an alert that a robbery is in progress;

a notification agent to preemptively display a notification of the robbery on a display screen of an employee'"'"'s computer terminal; and

an instruction module to instruct a receiving employee to carry out a set of instructions during the robbery, the set of instructions also being displayed on the employee'"'"'s computer terminal.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

26. A system for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

means for receiving an indication of a robbery from a security system; and

means for sending an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals, wherein the alert is to cause each of the employee computer terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery and instruct an employee to carry out a set of instructions during the robbery via a respective computer terminal.

27. An apparatus for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

means for receiving an alert that a robbery is in progress;

means for preemptively displaying a notification of the robbery on a display screen; and

means for automatically prompting an employee for the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations and recording the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations during the robbery in response to the alert using a computer display screen.

28. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including program code for performing a method for alerting employees to a robbery, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a robbery from a security system; and

sending an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals, wherein the alert is to cause each of the employee computer terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery; and

automatically prompting an employee for the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations and recording the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations during the robbery in response to the alert using a computer terminal display screen.

29. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including program code for performing a method for alerting employees to a robbery, the method comprising:

receiving an alert indicating that a robbery is in progress;

preemptively displaying a notification of the robbery on a display screen; and

automatically prompting an employee for the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations and recording the employee'"'"'s written or spoken observations during the robbery in response to the alert using a computer display screen.

30. A method for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

receiving an indication of a robbery from a security system;

sending an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals, wherein the alert is to cause each of the employee computer terminals to preemptively display a notification of the robbery; and

within the employee computer terminal;

prompting an employee, for an observation during the robbery; and

recording the observation.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the notification specifies a particular employee who is being robbed.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the notification specifies an approximate time of the robbery.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the notification comprises a set of instructions for a receiving employee to carry out during the robbery.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the notification comprises a pop-up window displayed on a screen unrelated to security monitoring.

36. The method f claim 30, wherein the notification comprises a ticker presented on the computer terminal.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein at least one employee is a teller at a financial institution.

38. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

within an employee computer terminal;

receiving the alert; and

preemptively displaying the notification message.

39. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

retrieving observations stored by the plurality of employee computer terminals.

40. A method for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

receiving an indication of a robbery from a security system; and

sending an alert to a plurality of employee computer terminals through a network, wherein the alert is to cause an employee computer terminal to preemptively display a notification of the robbery and to cause the employee computer terminal to automatically prompt an employee for the employee'"'"'s observations and record the employee'"'"'s observations during the robbery.

41. A method for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

receiving an alert indicating that a robbery is in progress;

preemptively displaying a notification of the robbery on a display screen of a employee'"'"'s computer terminal; and

automatically prompting the employee for the employee'"'"'s observations and recording the employee'"'"'s observations during the robbery using the computer terminal.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein an observation comprises a text description.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein an observation comprises a vocal description.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

preventing the notification from being removed from the display screen until after the robbery.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein preemptively displaying a notification comprises specifying a particular employee who is being robbed.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein preemptively displaying a notification comprises specifying an approximate time of the robbery.

47. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

displaying with the notification on the computer terminal a set of instructions for a receiving employee to carry out during the robbery.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein preemptively displaying a notification comprises showing the notification as a pop-up window displayed on a screen unrelated to security monitoring.

50. The method of claim 41, wherein preemptively displaying a notification comprises showing the notification as a ticker on the computer terminal.

51. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one employee is a teller at a financial institution.

52. The method of claim 41, wherein receiving comprises receiving an alert through a network.

53. A method for alerting employees to a robbery comprising:

indicating that a robbery is in progress;

preemptively displaying a notification of the robbery on a display screen of an employees computer terminal; and

instructing the employee to carry out a set of instructions during the robbery via the computer terminal.

54. The method of claim 54, wherein the set of instructions is specific to a particular employee.

55. A user interface to be displayed on a computer terminal for alerting employees to a robbery, the user interface comprising:

a notification area to be displayed on the computer terminal for notifying an employee about a robbery; and

an observation area to be displayed on the computer terminal to prompt for an observation of an employee and provide an interface for receiving the observation of an employee during the robbery.

56. The user interface of claim 55, wherein the notification area specifies a particular employee who is being robbed.

57. The user interface of claim 55, wherein the observation area comprises a text entry area.

58. The user interface of claim 55, wherein the observation area comprises a control for recording a vocal description by the employee.

59. The user interface of claim 55, further comprising:

an instruction area to be displayed on the computer terminal for providing a set of instructions for the employee to carry out during the robbery.

60. The user interface of claim 59, wherein the set of instructions is specific to the particular employee.

61. The user interface of claim 59, wherein the notification area includes an approximate time of the robbery.