Remote network video content recorder system

• US 8,558,896 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AVP IP Holding Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Anthony V. Pugliese III
• Inventors: Kostadinovich, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/308,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-159, 3482071-20711, 34821199-21114, 348/222.1, 34823199-2316, 725/105, 725109-117
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A concept and method for the remote management of and recording of digital video content from a remote IP video camera to an application server via the internet. The recorder system comprises a user device capable of running a user interface, a server running a communications interface, a recorder module, and a digital recording device, and at least one remote IP camera. Upon system initialization, a recorder object and an associated unique ID for the recorder instance are transmitted with the user interface to the user device. A remote user of the device may request a video image from an associated remote camera to be sent to the server where it is recorded on the recording device. The image does not transmit to the user device, minimizing bandwidth requirements on the control side. The server provides a safe, secure and network-optimized environment for capturing the recording.

Claims

1. A system of recording IP video camera content comprising:

at least one IP video camera;

an application server at a location remote from the at least one IP camera, the server comprising;

a recorder module which is operatively associated via a first association with

a recorder communications interface which is operatively associated via a second association with

a digital video storage device;

wherein said recorder module is operatively associated via a third association with the at least one IP video camera, wherein a first and a second separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video cameras is transmitted via said third association to said recorder module; and

a user device at a location remote from both the at least one IP camera and the application server, the user device including a recorder user interface and being operatively associated via a fourth association with said recorder communications interface and via a fifth association with said at least one IP video camera;

wherein a third separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video camera is transmitted via said fifth association to said remote user device,

wherein said third, fourth, and fifth associations exist via the internet, wherein system initialization requests are sent from the user device to the recorder module via the first and the fourth associations, and a response by the recorder module to said system initialization request comprises the steps of;

creating of a recorder instance comprising a recorder object and a unique recorder ID; and

a user interface; and

transmitting via said first and fourth associations of said unique recorder ID and said user interface to said user device;

said unique recorder ID and said user interface enabling said user device to request video content of said at least one IP video camera to be delivered from said at least one IP video camera to said digital video storage device, and wherein said system executes a method of recording said video content comprising the steps of;

initializing said system; and

recording of said video content of said at least one IP video camera, comprising;

receiving a recorder control instruction by said recorder module via said fourth and first associations to record said video content of said at least one IP video camera;

receiving a camera control instruction by said at least one IP video camera via said third association to open a connection with said recorder module and to transmit said video content of said at least one IP video camera and camera status information of said at least one IP video camera separately, wherein the video content is transmitted via said first separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video camera to said recorder module, wherein said video content is processed and delivered for recording onto said digital video storage device, and said camera status information is transmitted via said second separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video camera to said recorder module;

periodic delivering said camera status information to said recorder module;

periodic delivering said video content to said recorder module;

generating recorder status information based in part on said camera status information and periodic delivering said recorder status information to said user interface by said recorder module via said recorder communications interface;

periodic delivering said video content to said digital video storage device by said recorder module; and

continuing said periodic deliveries until said recorder status information no longer indicates that said system is recording, subsequent to which said connection to said camera is closed;

an environment associated with said video content stored in said digital video storage device is finalized; and

said video content stored in said digital video storage device is converted to a desired format.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system does not require that the user device receive, view or record video content, but permits a user of the user device to request and control recording of the video content transmitted via the internet to the application server, whereby the system minimizes bandwidth requirements associated with remote control of the system, thereby permitting that the user device, which exercises remote control of the system, be a thin client.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one IP video camera, the application server and the user device are not operatively associated with each other in a dedicated manner, but become operatively associated with each other at direction of a user of the user device based on association algorithms communicated via the internet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the recorder module is an algorithm that establishes an association with the at least one IP video camera, the application server and the user device upon receiving a recorder-initialization request from the user device, and that controls downloading and recording of video content from the at least one IP video camera to the digital video storage device upon receiving a request from a user of the user device delivered via the recorder communications interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device further comprises a viewer, wherein view control instructions are sent from the user device to the at least one IP video camera via the fifth association, wherein video content is sent directly from the at least one IP video camera to the viewer via the fifth association, separate and distinct from video content sent from the at least one IP video camera to the digital video storage device via the third association, and wherein the video content sent to the viewer via the fifth association does not include the same data, format and quality as that of video content sent to the digital video storage device via the third association.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one IP video camera, the remote server and the remote user device are not operatively associated with each other in a dedicated manner, but become operatively associated with each other at direction of a user of the user device based on association algorithms communicated via the internet.

