System and method for alarm signaling during alarm system destruction

• US 9,830,805 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane, Martin, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US15/362,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20170076586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 340502, 340506, 340527, 340528, 3405391, 34053911, 34053914, 34053916, 34053917, 340531, 340540, 340541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/00 Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/16 Security signalling or alarm systems, e.g. redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system and method provide for the immediate transmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow site and from the escrow site to a host station in the event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.” A system and method may also send an alarm signal during such an attack by using predictive analysis of real-time events.

Claims

1. A method for handling an alarm situation, the method comprising:

identifying an alarm situation at a location of a monitored property by one or more sensors or by a control panel;

transmitting, to a remote escrow site that is different than a remote host station and that is physically separate from the monitored property, a message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel based on identifying the alarm situation at the location of the monitored property; and

transmitting, to the remote escrow site, a first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel, wherein receipt of the first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel results in the remote escrow site transmitting, to the remote host station, the first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmission of the message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to the remote host station occurs over a first communication path, and wherein transmission of the alarm signal is expected to occur over a second communication path that is different than the first communication path.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first communication path is a wireless communication path and the second communication path is a wired communication path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site is not transmitted to the remote escrow site, and wherein non-transmittal of the second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site indicates that at least some equipment used to create the alarm signal or to transmit the alarm signal to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel has been disabled or destroyed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in response to non-transmittal of the second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site, the remote escrow site generates an alarm signal for transmission to the remote host station.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, at the one or more sensors or the control panel, data corresponding to a user input canceling the alarm situation.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

transmitting, to the remote escrow site and in response to receiving the data corresponding to the user input canceling the alarm situation, a second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled, wherein receipt by the remote escrow site of the second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled results in no further signaling by the remote escrow site.

8. An alarm system for handling an alarm situation, the system comprising:

one or more sensors for identifying an alarm situation at a location of a monitored property; and

a control panel that transmits, to a remote escrow site that is different than a remote host station and that is physically separate from the monitored property, a message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel based on identifying the alarm situation at the location of the monitored property, and transmits, to the remote escrow site, a first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel, wherein receipt of the first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel results in the remote escrow site transmitting, to the remote host station, the first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel.

9. The alarm system of claim 8, wherein transmission of the message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to the remote host station occurs over a first communication path, and wherein transmission of the alarm signal is expected to occur over a second communication path that is different than the first communication path.

10. The alarm system of claim 9, wherein the first communication path is a wireless communication path and the second communication path is a wired communication path.

11. The alarm system of claim 8, wherein a second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site is not transmitted to the remote escrow site, and wherein non-transmittal of the second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site indicates that at least some equipment used to create the alarm signal or to transmit the alarm signal to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel has been disabled or destroyed.

12. The alarm system of claim 11, wherein, in response to non-transmittal of the second update message that is expected to be transmitted to the remote escrow site, the remote escrow site generates an alarm signal for transmission to the remote host station.

13. The alarm system of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors or the control panel receive data corresponding to a user input canceling the alarm situation.

14. The alarm system of claim 13, wherein the control panel transmits, to the remote escrow site in response to receipt of the data corresponding to the user input canceling the alarm situation, a second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled, wherein receipt by the remote escrow site of the second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled results in no further signaling by the remote escrow site.

15. An alarm system for providing an alarm signal comprising:

a receiver at a remote escrow site that is physically separate from a monitored property and that receives a signal indicating an alarm or a non-alarm event at a location of the monitored property, receives a message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to a remote host station from one or more sensors or a control panel, and receives a first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel; and

a transmitter at the remote escrow site that transmits, to the remote host station and in response to receipt of the first update message by the receiver indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel, the first update message indicating that the alarm signal cannot be transmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel.

16. The alarm system of claim 15, wherein receipt of the message that indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmitted to the remote host station occurs over a first communication path, and wherein transmission of the alarm signal is expected to occur over a second communication path that is different than the first communication path.

17. The alarm system of claim 16, wherein the first communication path is a wireless communication path and the second communication path is a wired communication path.

18. The alarm system of claim 15, wherein a second update message that is expected to be received by the receiver is not received by the receiver, and wherein non-receipt of the second update message that is expected to be received by the receiver indicates that at least some equipment used to create the alarm signal or to transmit the alarm signal to the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the control panel has been disabled or destroyed.

19. The alarm system of claim 18, wherein, in response to non-receipt of the second update message that is expected to be received by the receiver, the remote escrow site generates an alarm signal for transmission to the remote host station.

20. The alarm system of claim 15, wherein the receiver receives a second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled, wherein receipt by the receiver of the second update message indicating that the alarm signal has been canceled results in no further signaling by the transmitter.