Security system for a building

• US 9,111,430 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark Kraus, Paul Toenjes
• Original Assignee: Mark Kraus, Paul Toenjes
• Inventors: Kraus, Mark, Toenjes, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US13/173,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20120001754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• 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 25/12 Manually actuated calamity alarm transmitting arrangements emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm, activators, e.g. details of alarm push buttons mounted on an infrastructure

Abstract

A method of operating a security system (20) including a plurality of sensors (30) and cameras (34). The security system (20) includes a monitoring device (24) and a monitoring database (32), at least one of which stores a plurality of contacts and notification methods for contacting the contacts. When one of the sensors (30) or cameras (34) detects an emergency condition, one of the monitoring device (24) or monitoring database (32) automatically sends a notification message to one of the contacts. If the contact rejects the notification message or does not respond, then the monitoring device (24) or monitoring database (32) automatically sends the notification message to the same contact through a different notification method or to a different contact.

Claims

1. A method of operating a security system in a building comprising the steps of:

establishing a database including a plurality of contacts and wherein at least one of the contacts has a plurality of notification methods,

arranging the plurality of contacts and notification methods in the database into a hierarchy that varies based on at least the time of day and the day of the week and different locations within the building and on different types of emergencies and wherein for at least one combination of time of day, day of week, location within the building and type of emergency, the contact at the top of the hierarchy is a not an emergency responder,

establishing an emergency condition,

automatically sending only a single notification message to one of the contacts via a first notification method according to the hierarchy in response to the emergency condition being established and not sending the notification message to any emergency responder if the contact according to the hierarchy is not an emergency responder,

receiving a response from the contact as one of accepted and rejected and unresponsive, and

automatically sending the notification message to at least one of the same contact through a different notification method than the first notification method and to a different contact according to the hierarchy until one of the contacts accepts the notification message.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the monitoring database includes a panic button and wherein the step of establishing an emergency condition is further defined as establishing an emergency condition in response to the panic button being depressed.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of sensing a condition of building with a sensor and generating a sensor signal associated with the condition.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including the step of comparing the sensor signal with a predetermined emergency value.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of establishing an emergency condition is further defined as establishing an emergency condition in response to the sensor signal exceeding the predetermined emergency value.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including the step of establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring device to connect the monitoring device to the Internet.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the steps of providing a monitoring database and establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring database to connect the monitoring database to the Internet and establishing communication between the monitoring device and the monitoring database.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 further including the steps of providing a camera in the building and capturing a video of the building with the camera and generating a video signal with the camera.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including the step of sending the sensor and video signals from the monitoring device to the monitoring database via the Internet.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 further including the step of storing the sensor and video signals on the monitoring database.

11. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the steps of providing a user device and establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the user device to connect the user device to the Internet.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the step of establishing communication between the user device and the monitoring device over the Internet.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 further including the step of sending the sensor and video signals from the monitoring device to the user device.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the user device is one of the contacts.

15. A method of operating a security system including a plurality of sensors and a plurality of cameras and a user device and a monitoring database and a monitoring device having a panic button comprising the steps of:

establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring device to connect the monitoring device to the Internet,

connecting the monitoring device to the public switched telephone network (PSTN),

establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the user device to connect the user device to the Internet,

establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring database to connect the monitoring database to the Internet,

connecting the monitoring database to the PSTN,

establishing communication over the Internet between the monitoring database and the monitoring device,

establishing a plurality of contacts and notification methods for contacting the contacts,

arranging the notification methods into a hierarchy including a first notification method at the top of the hierarchy,

sensing a condition of the building with each of the sensors and generating a sensor signal associate with the condition,

sending the sensor signals from the sensors to the monitoring device,

capturing a video of the building with each of the cameras and generating a video signal,

sending the video signals from the cameras to the monitoring device,

sending the sensor and video signals from the monitoring device to the monitoring database via the Internet,

storing the sensor and video signals on one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database,

comparing each of the sensor signals to a predetermined emergency value,

establishing an emergency condition with one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database in response to one of the sensor signals exceeding the predetermined emergency value and in response to the panic button on the monitoring device being depressed,

automatically sending a notification message from one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database to the user device in response to an emergency condition being established,

receiving a response with one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database from the user device as one of accepted and rejected and unresponsive,

automatically establishing communication between the user device and one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database in response to one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database receiving an accepted response from the user device,

automatically sending the sensor signals and the video signals from one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database to the user device,

and characterized by

changing the hierarchy of notification methods according to the time of the day and the day of the week and the location of the building that the emergency condition took place in and the type of emergency condition and wherein for at least one combination of time of day, day of week, location within the building and type of emergency, the contact at the top of the hierarchy is a not an emergency responder,

automatically sending the notification message from one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database to only one of the contacts via the first notification method at the top of the hierarchy in response to an emergency condition being established and not sending the notification message to any emergency responder if the contact according to the hierarchy is not an emergency responder,

receiving a response with the one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database from the contact as one of accepted and rejected and unresponsive, and

automatically sending the notification message to at least one of the same contact through a different notification method than the first notification method and to a different contact according to the hierarchy until one of the monitoring device and the monitoring database receives an accepted response from one of the contacts.