System for integrating security and access for facilities and information systems

• US 20030023874A1
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lenel Systems International Incorporated (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Regelski, Michael, Prokupets, Rudy
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system for integrating security and access for facilities and information systems is provided including a computer server, information systems, and facility protection systems. The information systems and facility protection systems are coupled for communication to the computer server via a network. Facility protection systems represent an access control system for controlling entry/exit to areas of buildings, such as with badges or other ID Credentials and other systems, such as intrusion detection and fire systems, to provide protection in facility environments. Information systems each represent a computer system requiring user authorization, via computers or terminals capable of connecting thereto, to access information resources or network environments protected by the computer system. Information systems may also include information protection systems requiring user authorization for external access to other information systems. The computer server has a central database which stores at least information defining users and their access privileges to the information systems and to areas of facilities controlled by access control system. Each of the information systems and facility protection systems sends event data to the computer server when an event occurs on its respective system, and an event transaction processor in the computer server determines action(s), if any, to take in response to one or more received events and accordingly sends action data to other information systems and facility protection systems to instruct such systems to automatically respond to security risks representing by such events in real-time. Central management of users and their access privileges, and monitoring of events is further provided.

Claims

1. A security system for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system comprising:

one or more facility protection systems in which at least one of said facility protection system controls user access to areas of a facility;

at least one information system which controls users'"'"' access to said information system;

a computer server system coupled for communication with said facility protection systems and said information system;

said facility protection systems and said information system each having means for sending to said computer system events occurring at their respective system; and

said computer system having means, responsive to said events, for directing one or more of said facility protection systems and said network and information system to take actions in accordance with events.

2. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems and said information system each have means for receiving said actions from said computer server system and operating in accordance with said actions.

3. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems represent systems used for protecting personnel and property in facility environments.

4. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems comprise at least an access control system which controls user access to areas of a facility.

5. The security system according to claim 4 wherein said facility protection systems further comprise an intrusion detection system, a fire system building automation system, personal alarm safety system, and digital video recording and surveillance system.

6. The security system according to claim 1 in which said computer server system further comprises a database for storing at least security information for users and the access privileges of users to said information systems and one or more of said facility protection systems.

7. The security system according to claim 6 in which said computer server system further comprises means for sending said security information to one or more of said facility protection systems in accordance with said access privileges and means for generating user authorization to said information systems in accordance with said access privileges.

8. The security system according to claim 6 wherein said database further stores user data defining the users in the security system.

9. The security system according to claim 8 wherein said user data in said database is capable of being updated in response to changes in user data from another database coupled to said computer system.

10. The security system according to claim 1 wherein another database is updated by said computer server system in accordance with actions sent to one of said facility protection systems and said information systems.

11. The security system according to claim 1 wherein computer system has a central database which logs said events received from facility protection systems and information systems.

12. The security system according to claim 1 further comprising a network for enabling communication between said facility protection systems and said network and information system and computer server system.

13. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said directing means comprises an event transaction processor which receives events and determines when a single event or multiple events received by the computer server system requires action by one or more of said information systems and facility protection systems.

14. The security system according to claim 1 further comprising one or more monitoring computer systems coupled to said computer server system for communication of said events received by said computer server system.

15. The security system according to claim 7 further comprising one or more administration computer systems comprising means for generating ID Credentials for users for use with said access control systems, and storing information about said ID Credentials on said database of said computer server system.

16. A method for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system comprising the steps of:

providing a computer server system coupled for communication with said facility protection systems and said information systems;

sending to said computer server system events from each of said facility protection systems and said information system when events occur at their respective system; and

sending actions from said computer server system to one or more of said facility protection systems and said information system to be taken to protect facilities protected by said facility protection systems and network and information maintained by said information systems.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

receiving actions at one or more of said facility protection systems and said information systems from said computer server; and

operating at said facility protection systems and said information system receiving said action operates in accordance with said received action.

18. The method according to claim 16 wherein said facility protection systems represent systems used for protecting personnel and property in facility environments.

19. The method according to claim 16 wherein said facility protection systems comprises at least an access control system which controls user access to areas of a facility.

20. The method according to claim 16 wherein said facility protection systems further comprise an intrusion detection system, a fire system, building automation system, personal safety system and digital video recording and surveillance system.

21. An event transaction processor in a system having an access control system enabling access to a facility environment by users, and information systems, which enable access to network and data environments by said users, said processor comprising:

means for receiving events from one of access control system and at least one information system;

means for determining when each of said event requires action to protect one of access to said facility environment controlled by said access control system and access to said network and data environment controlled by said information system, and sending commands to one of said access control system and information systems to protect said facility environment and network and data environments.