Wireless communication security system

• US 9,607,497 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Cronin, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sherwin, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US14/818,226
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

An event venue, such as a sports stadium, can use a security system to wireless communicate about security issues. The event venue may have one or more wireless transmitters with transmission zones within the event venue. When a central security office system receives a security alert from a device belonging to a security guard or an eventgoer, or from a law enforcement or first responder network, or from security cameras or emergency beacons (e.g., a fire alarms), information detailing the security issue can be composed into an electronic message, which may include camera footage. The electronic message can then be sent out to at least a subset of the devices in the event venue using the wireless transmitters, for example to summon security guards to deal with a brawl, or to warn eventgoers of a fire.

Claims

1. A method for event venue security, the method comprising:

receiving a security alert identifying a security issue at an event venue;

identifying an issue region of the event venue associated with the security issue, the issue region being one of a plurality of distinct regions of the event venue;

identifying a transmission region of a first wireless transmitter, the transmission region including at least a subset of the issue region of the event venue and including a plurality of mobile receiver devices and a camera device, wherein the first wireless transmitter is a visual light communication (VLC) transmitter that is distinct from the plurality of mobile receiver devices and the camera device, and wherein the plurality of mobile devices is distinct from the camera device;

transmitting a camera trigger from the first wireless transmitter to the camera device, thereby triggering the camera device to start recording a camera feed;

generating an electronic message identifying the security issue, the electronic message including the camera feed;

identifying a set of authorized mobile receiver devices that includes a subset of the plurality of mobile receiver devices;

securing the electronic message, thereby allowing the set of authorized mobile receiver devices to read the electronic message and prohibiting a remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices other than the set of authorized mobile receiver devices from reading the electronic message; and

transmitting the electronic message from the first wireless transmitter to the transmission region, thereby outputting the electronic message at the set of authorized mobile receiver devices but not at the remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the security issue is a result of an ongoing dangerous occurrence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the security issue is a result of a past dangerous occurrence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one guard device associated with a security guard.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the electronic message includes assistance instructions pertaining to the security issue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one law enforcement device associated with one of a local police force, a federal law enforcement agency, or an international law enforcement agency.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one eventgoer device associated with an eventgoer, and wherein the electronic message includes a warning pertaining to the security issue.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein securing the electronic message includes at least one of encrypting the electronic message, password-protecting the electronic message, or some combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera feed includes at least one of an image or a video.

10. A system for event venue security, the system comprising:

a first wireless transmitter of a plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein the first wireless transmitter is a visual light communication (VLC) transmitter and transmits to a transmission region that includes a plurality of mobile receiver devices and a camera device, wherein the first wireless transmitter is distinct from the plurality of mobile receiver devices and the camera device, and wherein the plurality of mobile receiver devices is distinct from the camera device; and

a security management device, wherein execution of instructions stored in a memory of the security management device using a processor of the security management device;

receives a security alert identifying a security issue at an event venue,

identifies an issue region of the event venue associated with the security issue, the issue region being one of a plurality of distinct regions of the event venue,

identifies that the transmission region of the first wireless transmitter includes at least a subset of the issue region of the event venue,

transmits a camera trigger from the first wireless transmitter to the camera device, thereby triggering the camera device to start recording a camera feed,

generates an electronic message identifying the security issue, the electronic message including the camera feed,

identifies a set of authorized mobile receiver devices that includes a subset of the plurality of mobile receiver devices,

secures the electronic message, thereby allowing the set of authorized mobile receiver devices to read the electronic message and prohibiting a remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices other than the set of authorized mobile receiver devices from reading the electronic message, and

transmits the electronic message from the first wireless transmitter to the transmission region, thereby outputting the electronic message at the set of authorized mobile receiver devices but not at the remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the security issue is a result of one of an ongoing dangerous occurrence or a past dangerous occurrence.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one guard device associated with a security guard.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electronic message includes assistance instructions pertaining to the security issue.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one law enforcement device associated with one of a local police force, a federal law enforcement agency, or an international law enforcement agency.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of authorized mobile receiver devices includes at least one eventgoer device associated with an eventgoer, and wherein the electronic message includes a warning pertaining to the security issue.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein securing the electronic message includes at least one of encrypting the electronic message, password-protecting the electronic message, or some combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the camera feed includes at least one of an image or a video.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for event venue security, the method comprising:

receiving a security alert identifying a security issue at an event venue;

receiving a security alert identifying a security issue at an event venue;

identifying an issue region of the event venue associated with the security issue, the issue region being one of a plurality of distinct regions of the event venue;

identifying a transmission region of a first wireless transmitter, the transmission region including at least a subset of the issue region of the event venue and including a plurality of mobile receiver devices and a camera device, wherein the first wireless transmitter is a visual light communication (VLC) transmitter that is distinct from the plurality of mobile receiver devices and the camera device, and wherein the plurality of mobile devices is distinct from the camera device;

transmitting a camera trigger from the first wireless transmitter to the camera device, thereby triggering the camera device to start recording a camera feed;

generating an electronic message identifying the security issue, the electronic message including the camera feed;

identifying a set of authorized mobile receiver devices that includes a subset of the plurality of mobile receiver devices;

securing the electronic message, thereby allowing the set of authorized mobile receiver devices to read the electronic message and prohibiting a remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices other than the set of authorized mobile receiver devices from reading the electronic message; and

transmitting the electronic message from the first wireless transmitter to the transmission region, thereby outputting the electronic message at the set of authorized mobile receiver devices but not at the remainder of the plurality of mobile receiver devices.