Residential security surveillance and notification management system

• US 8,026,804 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Yu-Huan, Sun, Jhao-Siang, Xiao, Shu-Fang, Wu, Chien-Huang, Yeh, Lun-Hsing, Wu, Show-Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie
• Application Number:
  US12/125,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20110057787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/539.25
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• 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: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The apparatus is applicable to a communications network, wherein, via an information processing platform of a network server end, the system is connected to a network surveillance device installed in a monitored environment, in which the information processing platform processes and saves event message about the environment acquired by the network surveillance device, and generates corresponding notification messages. Via a browsing authorization certification mechanism, the system allows a user having been identified as a certified user to connect to the information processing platform via a communication terminal device for monitoring message information. Using the system, a certified user is capable of the following: accessing or receiving surveillance message information via the information processing platform, receiving notification message from the information processing platform, accessing the information processing platform to manage and maintain user authorized certification information, and/or selectively switching on/off connection between the network surveillance device and the information processing platform.

Claims

1. A residential security surveillance and notification management system, which is applicable to a communication network, comprising:

a network surveillance device comprising an image and/or sound acquisition unit installed in a body, wherein the network surveillance device is for acquiring analog or digital images and/or audio signals, and then converting the analog or digital images and/or audio signals into digital signals; and

also receiving control signals transmitted via the communication network, and then, based on the control signals and/or a preset schedule, executing at least the operations of turning on or off acquisition of analog or digital images and/or audio signals, adjusting focus of the image being acquired, and effecting movement of the body of the network surveillance device;

an information processing platform having a database, wherein the information processing platform receives digital signals transmitted from the network surveillance device via the communication network, processes the received digital signals and then saves them in the database; and

a communication terminal device, which has the functions of network communication, data processing, and data input/display, wherein by connecting with the information processing platform via the communication network, the communication terminal device is capable of accessing and/or presenting digital signal information saved in the database as well as receiving control signal information and/or a preset schedule, whereupon the control signal information is transmitted to the information processing platform via the communication network, and, subsequently, the information processing platform generates additional control signal based on the information of the received control signals, such that the communication network controls operations of the network surveillance device,

wherein the information processing platform further comprises a certification module for certifying if the network surveillance device and/or the communication terminal device have access authorization to connect to the information processing platform,

and wherein, for each user, the database has pre-saved access authorization information in the form of identity identification information as well as certification information pertaining to an access validity period for accessing digital signal information, the certification module comprising;

a user identity identification module, which is for determining if the identity identification information of the communication terminal device transmitted via the communication network has access authorization and corresponding details of the access authorization; and

a certification module for the access validity period, which, after the user identity identification module has determined that the communication terminal device has access authorization, further determines if the access authorization of the communication terminal device to access digital signal information in the database has expired or not, wherein, if it has not expired, the communication terminal device is allowed to access the digital signal information in the database, and, if the access authorization has expired, the communication terminal device is denied access to the digital signal information in the database.

2. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, further comprising at least a surrounding detecting unit, which is connecting to the network surveillance device and is for transmitting detected security event messages to the network surveillance device, whereupon, the network surveillance device transmits the detected security event messages to the information processing platform via the communication network, and, subsequently, the information processing platform converts the security event messages into security notification messages that are then saved in the database and transmitted to the communication terminal device via the communication network either simultaneously or later upon request.

3. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 2, wherein the surrounding detecting unit is a selective combination of an entrance detecting unit, poisonous gas detecting unit, fire detecting unit, smoke detecting unit, carbon monoxide concentration detecting unit, and carbon dioxide concentration detecting unit.

4. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 2, wherein the surrounding detecting unit is connecting to the network surveillance device by either a wired or wireless means.

5. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 2, wherein the security event messages are transmitted to the communication terminal device via the communication network by means of either instant messages, e-mail, instant alarm announcements, or audio delivery.

6. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 2, wherein, when the surrounding detecting unit transmits detected security event messages to the network surveillance device, the network surveillance device instantly acquires analog or digital images and/or audio signals of the surrounding of the surrounding detecting unit that transmitted the security event message.

7. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the database has a list of pre-saved identification information corresponding to various network surveillance devices, and the certification module identifies each network surveillance device and accesses its corresponding identification information based on the unique media access control (MAC) address of each network surveillance device.

8. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the identity identification information is a one-time password (OTP).

9. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the information processing platform further comprises a user information management module, which is for, after the user identity identification module has determined that the communication terminal device has access authorization, allowing the user of the communication terminal device to manage and/or maintain user information.

10. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the network surveillance device has a surveillance switching module, which is for switching on/off operation of the network surveillance device to transmit digital signals to the information processing platform via the communication network.

11. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the network surveillance device has a communication interface, either wired or wireless.

12. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 11, wherein the wired communication interface is a power line communication (PLC) interface.

13. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein a firewall and/or a network routing device are further included between the network surveillance device and the information processing platform, wherein the network surveillance device is utilizing either physical addresses, floating addresses, real addresses, or virtual addresses, and is capable of passing any security restrictions of the firewall and/or the network routing device to communicate with the information processing platform, as well as rejecting any communication requests not sent from the information processing platform.

14. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein processing of the digital signal comprises:

converting the digital signal into the format of either 3GP (3^rd Generation Partnership Project), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, WAV, or AVI; and

transmitting the converted format by means of RTP and/or RTSP.

15. The residential security surveillance and notification management system of claim 1, wherein the network surveillance device further comprises:

an encryption module, which is for encrypting digital signals before the communication network transmits the digital signals to the information processing platform; and

a decryption module corresponding to the encryption module, the decryption module being for decrypting the encrypted digital signal before they are processed by the information processing platform and, optionally, saved in the database thereof.