Privacy ensuring camera enclosure

• US 8,137,009 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seth Cirker
• Original Assignee: Seth Cirker
• Inventors: Cirker, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US12/964,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20110103786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 396/427, 396/433
• US Class Current: 396/427
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/04 collapsible, foldable or extensible, e.g. book type
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19632 Camera support structures, e.g. attachment means, poles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19634 Electrical details of the system, e.g. component blocks for carrying out specific functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings

Abstract

A privacy ensuring camera enclosure with a camera enclosing configuration and a surveillance configuration wherein the camera enclosing configuration entirely surrounds a surveillance camera such that it is visibly removed from a privacy sensitive area, thereby preserving the expected level of privacy in the privacy sensitive area; the enclosure is configured to dynamically change from the camera enclosing configuration to the surveillance configuration in response to a heightened threat level.

Claims

1. A privacy ensuring camera enclosure comprising:

a housing defining an aperture;

a camera coupled within said housing;

a sliding cover moveably coupled to said housing, wherein said sliding cover is configured to selectively slide relative to said camera in response to a received communication;

wherein said sliding cover is further configured to translate from a first position to a second position via an electrical actuator, wherein said first position orients said sliding cover over said aperture of said housing to optically cover said camera; and

wherein said second position translates said sliding cover away from said aperture to optically uncover said camera, visibly exposing said camera.

2. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1 wherein said sliding cover is configured to envelop said camera when said sliding cover is in said first position.

3. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1 wherein said sliding cover retracts into said housing to expose said camera.

4. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 3 wherein said sliding cover comprises a plurality of sliding panels slidably actuated to be selectively positioned in said housing.

5. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 4 wherein said camera protrudes through said aperture when said sliding cover is in said second position.

6. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1 wherein said received communication comprises a communication indicating a change in a threat level evaluation.

7. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1, wherein said electrical actuator is remotely actuated from a communication device that is physically separated from the privacy ensuring camera enclosure.

8. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 7, wherein said communication device comprises one of a panic button, an emergency transmitter, or a fire alarm.

9. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1, wherein said camera is configured to transmit imagery to a remote location when in said second position.

10. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 9, wherein said imagery is viewed at said remote location.

11. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 9, wherein said imagery is recorded at said remote location.

12. The privacy ensuring camera enclosure of claim 1, wherein said housing defines at least one electrical feed through configured to receive a power cable.

13. A dynamic camera enclosure having a camera enclosing configuration and a surveillance configuration;

Wherein said dynamic camera enclosure includes a fixed base, a surveillance camera coupled to said base, and at least one optically opaque sliding panel coupled to an electrical actuator and disposed on said dynamic camera enclosure, said at least one sliding panel being configured to slideably translate via said electrical actuator around said camera to selectively cover a lens of said camera when in said camera enclosing configuration, and to slideably translate away from said lens of said camera, visibly showing said camera, when in said surveillance configuration.

14. The dynamic camera enclosure of claim 13 wherein said camera enclosing configuration entirely surrounds a surveillance camera with said at least one optically opaque sliding panel such that said surveillance camera is visibly removed from a privacy sensitive area into said enclosure.

15. The dynamic camera enclosure of claim 14 wherein said surveillance configuration includes sufficient translation of said at least one optically opaque sliding panel away from said camera to visibly expose said surveillance camera and enable said camera to acquire surveillance information.

16. The dynamic camera enclosure of claim 13 wherein said dynamic camera enclosure is configured to be remotely actuated between said camera enclosing configuration and said surveillance configuration.

17. The dynamic camera enclosure of claim 16 wherein said camera enclosing configuration comprises a non-linearly sliding a section of said camera enclosure configured to cover an aperture of said surveillance camera when in said camera enclosing configuration.

18. The dynamic camera enclosure of claim 17 wherein said dynamic camera enclosure transitions from said enclosing position to said surveillance configuration by retracting said non-linearly sliding section and uncovering said aperture.

19. A privacy ensuring camera enclosure comprising:

a ceiling mounted support plate configured to define a ceiling plane;

a base coupled to said ceiling mounted support plate;

a housing coupled to said base;

a camera coupled to said base, wherein said camera is mounted on said base below said ceiling mounted support plate;

an electrical actuator coupled to said base; and

a slideable cover moveably coupled to said base via said electrical actuator, wherein said slideable cover is configured to selectively slide via said electrical actuator relative to said ceiling mounted support plate and said camera;

wherein said slideable cover includes at least one sliding panel that is configured to selectively translate from a first position to a second position, wherein said first position orients said slideable cover and said housing around said camera to optically cover said camera; and

wherein said second position translates said at least one sliding panel to withdraw said sliding cover away from said camera to enable the operation of said camera.