Video surveillance system

• US 7,834,904 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Computer Builders Warehouse, Sam Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sam Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Brookins, Nicholas Shayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco, John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, KENT F
• Application Number:
  US10/691,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,582 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/384.1, 348/15, 348/213, 725/105, 725/88, 358/188, 710/105, 395/806, 384/143, 380/277, 380/279, 380/283, 709/247
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video transmission system typically includes a video server adapted to receive video data from one or more video cameras. In some instance, the video server may be operable to buffer the video data and transmit the video data across a network to various client computing devices. In an improved video transmission system of the present invention, the client computing devices may be further configured to retransmit video data across the network to other client computing devices, thereby reducing the bandwidth and computing load placed on the video server.

Claims

1. A video transmission system, comprising:

a video source;

a video server adapted to receive video data from the video source, the video server operable to buffer the video data and transmit the video data across a network; and

a video retransmitter residing on a first computing device and adapted to receive the video data via the network from the video server, said video retransmitter operable to buffer the video data and re-transmit the video data to a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to receive the video data from either the video server or the video retransmitter, and operable to select either the video server or the video retransmitter as a source for the video data based on a metric associated with the transmission path of the video data from the source, wherein the video server receives the video data at a first resolution and the retransmitter is operable to re-transmit the video data at a second resolution different from the first resolution.

2. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the video source is further defined as a digital camera.

3. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the video server is integrated with the video source.

4. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the second computing device is operable to display the video data.

5. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the second computing device is configurable to receive the video data from the selected source.

6. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the second computing device is adapted to receive the video data via the network from the video retransmitter.

7. The video transmission system of claim 1 wherein the second computing device is adapted to receive the video data via another network from the video retransmitter.

8. A video transmission system, comprising:

a video source;

a video server adapted to receive video data from the video source, the video server operable to buffer the video data and transmit the video data across a network; and

a video retransmitter residing on a first computing device and adapted to receive the video data via the network from the video server, said video retransmitter operable to buffer the video data and re-transmit the video data to a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to receive the video data from either the video server or the video retransmitter, and operable to select either the video server or the video retransmitter as a source for the video data based on a metric associated with the transmission path of the video data from the source, wherein the video server is operable to maintain a directory, where the directory includes a list of client computing devices to whom video data is currently being sent and which are configured to retransmit the video data.

9. The video transmission system of claim 8 wherein each entry in the directory identifies a source whose video data is capable of being retransmitted from a source other than the video server, a network address for the identified source;

and an indicator as to whether the video data is being received on a dedicated basis.

10. The video transmission system of claim 8 wherein the video server is adapted to receive requests for the video data and operable to log an entry into the directory when the requesting computing device is configured to retransmit the video data.

11. The video transmission system of claim 8 wherein said directory is accessible to the second computing device, the second computing device being operable to evaluate each alternative source for the video data being requested;

and selecting a source for the video data based on a metric associated with the transmission path of the video data from the source.

12. A method for transmitting video data across a network environment, comprising:

receiving video data at a video server from a digital camera and buffering the video data in a data store residing on the video server;

transmitting the video data from the video server across a network to a first client computing device at a resolution different than a resolution of the video data received at the video server;

buffering the video data in a data store residing on the first client computing device;

determining by a second client computing device to retrieve the video data from either the video server or the first client computing device by accessing a retransmitter directory residing on the video server, where the directory is a list of client computing devices to whom video data is currently being sent and which are configured to retransmit the video data;

evaluating a metric associated with each alternative source for the video data being buffered; and

selecting a source for the video data based on said metrics.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting the video data from the video server further comprises:

receiving a request for the video data from the first client computing device;

determining whether the first client computing device is configured to retransmit the video data; and

logging an entry in a retransmitter directory when the first client computing device is configured to retransmit the video data.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the metric is associated with a transmission path of the video data from the evaluated source.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of buffering the video data further comprises periodically reassessing whether the video data may be retrieved from an alternative data source.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of retransmitting the video data from the first client computing device further comprises transmitting the video data at a resolution different than a resolution of the video data received at the first client computing device.