Method and system for providing image, video and audio data to remote users

• US 8,010,631 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tiger Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tiger Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Underwood, Joel D., Brailean, James C., Hoffman, Douglas C., Merrifield, Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/973,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/204, 709/218, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system and method of notifying a remote client of a sensor triggering event and providing data related to the sensor triggering event to the remote client. The method has the steps of receiving a first notification signal indicating that a sensor has been triggered; identifying a data recording device associated with the triggered sensor wherein the data recording device records video data; identifying a client device designated to receive the video data when the sensor has been triggered; transmitting to the client device a second notification signal indicating that the sensor has been triggered; receiving an acknowledgement signal from the client device; and transmitting the video data to the client device.

Claims

1. A method of notifying a remote client of a sensor triggering event and providing to the remote client data related to the sensor triggering event, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first notification signal indicating that a sensor has been triggered;

identifying a data recording device associated with the triggered sensor, wherein the data recording device records video data;

identifying a client device designated to receive the video data when the sensor has been triggered;

transmitting to the client device a second notification signal indicating that the sensor has been triggered;

receiving an acknowledgment signal from the client device;

comparing a first answer calculated by the client device with a second answer which is stored in a device that receives the first answer from the client device wherein the first answer and the second answer are calculated via a pre-specified mathematical formula; and

transmitting the video data to the client device wherein the first answer matches the second answer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the video data is transmitted to the client device in a streaming video data format.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the video data further comprises audio data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a motion detection sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an audio sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a chemical sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a bacteria or virus sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting a user selectable link to the remote client device, wherein, upon selection of the user selectable link by a user, said step of transmitting the video data is initiated.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting a web page file to the client device, wherein a program executed by the client device opens the file to display a web page on a display screen of the client device, the web page including at least one active link selectable by a user of the client device, which when selected initiates the step of transmitting the data to the client device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the data recording device comprises a video camera and the web page comprises at least one window for displaying a video image received from the video camera.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the data comprises streaming video data.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

establishing a communication link between the data recording device and the client device, thereby allowing the client device to receive live or recorded data from the data recording device.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting to the client device a pre-specified action item list corresponding to the triggered sensor.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

tracking if and when action items on the action item list have been completed.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

transmitting at least one hyperlink to the client device wherein selection of the hyperlink facilitates performance of at least one action item on the action item list.

17. A method of notifying a client of an event occurrence, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving notification of an occurrence of a pre-specified event wherein the occurrence of the pre-specified event is determined by comparing first data recorded by a video camera and second data recorded by the video camera wherein determining a difference between the first data and the second data identifies the occurrence of the pre-specified event;

receiving video data associated with the pre-specified event;

identifying at least one client device to be contacted as a result of the occurrence of the pre-specified event;

sending a notification signal to the at least one client device;

authenticating the at least one client device; and

transmitting the video data to the at least one client device to be displayed on a display screen of the at least one client device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the video data is transmitted in a compressed, encrypted and streaming video format.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of sending a notification signal further comprises the step of:

sending to the at least one client device to be displayed on a display screen of the at least one client device a multimedia message (MMS) still image representative of one frame image of the recorded video data.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of sending a notification signal further comprises the step of:

sending a multimedia message (MMS) video file to the at least one client device, wherein the at least one client device executes a player program to open the video file thereby displaying on a display screen of the at least one client device a MMS video representative of at least a portion of the video data.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the act of sending a notification signal further comprises the step of:

sending an active link to the at least one client device, which when selected by the at least one client device enables it to receive the video data.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of sending a notification signal comprises the step of:

sending a web page file to the at least one client device, wherein the at least one client device executes a player program to open the web page file thereby displaying on a display screen of the at least one client device an interactive web page comprising at least one active link that is selectable to receive the video data.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the interactive web page further comprises at least one window for displaying at least a portion of the video data.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

establishing a communication link between the data recording device and the client device, thereby allowing the client device to receive live or recorded data from the data recording device.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

transmitting a pre-specified action item list to the client device wherein the pre-specified action item list corresponds to the triggered sensor.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

tracking if and when action items on the action item list have been completed.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

transmitting at least one hyperlink to the client device wherein selection of the hyperlink facilitates performance of at least one action item on the action item list.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of authenticating the at least one client device comprises receiving a username and password transmitted from the at least one client device.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of authenticating the at least one client device comprises the step of:

