Mobile surveillance

• US 7,515,042 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., True, Sandra Lynn, Sheen, Baoling S., Voight, Kenneth J., Overend, Kevin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/440,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.02, 340/539.11, 34053916-53925, 340/541, 340/545.2, 340/565, 340/5.81, 340/5.8, 340/825.52, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/439, 455/410, 455/411, 455/415, 379/15.01, 379/15.02, 379/93.25, 37910201-10207
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A mobile communications network is provisioned to provide surveillance services. A subscriber database is adapted to include surveillance service information. For example, the subscriber database is adapted to include an IP address of a surveillance sensor such as a camera or microphone associated with a subscriber and located at a place to be monitored. A mobile switching center is adapted to determine a surveillance session start time, receive the surveillance sensor IP address from the subscriber database and connect to the surveillance sensor associated with the IP address. The MSC is also adapted to receive surveillance information from the surveillance sensor and transmit the surveillance information to a mobile communications device of the subscriber. The mobile communications device presents the surveillance information to the user. For example, images are displayed and/or audio signals are produced. The subscriber database can be provisioned by the subscriber through a web portal.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

a subscriber database including subscription information of a subscriber including identification information of a mobile communications device associated with the subscriber and at least one respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address of at least one respective surveillance sensor associated with the subscriber; and

a mobile switching center that is operative to communicate with the associated mobile communications device and the subscriber database, to receive at least one of the at least one respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address from the subscriber database, to use the at least one received respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address to request surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor over an internet protocol based network, to receive the surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor over the internet protocol based network and to transmit the surveillance sensor information to the associated mobile communications device over a mobile communications network.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one respective surveillance sensor associated with the subscriber and located at a place to be monitored, the at least one respective surveillance sensor having assigned thereto the at least one respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address and being in communication with the internet protocol based network according to the at least one internet protocol address.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one respective surveillance sensor comprises at least one of a camera and a microphone.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a mobile communications device associated with the subscriber, the mobile communications device including an output device for providing surveillance sensor information from at least one of the at least one respective surveillance sensor to a user, the mobile communications device being operative to communicate with the mobile switching center over the mobile communications network.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the mobile communications device includes instructions for providing a configurable selection menu to a user to allow the user to select the at least one respective surveillance device and indicate to the mobile switching center that surveillance information from the at least one surveillance device is desired and for transmitting a message indicating the selection to the mobile switching center.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile switching center is further operative to receive a message from the associated mobile communications device designating at least one of the at least one respective surveillance device and to respond to the message by requesting the respective at least one surveillance sensor internet protocol address of the designated at least one respective surveillance device from the subscriber database, receiving the at least one requested respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address from the subscriber database, using the at least one received surveillance sensor internet protocol address to request the surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor over the internet protocol based network, receiving the surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor over the internet protocol based network and transmitting the surveillance sensor information to the mobile device over the mobile communications network.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the mobile switching center is operative to receive the message from the associated mobile communications device by receiving one of:

a call origination message including an identification of the associated mobile communications device and an identification of the at least one respective surveillance device, an sins message including an identification of the associated mobile communications device and an identification of the at least one respective surveillance device, and a text message including an identification of the associated mobile communications device and an identification of the at least one respective surveillance device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile switching center is further operative to receive a message from at least one of the associated mobile communications device and the subscriber database designating at least one of an update rate and a duration and to at least one of:

a) request updated surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor, receive the updated surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor and transmit the surveillance sensor information to the associated mobile device at the designated update rate and b) continuously receive updated surveillance sensor information from the respective at least one surveillance sensor and transmit the surveillance sensor information to the mobile device for a time period corresponding to the duration.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile switching center is further operative to determine an arrival of a pre-designated time for a beginning of a surveillance session and to determine at least one pre-designated surveillance sensor indication and, based on that determination, request surveillance sensor information from the at least one pre-designated surveillance sensor, receive the surveillance sensor information from the at least one pre-designated surveillance sensor and transmit the surveillance sensor information to the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the subscriber database further includes at least one pre-designated surveillance session start time in association with the subscription information and wherein the mobile switching center is operative to determine the arrival of the pre-designated time for the beginning surveillance session by at least one of a) receiving a message from the subscriber database indicating a pre-designated surveillance session start time and at least one surveillance sensor internet protocal address, starting a timer based on the indicated surveillance session start time and determining that the timer has expired and b) receiving an indication from the subscriber database that the pre-designated start time has arrived and at least one surveillance sensor internet protocal address.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the subscriber database further includes a timer that is operative to determine the arrival of the pre-designated surveillance session start time and wherein the subscriber database is operative to transmit the indication that the pre-designated time has arrived and the at least one pre-designated surveillance sensor indication to the mobile switching center.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a router that is operative to provide a connection for the at least one respective surveillance sensor to the internet protocol based network.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an internet protocol gateway in communication with the mobile switching center and operative to act as an interface to the internet protocol based network for the mobile switching center.

14. A method for providing surveillance of a location, the method comprising:

provisioning a subscriber database with at least one surveillance sensor internet protocol address of at least one surveillance sensor in association with at least one set of subscription information associated with a subscriber and at least one mobile communications device of the subscriber;

determining that it is appropriate to start a surveillance session related to at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor;

receiving at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor internet protocol address from the subscriber database, based on the determination;

connecting to the at least one surveillance sensor using the at least one surveillance sensor internet protocol address;

receiving surveillance sensor information from the at least one surveillance sensor; and

transmitting the received surveillance sensor information to at least one of the at least one mobile communications device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

requesting at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor internet protocol address from the subscriber database, based on the determination.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein provisioning the subscriber database comprises:

a subscriber logging into a web portal associated with the subscriber database;

using a graphical user interface of the web portal to designate a number of respective surveillance sensors to be associated with the subscriber information of the subscriber and to enter a surveillance sensor internet protocol address for, and associated with, each respective one of the designated number of surveillance sensors.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein provisioning the subscriber database further comprises:

using the graphical user interface of the web portal to at least one of;

a) indicate a respective surveillance sensor type in association with each of respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address and b) designate a respective nickname or alias for each of the at least one respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein provisioning the subscriber database further comprises:

using the graphical user interface of the web portal to at least one of;

a) designate a surveillance session start time for at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor, b) designate a surveillance session duration for at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor c) designate an surveillance session update rate for at least one of the at least one surveillance sensor.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein determining that it is appropriate to start the surveillance session comprises at least one of:

a) receiving a message from one of the at least one mobile communications device indicating an identity of the one mobile communications device and at least one respective nickname associated with at least one respective surveillance sensor internet protocol address and b) receiving a message from one of the at least one mobile communications device indicating an identity of the one mobile communications device and a request that a surveillance session be started.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein determining that it is appropriate to start the surveillance session comprises:

receiving a message from the subscriber database indicating a pre-designated surveillance session start time,

starting a timer based on the indicated surveillance session start time and determining that the timer has expired.