System and method for monitoring equipment over a network

• US 8,060,589 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: logiclink Incorporated (Logiclink, Inc. /Management/)
• Original Assignee: logiclink Incorporated (Logiclink, Inc. /Management/)
• Inventors: Kao, Kim Y., Kwan, Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US10/865,391
• Time in Patent Office: 2,714 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/208, 709/201, 713/300
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a network-based management system comprises a controller, a networked device and a control server. The control server is in communications with both the controller and the networked device having a communication port for such communications. The control server generates a user interface for display on the controller and used to activate and/or deactivate the networked device.

Claims

1. A network-based management system, comprising:

a first networked device having a communication port;

a first switch box coupled to the communication port of the first networked device, the first switch box being associated with a fixed network address and enabling both power and data to be provided to the first networked device; and

a user interface unit, being a cellular telephone, adapted for communications with the first switch box, the user interface unit including a touch screen that displays a display screen interface and, based on received input, generates information received by the first switch box to activate and deactivate the first networked device,

wherein the first networked device is an Internet Protocol (IP) based camera that provides content feeds into the communication port being a jack corresponding to the IP based camera, the jack being controlled by the first switch box whereby the first networked device is deactivated by deactivation of the jack and the first networked device is activated by activation of the jack.

2. The network-based management system of claim 1 further comprising a second networked device in communication with the first switch box, the second networked device being activated and deactivated by the first switch box in response to information received by the first switch box via the user interface unit.

3. The network-based management system of claim 1 further comprising a second switch box in communication with a control server, the second switch box being associated with a fixed network address differing from a network address associated with the first switch box.

4. The network-based management system of claim 1, wherein the first switch box is coupled to a communication port of a router assigned a fixed network address.

5. The network-based management system of claim 4, wherein the fixed network address of the router is an Internet Protocol address.

6. The network-based management system of claim 4, wherein the communication port of the router is a parallel port.

7. The network-based management system of claim 1, wherein the communication port of the first networked device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

8. A network-based management system, comprising:

a networked device having a communication port;

a switch box coupled to the communication port of the networked device, the switch box being associated with a fixed Internet Protocol (IP) address and controlling routing of information, including video data, from the networked device; and

a user interface unit, being a cellular telephone, adapted for communications with the switch box over a public network, the interface unit including a touch screen that is adapted to display a display screen interface that, signals the switch box to activate the networked device to enable the routing of the video data or to deactivate the networked device to disable the routing of the video data,

wherein the networked device is an Internet Protocol (IP) based camera that provides content feeds into the communication port being a jack corresponding to the IP based camera, the jack being controlled by the switch box whereby the networked device is deactivated by deactivation of the jack and the networked device is activated by activation of the jack.

9. The network-based management system of claim 8, wherein the switch box is coupled to a communication port of a router assigned the fixed IP address and in communications with a control server over the public network.

10. The network-based management system of claim 9 further comprising:

a second router in communications with the control server over the public network, the second router having a second fixed IP address differing from the fixed IP address; and

a second switch box in communication with the second router and coupled to a communication port of a second networked device, the second switch box being associated with the second fixed IP address differing from the fixed IP address associated with the switch box.

11. The network-based management system of claim 9, wherein the communication port of the router is a parallel port.

12. The network-based management system of claim 9, wherein the communication port of the router is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

13. A network-based management system, comprising:

a plurality of IP-based cameras each having a communication port;

a switch box coupled to the communication ports of the plurality of IP-based cameras by a corresponding plurality of dedicated links, the switch box being associated with a fixed Internet Protocol (IP) address and controlling continuity of information including video data supplied from the plurality of IP-based cameras; and

a control server in communications with the plurality of IP-based cameras via the switch box, the control server adapted for control by a user interface unit, for allowing selective monitoring, switching and control of the video data from one of the plurality of IP-based cameras and of control information within a local area network or between local area networks globally via an Internet, wherein the user interface unit including a touch screen that is adapted communication with the control server, the user interface unit displaying a display screen interface and either activating or deactivating the plurality of IP-based cameras based on user input within fields of the display screen interface;

wherein the one of the plurality of IP-based cameras is adapted to provide the video data into the communication port being a jack that is controlled by the switch box whereby the one of the plurality of IP-based cameras is deactivated by deactivation of the jack and the one of the plurality of IP-based cameras is activated by activation of the jack.

14. The network-based management system of claim 13, wherein the switch box is coupled to a communication port of a router assigned the fixed IP address and is in communications with the control server over the Internet.

15. The network-based management system of claim 13, wherein the switch box is further adapted to control a supply of power to each of the plurality of IP-based cameras.