“Always-on” telemetry system and method

• US 7,751,540 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emizon Group Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Emizon Group Ltd.
• Inventors: Smythe, Gordon, Girdler, Geoffrey, Whitfield, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella L
• Application Number:
  US11/678,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20070140449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 379/106.01, 379/106.02, 379/106.03, 379 37- 39, 379/45, 379/90.01, 379/93.07
• US Class Current: 379/106.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic

Abstract

A telemetry system includes at least one telemetry communication device for handling security event information available to the telemetry communication device. The system also includes a central host device, and an “always on” network, such as the Internet, communicatively connected to the telemetry communication device and the central host device, for communications between the telemetry communication device and the central host device. Encryption key information is exchanged between the central host device and the telemetry communication device, via a secure path, such as a cellular telephone call between the devices wherein identity and authentication can be ensured by Calling Line Identity information, or other secure exchange. Telemetry information is communicated by the telemetry communication device and the central host device over the “always on” network, in encrypted format according to the particular encryption keys exchanged. The central host device also communicates the telemetry information to a monitor service, over the “always on” network and in encrypted format after secure exchange of encryption keys between the central host device and the monitor service. The system can also include a back-up path for communications of telemetry information in the event that the “always on” network is unavailable for the communications.

Claims

1. A telemetry system for signaling occurrence of a first event at a first location, comprising:

an “

always on”

network;

a first sensor communications device communicatively connected to the “

always on”

network, capable of detecting occurrence of the first event at the first location, the first sensor communications device capable of directly communicating over the “

always on”

network, the first sensor communications device has a first unique identifier;

a central host communications device communicatively connected to the “

always on”

network, the first unique identifier uniquely recognized by the central host communications device as corresponding to the first sensor communications device;

a first symmetric key maintained by both the central host device and the first sensor communications device, employed in securing communications over the “

always on”

network between the first sensor communications device and the central host communications device;

wherein the first sensor communications device, on occurrence of the first event at the first location, indicates the occurrence of the first event by securely communicating over the “

always on”

network to the central host communications device;

wherein the central host communications device uniquely recognizes the first event as occurring at the first location because of the first unique identifier of the first sensor communications device.

2. The telemetry system of claim 1, wherein the telemetry system is for signaling occurrence of a second event at a second location, further comprising:

a second sensor communications device communicatively connected to the “

always on”

network, capable of detecting occurrence of the second event at the second location, the second sensor communications device capable of directly communicating over the “

always on”

network, the second sensor communications device has a second unique identifier; and

a second symmetric key maintained by both the central host device and the second sensor communications device, employed in securing communications over the “

always on”

network between the central host communications device and the second sensor communications device;

wherein the second unique identifier is uniquely recognized by the central host communications device as corresponding to the second sensor communications device;

wherein the second sensor communications device, on occurrence of the second event at the second location, indicates the occurrence of the second event by securely communicating over the “

always on”

network to the central host communications device;

wherein the central host communications device uniquely recognizes the second event as occurring at the second location because of the second unique identifier of the second sensor communications device.

3. The telemetry system of claim 2, wherein the telemetry system includes a plurality of sensor communications devices, each respective sensor communications device having a respective unique identifier and communicatively connected to the central host communications device by the “

always on”

network, each respective sensor communications device uniquely recognized by the central host communications device in communications because of the respective unique identifier.

4. The telemetry system of claim 2, further comprising:

a monitoring station communications device, communicatively connected to the “

always on”

network, the monitoring station communications device capable of communicating with the central host communications device over the “

always on”

network with respect to at least one of the first sensor communications device and the second sensor communications device.

5. The telemetry system of claim 4, further comprising:

a first event notification transmitted by the central host communications device over the “

always on”

network, in response to the central host communications device receiving indication communicated directly over the “

always on”

network by the first sensor communication device of occurrence of the first event at the first location, to the monitoring station communications device over the “

always on”

network;

a second event notification transmitted by the central host communications device over the “

always on”

network, in response to the central host communications device receiving indication communicated directly over the “

always on”

network by the second sensor communication device of occurrence of the second event at the second location, to the monitoring station communications device over the “

always on”

network; and

a monitor alert of the monitoring station communications device, uniquely responsive to receiving the first event notification as indicative of occurrence of the first event at the first location and uniquely responsive to receiving the second event notification as indicative of occurrence of the second event at the second location, respectively.

