Alarm system IP network with PSTN output
First Claim
1. A method comprising the steps of:
- receiving, at a middleware server, a plurality of customer alarm signals having different formats, each of the customer alarms signals received from a different alarm panel associated with a different alarm system at a different premises,converting, at the middleware server, the plurality of customer alarm signals into monitoring center alarm signals having a common format, andtransmitting from the middleware server to an alarm monitoring center, the monitoring center alarm signals having the common format, for display at the alarm monitoring center as respective alarm signal messages,wherein the plurality of customer alarm signals having different formats comprise a customer alarm signal in a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) format, andwherein the converting step comprises converting the customer alarm signal in the POTS format into an IP signal using a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) converter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Alarm customers on VoIP may use an adapter for conversion to Internet Protocol (IP) signals or may have an alarm system that uses IP signals to transmit alarm signals over the Internet. IP signals from alarm customers may go to any monitoring center for alarm system monitoring. IP signals from alarm systems using IP conversion equipment can go only to monitoring centers with specialized receiving equipment specific to the type of transmitting equipment in use at the customer'"'"'s premises. There is a pool of customers, whose dealers would convert to IP and stay with the current monitoring center if the center invested in receiving equipment. For the many small centers who will not or cannot invest in receiving equipment, the present invention will take IP signals from any or all brands of IP transmitting equipment, to a central server then retransmit to any center over POTS to the alarm monitoring center. Thus, an alarm monitoring center need not invest in a number of different IP monitoring systems in order to be IP monitoring compliant.
131 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method comprising the steps of:
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receiving, at a middleware server, a plurality of customer alarm signals having different formats, each of the customer alarms signals received from a different alarm panel associated with a different alarm system at a different premises, converting, at the middleware server, the plurality of customer alarm signals into monitoring center alarm signals having a common format, and transmitting from the middleware server to an alarm monitoring center, the monitoring center alarm signals having the common format, for display at the alarm monitoring center as respective alarm signal messages, wherein the plurality of customer alarm signals having different formats comprise a customer alarm signal in a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) format, and wherein the converting step comprises converting the customer alarm signal in the POTS format into an IP signal using a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) converter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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6. A system comprising:
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a plurality of customer alarm systems, each operative to generate a respective customer alarm signal in a different format, a plurality of communication links, operative to transmit the respective customer alarm signals to a middleware server, the middleware server, operative to receive the transmitted respective customer alarm signals, a converter in the middleware server, operative to convert the received respective customer alarm signals to monitoring center alarm signals having a common format, another communication link, operative to transmit from the middleware server to an alarm monitoring center, the monitoring center alarm signals, the alarm monitoring center, operative to receive the monitoring center alarm signals, and one or more displays at the alarm monitoring center, operative to display the monitoring center alarm signals as alarm signal messages, wherein the system comprises; a legacy alarm panel operative to generate a customer alarm signal in a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) format to produce a POTS customer signal, and a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) converter, operative to convert the POTS customer signal to an IP (Internet Protocol) format and output one of the respective customer alarm signals that comprises an IP signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17)
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Specification