Line seizure in an alarm system having an alarm signal processing device

• US 9,154,637 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bates, Peter C., Gruskin, Edward, Oza, Nishit
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/970,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A system and method of seizing a landline is disclosed. In seizing the landline, a first device may identify that a switch has been toggled by a second device; receive an alarm signal from the second device via a landline based on identifying that the switch has been toggled; determine a particular processing instruction, of one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the alarm signal; and execute the particular processing instruction to provide the alarm signal to a third device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a device, that a switch has been toggled by an alarm panel device,

the switch being toggled causing a user device to be disconnected from a landline;

receiving, by the device, an alarm signal from the alarm panel device via the landline based on the switch being toggled;

determining, by the device, a particular processing instruction, of one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the alarm signal,

the particular processing instruction directing the device to establish a communication session between the user device and an external device, without the landline, and to send the alarm signal via the landline; and

executing, by the device, the particular processing instruction to;

provide the alarm signal to a server device via the landline,

establish the communication session while the landline is available to provide the alarm signal, and

connect the user device to the external device via the communication session without the landline.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disconnecting the user device from the landline based on identifying that the switch has been toggled by the alarm panel device,

where receiving the alarm signal occurs after disconnection of the user device from the landline.

3. The method of claim 2, where the user device is disconnected from a network when the switch has been toggled by the alarm panel device to make the network available for use by the alarm panel device to provide the alarm signal.

4. The method of claim 1, where the alarm signal is a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal, and where the particular processing instruction directs the device to provide the alarm signal to the server device as a DTMF signal,

the method further comprising:

placing a telephone call to the server device and providing the alarm signal via the telephone call,

where executing the particular processing instruction includes placing the telephone call to the server device and providing the alarm signal via the telephone call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another alarm signal from the alarm panel via the landline;

determining another processing instruction, of the one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the other alarm signal,

the other processing instruction directing the device to translate the other alarm signal to a packet-based message;

translating the other alarm signal to the packet-based message based on the other processing instruction; and

providing the packet-based message to the server device.

6. The method of claim 1, where the communication session is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) session,

the method further comprising:

transmitting or receiving a data flow towards or from the user device via the VoIP session.

7. The method of claim 1, where the information included in the alarm signal identifies a particular terminal via which the alarm panel device receives an electrical signal corresponding to an occurrence of an event,

where determining the particular processing instruction is based on the particular terminal,

the one or more processing instructions being different for different terminals from which the alarm signal is able to be received.

8. The method of claim 1, where the information included in the alarm signal identifies a particular telephone number dialed by the alarm panel device to provide the alarm signal,

where determining the particular processing instruction is based on the telephone number dialed by the alarm panel device,

the one or more processing instructions being different for different telephone numbers dialed by the alarm panel device.

9. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

identify that a switch has been toggled by an alarm panel device;

disconnect one or more user devices from a landline based on identifying that the switch has been toggled by the alarm panel device;

receive an alarm signal from the alarm panel device via the landline after disconnecting the one or more user devices from the landline;

determine a particular processing instruction, of one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the alarm signal,

the particular processing instruction directing the device to establish a communication session between a user device, of the one or more user devices, and an external device, independent of the landline, and to send the alarm signal via the landline; and

execute the particular processing instruction to;

provide the alarm signal to a server device via the landline,

establish the communication session while the landline is available to provide the alarm signal, and

connect the user device to the external device via the communication session independent of the landline.

10. The device of claim 9, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide a synchronization signal to the alarm panel device based on identifying that the switch has been toggled,

the synchronization signal directing the alarm panel device to provide the alarm signal,

where when receiving the alarm signal, the one or more processors are to receive the alarm signal based on providing the synchronization signal.

11. The device of claim 9, where the alarm signal is a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal, and where the particular processing instruction directs the device to provide the alarm signal to the server device as a DTMF signal,

where the one or more processors are further to:

place a telephone call to the server device and provide the alarm signal via the telephone call,

where when executing the particular processing instruction, the one or more processors are to place the telephone call to the server device and provide the alarm signal via the telephone call.

12. The device of claim 9, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive another alarm signal from the alarm panel via the landline;

determine another processing instruction, of the one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the other alarm signal,

the other processing instruction directing the device to translate the other alarm signal to a packet-based message,

translate the other alarm signal to the packet-based message based on the other processing instruction; and

provide the packet-based message to the server device.

13. The device of claim 9, where the communication session is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) session,

where the one or more processors are further to:

transmit or receive a data flow towards or from the one or more user devices via the VoIP session.

14. The device of claim 9, where the information included in the alarm signal identifies a particular terminal via which the alarm panel device receives an electrical signal corresponding to an occurrence of an event,

where when determining the particular processing instruction, the one or more processors are to determine the particular processing instruction based on the particular terminal,

the one or more processing instructions being different for different terminals from which the alarm signal is able to be received.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a device, cause the one or more processors to;

identify that a switch has been toggled by an alarm panel device,

the alarm panel device toggling the switch on based on receiving an electrical signal corresponding to an alarm;

disconnect a user device from a landline based on identifying that the switch has been toggled by the alarm panel device;

receive an alarm signal from the alarm panel device via the landline after disconnecting the user device from the landline;

determine a particular processing instruction, of one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the alarm signal,

the particular processing instruction directing the device to establish a communication session between the user device and an external device, independent of the landline, and to send the alarm signal via the landline; and

execute the particular processing instruction to;

provide the alarm signal to a monitoring device via the landline,

establish the communication session while the landline is available to provide the alarm signal, and

connect the user device to the external device via the communication session independent of the landline.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

provide a synchronization signal to the alarm panel device based on identifying that the switch has been toggled,

the synchronization signal directing the alarm panel device to provide the alarm signal,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to receive the alarm signal, cause the one or more processors to receive the alarm signal based on providing the synchronization signal.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the alarm signal is a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal, and

where the particular processing instruction directs the device to provide the alarm signal to the monitoring device as a DTMF signal,

where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

place a telephone call to the monitoring device and provide the alarm signal via the telephone call,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to execute the particular processing instruction, cause the one or more processors to place the telephone call to the monitoring device and provide the alarm signal via the telephone call.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive another alarm signal from the alarm panel via the landline;

determine another processing instruction, of the one or more processing instructions, based on information included in the other alarm signal,

the other processing instruction directing the device to translate the other alarm signal to a packet-based message,

translate the other alarm signal to the packet-based message based on the other processing instruction; and

provide the packet-based message to the monitoring device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the communication session is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) session,

where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit or receive a data flow towards or from the user device via the VoIP session.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the information included in the alarm signal identifies a particular terminal via which the alarm panel device receives an electrical signal corresponding to an occurrence of an event,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to determine the particular processing instruction, cause the one or more processors to determine the particular processing instruction based on the particular terminal,

the one or more processing instructions being different for different terminals from which the alarm signal is able to be received.