6. The telemetry system of claim 5, wherein the monitoring station communications device is mobile and has a unique monitor identifier recognizable to the central host communications device for communicating over the “

always on”

network with the monitoring station communications device, and the central host communications device is accessed by the monitoring station communications device to receive the first event notification and the second event notification, respectively, over the “

always on”

network.

7. The telemetry system of claim 6, wherein at least one communicative connection of the “

always on”

network is cellular radio.

8. The telemetry system of claim 6, wherein at least one communicative connection of the “

always on”

network is the plain old telephone system (POST).

9. The telemetry system of claim 4, wherein the “

always on”

network is selected from the group consisting of;

Internet, wide area network, cellular link, combination of the Internet with cellular link, combination of Internet with POTS, combination of wide area network with cellular link, and combination of wide area network with POTS.

10. The telemetry system of claim 2, further comprising:

a second secure link communicatively connected to the second sensor communications device and the central host communications device, the second sensor communications device is initially identified and authenticated via the second unique identifier over the second secure link by the central host communications device.

11. The telemetry system of claim 10, wherein the second symmetric key is communicated over the second secure link by the central host communications device to the second sensor communications device upon initial identification and authentication of the second sensor communications device, via the second unique identifier, by the central host communications device.

12. The telemetry system of claim 1, further comprising:

a secure link communicatively connected to the first sensor communications device and the central host communications device, the first sensor communications device is initially identified and authenticated via the first unique identifier over the secure link by the central host communications device.

13. The telemetry system of claim 1, wherein the first symmetric key is communicated over the secure link by the central host communications device to the first sensor communications device upon initial identification and authentication of the first sensor communications device, via the first unique identifier, by the central host communications device.

14. A method of telemetry, comprising the steps of:

providing telemetric devices to disparate locations;

connecting each telemetric device at each respective location to an “

always on”

network accessed at the respective location of the telemetric device;

determining by each telemetric device any security event at the respective location of the telemetric device;

communicating by each respective telemetric device if any security event occurs at the respective location of the telemetric device, directly over the “

always on”

network accessed at the respective location of the respective telemetric device, to a central host at a remote location from the telemetric devices;

receiving a plurality of signals from the telemetric devices by the central host, upon occurrence of respective security events at respective locations of respective telemetric devices; and

associating by the central host, in response to receiving the plurality of signals, each respective security event to the respective location and the respective telemetric device of the respective security event.

15. The method of telemetry of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

identifying each respective telemetric device by a unique identifier for the respective telemetric device;

communicating an indicator of the unique identifier of the respective telemetric device and of a characteristic of the security event upon the security event at the respective location of the telemetric device, by the respective telemetric device, directly over the “

always on”

network to the central host; and

logging the security event for the respective location of the telemetric device, by the central host, based on the unique identifier of the respective telemetric device and the characteristic of the security event.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

accessing an alert for the indicator, by a communications device remote from the location of the respective telemetric device of the indicator, and remote from the central host.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

changing location for the step of accessing the alert.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

accessing the alert at more than one location.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of accessing is automatically performed by push to the communications device, when the communications device is available for communications over the “

always on”

network.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

communicating, via a secured link, by each of the respective telemetric devices to the central host, a respective unique identifier for the respective telemetric device, to uniquely identify and authorize the respective telemetric device by the central host;

communicating, via the secured link, to each of the respective telemetric devices a respective unique security key from the central host;

securely communicating between the central host and each respective telemetric device over the “

always on”

network, via the respective unique security key for the respective telemetric device; and

uniquely recognizing each respective telemetric device communicating with the central host, because of the respective unique identifier for the respective telemetric device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

communicating the respective telemetric signals between the respective telemetric devices and the central host over a wireless network, if the “

always on”

network is inoperable or unavailable, wherein the wireless network is selected from the group consisting of;

GPRS and GSM;

wherein the respective unique identifier is a calling line identifier (CLI) of the respective telemetric device.