Security alarm systems and methods

• US 8,754,763 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Live Watch Security LLC (Ascent Capital Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Live Watch Security LLC (Ascent Capital Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morehead, Robert Bradford
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACK-CHILDRESS, RAJSHEED O
• Application Number:
  US13/955,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/501
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations

Abstract

An alarm system having one or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for providing notification of an alarm event to individual(s). The computer-executable instructions perform steps comprising: receiving an alarm event from an alarm system; determining a customer associated with the alarm event; determining at least one individual that is to be contacted based upon the customer that has been determined as being associated with the alarm event; selecting a transmission vector from a plurality of available transmission vectors; associating the selected transmission vector with the alarm event; sending an alarm event notification to the individual(s) utilizing the selected transmission vector; and awaiting a response to the alarm event notification. The response may provide a response vector which can be used to route the response to an appropriate agent.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions for providing notification of an alarm event to at least one individual, the computer-executable instructions when executed by a computing device performing steps comprising:

receiving an alarm event signal from an alarm system indicative of an alarm event out of a plurality of possible alarm events;

determining a customer associated with the alarm event;

determine at least one individual that is to be contacted based upon the customer that has been determined as being associated with the alarm event;

selecting a transmission vector having a corresponding transmission identifier from a plurality of available transmission vectors each having a corresponding transmission identifier;

correspondingly associating the selected transmission identifier with the alarm event;

sending an alarm event notification to the at least one individual utilizing the selected transmission vector; and

awaiting and receiving a response to the alarm event notification on the selected transmission vector and automatically associating information of the alarm event with the response based on the response being received on the selected transmission vector which has been correspondingly associated with the alarm event.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1 wherein the at least one individual comprises a plurality of individuals, and the step of send an alarm event notification includes instructions for performing steps comprising:

sending an alarm event notification to each of the plurality of individuals utilizing the selected transmission vector.

3. The computer storage media of claim 1 wherein the step of sending an alarm event notification may comprise any one of telephone communication, instant messaging communication, texting communication and email communication.

4. The computer storage media of claim 1 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves telephone communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises a unique telephone number associated with the alarm event.

5. The computer storage media of claim 4 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves email communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises a unique email address corresponding to the unique telephone number.

6. The computer storage media of claim 5 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves instant messaging communication or texting communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises the unique telephone number associated with the alarm event.

7. The computer storage media of claim 1 wherein awaiting and receiving the response comprising:

receiving the response to the alarm event notification;

identifying a response vector by identifying the transmission identifier of the selected transmission vector through which the response was received;

automatically identifying the alarm event based upon the response vector; and

directing the response to an agent based on the determined alarm event.

8. The computer storage media of claim 7 further having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

ending an alarm event; and

disassociating the transmission vector from the alarm event.

9. A method for providing notification of an alarm event to at least one individual, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an alarm event signal from an alarm system indicative of an alarm event out of a plurality of possible alarm events;

determining a customer associated with the alarm event;

determine at least one individual that is to be contacted based upon the customer that has been determined as being associated with the alarm event;

selecting a transmission vector having a corresponding transmission identifier from a plurality of available transmission vectors each having a corresponding transmission identifier;

correspondingly associating the selected transmission identifier with the alarm event;

sending an alarm event notification to the at least one individual utilizing the selected transmission vector; and

awaiting and receiving a response to the alarm event notification on the selected transmission vector and automatically associating information of the alarm event with the response based on the response being received on the selected transmission vector which has been correspondingly associated with the alarm event.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one individual comprises a plurality of individuals, and the step of send an alarm event notification comprises the step of:

sending an alarm event notification to each of the plurality of individuals utilizing the selected transmission vector.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein sending of an alarm event notification may comprise any one of telephone communication, instant messaging communication, texting communication and email communication.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves telephone communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises a unique telephone number associated with the alarm event.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves email communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises a unique email address corresponding to the unique telephone number.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the sending of an alarm event notification involves instant messaging communication or texting communication and the transmission vector transmission identifier comprises the unique telephone number associated with the alarm event.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

receiving the response to the alarm event notification;

identifying a response vector by identifying the transmission identifier of the selected transmission vector through which the response was received;

automatically identifying the alarm event based upon the response vector; and

directing the response to an agent based on the determined alarm event.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

ending an alarm event; and

disassociating the transmission vector from the alarm event.

17. An alarm operational system comprising:

an alarm system positioned at a first location, the alarm system having a control module, a communication module coupled to the control module and at least one sensor coupled to the control module and configured to be triggered upon sensing a predetermined condition, with the communication module configured to transmit an alarm event signal when the at least one sensor is triggered;

a central monitoring station control system located at a second location remote from the first location, the central monitoring station positionable in communication with the communication module so as to receive the transmitted alarm event signal from the alarm system indicative of an alarm event out of a plurality of possible alarm events, the central monitoring station including;

a determination component for determining a customer associated with the received alarm event and for determining at least one individual that is to be contacted based upon the customer that has been determined as being associated with the alarm event;

a selection component for selecting a transmission vector having a corresponding transmission identifier from a plurality of available transmission vectors each having a corresponding transmission identifier;

an associating component for correspondingly associating the selected transmission identifier with the alarm event;

a sending component for sending an alarm event notification to the at least one individual utilizing the selected transmission vector; and

a receiving component for awaiting and receiving a response to the alarm event notification on the selected transmission vector and automatically associating information of the alarm event with the response based on the response being received on the selected transmission vector which has been correspondingly associated with the alarm event.

18. The alarm operational system of claim 17 wherein the alarm system includes a plurality of sensors, each of the sensors coupled to the control module.

19. The alarm operational system of claim 17 wherein central monitoring station control system further includes:

an identifying component for identifying a response vector by identifying the transmission identifier of the selected transmission vector through which the response was received; and

a directing component for directing a response to an agent based on the determined alarm event.

20. The alarm operational system of claim 19 wherein the central monitoring station control system further includes:

a communication component for communicating between the agent and an individual from whom the response was received.