Environmental alert for computer systems

• US 9,153,122 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ilyin, Mikhail Alexandrovich, Kozlovsky, Vitaly Stanislavovich
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/983,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20140340223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 709/223, 709/224, 719/318
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1415 at system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• 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 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]

Abstract

Improved efficiency in monitoring environmental conditions in the vicinity of an unattended computer system includes using the existing communication systems between the computer system and a network, to provide immediate information to users, emergency responders and anyone connected to the network. The system may also include an ability of the unattended computer system to receive a return message from the user ordering a physical action in response to the reported environmental condition, for example turning on a fire suppression system in response to a smoke alarm. The system may also include storage of environmental conditions and analysis of variations over time, as well as any interactions of various types of environmental conditions, such as giving more weight to a high temperature reading in conjunction with an elevated but not critical level of smoke.

Claims

1. A method of communicating environmental conditions in the vicinity of a computer system to a remote user, the method comprising:

receiving a condition signal from an environmental condition sensor located in the vicinity of the computer system at an ingress communication port of the computer system;

storing a value represented by the condition signal, the value indicating a physical condition of the vicinity around the computer system; and

transmitting, from an egress communication port, a notification signal to the remote user based upon the value, the notification signal indicating a physical condition;

further comprising receiving condition signals from a set of environmental condition sensors including at least one of smoke, fire, motion, intrusion, power integrity, vibration, humidity, water and temperature sensors;

wherein each of the condition signals is represented by a value;

wherein the method further comprises;

storing a value represented by a condition signal in the computer system;

comparing the stored value against a first limit range to produce a first comparison result, the first comparison result indicating whether the stored value is within the first limit range;

evaluating an overall environmental condition based upon a time dependent function of an interaction between at least two different, previously stored values to produce an interaction value;

comparing the interaction value against a second limit range to produce a second comparison result, the second comparison result indicating whether the interaction value is within the second limit range; and

transmitting the notification signal if either (i) the first comparison result indicates that the stored value is not within the first limit range or (ii) the second comparison result indicates that the interaction value is not within the second limit range; and

not transmitting the notification signal if (i) the first comparison result indicates that the stored value is within the first limit range and (ii) the second comparison result indicates that the interaction value is within the second limit range.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting notification signal to a fire department in response to receiving a smoke condition signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the condition signal at the ingress communication port via wireless transmission.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the values locally in the computer system;

comparing the stored values against stored limit ranges; and

transmitting the notification signal based on a time dependent function of the stored values and evaluating an overall environmental condition representing a combination of the stored values of the condition signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the notification signal to the remote user of the computer system includes providing the notification signal to at least one of an emergency response center, a remote data storage center, and an emergency backup data operation center.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising responding to an action signal transmitted from the remote user by transmitting a service signal to at least one of a backup data storage center remote from the computer system to receive data, a warning system, a service center, a local water shut off valve, a local fire suppression system, local air conditioning system, and electronically controlled safety doors.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the overall environmental condition based upon the time dependent function includes producing, as the interaction value, a difference between the stored value and a previously stored value, the stored value and the previously stored value representing condition signals from the same sensor.

7. A computer program product having a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium which stores code to communicate environmental conditions in the vicinity of a computer system to a user remote from the computer system, the code including instructions to:

receive a condition signal from an environmental condition sensor in the vicinity of the computer system at an ingress communication port of the computer system;

store a value represented by the condition signal; and

transmit from an egress communication port, a notification signal to the remote user based upon the value;

further comprising code to receive condition signals from environmental condition sensors comprising smoke, fire, motion, intrusion, power integrity, vibration, humidity, water and temperature sensors;

further comprising code to transmit from the communication port a notification signal to a fire department in response to condition signals from the fire sensor, and code to evaluate an overall environmental condition from stored values of the condition signals;

further comprising code to transmit the notification signal to the remote user based on a time dependent function of the stored values;

further including evaluating an overall environmental condition based upon the time dependent function by producing an interaction value representing a difference between the stored value and a previously stored value, the stored value and the previously stored value representing condition signals from the same sensor.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising code to transmit the notification signal to the remote user and to at least one of an emergency response center, a remote data logging, storage and analysis center, and an emergency backup data operation center.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising code to transmit a service signal to at least one of a backup data storage center remote from the computer system to receive data, a warning system, a service center, a local water shut off valve, a local fire suppression system, local air conditioning system, and electronically controlled safety doors, in response to an action signal from the remote user.

10. A system constructed and arranged to provide environmental conditions in the vicinity of a computer system to a remote user, the system comprising:

a network interface;

an ingress communication port;

an egress communication port;

a memory element; and

a controller including controlling circuitry constructed and arranged to;

receive a condition signal from an environmental condition sensor in the vicinity of the computer system via the ingress communication port;

store a value represented by the condition signal in the memory; and

transmit, via the egress communication port, a notification signal to the remote user based upon the value;

the controller constructed and arranged to;

receive condition signals from environmental condition sensors comprising smoke, fire, motion, intrusion, power integrity, vibration, humidity, water and temperature sensors;

transmit from the communication port a notification signal to a fire department in response to condition signals from the fire sensor, and code to evaluate an overall environmental condition from stored values of the condition signals;

transmit the notification signal to the remote user based on a time dependent function of the stored values; and

evaluate an overall environmental condition based upon the time dependent function by producing an interaction value representing a difference between the stored value and a previously stored value, the stored value and the previously stored value representing condition signals from the same sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein further the egress communication port transmits a notification signal to the remote user based on a time dependent function of the stored values.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein further the egress communication port transmits the notification signal to the remote user and to at least one of an emergency response center, a remote data logging, storage and analysis center, and an emergency backup data operation center.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein further the egress communication port transmits a service signal to at least one of a backup data storage center remote from the computer system to receive data, a warning system, a service center, a local water shut off valve, a local fire suppression system, local air conditioning system, and electronically controlled safety doors, in response to an action signal from the remote user.

14. The system of claim 10, further including remote memory storage and analysis units, the communication port transmits substantially simultaneous signals to the remote user, fire department, police department, security department, and service center in response to the stored values.