Monitoring system and method for connecting a monitoring device to a service server

• US 9,882,869 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tullberg, Joacim, Adolfsson, Johan, Gren, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belani, Kishin G
• Application Number:
  US11/644,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method according to the invention for connecting a monitoring device to a service server may comprise retrieving an address relating to a control server from a memory of the monitoring device, sending a connection message from the monitoring device to the address relating to a control server in response to a connecting event, extracting, at the control server, an identifier from the communication between the monitoring device and the control server, identifying, at the control server, a service server associated with the extracted identifier, sending an address relating to the identified service server from the control server to the monitoring device, sending a connection message from the monitoring device to the identified service server in response to the receipt of the address related to the identified service server, establishing a service connection between the monitoring device and the identified server.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a service connection of a monitoring device to a service server via a control server, said method comprising:

retrieving, from a memory of the monitoring device, an address relating to a control server and an identifier uniquely identifying the monitoring device,

sending an initial connection message from the monitoring device to the address relating to a control server in response to a connecting event occurring at the monitoring device, the initial connection message including the identifier,

extracting, at the control server, the identifier from the initial connection message between the monitoring device and the control server,

identifying, at the control server, a service server associated with the extracted identifier, wherein a matching of the extracted identifier to the service server is performed by accessing a database of identifiers in which each identifier is associated with a service server,

retrieving from the database an address of the identified service server,

sending the retrieved address of the identified service server from the control server to the monitoring device,

sending a connection message from the monitoring device to the identified service server in response to the receipt of the address related to the identified service server, and

establishing a service connection between the monitoring device and the identified service server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the address relating to a control server is a preconfigured address and wherein the sending of the connection message from the monitoring device to the preconfigured address is performed in response to an initiation event at the monitoring device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of a connection message from the monitoring device to a control server is performed at least one time prior to sending a connection message from the monitoring device to a control server which provides an address of a service server to the monitoring device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting of an identifier further includes extracting a network address relating to the monitoring device from the communication between the monitoring device and the control server, and wherein said identifying of a service server further includes matching the extracted network address to a service server.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of sending a connection message from the monitoring device to a preconfigured address relating to a control server is performed in response to the monitoring device detecting a network connection.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of sending a connection message from the monitoring device to a preconfigured address relating to an control server is performed in response to a manual actuation of an initiator arranged at the monitoring device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of sending the address relating to the identified service server includes sending the address relating to the identified service server in a reconfiguration message to the monitoring device, and wherein the method further includes setting, in the monitoring device, an address used in response to the initiation event to the address relating to the identified service server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending of monitoring information from the monitoring device to the service server over the established service connection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sending of monitoring information includes sending video data from the monitoring device to the service server via the established service connection.

10. A monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring device, a control server, a plurality of service servers and a network connecting the servers and the monitoring device,

wherein the monitoring device includes;

a first memory including a connection address relating to the control server,

an initiator arranged to send an initial connection message over the network to the connection address in response to an initiation event,

a second memory including an identifier, said identifier being an identifier uniquely identifying the monitoring device, the monitoring device being arranged to send this identifier to the connection address, and

a first processor arranged to send a new connection message to an address relating to a service server, the address received in a message via said network,

wherein the control server includes;

an identity extractor arranged to extract the identifier from the initial connection message received from the monitoring device,

a second processor arranged to execute a matching function to identify a service server associated with the extracted identifier wherein a matching of the extracted identifier to the service server is performed by accessing a database of identifiers and associated service servers, and to retrieve an address to the identified service server, and

a message generator arranged to generate a message including the retrieved address to the identified service server and to send the generated message to the monitoring device, whereby the control server initiates a service connection of the monitoring device to the identified service server according to the retrieved address, and

wherein each service server includes;

a third processor arranged to receive and process monitoring data from a monitoring device.

11. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring system includes a plurality of control servers, the plurality of control servers includes at least one initial control server, which is a high level control server in an hierarchy of control servers, arranged to access address information enabling at least indirect connection to any control server and service server in the system.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system includes at least two initial control servers.

13. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the identifier is an IP-address.

14. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the identifier is an identification code stored in the monitoring device.

15. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the initiator of the monitoring device is a network connection detector.

16. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the initiator of the monitoring device is an actuator for manual actuation.

17. A control server adapted to direct a monitoring device to a service server for establishing a service connection in a monitoring system, the control server comprising:

an interface connecting the control server to a network;

an identity extractor arranged to extract an identifier from an initial message received from a monitoring device, the identifier being an identity code that uniquely identifies the monitoring device;

a processor arranged to execute a matching function to identify a service server associated with the extracted identifier by accessing a database of identifiers and associated service servers, and to retrieve an address to the identified service server; and

a message generator arranged to generate a message including the retrieved address to the identified service server associated with the extracted identifier and to send the generated message to the monitoring device, the message initiating a service connection of the monitoring device to the identified service server according to the retrieved address.

18. The control server for a monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the identifier is an IP-address.

19. The control server for a monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the identity code is a serial number.