System to provide a security technology and management portal

• US 9,378,633 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Integrated Security LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Gutierrez, Jeffery, Ponce, Phillip William
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US14/604,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20150139604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 340/8.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/9994 Distributed or remote access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system to facilitate management of surveillance devices, that are distributed over a monitored region, through a geographic information (GI) portal, having GI storage to store map data defining a geographic map of the monitored region. A GI manager unit (GIMU) to record, in the GI storage, asset position information with regarding locations for assets of interest within the monitored region. The GIMU obtains, from a remote surveillance device (SD) database, device-related records. The GIMU stores the device related records in the GI storage. The device records are associated with the surveillance devices installed in the monitored region. The device records include position tags that identify a location of the surveillance devices in the monitored region. The GIMU obtains, from a remote network (NW) database, network-related records. The GIMU stores the network related records in the GI storage. The network-related records associated with network devices are installed over the monitored region. The SD and NW databases are maintained and managed separately from the GI database by one or more independent management units. A display presents a geographic map of the monitored region with device markers and network links illustrated thereon. The device markers indicate positions of the surveillance devices relative to the geographic map. The network links indicate communications links between network devices. A user interface permits a user to select from the surveillance devices and network links. The GIMU makes available to the user the device related records and documents and the network related records and documents associated with the selected surveillance devices and network links.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate management of surveillance devices, that are distributed over a monitored region, through a geographic information (GI) portal, comprising:

GI storage to store multiple different layers of information, the layers including a base layer and at least two of an asset layer, a surveillance device layer, a network layer, a maintenance layer, and an operational layer, the base layer storing map data defining a geographic map of the monitored region, in which assets of interest are located and surveillance devices (SDs) are installed relative to the assets of interest;

a GI manager unit (GIMU) to create and store surveillance device related (SDR) objects in the GI storage, each of the SDR objects uniquely associated with one of the SDs, the GIMU mapping the SDR objects to the information in the multiple different layers;

a display to present a geographic map of the monitored region with device markers illustrated thereon, the device markers indicating positions of the surveillance devices relative to the geographic map, the device markers mapped to the SDR objects; and

a user interface to permit a user to select from the surveillance devices by choosing the corresponding device markers, the display displaying to the user the information from the multiple different layers associated with the SDR object for the selected surveillance device, wherein the layers include the surveillance device layer and the network layer, the surveillance device layer containing information that describes the surveillance devices including at least one of installation manuals, specifications, operational parameters, device attributes or warranty, the network layer containing information describing network devices installed relative to the assets of interest including at least one of installation information, specifications, operational parameters, network attributes or warranties.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a SD database that stores SD content associated with surveillance devices installed throughout the monitored region, and a SD manager unit that manages the SD database, the GIMU submitting a query to the SD manager unit for SD content associated with a selected surveillance device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the SD manager unit communicates with the surveillance devices installed in the monitored region, the SD manager unit collects surveillance, status, and condition data from the surveillance devices and recording the surveillance, status and condition data in the SD database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the GIMU utilizes the SDR object for a selected surveillance device to access the surveillance device content.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface permits the user to zoom in the geographic map to a particular monitored subregion, the display displaying the subregion along with a group of nodes having surveillance devices and network devices installed relative to the assets of interest.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the layers of information correspond to architectural layers for a network including the SDs and network devices (NDs).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display presents a network control area including a layer menu having a layer structure associated with the different layers of information stored in the GI storage.

8. A system to facilitate management of network devices, that are distributed over a monitored region, through a geographic information (GI) portal, comprising:

GI storage to store multiple different layers of information, the layers including a base layer and at least two of an asset layer, a surveillance device layer, a network layer, a maintenance layer, and an operational layer, the base layer storing map data defining a geographic map of the monitored region, in which assets of interest are located and network devices (NDs) are installed relative to the assets of interest;

a GI manager unit (GIMU) to create and store network device related (NDR) objects in the GI storage, each of the NDR objects uniquely associated with one of the NDs, the GIMU mapping the NDR objects to the information in the multiple different layers;

a display to present a geographic map of the monitored region with device markers and network links illustrated thereon, the device markers indicating positions of the network devices relative to the geographic map, the display displaying the network links in a manner that illustrates communications paths between network devices, the device markers and network links mapped to the NDR objects; and

a user interface to permit a user to select from the network devices or network links by choosing the corresponding device markers or network links, the display displaying to the user the information from the multiple different layers associated with the NDR object for the selected network device or network link, wherein the GI storage stores information regarding network devices that are installed relative to the assets of interest, the network devices bidirectionally communicating with one another over links to carry surveillance device content and network device content.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a ND database that stores ND content associated with network devices installed throughout the monitored region, and a ND manager unit that manages the ND database, the GIMU submitting a query to the ND manager unit for ND content associated with a selected network device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the ND manager unit communicates with the network devices installed in the monitored region, the ND manager unit collects communications, surveillance, status, and condition data from the network devices and recording the communications, surveillance, status and condition data in the ND database.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the GIMU utilizes the NDR object for a selected network device to access the network device content.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the GIMU accesses a NW network (NW) database which stores network device content associated with network devices installed throughout the monitored region, the network device content including attributes that define operation, performance and capabilities of the corresponding devices.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the GIMU communicates with a network manager unit (NMU) that communicates with the network devices installed in the monitored region, the NMU collecting network device content from the network devices and recording the network device content in a network (NW) database, the GIMU requesting the network device content from the NMU.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the user interface permits the user to zoom in the geographic map to a particular monitored subregion, the display displaying the subregion along with communications links between network devices installed relative to the assets of interest the communications links indicating at least one of a communications link status or a type of link.

15. A system to facilitate management of surveillance devices, that are distributed over a monitored region, through a geographic information (GI) portal, comprising:

GI storage to store multiple different layers of information, the layers including a base layer and at least two of an asset layer, a surveillance device layer, a network layer, a maintenance layer, and an operational layer, the base layer storing map data defining a geographic map of the monitored region, in which assets of interest are located and surveillance devices (SDs) are installed relative to the assets of interest;

a GI manager unit (GIMU) to create and store surveillance device related (SDR) objects in the GI storage, each of the SDR objects uniquely associated with one of the SDs, the GIMU mapping the SDR objects to the information in the multiple different layers;

a display to present a geographic map of the monitored region with device markers illustrated thereon, the device markers indicating positions of the surveillance devices relative to the geographic map, the device markers mapped to the SDR objects and; and

a user interface to permit a user to select from the surveillance devices by choosing the corresponding device markers, the display displaying to the user the information from the multiple different layers associated with the SDR object for the selected surveillance device, wherein the layers include the maintenance and operational layers, the maintenance layer including information that describes a maintenance history for at least one of devices, networks or assets, the operational layer including information that describes at least one of a status, condition or operating parameters of the devices and network.