System and method for controlling devices at a location

• US 7,406,710 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zellner, Samuel N., Enzmann, Mark J., Moton, Jr., Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak, Christopher A
• Application Number:
  US09/750,104
• Time in Patent Office: 2,769 Days
• Field of Search: 713/202, 725/105, 340/506, 340/521, 340/539.25, 340/541, 340/539.16, 709/250, 709/225
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1016 Telecontrol
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

A system and method for controlling, by an outside entity, one or more devices associated with a location. A representative embodiment of the system architecture comprises an internal computer system through which a device may be remotely controlled by the outside entity during a communication session between the outside entity and the internal computer system through an external computer network. The external computer network can be the Internet. When the outside entity is requested to control the device, the outside entity'"'"'s identity information is authenticated before the communication session is established. In a preferred embodiment, the internal computer system is protected by a firewall. The firewall allows the outside entity to access the internal computer system to control the device if the outside entity can provide proper identity information. The identity information of the outside entity may be a password that is recognized by the firewall. In the preferred embodiment, the identity information is a digital certificate issued to the outside entity by a certificate authority. In preferred embodiments, after the communication session is established, only the outside entity can terminate the communication session.

Claims

1. A system for enabling an outside entity to control devices at a location, the system comprising:

an interface to a communications network, the communications network adapted to communicate with an internal computer system associated with the location, the internal computer system being associated with a sensing apparatus that can detect a triggering event at the location, the internal computer system being further associated with a device at the location that can be controlled by the outside entity via the internal computer system; and

logic configured to receive an indication associated with an occurrence of the triggering event;

wherein responsive to the sensing apparatus detecting the triggering event, the internal computer system establishes a voice-over-Internet-protocol communication session with the outside entity via a communications network in communication with the location, the communications network including at least one of a public switched telephone network, the Internet and a wireless communication link,

wherein the triggering event activates an ability to allow control of the device at the location to be assigned to the outside entity to obtain data from the device to the outside entity;

further comprising logic configured to transfer a session to a second outside entity;

wherein the second outside entity is a public safety answering point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the communications session is secure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the security utilizes a digital certificate.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the security utilizes X.509 standards.

5. A method for enabling an outside entity to control devices at a location, the method comprising:

associating at least one communications device with an internal computer system at the location;

associating a device at the location with the an internal computer system at the location;

receiving communication of a triggering event associated with the location to the outside entity via a communications network in communication with the location, the communications network including at least one of a public switched telephone network, the Internet and a wireless communication link;

utilizing a voice-over-Internet-protocol communication session between the internal computer system and the outside entity over an external computer network, wherein the communication session is initiated by the internal computer network;

taking control of the communication session by the outside entity, wherein the triggering event activates an ability to allow control of the device at the location to be assigned to the outside entity to obtain data from the device to the outside entity;

transferring a communication session to a second outside entity;

wherein the second outside entity is a public safety answering point.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the communications session is secure.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one communications device is wireless.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the location is associated with a moving object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the moving object is a vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

11. A monitoring and control apparatus at a location, the apparatus comprising:

an internal computer system associated with the location;

an wireless interface to a sensing element to monitor a location;

a communication processor to communicate with an outside entity via a communications network wherein the communications utilizes a secure tunnel and the outside entity is authenticated;

a control module allowing an outside entity to control the operations of the devices at the location associated with a local area network upon detection of a triggering event at the location by the sensing element;

wherein the devices include VoIP capable devices and a television at the location.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication utilizes quality of service.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, uses multiple levels of security.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the communications conveys multimedia information.