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

• US 20070192464A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,882,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 connecting a monitoring device to a service server, said method comprising:

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 occurring at the monitoring device,

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 service server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein further an initial retrieval of an address relating to a control server from a memory of the monitoring device returns a preconfigured address relating to a control server and wherein an initial sending of a 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 further 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 1, wherein said extracting of an identifier further includes:

extracting an identification code included by the monitoring device in the communication between the monitoring device and the control server, and wherein said identifying of a service server further includes matching the extracted identification code to a service server.

6. 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.

7. 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 a control means arranged at the monitoring device.

8. 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.

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

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

11. 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 memory including a connection address,

initiating means arranged to send a connection message over the network to the connection address in response to an initiation event, and

means arranged to send a new connection message to an address received in a message via said network,

wherein the control server includes;

an identity extractor arranged to extract an identifier from a communication between the monitoring device and the control server,

matching means arranged to match the extracted identifier to a control server or a service server and retrieve an address to the matched service server, and

a message generator arranged to generate a message including the retrieved address and to send the generated message to the monitoring device,

and wherein each service server includes;

means for receiving and processing monitoring data from a monitoring device.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11, 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.

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

14. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the identifier is an IP-address.

15. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the identifier is an identification code stored in the monitoring device.

16. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the initiating means of the monitoring device is a network connection detector.

17. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the initiating means of the monitoring device is an actuator for manual actuation.

18. A control server for a monitoring system comprising:

an interface connecting the server to a network;

an identity extractor arranged to extract an identifier from a message received from a monitoring device;

matching means arranged to match the extracted identifier to a control server or a service server and retrieve an address to the matched service server; and

a message generator arranged to generate a message including the retrieved address.

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

20. The control server for a monitoring system of claim 18, wherein the identifier is an identification code received from the monitoring device.

21. A monitoring device comprising:

a memory including an address associated to a control server,

an initiation means arranged to send a connection message over the network to said address in response to an initiation event, and

means arranged to send a new connection message to an address received in a message via said network in response to the receipt of said received message.

22. The monitoring device of claim 21, further including an identifier stored in the memory, the monitoring device being arranged to send this identifier to the address to which the connection message is sent.

23. The monitoring device of claim 22, wherein the identifier is an identity code.

24. The monitoring device of claim 21, wherein the memory of the monitoring device includes a prioritized list of addresses indicating possible control servers.