Alarm system providing wireless voice communication

• US 8,933,803 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Safety Products Canada Limited (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sharma, Raman Kumar, Bogarin, Francisco
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US13/475,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20120231758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.14, 455/404.1, 379/40
• US Class Current: 340/539.14
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

An alarm system includes one or more audio stations, and an audio station network interface. The audio stations communicate wirelessly with the audio station network interface. The audio station network interface communicates with a monitoring center over a cellular network, to allow audio monitoring of the premises at the audio stations. The audio station network interface may be called by the monitoring center. Calls may optionally be placed by it in response to user interaction with one of the audio stations.

Claims

1. A method of processing an alarm at a premises, said method comprising:

sensing an alarm condition at said premises;

signalling said alarm condition to a panel comprising a processor and a first network interface;

signalling said alarm from said premises to a monitoring center remote from said premises using said first network interface at said panel;

from the monitoring center and in response to receiving said signalling, initiating a voice call to a network address of an audio station to network interface (AS/NW Interface) at the premises, said AS/NW Interface comprising a second network interface, a radio and control logic separate from said processor;

said control logic and said radio establishing a radio channel from said AS/NW Interface at the premises to at least one audio station at the premises, said audio station comprising an audio station radio and a speaker and a microphone; and

said control logic bridging said radio channel to said voice call to establish an audio channel between said at least one audio station and said monitoring center via said radio and said audio station radio.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively establishing said radio channel from said AS/NW Interface to a selected one of a plurality of audio monitoring stations at the premises.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a control signal from said monitoring station to said AS/NW Interface to activate said at least one audio station using said control logic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said voice call is established over a cellular telephone network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said control signal comprises a GPRS data signal.

6. An alarm system at a monitored premises, comprising:

a control panel comprising a first network interface and a processor for communicating a sensed monitored alarm condition at the monitored premises to a monitoring station;

a plurality of sensors in communication with said control panel, each of said sensors for sensing a monitored alarm condition;

at least one audio station comprising a radio, a speaker and a microphone at said monitored premises;

an audio station to network interface (AS/NW Interface) at said premises, said AS/NW Interface comprising

(i) control logic which is separate from said processor;

(ii) a second network interface for communicating with a communication network; and

(iii) a radio transceiver for establishing a radio channel with at least one of said audio stations by way of its radio at said premises, said control logic interconnecting said radio transceiver and said second network interface to bridge said radio channel to a call over said second network interface, and thereby provide two way audio communication to and from said at least one of said audio stations at said premises.

7. The alarm system of claim 6, wherein said control logic activates a selected one of said at least one audio station in response to commands received over said second network interface.

8. The alarm system of claim 6, wherein said audio station network interface is operable to receive voice calls over said second network interface.

9. The alarm system of claim 8, wherein said radio transceiver of said AS/NW Interface comprises a spread spectrum radio transceiver.

10. The alarm system of claim 8, wherein said second network interface comprises a cellular network radio.

11. An alarm system at a monitored premises comprising:

means for sensing an alarm at a premises;

a first network interface;

a second network interface;

a radio;

processing means for signalling said alarm from said premises to a monitoring center using said first network interface;

control means for receiving a network voice call from the monitoring center using said second network interface, wherein said control means is separate from said processing means;

wherein said control means, said radio and said second network interface form part of an audio station to network interface (AS/NW Interface), at the premises;

wherein said control means is adapted to establish a radio channel using said radio from said AS/NW Interface to at least one audio station at the premises, said audio station comprising a speaker and a microphone, and an audio station radio, and

means for bridging said radio channel to said network voice call to establish an audio channel from said at least one audio station to said monitoring center.

12. A method of retrofitting an existing alarm system at a premises equipped with a network interface capable of communicating an alarm condition at the premises to a monitoring center, said method comprising:

installing at the premises, at least one audio station, comprising a speaker and a microphone and a radio transceiver;

installing at the premises, an audio station to network interface (AS/NW Interface) comprising a control logic;

a network interface for communicating with a network to carry a voice call; and

a radio transceiver for establishing a radio channel with at least one of said audio stations, said control logic interconnecting said radio transceiver and said network interface to bridge said radio channel to a voice call over said network;

updating existing data stored at said monitoring center to associate a network identifier identifying said AS/NW Interface with said existing alarm system so that, in response to an alarm condition at the premises, said monitoring center is capable of initiating a voice call to said AS/NW Interface that may be bridged by said control logic to establish an audio channel from said at least one audio station to said monitoring center.