receiving an identification code from the at least one client device; and

comparing the received identification code with a code stored in a memory and associated with the at least one client device.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein the act of authenticating the at least one client device comprises the steps of:

receiving an authentication ticket from the at least one client device, the authentication ticket containing a first answer and at least one parameter value, the first answer being calculated by inputting the at least one parameter value and a first secret code stored in a memory of the at least one client device into a pre-specified mathematical formula, wherein the first secret code is not contained in the authentication ticket;

calculating a second answer by inputting the at least one parameter value and a second secret code stored in a memory of a device that receives the authentication ticket into the pre-specified mathematical formula, wherein the second secret code is correlated with the at least one client device in the memory; and

comparing the first answer with the second answer to determine if they match.

31. A remote client device enabled to receive streaming video data, the remote client device comprising a program that when executed performs a method of receiving streaming video data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a notification that a sensor has been triggered by an occurrence of one of a plurality of pre-specified events;

transmitting a request to receive video data from a camera coupled to the sensor;

transmitting authentication information to a central server via a digital communications network wherein the authentication information has a first answer which is stored in a memory of the remote client device and a second answer which is stored in the central server wherein the first answer of the remote client device matches the second answer of the central server;

receiving the video data;

displaying a list identifying an action item on a display screen of the remote client device wherein the action item corresponds to the one of the plurality of pre-defined events which triggered the sensor wherein the action item is determined from the one of the plurality of pre-defined events; and

displaying the video data on the display screen of the remote client device.

32. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the video data is received in a streaming video data format.

33. The remote client device of claim 32 wherein the streaming video data is further transmitted in a compressed and encrypted format and the method further comprises decompressing and decrypting the streaming video data prior to displaying it on the display screen.

34. The remote client device of claim 33 wherein the remote client device comprises a wireless telephone.

35. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the sensor comprises a motion detection sensor.

36. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the sensor comprises an audio sensor.

37. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

38. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the sensor comprises a chemical sensor.

39. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the sensor comprises a bacteria or virus sensor.

40. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of receiving a notification comprises the step of:

receiving a multimedia message (MMS) still image representative of one frame image of the video data to be displayed on the display of the remote client device.

41. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of receiving a notification comprises the step of:

receiving a multimedia message (MMS) video file, wherein the program executed by the client device opens the video file to display on the display screen of the remote client device a MMS video representative of at least a portion of the video data.

42. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of notifying comprises the step of:

transmitting a web page file to the client device, wherein the program executed by the client device opens the file to display a web page on the display screen of the client device, the web page including at least one active link selectable by a user of the client device, which when selected initiates transmission of the video data to the client device in a streaming video data format.

43. The remote client device of claim 42 wherein the web page comprises at least one window for displaying the streaming video data.

44. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of transmitting authentication information comprises the step of:

transmitting a username and password entered by a user of the client device.

45. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of transmitting authentication information comprises the step of:

transmitting an identification code stored in a memory of the remote client device.

46. The remote client device of claim 31 wherein the act of transmitting authentication information comprises the steps of:

generating an authentication ticket containing a first answer and at least one parameter value, the first answer being calculated by inputting the at least one parameter value and a secret code stored in a memory of the remote client device into a pre-specified mathematical formula, wherein the secret code is not contained in the authentication ticket; and

transmitting the authentication ticket to the central server via the digital communications network, thereby enabling the central server to authenticate the remote client device.

47. A method of notifying a client of an event occurrence, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving notification of an occurrence of a pre-specified event;

receiving video data associated with the pre-specified event;

identifying at least one client device to be contacted as a result of the occurrence of the pre-specified event;

sending a notification signal to the at least one client device;

authenticating the at least one client device; and

transmitting the video data to the at least one client device to be displayed on a display screen of the at least one client device wherein the act of authenticating the at least one client device comprises;

receiving an authentication ticket from the at least one client device, the authentication ticket containing a first answer and at least one parameter value, the first answer being calculated by inputting the at least one parameter value and a first secret code stored in a memory of the at least one client device into a pre-specified mathematical formula, wherein the first secret code is not contained in the authentication ticket;

calculating a second answer by inputting the at least one parameter value and a second secret code stored in a memory of a device that receives the authentication ticket into the pre-specified mathematical formula, wherein the second secret code is correlated with the at least one client device in the memory; and

comparing the first answer with the second answer to determine if they match.