6. A system for recording IP video camera content comprising:

at least one IP video camera operatively associated through a first computer network to

a remote server, said server comprising;

a recorder communications interface which is operatively associated via a first association with

a recorder module which is operatively associated via a second association with a digital video storage device;

a remote user device operatively associated via a second computer network with said remote server via said recorder communications interface, wherein said remote user device displays a recorder user interface generated by said remote server, wherein said remote user device is further operatively associated via a third computer network with said at least one IP video camera;

wherein said system receives user input from said user device, transmits said user input via said second computer network to said recorder communications interface of said server, opens a connection between said at least one IP video camera and said recorder module, transmits a first and a second data stream from said at least one IP video camera to the recorder module, and transmits a third data stream from said at least one IP video camera to the user device; and

wherein said first, second, and third computer networks comprise partially the internet, wherein system initialization requests are sent from the user device to the recorder module via said first association and said second computer network, and a response by the recorder module to said system initialization request comprises the steps of;

creating of a recorder instance comprising a recorder object and a unique recorder ID; and

a user interface; and

transmitting via said first association and said second computer network of said unique recorder ID and said user interface to said user device;

said unique recorder ID and said user interface enabling said user device to request video content of said at least one IP video camera to be delivered from said at least one IP video camera to said digital video storage device, and wherein said system executes a method of recording said video content comprising the steps of;

initializing said system; and

recording of said video content of said at least one IP video camera, comprising;

receiving a recorder control instruction by said recorder module via said second computer network and said first association to record said video content of said at least one IP video camera;

receiving a camera control instruction by said at least one IP video camera via said first computer network to open a connection with said recorder module and to transmit said video content of said at least one IP video camera and camera status information of said at least one IP video camera separately, wherein the video content is transmitted via said first separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video camera to said recorder module, wherein said video content is processed and delivered for recording onto said digital video storage device, and said camera status information is transmitted via said second separate and distinct stream of information originating from each of said at least one IP video camera to said recorder module;

periodic delivering said camera status information to said recorder module;

periodic delivering said video content to said recorder module;

generating recorder status information based in part on said camera status information and periodic delivering said recorder status information to said user interface by said recorder module via said recorder communications interface;

periodic delivering said video content to said digital video storage device by said recorder module; and

continuing said periodic deliveries until said recorder status information no longer indicates that said system is recording, subsequent to which said connection to said camera is closed;

an environment associated with said video content stored in said digital video storage device is finalized; and

said video content stored in said digital video storage device is converted to a desired format.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first data stream carries video content generated by said at least one IP video camera, said second data stream carries camera status information of the at least one IP video camera, and said third data stream carries video content generated by said at least one IP video camera that is separate and distinct in data, format or quality from said video content transmitted by said first data stream.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said recorder user interface is in the form of a web page.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the remote user device further comprises a viewer program, wherein view control instructions are sent from the user device directly to the at least one IP video camera via the third computer network, wherein video content is sent directly from the at least one IP video camera to the viewer via the third data stream separate and distinct from video content sent from the at least one IP video camera to the digital video storage device via the first computer network, and wherein the video content sent to the viewer via the third data stream does not include the same data, format and quality as that of video content sent to the digital video storage device via the first computer network.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the system does not require that the remote user device receive, view or record video content, but permits a user of the remote user device to request and control recording of the video content transmitted via the first computer network to the remote server, whereby the system minimizes bandwidth requirements associated with remote control of the system, thereby permitting that the remote user device, which exercises remote control of the system via the second computer network, be a thin client.

11. A method for recording IP video camera content, the method comprising the steps of:

associating at least one IP video camera through a first computer network to a remote server, said server comprising;

a recorder communications interface which is operatively associated via a first association with

a recorder module which is operatively associated via a second association with a digital video storage device;

generating a recorder user interface by said server;

displaying said recorder user interface on a remote user device which is operatively associated via a second computer network with said server via said recorder communications interface;

receiving user input from said user device, wherein said user input includes recorder control instructions;

transmitting said user input via said second computer network to said recorder communications interface of said server;

opening a connection between said at least one IP video camera and said recorder module; and

receiving a first data stream carrying video content at said recorder module from said at least one IP video camera;

recording said first data stream on said digital video storage device;

receiving a second data stream carrying camera status information of said at least one IP video camera from said at least one IP video camera to said recorder module;

integrating said second data stream into a fourth data stream and transmitting said fourth data stream via said recorder communications interface to said user interface, wherein said fourth data stream carries recorder status information;

associating said at least one IP video camera through a third computer network to said remote user device, said remote user device further including a viewer program;

receiving further user input from said user device, wherein said further user input includes view control instructions;

transmitting said further user input via said third computer network directly to said at least one IP video camera;

directly transmitting video content from said at least one IP camera to said viewer program via said third computer network via a third data stream in response to said further user input, and wherein, in view of the view control instructions of the further user input, the video content sent via the third data stream does not include the same data, format and quality as that of video content sent via the first data stream;

wherein said first, second, and third computer networks comprise partially the internet and wherein said remote user device is a thin client.