Internet facilitated emergency and general paging system

• US 7,218,708 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Berezowski, Andrew G., Garvy, Patrick J., Warner, Todd W., Pearson, Charles T., Mancini, George P.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US10/800,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20050201541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/41, 379/43, 379/44, 379/47, 379/48, 379/50, 379/51, 379/159, 379/160, 379/170, 379/171, 379/172, 370/352, 370/356, 340/500, 340/506, 340/825.36, 340 71- 762
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022

Abstract

A plurality of displaced paging systems can be controlled from a common paging facility via a computer network such as the Internet. Real-time streaming audio can be transmitted, via the network to one or more identified facilities and/or zones and broadcast thereinto.

Claims

1. A system for remote control of displaced paging systems through at least one computer network comprising:

source software for accepting an identification of at least one facility and at least one region therein into which audio is to be broadcast via a local paging audio system installed in the facility;

communications software for establishing communications, via a computer network, with destination software for transmitting at least a facility identifier, a region identifier, and a representation of the audio to be broadcast; and

destination software, responsive to a received facility identifier and a received region identifier for interacting with the local paging audio system to broadcast received audio into the identified facility and region and where the local paging audio system includes a control element coupled to at least first and second pluralities of audio output transducors, each plurality is located in a respective region of the facility.

2. A system as in claim 1 where the source software includes graphical user interface software which graphically presents available facilities and regions for selection.

3. A system as in claim 2 where the source software includes audio compression software.

4. A system as in claim 2 where the source software includes encryption software.

5. A system as in claim 1 where the destination software includes status reporting software to communicate, at least intermittently, via the computer network, with the source software.

6. A system as in claim 1 where the destination software includes audio processing software to transmit local audio to the source software, via the computer network, for audible presentation local to the source software.

7. A system as in claim 1 which includes at least second destination software responsive to a received second, different facility identifier and a received second, different region identifier for interacting with a second, different local paging audio system to broadcast received audio into the second identified facility and second region.

8. A building control system for remote control of displaced paging systems through at least one computer network comprising:

at least one multi-zone paging system which includes;

a first plurality of audio output devices, the members of the plurality are displaced from one another and installed in a first zone of a building being monitored;

a second plurality of audio output devices, the members of the plurality are displaced from one another and installed in a second zone of the building;

control circuits at the building coupled to the first and second pluralities, the control circuits, in response to received commands, select at least one of the pluralities and couple prioritized verbal messages received from a displaced source thereto;

an interface to a computer network, the interface is coupled to the control circuits, the interface receives commands and verbal messages from the displaced source and forwards same to the control circuits, the control circuits couple received verbal messages to the respective plurality in accordance with an associated indicium of priority.

9. A system as in claim 8 where at least one of the zones includes a video input transducer that generates real-time video information indicative of conditions in the respective zone, the video information is coupled to the interface for transmission to the displaced source substantially in real-time.

10. A system as in claim 9 where the control circuits also couple audio signals received from a respective zone, via the interface and computer network to the displaced source substantially in real-time.

11. A system as in claim 8 comprising:

a plurality of multi-zone paging systems, each paging system including circuitry for selecting at least one of a plurality of zones, each zone including a plurality of at least audio output devices, each paging system also including an interface to the computer network for bidirectional communications of at least verbal messages with a displaced, common, source.

12. A system as in claim 11 which includes software that transmits paging system and zone specifics, as selected on a screen, to at least one of the paging systems via the computer network for presentation of selected verbal messages in the selected zone.