User interface configuration for alarm systems

• US 9,842,486 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Boisclair, J. R. Mario, Piccolo, III, Joseph, McEvoy, Dennis A., Fox, Mary Winna, Alexandrov, Kirill
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US14/095,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 340506, 709226, 709220, 709221, 709222, 709225, 709223, 709217, 709229, 709202, 370352, 370389, 707E17117, 707E17107, 714E11179, 714 471
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/18 Prevention or correction of operating errors G08B29/02, G08B29/12 take precedence

Abstract

System and method for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface of an alarm system. An exemplary embodiment of a configuration system in accordance with the present disclosure includes a plurality of alarm system workstations, each alarm system workstation having a set of configuration parameters associated therewith, a client workstation, and a user interface broker operatively connected to each of the alarm system workstations and the client workstation, wherein the user interface broker is configured to aggregate data from the alarm system workstations and to present such aggregated data at the client workstation using the comprehensive user interface. The user interface broker is further configured to facilitate designation of one of the alarm system workstations as a main workstation, whereupon the configuration parameters of the designated main workstation are applied to the comprehensive user interface.

Claims

1. A configuration system for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface in an alarm system, the configuration system comprising:

a plurality of alarm system workstations connected to respective pluralities of alarm system points via respective alarm panels, each alarm system workstation having a set of appearance and operation configuration parameters associated therewith;

a client workstation; and

a user interface broker operatively connected to each of the alarm system workstations and the client workstation;

a configuration tool, included in the user interface broker, displaying a list of select ones of each of the alarm system workstations associated with the user interface broker, the configuration tool designates one of the alarm system workstations as a main alarm system workstation such that the set of appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with the designated main workstation are applied to the comprehensive user interface in a manner that facilitates control over, monitoring and display of the pluralities of the alarm system points from the designated main alarm system workstation.

2. The configuration system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with a first one of the plurality of alarm system workstations is different from the set of appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with a second one of the plurality of alarm system workstations.

3. The configuration system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the appearance and operation configuration parameters include at least one of the following, associated with main alarm system workstation, a notification sound, colors and images, the order and general configuration of particular screens, control buttons and menus that may be presented for monitoring the operation of each of the alarm system points.

4. The configuration system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the configuration tool resides on each of the alarm system workstations.

5. A method for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface of an alarm system, the method comprising:

designating one of a plurality of alarm system workstations as a main workstation, the plurality of alarm system workstations connected to respective pluralities of alarm system points via respective alarm panels; and

applying appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with the designated main workstation to the comprehensive user interface, whereby the comprehensive user interface facilitates control over, monitoring and display of, the pluralities of alarm system points from a client workstation.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising:

identifying the plurality of alarm system workstations for interface via a user interface broker; and

applying the appearance and operation configuration parameters to the comprehensive user interface via a configuration tool included in the user interface broker.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the user interface broker aggregates data from the plurality of alarm system workstations for presentation via the comprehensive user interface.

8. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the appearance and operation configuration parameters include at least one of the following, associated with main alarm system workstation, a notification sound, colors and images, the order and general configuration of particular screens, control buttons and menus that may be presented for monitoring the operation of each of the alarm system points.

9. A configuration system for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface of an alarm system, the configuration system comprising:

a plurality of alarm system workstations connected to respective pluralities of alarm system points via respective alarm panels, each alarm system workstation having a configuration add-on for facilitating selection of one or more categories of appearance and operation configuration parameters for application to the comprehensive user interface;

a client workstation;

a user interface broker operatively connected to each of the alarm system workstations and the client workstation, the user interface broker configured to aggregate data from the alarm system workstations and to enable specification of an ordered sequence of the alarm system workstations, wherein the ordered sequence is used by the user interface broker to determine which of the selected appearance and operation configuration parameter categories are applied to the comprehensive user interface; and

a configuration tool, included in the user interface broker, displaying a list of select ones of each of the alarm system workstations associated with the user interface broker, the configuration tool designates one of the alarm system workstations as a main alarm system workstation such that the set of appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with the designated main workstation are applied to the comprehensive user interface in a manner that facilitates control over, monitoring and display of the pluralities of the alarm system points from the designated main alarm system workstation.

10. The configuration system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the user interface broker is configured to apply configuration parameters to the comprehensive user interface, wherein the applied configuration parameters are associated with the selected configuration parameter categories in the ordered sequence.

11. The configuration system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the user interface broker is configured to apply configuration parameters associated with the selected configuration parameter categories of subsequent alarm system workstations in the ordered sequence for configuration parameter categories that were not selected in the configuration add-on of the first alarm system workstation in the ordered sequence.

12. The configuration system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the user interface broker is configured to provide a list of the alarm system workstations connected thereto along with a tool for enabling an operator to specify an ordered sequence of the alarm system workstations.

13. The configuration system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the appearance and operation configuration parameters include at least one of the following, associated with main alarm system workstation, a notification sound, colors and images, the order and general configuration of particular screens, control buttons and menus that may be presented for monitoring the operation of each of the alarm system points.

14. A method for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface of an alarm system, the method comprising:

selecting appearance and operation categories of configuration parameters at each of a plurality of alarm system workstations for application to the comprehensive user interface, the plurality of alarm system workstations connected to respective pluralities of alarm system points via respective alarm panels;

specifying an ordered sequence of the alarm system workstations;

using the ordered sequence of alarm system workstations to determine which of the selected appearance and operation configuration parameter categories are applied to the comprehensive user interface in a manner that facilitates control over, and monitoring of, the pluralities of alarm system points from a client workstation; and

determining whether the appearance and operation configuration parameter categories of a first of the plurality of alarm system workstations in the ordered sequence are selected as being visible to a user interface broker and applying the appearance and operation configuration parameters associated with the selected categories to the user interface broker for all the alarm system workstations.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the appearance and operation configuration parameter categories include at least one of the following, notification sounds, colors and images, the order and general configuration of particular screens, control buttons and menus that may be presented for monitoring the operation of each of the alarm system points associated with each alarm system workstation.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the user interface broker aggregates data from the plurality of alarm system workstations for presentation via the comprehensive user interface.

17. The method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising providing a list of the alarm system workstations along with a tool for allowing an operator to specify an ordered sequence of the alarm system workstations.

18. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein using the ordered sequence of alarm system workstations to determine which of the selected configuration parameter categories are applied to the comprehensive user interface comprises, for configuration parameter categories of the first alarm system workstation in the ordered sequence that were not selected for visibility to the user interface broker, determining whether any such configuration parameter categories of a subsequent alarm system workstation in the ordered sequence are selected for visibility to the user interface broker, and applying configuration parameters associated with the categories to the comprehensive user interface.