Supervised guard tour tracking systems and methods

• US 7,289,023 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Security Associates Incorporated (Allied Universal Manager LLC)
• Original Assignee: US Security Associates Incorporated (Allied Universal Manager LLC)
• Inventors: Schneider, Charles R., Adams, Wesley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US11/218,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20060090101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/20 Checking timed patrols, e.g. of watchman
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/24 Self-calibration, e.g. compensating for environmental drift or ageing of components

Abstract

The present invention comprises systems and methods for addressing exceptions (i.e., alarms) associated with a guard tour according to a predefined hierarchy. The exception is generated automatically based on data associated with the guard tour, as typically collected by an ETTS. The present invention receives tour data, and based upon predefined customer preferences and current conditions, generates a procedure to be followed to optimally resolve the exception. An exemplary exception is one based on the time interval between checkpoints. If, for example, the time interval is outside of a predetermined range, then an exception may be generated.

Claims

1. A method for processing and resolving exception alarms associated with a guard tour at a premise, comprising:

collecting tour data from a guard device associated with a guard tour at a premise, wherein the tour comprises a plurality of checkpoints;

identifying an exception by analyzing the tour data to identify an elapsed time interval between two checkpoints during the guard tour that is outside a predetermined range; and

if an exception is identified in the analysis of the tour data, then

generating an exception alarm remote from the guard device, the exception alarm subjectable to selective closing and escalating,

generating an exception handling procedure based on the exception and at least one other criteria, and

subsequent to generating the exception handling procedure, receiving a selected reason code inputted by a user, and based on the selected reason code closing the exception alarm or escalating the exception alarm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time interval is between consecutive checkpoints.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time interval is between nonconsecutive checkpoints.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exception handling procedure is based on at least one other criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the predetermined range based on tour data collected from prior tours.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the predetermined range based on empirical data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the exception handling procedure is negated by one other criteria.

8. A method for processing and resolving exception alarms associated with a guard tour at a premise, comprising:

collecting tour data from a guard device associated with a guard tour at a premise, wherein the tour comprises a plurality of checkpoints;

analyzing the tour data to identify an exception by simultaneously comparing an elapsed time interval between two checkpoints during the guard tour to a first predetermined range and a second predetermined range and determining whether the elapsed time interval is outside at least one of the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range, wherein the second predetermined range is larger than the first predetermined range; and

if an exception is identified in the analysis of the tour data, then

generating an exception alarm remote from the guard device, the exception alarm subjectable to selective closing and escalating,

generating an exception handling procedure based on the exception and at least one other criteria, and

subsequent to generating the exception handling procedure, receiving a selected reason code inputted by a user, and based on the selected reason code closing the exception alarm or escalating the exception alarm.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a first exception based on a first time interval that is outside the first predetermined range but is not outside the second predetermined range generates a different exception handling procedure than a second exception based on a second time interval that is outside the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range.

10. A computer system for processing and resolving exception alarms associated with a guard tour at a premise, comprising:

a collection module that periodically retrieves tour data from a guard device associated with a tour at a premise;

a comparison module that identifies an exception by analyzing the tour data to identify an elapsed time interval between two checkpoints during the guard tour that is outside a predetermined range;

an exception processing module that performs the following steps if an exception is identified in the analysis of the tour data,

generating an exception alarm remote from the guard device, the exception alarm subjectable to selective closing and escalating,

generating an exception handling procedure based on the exception and at least one other criteria, and

subsequent to generating the exception handling procedure, receiving a selected reason code inputted by a user and based on the selected reason code closing the exception alarm or escalating the exception alarm; and

an exception reporting module that generates reports based at least in part on the exception.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the time interval is between consecutive checkpoints.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the time interval is between nonconsecutive checkpoints.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the exception handling procedure is based on at least one other criteria.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the exception processing module modifies the predetermined range based on tour data collected from prior tours.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the exception processing module modifies the predetermined range based on empirical data.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second predetermined range that is larger than the predetermined range.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a first time interval that is outside the predetermined range but is not outside the second predetermined range generated a different exception handling procedure than a second time that is outside the predetermined range and the second predetermined range.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the exception handling procedure is negated by one other criteria.